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Possible Tooth Abscess?

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Puzzlepigs

Puzzlepigs

Adult Guinea Pig
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Just on Friday I noticed that Florrie (aby X piggy in avatar) didn't seem as perky as usual and a little bit subdued. I kept an eye on her and when I went in on Saturday morning I noticed that Florrie and Inca hadn't eaten much of their hay or veggies from the night before. She still seemed to be interested in her food, but I got her out and had a look at her anyway. She seems to have one slightly chubbier cheek, possibly a lump or something in the mouth that is causing it to look larger. She's eating food but quite slowly and not much of it.

This morning I went in and had another look at her and I can still feel the lump. When I do so she seems to be uncomfortable, whereas when I check the other cheek she doesn't mind. I've just mushed up some pellets for her which she is taking from a spoon quite happily, but she is taking them slowly and still isn't herself. I'm about to make an appointment for the vets, however they're closed today so the earliest will be tomorrow. Until we get to the vets I will continue feeding her the mushy pellets to make sure she's still eating something.

This lump has appeared very quickly and only from Friday night she didn't really seem herself. I'm bothered it might be an abscess or other dental problem, although I'm not 100% sure as I've not come across this before.

Has anyone been in a similar position or can offer me any advice?
 
I deal with a lot of abscesses here at the sanctuary, and it does indeed sound very much like an abscess.

Do you have a guinea pig savvy vet, as how quickly they can recover from something like this, and how little damage to the bone can be achieved, depends on getting the correct treatment?

If it is an abscess it is going to need either the capsule removing completely, or for it to be lanced and drained and left open so it can be flushed daily. The daily care is very important as you need to ensure you flush out all the pus each day, so it can heal from the inside outwards.

We have found the very best antibiotic to use when dealing with abscesses is Zithromax (azithromycin).
 
@furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary

Thanks for you quick reply. I'm in St Albans, Hertfordshire and use my local vet (Heath Lodge) when I've taken the pigs to the vets before. However I wouldn't say that they specialise in guinea pigs, so I think it would be a good idea to find a cavy savvy vet to give her the best chance of recovery. The only things the pigs have gone to the vets before have been for minor eye problems and mites, and from what I know our vets aren't very experienced in guineas (in terms of more major problems).

I know that some members have recommended Vets & Pets in Broxbourne, but I've also read that some members haven't had a good experience there. I think the next nearest vets after there on the vet locator are Letchworth Veterinary Centre and the RVC Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital. I think I'm about an hour away from Simon at the Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic.
 
Letchworth are great but not familiar with dental abcesses so would not recommend them for this. Vets and Pets are good but Simon in Northampton is definitely the best person to see. There is someone I know in St Albans who has travelled there to see him.
 
I've had pigs with dental abscesses before, and this is indeed what it sounds like to me. Definitely worth a trip to the vet. It will most likely be lanced and drained and left open for you to continue to irrigate while it heals. Some abscesses can be removed completely, in which case the aftercare isn't necessary, but my vet has said that it is often hard to do this in such a small, delicate area. Furryfriends is definitely a great resource- she walked me through my last abscess experience step by step, which was much appreciated! Lots of luck to you and your piggy!
 
Thank you everyone for your messages. As soon as our local vets open this morning I shall make an appointment for Florrie. However I think she will most probably need to be seen by a cavy savvy vet, so if I can get up to Northampton then that may be the best option.

She's had some water this morning and took it very well, although she can't grip the water bottle how she usually does, so she just opened her mouth whilst I squirted a tiny bit in. Food on the other hand she won't take. She had some wheat bran yesterday evening and some mushy pellets in the morning, but hasn't taken anything since then. I was thinking maybe trying baby food? (I've heard people use this before when pigs are struggling eating). Otherwise I could blend up some carrot or other veg and try that. I'm just bothered that she's already not eaten as much and usual, so she needs to have something today.

I'll see what the vets say today and I'll just have to take it from there. It's all come on so suddenly.
 
