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Post-Op Wound Bleeding

JaseChase

JaseChase

Junior Guinea Pig
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Patches (2yo male) was at the vet on Tuesday to have a lump under his left nipple removed. It went smoothly, the lump has been sent off for testing, and he’s been recovering at home

This morning when I picked him up to give him his painkiller + check the wound, I noticed it was bleeding (it wasn’t when I went to bed last night). I can’t see any bloody spots in the cage or his favourite beds either

This is the wound right after the op:

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This is the wound this morning:

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I’ve emailed the vet, just waiting to see if he needs to be brought back in or not. I haven’t cared for a post-op piggie before, is this sort of thing normal? He has been a lot brighter and more active since last night and the nurse told me that his wound might look strange as it goes right by his hip, so there’s a lot of movement there

I’ve been keeping the cage as clean as possible, regularly changing out pee pads and hideys, and keeping the hay more contained than normal so he isn’t sitting in it to irritate the wound. Anything else I can do to avoid it bleeding? I haven’t seen him bothering it himself which is one good thing. He’s eating and drinking and his weight is a little down, I believe not unusual after the anaesthetic. I’m weighing daily for now

He’s been keeping to this tunnel the most, he’s even been sharing it with his cagemate which is sweet


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JaseChase said:
Patches (2yo male) was at the vet on Tuesday to have a lump under his left nipple removed. It went smoothly, the lump has been sent off for testing, and he’s been recovering at home

This morning when I picked him up to give him his painkiller + check the wound, I noticed it was bleeding (it wasn’t when I went to bed last night). I can’t see any bloody spots in the cage or his favourite beds either

This is the wound right after the op:

View attachment 266380

This is the wound this morning:

View attachment 266381

I’ve emailed the vet, just waiting to see if he needs to be brought back in or not. I haven’t cared for a post-op piggie before, is this sort of thing normal? He has been a lot brighter and more active since last night and the nurse told me that his wound might look strange as it goes right by his hip, so there’s a lot of movement there

I’ve been keeping the cage as clean as possible, regularly changing out pee pads and hideys, and keeping the hay more contained than normal so he isn’t sitting in it to irritate the wound. Anything else I can do to avoid it bleeding? I haven’t seen him bothering it himself which is one good thing. He’s eating and drinking and his weight is a little down, I believe not unusual after the anaesthetic. I’m weighing daily for now

He’s been keeping to this tunnel the most, he’s even been sharing it with his cagemate which is sweet


View attachment 266382
Click to expand...

Hi

I am very sorry. It is an upsetting discovery.

I would recommend that you give the clinic a call rather than just email them in order to get seen sooner. It's just the surface layer of the skin that has been gnawed away by the looks of it but it needs to be checked and disinfected.

Self-biting/skin gnawing usually indicates some major localised discomfort/pulling or itchiness/lack of healing process in or under the skin but it should be vet checked. It is the stronger form of self-barbering for some a little deeper sitting pain. We see skin gnawing more commonly with mange mites but occasionally it can happen with an operation scar.

Signs of Pain in Guinea Pigs

All the best!
 
Thank you 😊 I’ve had a response from the vet that they’ve passed the picture to a nurse to get back to me and said to call if I’ve got any other concerns. I’ll give it an hour or so and then ring them to get him booked in. I had a feeling it would need to be checked

He’s been a lot more active this morning - pottering about the whole cage, tucking into his hay, even a couple of zooms. He spent a lot of yesterday puffed up in pain and he’s on Metacam 0.2ml once a day which I thought was maybe a bit low

The lump itself was tested a couple of weeks ago, it was inconclusive but the vet thought it was unlikely to be something sinister. I’ll have more peace of mind once we’ve got the results back from this time
 
The Metacam does sound a bit low for a post op piggy assuming he's over 1kg comparing with post op piggies I've had. It sounds like he's feeling a bit better this morning but it would be worth asking if you can up the Metacam a bit should he need it.
Get well soon Patches.
 
Yes, I thought he might need a higher dose too. I’ll ask today. It’s dog strength Metacam, but my other piggie Tofu is on 0.2ml twice a day for his arthritis and has been on 0.5ml a day during hay pokes in the past

Patches’ weight is usually 1.4kg. He’s been down a bit the last few weeks due to pain from the lump. On op day (Tuesday) he was 1.38kg. This morning he’s 1.33kg so I’m keeping a close eye and ready to step in if I need to

He isn’t sitting puffed up today, which is a big improvement from yesterday
 
Ended up calling the vet this morning, took a while to get through and when I did they weren’t too concerned. I’m still waiting to hear back from the nurse about his pain meds and wound picture

He has been a lot more active today - zooming around the cage in between naps where he’s sprawling instead of sitting in a puffed up ball like he was yesterday. He’s been bothering his wound a bit, I stop him whenever I catch him. Hoping the vet will put up his pain meds to make him more comfortable

I’m a little worried about his feet. He has a history of bumblefoot from before he was rescued (we adopted him), and it flares up occasionally. Other than making sure I’m changing out the fleece regularly, is there anything I can do while he’s less mobile? I’ve seen him pulling at his feet a bit today, which he often does when they’re starting to swell

