• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Piggie with abscess - how often is too often?

cally

cally

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
125
Reaction score
88
Points
245
Location
Cumbria
Hello everyone,

I was on the forum a little while ago after having a mild freak out about my pig who has an abscess. The vet wasn’t worried, we’d been given antibiotics as it had burst but had healed over. She mentioned we need to start worrying if the abscess keeps bursting or it gets too big and he can’t move 😳

On Sunday night, Bailey (piggie with abscess) bumped into Buzz during feeding time in his excitement and the abscess burst. I was obviously there so I cleaned him up but left it as and it had scabbed back over by the next morning. Today (Wednesday) it looks wet - like it’s burst again perhaps and it looks bigger to me, but I did trim his fur as he’s a Swiss so I could keep a closer eye on it.

I don’t know if I’m being too panicky? They are in a cage with fleece and all their beds are fleece, I put hay on the floor so he doesn’t have to reach up for any in case that was causing problems. I’ve started to not spot clean daily though as he’s such a happy boy he’ll be popcorning all over when I’m in the cage and I worry he’ll hurt himself. I don’t like picking him up anymore either in case I do something. I should mention that he’s his normal self - eating, drinking, wheeking…what if I make it worse by not picking him up or cleaning as thoroughly because I’m scared?

Sorry for the ramble, I’m not even sure anyone can help!
 
How long has he had the abscess?

Abscesses usually need to be kept open (ie by removing the scab that forms), flushed and cleaned daily so they can heal from the inside out.
 
Just a couple more details... where is the abscess located? How old is your piggie?

The thing with guinea pig abscesses is that they seldom clear up with antibiotics alone. They are a trapped, localized infection with a thick wall around it. The antibiotics don't really penetrate the abscess' walls and guinea pig pus is very thick, which makes it hard for the body to clear away. Usually they are resolved with a combination of an antibiotic and either lancing and draining the abscess and then continually emptying/cleaning it out so it can heal from the inside out, or surgically removing the entire capsule so that there is no pouch of tissue to refill. What treatment is possible depends on where the abscess is, how much skin there is to fill over a surgical defect, etc.

I had one pig with an infected lower cyst on her back who was able to have the abscess removed completely surgically- it was a one and done procedure, never caused another problem for the rest of her life. I also had a pig with a facial abscess that wasn't amenable to being surgically removed... she was on an antibiotic and I cleaned out the wound with an antiseptic once or twice a day and expressed any pus for several months. It did heal, but it was a very long process.

In short, if your piggie is young and the abscess is in a place where is can be surgically resected, I would suggest talking to your vet about that. However, if it's not, you are going to have to keep the area from scabbing over and use a syringe and sterile fluid to clear out the abscess on a daily basic to keep it from reforming. I used sterile saline and a curved dental syringe to take care of Sundae's face. You may also need to ask for a stronger antibiotic, I know a lot of people have had good luck with azithromycin with abscess treatment, though I think my pig was on chloramphenicol instead.

Hope this helps a bit!
 
My Handsome Silver Fox Christian had a HUGE abdominal abscess removed surgically. He went on to live another 2 years after it was removed. You could hardly see anything from the outside.

Christian lump from outside.webpChristian Abscess 1.webpChristian Abscess 2.webp
 
He’s six, so surgery worries me. It’s on his side, more towards his back leg. The vet mentioned the wall being thick and there’s no where for anything to go but…out. She didn’t mention having to clean it daily although I have been doing when I’ve noticed it’s wet. There’s no pus, the vet just talked about making sure it doesn’t get bigger or keep bursting - I assumed the antibiotics we’re given as the abscess recently burst, not as a way of clearing it up if that makes sense?

Oh goodness that’s huge and you can’t even see it from the outside!

I wonder if I should speak to my vet again about our options.
 
As others have said they will rarely just go away on their own (even with antibiotics).
Our boy Eddi suffered with a couple of jaw abscesses, although he never required surgery for them.
He would have them cut open (local anaesthetic only) and then I would have to flush them out with antiseptic solution 2 - 3 times a day.
Sometimes it would seal over, and then I would gently remove the scab to keep it clean. Over time they will heal from the inside out, which is the ultimate goal.
If the abscess is so close to the surface that it pops on it's own this should be an option for you too.
Combined with anti-biotics, a good cleaning routine over a period of weeks is often enough to treat an abscess successfully.
 
Jemimah had an abscess on her rump for a long time.
We would treat it, it went away then flared up again.
Eventually the vet and I decided surgical removal was the only option.
Surgery was successful and serendipitous as it was discovered that ovarian cysts had flared up out of the blue so she came home with no abscess, no uterus and 2 very impressive scars.
She bounced back very well.

