Swelling of neck (Abscess Removal)

[piggl]

Hi, my 6 month old boar had an abscess removed yesterday from his neck, it was around the size of a golf ball.
They checked his mouth/teeth and don’t see any issues so they assume it was from a nick or a nip on his neck that became infected.

He came back from his surgery and seems fine in himself, eating and drinking fine.
This morning his neck seems to have blown up again, almost as if his abscess was back but sort of ontop of his incision. I’m too scared to feel about at it with fear of hurting him/stunting his healing so I don’t know if it’s hard or soft or anything.

I am just wondering if this is normal? He has antibiotics for 10 days and some not very great painkiller but i’m only giving him his antibiotics this morning as I wasn’t sure when he was last dosed.

From the last image you can see it’s sort of ballooned out the way.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I assume the whole capsule was removed?
They’re often stitched open so can be flushed out.
It may just be soft tissue swelling.
What painkiller was he given? Metacam is of course an anti inflammatory as well

Best thing is to speak to the vet

 

[weepweeps]

I’d definitely call the vets back and seek their advice.

I had a piggy with a tooth root abscess and it was stitched open so it could drain. Good luck.

 

[piggl]

I assume the whole capsule was removed?
It may just be soft tissue swelling.
What painkiller was he given? Metacam is of course an anti inflammatory as well

Best thing is to speak to the vet

He’s only on 0.17 of cat metacam once a day.

And yes, it was all removed.

 

[piggl]

I’ve got an appointment for 3:30! Thanks for your replies x

 

[weepweeps]

Good luck at the vets. Also try and get some stronger / higher dose pain meds.

 

[Wheekallweek]

I agree with @weepweeps, I think a higher dose of pain killer is in order. Good luck at the vets, hopefully it's just a bit of swelling

 

[piggl]

The vet isn't concerned at all and doesn't believe that he needs an increased dosage. She took Remi to see the vet who did his procedure yesterday and he is also very happy with how it looks.
He has no sensitivity in the area and due to the depth of incision/removal they had to make, he is not surprised he is having some soft tissue swelling. Apparently guinea pigs are really affected by it anyway (swelling of the soft tissue), despite the severity of his procedure.

We are to phone Friday to touch bases but apart from that just continue as we are with the medicating and keeping an eye for any changes.

 

[piggl]

I’ve woken up this morning and he has a bit of a head tilt, i don’t know if that’s due to pain or just it being uncomfortable but I am not really sure how to deal with it. It’s not incredibly noticeable but there’s definitely atleast a minor tilt.

The vets didn’t want to up his dose but I really think he would benefit from atleast having the pain relief/anti inflammatory twice a day.
I assume there’s no way you would recommend doing this without consulting a vet but i’ve been to the vets Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so far and I don’t really plan on going again, atleast for a while.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear that.
I'm afraid we can’t tell you to increase his dose.
I would give them a call even if you don’t go in though

 

[piggl]

I'm in bits

As I mentioned he had a minor tilt in his head this morning but I couldn’t be sure if it was because of pain or if it was just an uncomfortable place for an operation.

Well this evening i’ve gone to give him his antibiotics and the area and even near his incision further down his neck has swelled up so much, but it feels hard, I imagine there’s fluid in there.

I promised myself I wouldn’t pick him up too much as to not stress him out and give him the best chance of recovering but by only picking him up twice a day to give him his antibiotics i’ve missed such a crucial thing. For all I know it’s been ballooning up for hours and I could have gotten an emergency appointment.

Well now it has to wait until the morning, i’ve given him his antibiotics and i’ve split the boys cage into two as Reggie loves burrowing into him and running past and pushing about, and I just cant have that with the state Remi is in. They can still see each other and interact through the bars but that’s it for atleast tonight.

I don’t know what to do, I feel so so horrible and I’m so scared he’s not going to make it through the night.

 

[weepweeps]

Good luck at the vets tomorrow. Is he still eating ok? I’m sure he will be fine until his appointment. Here’s Peppers thread. There’s lots of useful tips from everyone on here that may help you.

Dental? Pepper is off to the vets tomorrow

If it is filling up with puss again it may need stitching open to allow it to drain. Also Zithromax is a great antibiotic to use with abscesses. Also on that thread there may be vet prescribed dosages.

 

[piggl]

Good luck at the vets tomorrow. Is he still eating ok? I’m sure he will be fine until his appointment. Here’s Peppers thread. There’s lots of useful tips from everyone on here that may help you.

Dental? Pepper is off to the vets tomorrow

If it is filling up with puss again it may need stitching open to allow it to drain. Also Zithromax is a great antibiotic to use with abscesses. Also on that thread there may be vet prescribed dosages.

Thanks for linking your thread, It was interesting to read through. Unfortunately his was completely closed and I assume that’s why it has now completely filled up.

He is eating but I just cant help but feel so nervous/bad as his neck is really full. And I don’t know how much it hurts or how it’s going to affect him overnight. Without a place to drain, I just don’t know what’s going to happen.

He’s only on baytril, i’ve never personally heard of Zithromax before nor have I ever had it prescribed.