He’s been eating and pooping a lot today, and his poops are getting back to normal. As long as his weight is up tomorrow I’m hoping I won’t need to support feed 🤞
 
I'm not sure if I've mentioned it to you before but vetbed is brilliant for locking the urine away from the feet and in Patch's case away from his wound. I get off cuts usually from ebay and cut them into size to fit fleece beds/houses. I put a folded newspaper layer underneath as the absorbent layer and change paper/vetbed once or twice a day as needed.
 
piggieminder said:
I'm not sure if I've mentioned it to you before but vetbed is brilliant for locking the urine away from the feet and in Patch's case away from his wound. I get off cuts usually from ebay and cut them into size to fit fleece beds/houses. I put a folded newspaper layer underneath as the absorbent layer and change paper/vetbed once or twice a day as needed.
Click to expand...

Oh yes, vetbed is a good shout thank you 😊 his feet were alright just now when I got him out to check his wound before bed, but I’m going to keep an eye on them. Changed out his fleece pads for the night as well

This is how his wound looks tonight. Depending how it is in the morning (and what his weight does) I’ll ring the vet back to see about getting him in. It doesn’t look open anymore and hasn’t actively bled today, from what I can tell from the fleece in the cage (no spots anywhere). His first post-op checkup is booked for Monday regardless


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Overall he’s been back to his usual exuberant self today. Zooming and interested in food and chasing Tofu in circles for fun ❤️


IMG_1062.webp
 
Good news this morning! The wound looks better, it hasn’t opened again, and the vet agreed to put his pain meds up. He’s now on 0.35ml Metacam daily. I gave him his 0.2ml this morning so I might top him up the extra 0.15ml soon

His weight is 10g up from yesterday and he’s been active around the cage. He came running for breakfast and sniffed my hand 😍 he hasn’t wanted to interact much since the op, understandably, so that was really nice

I sewed up some new fleece for him so I’ve got plenty to change out without breaking the washing machine haha. Here he is enjoying a new tunnel


IMG_1129.webp
 
Ah that’s great news - he’s such a beautiful boy
Hopefully the increase in metacam will keep him comfortable - the wound looks to be healing really well !
Less worry for you ❤️
 
I'm mostly writing this to talk myself down 😅

Patches had a good day yesterday, but today he's worrying me a bit. I've heard him squeaking in pain a few times - it reminds me of UTI squeaking when peeing, but I can't swear it is when he's peeing. He freezes and squeaks for a few minutes, and then goes about his business

He's been a little less active in the last couple of hours, keeping to one hidey again. Before that he was zooming and I even saw a popcorn this morning. His wound is healing up nicely and hasn't opened or bled again

His weight is also borderline. I haven't stepped in with support feeding yet because he's never lost >50g overnight, but he is lower than I've ever seen him and not gaining. He is maintaining though, and he was a little on the chonky side before the op (could barely feel his bones when checking heft). These are his weights:

1435g Sunday 9th (same as the week previous, I weigh on Sundays)
1380g Tuesday 11th (op day at the vet, so different scales/time of day) - I didn't weigh Wednesday as he was recovering from the anaesthetic
1327g Thursday 13th
1338g Friday 14th
1335g Saturday 15th (today)

He's booked in with the vet on Monday 4pm for his post-op check. I don't really want to take him in before then, because it's a weekend, and because I don't think he really needs it, I think I'm just being anxious. The painful squeaking isn't great, but the higher dose of metacam has definitely made him happier overall. I'm giving 0.35ml in the morning

In general, I think this is all okay post-op, but I can't help feeling I could be doing more for him. I've been offering his favourite veg as well as readigrass and pea flakes and he is showing interest in food, just not with as much enthusiasm as normal
 
Ah poor boy it’s such a shake up for him - I don’t really have post op experience of this but hopefully someone who has will be along to help
He has lost a lot of weight pre/post op so you’re right to monitor it carefully 🥰
 
Thank you both 😊 he’s just come running out of his hidey for veggies which is a good sign. I’m gonna offer him some oats before bed, just as his weight is down so much from his normal. He’s still bright and happy in himself, it’s just hard to judge at what point he needs intervention

This was him this morning - he isn’t puffed up in pain at all anymore either


IMG_1163.webp
 
Ah he’s a lovely boy as is Tofu ❤️
That sounds a great idea a few oats and keep up the readigrass 👍
I’m glad his pain is under control
 
Managed to get a video of the pained squeaking so I can show the vet tomorrow. Does this look like UTI squeaking to anyone else? He’s doing it a couple times an hour

Patches Squeaking Video

Otherwise he’s actually a lot better this morning. He was climbing the bars and zooming even before his Metacam dose and tucked straight into the fresh hay

His weight is down again though - 1315g which is far lower than I’ve ever seen him. I’m going to step in with support feeding, I know it’s not a loss of 50g overnight but I’m concerned
 
First two syringe feeds have gone well - got 15-20ml in him both times. He’s eating some of it off a spoon, he just gets fed up pretty quick so I have to syringe the rest

He’s definitely squeaking while peeing. Hope the vet can get to the bottom of it tomorrow 🤞

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