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Questions re Squeaks' neutering

Qualcast&Flymo

Qualcast&Flymo

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Squeaks is booked in for his neutering op this Friday (13th). The plum fairy has been having a busy week so hopefully all the practice will have made her perfect and there won't be any problems!
I want to make sure I am all prepared myself and get everything right so he makes a good recovery, so I've got a few questions in advance.
1) When I booked him in, the receptionist said to remember to starve him from the night before. I told her I thought guinea pigs shouldn't be starved pre-op as they can't vomit - I am correct aren't I ? (She admitted she was quite new to the job and this was the first piggie she had booked in for neutering, so she just repeated what she had been told for cats etc).
2) Is vet bed better post-op than fleece? I have some vet-bed with quite a thick pile, I wondered if bits might be able to come off it and stick to drying blood.
3) In one of the care guides, it suggests providing a heat pad after the operation. Is that still the case when the piggie is indoors in a room that doesn't go below 18 degrees, especially in the current heat? If so, would a Scratch & Newton Cosy Pod be as good as a heat pad?

I've got recovery Food and syringes etc already, in case I need to syringe feed him afterwards. Got just enough time if I need to buy anything else before the op. Crossing fingers etc it all goes smoothly, during and after!
Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
Squeaks is booked in for his neutering op this Friday (13th). The plum fairy has been having a busy week so hopefully all the practice will have made her perfect and there won't be any problems!
I want to make sure I am all prepared myself and get everything right so he makes a good recovery, so I've got a few questions in advance.
1) When I booked him in, the receptionist said to remember to starve him from the night before. I told her I thought guinea pigs shouldn't be starved pre-op as they can't vomit - I am correct aren't I ? (She admitted she was quite new to the job and this was the first piggie she had booked in for neutering, so she just repeated what she had been told for cats etc).
2) Is vet bed better post-op than fleece? I have some vet-bed with quite a thick pile, I wondered if bits might be able to come off it and stick to drying blood.
3) In one of the care guides, it suggests providing a heat pad after the operation. Is that still the case when the piggie is indoors in a room that doesn't go below 18 degrees, especially in the current heat? If so, would a Scratch & Newton Cosy Pod be as good as a heat pad?

I've got recovery Food and syringes etc already, in case I need to syringe feed him afterwards. Got just enough time if I need to buy anything else before the op. Crossing fingers etc it all goes smoothly, during and after!
Thanks in advance for any advice!
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1) Rodents don't need starving befort an operation because they cannot vomit and therefore not at any risk of suffocation during the operation. They should be kept eating before and after the operation.
2) vet bed is better, but either will do. Ideally you use light coloured bedding so you can spot any bleeding more quickly.
3) no heater is needed in an indoors room with stable temperatures, and especially not in this current weather!

All the best for the plum picking!
 
As a newly experienced piggy neutering person (the plum fairy visited Theo yesterday morning) I would say...
1) NO dont starve them they should be eating right up until they go to that ketamine/opiate/isoflurane sleepy place, then ideally they should be eating again an hour or 2 afterwards. This is super important. If your vet says starve them I would be concerned that they dont know the difference between a dog and a guinea pig.
2) we bought some vet fleece but its super fluffy so given the heat wave Theo is sleeping on old well washed white towels and newspaper that I'm changing twice a day- low tech but effective.
3) seems warm enough in the uk right now but Theo did have rather cold ears post-op so we cuddled him a lot and kissed his ears and closed the windows.
Check out Theo's neutering thread under guinea pig chat for our fairly naive pre and post neutering observations.
And good luck! The plum fairy is super busy this week :)
 
Sending best wishes and hope the recovery is a quick one without any complications!
 
All the best for Friday Squeaks! I'm sure everything will be fine. I once had a receptionist tell me to starve them first (she only saw the carrier) and when I looked puzzled I got a "its not a cat is it?". Luckily she then gave me the correct advice though I had had piggies operated on previously so knew not to starve them
 
A new receptionist started at my vets and I was telling her stuff about guinea pigs as she was asking me questions and she was taking down notes! She had only been there around 2 days and was still getting to grips with everything. She was better informed when I left than before I arrived!
 
Best of luck to you and Squeaks, he’s such a lovely fella! One step closer to him getting a lady friend bless him :)
 
Good luck Squeaks! Ohmi wants to say it's all right, you get tasty Metacam and treats afterwards :nod:
 
Everything has been answered so I'm just sending all the good luck vibes I can!
 
Thank you @Wiebke for answering my queries, and Everybody for your good wishes. I dropped Squeaks off first thing this morning and have to call them at 3pm to see if he is ready to come home. They are quite busy with surgery today, so I don't know when he will be seen - hope there aren't any emergencies to disrupt the list. While he is gone, I've got to clean the piggy room and put together a hospital cage on the floor. Some lovely fleecy liners arrived from Ziggy's Piggies yesterday, so I think I will use part vet-bed and part fleece, as the fleece is light coloured but the vet-bed is mostly dark.
 
HUGS! The waiting is always the worst! :(

All the best!
 
Thanks!

I had to dash off to take some old folks to their lunch club, and didn't have time to finish my previous post properly... Can I just ask @Wiebke , would you recommend Squeaks being given antibiotics to prevent post-op infection, and if so which are the best? I'm thinking Zithromax is probably one, but not sure what else would work best.

@Merrypigs Sanctuary , thanks for Jumble and Tumble's good wish wheeks, how are the little cuties? Have they gone to their new home now? Hope the sanctuary is clear of the ringworm! :tu:
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
Thanks!

I had to dash off to take some old folks to their lunch club, and didn't have time to finish my previous post properly... Can I just ask @Wiebke , would you recommend Squeaks being given antibiotics to prevent post-op infection, and if so which are the best? I'm thinking Zithromax is probably one, but not sure what else would work best.

@Merrypigs Sanctuary , thanks for Jumble and Tumble's good wish wheeks, how are the little cuties? Have they gone to their new home now? Hope the sanctuary is clear of the ringworm! :tu:
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Yes Jumb and Tumb are doing really well in their new home, only round the corner! We’re also clear of ringworm now (finally) which is great; now Teiglet and Ralph have finally got some interest!

Hope you get some good news about Sqeaks soon! :)
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
Thanks!

I had to dash off to take some old folks to their lunch club, and didn't have time to finish my previous post properly... Can I just ask @Wiebke , would you recommend Squeaks being given antibiotics to prevent post-op infection, and if so which are the best? I'm thinking Zithromax is probably one, but not sure what else would work best.

@Merrypigs Sanctuary , thanks for Jumble and Tumble's good wish wheeks, how are the little cuties? Have they gone to their new home now? Hope the sanctuary is clear of the ringworm! :tu:
Click to expand...
Yes! They're all settled in to a wonderful new home now, and we are finally ringworm free! Xx
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
The vet just phoned, the surgery has gone well, they are going treat him also with a therapeutic laser which is to promote healing. I need to call back in an hour or two to see when to pick him up. Crossing fingers etc for a swift recovery from the anaesthetic. 🙏🤞
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Glad everything went well! Theo sends his love and says he hopes Squeaks recovers as quickly as he did :)
 
Glad all has gone well. Hope he is soon bouncing around again. Melody sends love. She had her incisors removed this week (Tuesday) and today she is feeling very much better.
 
Glad to hear Squeaks is doing well. Ginger says the Metacam tasted great and in a few weeks you will get to meet a lovely lady piggy (hopefully not as bossy as Dora though). xx
 
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