I would try some Critical Care in the meantime if you can get some. Not sure about England, but over here I generally have to get it from my vet. But it has all the nutrients that ill pigs need, and it's syringe fed so you can feed it without chewing. Good luck at the vets
 
Little update:

Took Florrie to the vets this afternoon and the vet does think it is an abscess. She seemed quite knowledgeable and took Florrie's temperature, which thankfully is normal. She gave her an injection of anti-inflammatory and another injection of antibiotics, but wasn't able to take a good look inside Florrie's mouth at the abscess as Florrie was in discomfort and it is obviously quite sore. We're back again at the vets tomorrow for antibiotics and a check up. If the abscess doesn't go with antibiotics which it may well not, then we're looking at a lance and drain or surgery to cut it out.

@piglet_and_rogers_mama We've just been sent home with some critical care (I was pleased when she gave us some as I'd read a whole load about it on the forum!).

@furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary Thank you for your kind offer, I will see how everything goes with the antibiotics and take things from there.

I'll just have to see where the next few days take us and reassess things then.
Thank you everyone for your helpful messages.
 
furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary said:
Highly unlikely to go with just antibiotics. In fact it really won't. It needs lancing and draining. What antibiotic have you been given?
Click to expand...

She didn't actually mention the name of the antibiotic but said that it is one that she has prescribed to piggies in the past with similar problems. She said that it may not make any difference as the antibiotics might not even reach the area where the abscess is, but thought it was worth a try before lancing and draining.

If it would be better to go straight in with the lance and drain then I may well bring that up tomorrow when I bring Florrie again.
 
@furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary
I shall ask her what she gave Florrie today when I see her tomorrow. I agree, it may just be better to go straight in and drain it. I'd rather it's sorted out quickly (if possible) than stretched out over a longer period as I don't like to see Florrie uncomfortable. The sooner she is eating properly again, the better too.
 
Meant to update yesterday but didn't have time.

Went to the vets yesterday afternoon as Florrie still wouldn't take any critical care and I wanted to see if we could get it looked at sooner. She stayed at the vets overnight and was rehydrated and syringe fed. This morning she had the abscess lanced and drained and was also given some more pain relief. She's had it drained again this afternoon and was given some antibiotics.

The vet made a small incision to drain the abscess on the rear right side of Florrie's mouth. Her teeth are generally fine and not overgrown or out of line, but there was a bit of irritation around one of her molars. The vet said she could not be sure whether the abscess had grown from underneath this tooth, so we don't know whether any infection has spread to the bone or not. We're hoping that with antibiotics, pain relief and careful feeding that Florrie will improve, but we can't be certain as to whether or not the abscess has affected the bone.

We're back again at the vets tomorrow afternoon to see how to drain it as I've never dealt with an abscess before. I asked for some smaller syringes so we now have some 1ml and 2ml syringes which should make feeding her a little easier. For the time being she will be on fleece so that there is the least chance of anything getting inside the wound.

Hopefully we caught it quick enough but it's so difficult with piggies as they mask illness really well. Fingers crossed she will recover well, but it's hard to tell what the prognosis will be at the moment.
 
Good luck with all! Draining an abscess can be daunting at first but you will get the hang of it. If you're not sure you are doing it right just ask the vets/nurse or someone local to you with experience that can give advice.

Itsy chin abscess has returned so it will be lanced and drained tomorrow so I have some flushing/draining ahead of me as well!
 
Lots of luck with her recovery! Irrigating/draining abscesses can be daunting at first, not to mention gross, but soon enough you'll get the hang of it. There is some great help on the forum... I very much appreciated all the help I got when Sundae first needed this kind of care, and am happy to pass along any tips I learned from Sundae's vet!
 
Thank you all for your advice and messages.

@MrsSuzy
Sorry to hear that Itsy's abscess has returned, I have just commented on your other thread and I hope everything goes okay today.
 
Update

Florrie is very weak and although she is taking critical care and water by syringe, she is very subdued and is struggling to move about. She has been at the vets already today and got some pain killers and we gave her her antibiotics this morning. Having weighed her last week she had gone down about 60g when I weighed her again on Monday after being to the vets. By Tuesday she had gone down another 20g or so and was at 900g.

Our vet said that at the present there is nothing more they can do, but we should keep feeding her critical care, syringing her water and keep an eye on her for the next 24 hours. They can't keep on giving her pain killers so we're just hoping that she will start to improve, although things seem to be looking rather bleak at the moment.

Inca is obviously aware that Florrie isn't well and has also been off her food. We've mentioned this to the vet but they think it's just because she is unsettled by Florrie being unwell.

