Infected back abscess

[Mvill011]

Hello ! My Guinea pig coco has an abscess on his back that popped. I took him to emergency vet and they took a lot pus out . But I recently saw that it has gotten infected and today I started putting on saline solution on him but I know it hurts him because I can see his pink skin, I also been giving him Baytril since Sunday. He still been eating very well and drinking lots of water. I wanted to know what else can I put on so the infection can go away. Is Neosprin good for him ? I also wanted to know if I should wrap him every day after taking care of the wound? Thank you , please I need advice because it’s giving me anxiety

 

[Mvill011]

Hello ! My Guinea pig coco has an abscess on his back that popped. I took him to emergency vet and they took a lot pus out . But I recently saw that it has gotten infected and today I started putting on saline solution on him but I know it hurts him because I can see his pink skin, I also been giving him Baytril since Sunday. He still been eating very well and drinking lots of water. I wanted to know what else can I put on so the infection can go away. Is Neosprin good for him ? I also wanted to know if I should wrap him every day after taking care of the wound? Thank you , please I need advice because it’s giving me anxiety

Also is there any creams that will help his infection that I can get it through Amazon?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please dont put anything in it that isn’t prescribed by a vet. Please also don’t wrap it.
Abscesses need to heal from inside so flushing it out with saline is good.
If the antibiotics don’t deal with the infection, then please return to the vet for a longer course or a difference antibiotic.

Is he on painkillers?
Please ensure you weigh him daily and step in with syringe feeding if he is losing any weight

 

[metalhead]

I personally would not use saline, it will sting very much if the wound is open. I also would not cover it, there is more chance of infection that way because it gives bacteria chance to breed in the warm moist conditions of a bandage. Keep an eye on it and if there is any foreign body in the wound like a bit of hay, then remove it/gently wash it with boiled water that has been cooled right down to almost cold or you could buy some colloidal silver and use that to wash it, which is anti bacterial, but the baytril should take care of any possible infection, and if he is eating and drinking he is feeling ok, so just keep the wound free of any debris and let nature and time heal it.

 

[Mvill011]

He is not in painkillers, but he still eats normal and all. Where I live it’s hard to get a vet appointment since his an “exotic animal” so I just been giving him baytril and using saline solution.

 

[Piggies&buns]

He is not in painkillers, but he still eats normal and all. Where I live it’s hard to get a vet appointment since his an “exotic animal” so I just been giving him baytril and using saline solution.

Abscesses are painful and being on painkillers is necessary. Please do speak to the vet about this.
I know vet care in the US isn’t easy but managing pain is important

 

[Mvill011]

I personally would not use saline, it will sting very much if the wound is open. I also would not cover it, there is more chance of infection that way because it gives bacteria chance to breed in the warm moist conditions of a bandage. Keep an eye on it and if there is any foreign body in the wound like a bit of hay, then remove it/gently wash it with boiled water that has been cooled right down to almost cold or you could buy some colloidal silver and use that to wash it, which is anti bacterial, but the baytril should take care of any possible infection, and if he is eating and drinking he is feeling ok, so just keep the wound free of any debris and let nature and time heal it.

Thank you so much ! So I should not use an antibiotic ointment ? But what can I use to help clean the pus and infection? Just colloidal silver?

 

[Piggies&buns]

And please do make sure you weigh him daily while he is unwell (weekly as part of routine care) rather than relying on watching him eat hay as it is very deceptive

Please just flush the area out. The antibiotics and flushing will do their job. Please don’t put anything on it that isn’t prescribed by a vet.

 

[metalhead]

Thank you so much ! So I should not use an antibiotic ointment ? But what can I use to help clean the pus and infection? Just colloidal silver?

I would contact the vet if you feel the wound needs cleaning at all, i definitely would not put ointment on as they could ingest it. The baytril will start to control the infection and if it does not you will need to go back to the vet. I would only use anything if there is some debris stick in the wound which needs to be removed, you could use the colloidal silver to soak it so it does not pull, but still then i would check with your vet first x

 

[Mvill011]

Okay thank you everyone!

