Scab Under Eye and weight loss

[Nooberdog]

Hey there everybody! I’ll just apologize for the poor image quality first, I took this quickly on my work break and can get something better later.

Yesterday my teenage boar Tino and 4 year old Michael (Mike) got into a fight, I am assuming. Mike has a black/reddish scab under his eye as a result. I have also been weighing him regularly as he has been dropping weight over the past 2 weeks. I’m currently in isolation so I only have an appointment for a checkup at the vet on Monday. Is there anything I should do to ensure his wound doesn’t get worse/infected? Regarding the weight loss, are there any tests or questions I should ask the vet? He seems healthy and is eating regularly.

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

Hello,

Have you separated the two boars following the fight? Unfortunately this can happen (particularly in the teenage hormonal months).

Bonds In Trouble


Are you weighing him daily? If there is significant weight loss please step in with support feeding: have a read of the guides below

Non-emergency vet visits, contagion and illness care support

Weight - Monitoring and Management

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Yes, please do get him a vet appointment ASAP to rule out any medical reasons for the weight loss. Though if there has been any bullying, this can also be a contributing factor (but medical issues must be ruled out first). Weigh daily once the piggies are separated and note any improvement/weight gains.

As for the scab (it's hard to tell from the pic) but it looks pretty superficial. Guinea pigs heal quickly. Keep the area clean with sterile water (you can boil water and let it cool) and wipe over with some cotton wool (unless you find that this causes him significant stress).

Keep us posted with how your vet appointment goes.

 

[Piggies&buns]

If they have had a full on injury causing fight then they do need to be separated (likely permanently, sadly)

You do need to step in and start syringe feeding to prevent further weight loss. Checking out whether there is a medical source to the weight loss is the most important thing to do first. If no medical reason can be found, then it is possible, particularly given their fight, that the stress caused by a dysfunctional bond or bullying can be the cause of the weight loss

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre

 

[Nooberdog]

Hello,

Have you separated the two boars following the fight? Unfortunately this can happen (particularly in the teenage hormonal months).

Bonds In Trouble


Are you weighing him daily? If there is significant weight loss please step in with support feeding: have a read of the guides below

Non-emergency vet visits, contagion and illness care support

Weight - Monitoring and Management

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Yes, please do get him a vet appointment ASAP to rule out any medical reasons for the weight loss. Though if there has been any bullying, this can also be a contributing factor (but medical issues must be ruled out first). Weigh daily once the piggies are separated and note any improvement/weight gains.

As for the scab (it's hard to tell from the pic) but it looks pretty superficial. Guinea pigs heal quickly. Keep the area clean with sterile water (you can boil water and let it cool) and wipe over with some cotton wool (unless you find that this causes him significant stress).

Keep us posted with how your vet appointment goes.

I put a divider between the two after I saw Mike got injured. I didn't see or hear a fight happening but better safe than sorry! I am monitoring his weight daily, over a day the weight loss isn't significant but it has added up to being over 150 grams since I have started my isolation. Hopefully I start to see some improvement if bullying was the cause of the weight loss!

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

Yes if it was bullying you should see weight starting to increase providing both boys have ad lib hay. If the weight loss trend continues, have the vet investigate.
You usually see bullied pigs become much more active and happier in themselves too, once separated

 

[Piggies&buns]

That is quite a bit of weight for him to have lost (anything over 50g in a short space of time is of concern). Continue to weigh him daily so you can ensure he stops losing weight now he is separated. You may also need to step in and syringe feed if the weight loss continues.
If their separation makes him happier then, he will hopefully start to eat more and you will see his weight stabiloas and then slowly regain (regaining lost weight takes longer than it does to lose it)

 

[Nooberdog]

Sorry for the late update, life got busy and I forgot to come back! I will preface by saying there are 0 good vets in my area and even the “exotic” vets do not have any kind of specializations. I took Mike to the best of the worst and didn’t get much accomplished. Vet said his teeth look fine, doesn’t feel anything in his stomach. Didn’t really offer any advice really. He told me to separate Mike and Tino every night so Mike can eat alone, then put them back together in the daytime? Clearly some expert knowledge, lol. Mikes weight seems to have stopped dropping, so that’s good at least! Vet also said the wound doesn’t need any treatment as it should heal itself.

While cleaning the boy’s cage tonight I noticed a spot of hair on Mike’s back is missing. Doesn’t look like a wound, just a random circular spot of hair loss. I’ll make sure to upload a picture tomorrow once my partner comes home from his shift. That being said, any thoughts on what it could be?

 

[Nooberdog]

 

[Nooberdog]

So these are some pictures I managed to get of the “bald” spots on Mike’s back. I didn’t notice the second scabby section last night but I can’t tell if it looks like a wound. I hope it isn’t ringworm because I forgot to wash my hands after I held him last night, hah.