She also seems to be trembling a little bit and is bowing her head over, not able to support herself properly. I'm really not sure what to do and don't know whether she's got any chance of getting through this now.
 
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Oh no I am sorry. If there is any chance of getting her to Simon or Debbie in Northampton then he could possible operate to remove it but it sounds like you need to act fast before she goes downhill any further x
 
Awww... I'm sorry she is not doing well. What antibiotic is she on? Especially if there is concern that there may be infection in the bone, she needs to be on a good one. Some vets just give Baytril, which tends not to be strong enough for abscess treatment. My vet gives chloramphenicol, but my understanding is that azithromycin is the best abscess med.
Unfortunately, these infections are a big deal in a small animal... I feel for you. I've had two guinea pigs with jaw abscesses- one recovered and one didn't. It sounds as though you are doing everything you can. Keep trying to get the Critical Care in as much as you can. Best wishes to you both, and I hope things turn around for her!
 
She is on Marbocyl (0.4mls a day by mouth). She's had a little more CC this evening, but she is still dribbling it and can't hold her head up properly. I'm really concerned about her. There isn't any way that we can get her up to Northampton tomorrow as we're working all day. Vet appointment is booked for 5pm at our local vets, but I don't think that's really going to help much.

I've also given Inca some CC which she took quite nicely, so hopefully she'll have a bit more energy now.

She's (Florrie's) bedded on fleece and I've put all sorts of food in the cage for her. She did seem interested in some celery leaf but she just can't seem to move enough or chew properly. I believe that they need 40-60ml of syringe food each day, but she's not taking anywhere near that. She's had a good 15ml of water this afternoon/evening and maybe 10ml of CC, but nothing more.

I'm at loss what to do, I can't get her to take anymore food and it's not going to be possible to get her to Northampton. These last two weeks have been very stressful, Pumpkin (21 months) the hamster had to be PTS last week after suddenly becoming very unwell one day and fitting, then one of the chickens very suddenly died and it was only a month or so ago that Bingo passed away (although she was an old girly at 7 1/2 ish).

If I can get to the vets sooner tomorrow then I will, but I doubt very much that I will be able to. If Florrie makes it through the day until our appointment at 5pm then I will be sure to mention zithromax (azithromycin) to the vet. I did ask what antibiotic she would be on when it was first prescribed and I was reassured that the vet had given marbocyl to piggies with abscesses plenty of times before with good outcomes. I think I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Thank you all once again.
 
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Marbocyl is a good antibiotic but an abscess within the jaw would almost certainly need surgery for the best outcome. I took part in a piggy train that took a piggy to Debbie & she had a massive abscess & Simon operated on her & she made a good recovery. It sounds like she is getting weaker. You need to be aiming for 100 ml of food a day f you can. It might mean feeding her during the night too. Is she on any gut stimulants like Emeprid & Zantac? She needs those too & adequate pain relief x
 
I'm so sorry to hear :( Such a worry!

I don't know any vets where you are but Sarah runs Hazelcroft Rescue in St Albans and I know she has death successfully with abscesses. It might be worth asking her what vets she uses? (Can pm you her email if you want?) Also bear in mind that sometimes it's not a vet practice that is good, but a specific vet working at the practice.
 
She had mild sedation for it to be drained but the vet said she was concerned that if she removed the tooth that she suspected it could have grown under then she would risk breaking Florrie's jaw. I will try and get her to take some more critical care tonight. It's just been very difficult as although I'm syringing it in small amounts and giving her time to actually swallow it, she still dribbles most of it out.

I think she is on a gut stimulant, yes. The pain relief should last her until about midday tomorrow as it was given at that time today. She's just completely drained and out of energy as when I put her back into her cage she struggled to move herself into the house properly, despite me putting her right next to it. Inca is very distressed as they both are extremely close to each other, but there's nothing more that I can really do at the moment. She is more distressed when Florrie isn't with her and although holding Inca and stroking her does give her some comfort, after a few minutes she gets very nervy and starts looking about for Florrie.
 
@MrsSuzy Thank you. Florrie and Inca actually came from Sarah at Hazelcroft, as did Puzzle's new friend, Maple. From what I remember, she uses Nine Lives in Redbourn and Vets and Pets in Broxbourne, so if I can get there it might be worth trying either of those.
 
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