Soak or Leave Well Enough Alone?

[Cuddles With Cavies]

Boo had a large cyst lanced at the vets last Monday. They got as much gunk out as they could and said to see if it came back because she might need it operated on to remove the cyst sack.

It’s been healing well until yesterday, when the scab over the 1cm sized incision looked larger. I thought perhaps she might have knocked it and that was why.

Today it looks like the skin over the cyst has deteriorated and broken down to leave a massive hole and tissue in the cyst (see attached image but it’s not very pleasant).

I’ve emailed the vets because I’m pretty sure this means at least a vet visit if not an operation (woooo my bank account is thrilled).

She’s had some pain meds tonight, mainly because it looks awful to me but she’s eating, drinking and acting normally so I’m not sure how much it’s actually bothering her. Would you guys just leave it well enough alone or would you maybe try to soak it and clean up some of that gunk?

 

[Claire W]

Ooh that looks quite sore To be honest, I’d be inclined to let the vet clean her up as she may need a course of antibiotics to prevent infection. I wouldn’t want to risk interfering with it myself if she were mine x

 

[Eriathwen]

I'd be inclined to leave it as well, it will be hard to dry it again and warm+wet will quickly lead to a bacterial infection on top of whatever else is going on. There's no harm in giving it a gentle wipe if it's oozing, but I wouldn't actively soak and wash it.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

I would also recommend to leave be but to ring your vets first thing tomorrow morning. Many vets have emergency slots reserved during the day so you can have your piggy seen as soon as possible.

If it is oozing, I would recommend a gentle wipe with a mild antiseptic but not to soak it.
You can always make your own in a pinch by boiling 250 ml or half a pint of water and stir in 1 teaspoon of water when cooled.

All the best. I am sorry that it has filled up so badly.

 

[Freela]

I'd be inclined to leave it alone and let the vet see it ASAP. My guess would be that a surgery to remove the cyst capsule is going to be necessary. One of my pigs had something really similar- basically cyst/abscess got squeezed out, then the skin overtop of the capsule died and the capsule was poking out. It didn't seem to bother her at all, but obviously she couldnt keep walking around with a big break in her skin like that. She had a minor surgery to remove the capsule and stitch the skin over top, it healed up fine and wasn't a problem again after that. Hope this helps!