 

[Mvill011]

This is how it looks like right now

 

[Mvill011]

Is the pink around it means it’s getting infected or the skin is falling off?

 

[Merab]

Dealing with abscesses is not easy.
It’s time consuming but the flushing and the antibiotics are really the best way to deal with them.
Hoping it begins to heal soon.

 

[Freela]

Just wanted to add not to use Polysporin if there is even the slightest chance he can reach the wound with his mouth- it usually contains an antibiotic that is really unsafe for guinea pigs if ingested. The oral antibiotic and irrigation really is the best way, though abscesses can be long and time-consuming to heal. I'm guessing the vet has assessed and doesn't think that surgical removal of the whole capsule is possible?

 

[Mvill011]

So my Guinea pigs’ abscess wound there is white under it it’s the pjs from the abscess or is does it mean it’s infected?

 

[Mvill011]

So my Guinea pigs’ abscess wound there is white under it it’s the pjs from the abscess or is does it mean it’s infected?

i meant pus**

 

[Grand Guinea Pigs]

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Experienced members will be along later since most are located in the UK.

 

[Mvill011]

Since yesterday I been cleaning it with Saline solution and been taking Baytril too , for about 5 days.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please do keep all your posts about the same matter to the same thread as it helps us offer ongoing support and know the background of the matter. I have merged your new thread with your thread of yesterday.

Healing an abscess takes time. Please do give the antibiotics time to work (it’ll be a few days before they really build up enough) as well as the cleaning. If you are concerned, please do see a vet

 

[Mvill011]

Okay thank you ! So is the white under it the puss or is it the fact that it has gotten infected?

 

[Mvill011]

So I was cleaning his wound right now , and the skin on top of it started coming out and there is puss under it , is it a scab ?

 

[Mvill011]

This is how it looks , and it’s lifting up too

 

[Mvill011]

Sorry that I keep putting them in different post, but last Thing, when I Squeeze the wound the white stuff starts coming out from the sides, so yeah idk if the top layer is a scab since I can pick it up with the q tio, but I’m really scared to do it cause I don’t want him to be in pain.

 

[Piggies&buns]

It it has refilled, then the pus needs to come out for it to start to heal. it needs to be flushed inside to keep it clean, allow any further pus to be removed and allow the healing. Sometimes surgery is needed to remove the capsule. He is also likely going to need some painkillers.
We can give practical tips, but a vet is the best person to be able to help you with ensuring it heals properly

Sorry that I keep putting them in different post,

You have posted in exactly the right place. Keep posting on this same thread and then we have all the information in the same place. It’s when entirely new threads are started about the same subject it can cause us issues with advising as we then cannot see all the background information which is on previous threads.

 

[Mvill011]

So I s should just flush inside of it then? So don’t remove the top layer, and just keep flushing it through the inside?

 

[Mvill011]

There are not a lot of vets for exotic animals around me and if they have one they don’t give an appointment until 3-4 days. So I want to do the best I can for the pus to flush out

 

[Piggies&buns]

You usually need to remove any scab and get the pus out every day otherwise the infection will remain trapped inside, but only a hands on check from a vet can really tell you what you are dealing with and the best way to handle it. As I say sometimes surgery is needed, sometimes baytril isn’t the right antibiotic etc, so we can only give practical advice to keep flushing the inside of it to get the pus out
Please do try to make an appointment with a vet, even if the appointment is a few days away, if you are not sure of what to do.

 

[Stewybus]

If the Baytril doesn't work it would be worth asking your vet about Zithromax (Azithromycin). This is great for dental abscesses combined with regular flushing with hibiscrub. Applying Manuka honey also helps.

 

[Mvill011]

Hello , so my Guinea pig’s abscess is getting a little better, but he has white underneath it not all around like before and the white is like if it’s stuck to the skin or l something , is hard to take out idk how to explain, so idk if it’s still puss or is it his skin?

 

[Mvill011]

My Guinea pig’s scan is trying to fall out , should I let it fall by itself?