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Star has a hard black crusty lump HELP

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maisydaisystar

Now I feel like a really bad mummy,
Just got star out for his nail trim and a brush, and I have found a lump on his lower back which is not visable to the eye but felt it when i stroked him, It is approx the size of a cherry tomato, maybe a little bigger, and is completly hard black and crusty like dried blood, his skin at the base of it is a little red, the lump itself is solid, and I am worried at what it can be, I feel awful for not noticing it before now.
Any ideas guys?grrrr
 
Try not to worry yourself too much, the point is you know now and you can do something about it - don't focus on the "what ifs..". We have all missed something at one time or another!

A picture may help, but from the description it sounds like it could be a ruptured sebaceous cyst. The contents of such cysts can be black and are rather like toothpaste in texture. If a cyst ruptures it can become infected, which would lead to the redness and the crustiness you describe. If you can try to clean it up/bathe it with salt water, that would be a good first step; once you can see what you are dealing with, you can find out about treatments and talk to your vet about the best treatment to take.
 
there is no liquid what so ever, the whole lump is crusty and dry, I will bathe it with salt water and take him to the vets on monday, I hope he'll be ok, he is such a special boy.
 
The liquid will have dried up by now, it will have contributed to the thick, dry crusty stuff. Hope the vet can deal with it quickly and easily.
 
Is the lump near the end of his spine? If it is it could just be a build up of secretions from his grease gland. One of my boars used to get a thick black build up which could feel very hard. It never got as big as a cherry tomato though. Hope he's OK.
 
yes it is at the base of his spine, maybe thats what it is? how do i know for sure and how do I clean it?
I have never encountered this before in guinea pigs,

Although it is not right at the base of his spine, where a tail would be?
 
i think it's too high up to be the grease gland,
trying to find a diagnosis on the net but nothing is coming up, will book in with the vets tomorrow
 
The grease gland is right where the tail would be, yes. It is only an inch from the floor when the pig is sat down!

Try to bathe in salt water if you can, it's important to get it cleaned/cleared up not only to encourage the healing of it, but so the vet can examine the lump itself more clearly.

Good luck at the vets, do keep us updated on his progress.
 
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