Hope your boy can be treated.
Whatever you decide to do we will be here to support you.
 
@Betsy Furryfriends is the dental/abscess Queen, :nod:

Grace my old lady had an abscess in her cheek, she was on Zithromax antibiotics for a while & then had the abscess marsupialised, I was flushing it with standard Baytril for over a week maybe 2 weeks I think? But she was on Zithromax orally too (approx. month in total - 2weeks either side of surgery roughly)

The whole capsule couldn't be removed as it had muscles/tendons/veins intertwined in it, so hence the flushing of the dried/drying up pus. She was not very pleased with me for poking the scab off & flushing it through daily, but it cleared up brilliantly & we never had any more abscess issues with her :luv:

Hopefully it's not affecting his stomach, but Zithromax is definitely the drug to ask for as it's the big guns for abscesses. This should give your Guinea the best possible chance of recovery, even if surgery is needed to drain/remove the majority of infection.

Good luck with what you decide, check your vet is experienced & competent working on your Guinea. Fingers crossed for a full & speedy recovery x
 
Sorry everyone for this late reply and thank you all for your comments. My boy passed away not long after posting this, in my arms, safe and loved.

I hope this doesn’t sound silly, but I’m struggling with his loss. I have one piggie left now, he’s almost 7 and now I’ve got this fear that I’m going to loose him too. We’re both fine really, just shocked I guess that he’s gone.
 
So sorry for your loss @cally .
You are grieving and your emotions will be all over the place at the moment.
Be gentle with yourself as you grieve.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. ((HUGS)) to you. Please take time to grieve and be kind to yourself. It's so normal after a loss to anticipate and feel worry about another loss. It's absolutely not silly to struggle after the loss of a pet... I think everyone here can relate to what that feels like!
 
I'm so sorry to hear about Bailey. May he popcorn free over the rainbow bridge. Take care of yourself @cally and let yourself grieve. 💚
 
cally said:
Sorry everyone for this late reply and thank you all for your comments. My boy passed away not long after posting this, in my arms, safe and loved.

I hope this doesn’t sound silly, but I’m struggling with his loss. I have one piggie left now, he’s almost 7 and now I’ve got this fear that I’m going to loose him too. We’re both fine really, just shocked I guess that he’s gone.
Click to expand...

BIG HUGS

I am so very sorry; getting on top of abscesses is sadly not always possible. You have done your very best and could not have done more for Bailey. Such a battle always takes it out of you emotionally as well as physically.

If you are really struggling with aspects of your grieving process, please contact the free Blue Cross pet bereavement services to talk with a trained volunteer about your grieving issues and fears.
Yours are very normal reactions but can become a problem for anybody after a rather traumatic experience. Just being able to talk it out of your body will help you more than you'd think. All of the forum members who have made use of them (often rather reluctantly) have told us that it has really helped them. I wish they had been running when I suffered from pet bereavement after losing my still most special piggy of all, Minx (pre-forum) and had had somebody understanding I could have talked about it because I would not have had to suffer from it for a full 18 months.
Here is the link: Pet bereavement and pet loss

The best thing you can do for yourself and your remaining piggy is to turn the life clock back to zero and celebrate each day you have with them as a the special gift it is. Concentrate on enrichment and creating lots of precious memories. They are the ones that you can warm the fingers of your soul on in the many years to come whenever you are feeling down. It doesn't matter how short or long a pet lives; it is the quality of the time and what you make of it that counts. This has really helped me come to terms better with all my own losses because I know I have given them a happy and fulfilled piggy life.
Be aware that your grieving process doesn't start with the death but with the moment you realise that death is on the ticker. Your fear is your reaction to not feeling up to face and deal with another loss right now even though your grieving process has actually already started with your loss. Making the most of what time you have left and treating it as bonus bag you can still fill with lots of memorable goodie interaction means that you can tackle your fears of another loss in a constructive way that will make the actual loss - whenever it comes - a lot easier on you than if you remained in denial.
Again, having somebody trained to speak about this aspect of your grieving will hopefully mean that you can take that particular handbrake off and hopefully move on a bit easier with your grieving process. Letting go and knowing that you will have to let go in the foreseeable time is a very painful process but it is a lot easier on you when face up to it.

Please take the time to also read these very helpful practical guide links here in addition to our Grieving and the Bereaved Companions guides:
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities (contains chapters on challenges particular to bereaved guinea pigs and how social needs can manifest)
Caring for Older Piggies and Facing the End - A practical and supportive information collection

I hope that this will help you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top