 

[IgglesPiggles]

Hi My piggie Biscuit had a reasonably large neck/chest abscess removed a few months ago under GA. I was shocked at the level of post op swelling called a seroma as it was bigger that the original lump and almost the size of her head like a ball! I took her to the vets couple of times post-op and they said its normal and will take time to get reabsorbed as fluid had naturally built up where space now existed and due to inflammation etc They said unless the area feels hot to touch or starts oozing fluid (from suture site) don't worry too much. If it gets too big they said they would do an I+D (incision and drainage) to release any further build up for comfort purposes. She was on dog metacam twice daily (no antibiotics) and was eating/moving well etc. It took several weeks but suddenly swelling started to reduce (I think she had scratched some of her dissolvable stitches off too) and the swelling reduced dramatically and now completely gone. I wish I had a photo to show you as it did look sooooo uncomfortable... poor love! I think key is adequate pain control to help get them through initial post period so they can eat, drink etc. Hope that helps a little

 

[piggl]

Hi My piggie Biscuit had a reasonably large neck/chest abscess removed a few months ago under GA. I was shocked at the level of post op swelling called a seroma as it was bigger that the original lump and almost the size of her head like a ball! I took her to the vets couple of times post-op and they said its normal and will take time to get reabsorbed as fluid had naturally built up where space now existed and due to inflammation etc They said unless the area feels hot to touch or starts oozing fluid (from suture site) don't worry too much. If it gets too big they said they would do an I+D (incision and drainage) to release any further build up for comfort purposes. She was on dog metacam twice daily (no antibiotics) and was eating/moving well etc. It took several weeks but suddenly swelling started to reduce (I think she had scratched some of her dissolvable stitches off too) and the swelling reduced dramatically and now completely gone. I wish I had a photo to show you as it did look sooooo uncomfortable... poor love! I think key is adequate pain control to help get them through initial post period so they can eat, drink etc. Hope that helps a little

Thank you so much for your reply. Honestly I cant thank you enough for sharing your experience.

This sounds exactly like what is happening, I think instead of phoning as an emergency tomorrow morning (unless it is hot or oozing), I will continue as we planned and give his vet (who did the op) a phone tomorrow afternoon. I always feel scared to ask about medication, especially as he is only on 0.17ml of cat metacam once a day but if his neck is going to continue to swell like this for potentially weeks I am definitely not happy with him being on such a small amount. He is only 6 months but weighs 888g which definitely is not small.

Did your pig stay with their friends through this? I separated them tonight as he was running/bumping into him and I just was not happy with that in his condition.
I also assume your piggy didn't have a head tilt, as they were on an appropriate amount of painkiller.

 

[IgglesPiggles]

Hi again Piggl - Biscuit did not have a head tilt no. She weighed approx 1200g (4 years old healthy sow) was being given dog metacam 0.3ml (1.5mg/ml) twice daily by not a exotic vet but a good general pig savvy one. He likes piggies and said has his own .... a good indicator I thought Like I said, keeping her comfortable enabled her to move around the cage, eat and drink so I believe made a difference to her recovery. Biscuit only had one cage mate who is a quiet non-dominant one anyway and amazingly, did not bother her at all. I was concerned too about this but wasn't an issue. It appeared Polly knew she wasn't well and made the most of reigning freely around the cage huts, hay stacks etc while Biscuit was a little less bossy and rested for first few days. At no point did I need to syringe feed Biscuit because her recovery was quick despite the huge swelling lasting more than 2 weeks post op before it started to subside! Vet said can take weeks to reduce. They removed the stitches despite them being dissolvable after approx 3-4 weeks as they remained visible and said to make her comfortable. She did scratch off one or two so area did ooze a little blood which I kept an eye on. Obviously I am not a vet so you need to double check things with them but look out for any oozing from operative site, redness or heat developing. Check their weight to make sure taking enough hay in diet. Like you, I limited my handling of Biscuit as I didn't want to stress or cause any further discomfort to her. Do talk to your vet about pain control as it does seem a little on the low side. Let us know how things go and try not to worry too much xx

 

[piggl]

Thanks for your advice and replies last night, it really helped calm my nerves.

I phoned first thing in the morning and managed to get a lunch appointment!
We went and the vet could see how obvious the swelling is. I got my favourite vet as well, she’s so kind and really listens and understands any questions/concerns, lol. She checked for nerve pain but she believes the tilt was likely because of the sheer size of the swelling.

She drained the fluid and got almost 10ml of fluid/blood/pus, yuck! But he sat very well for it so I hope he is more comfortable now.
I am to place a cold compress on it 3x a day for 5ish minutes to try help alleviate swelling and his medication dose has been upped to 0.32ml of cat Metacam once a day, but if swelling is still occurring I can up it to a maximum of 0.52ml once a day.

I am just to monitor him over the weekend and only phone the emergency vet is he stops eating, pooping or begins to struggle to breath.

 

[weepweeps]

Sounds like a good plan. I hope everything settles down now and he’s soon on the mend.

 

[piggieminder]

I hope the swelling goes quickly and he is soon well again.

 

[IgglesPiggles]

Hope Remi gets better soon and pleased you have been reassured. They are such precious little things

 

[Claire W]

I hope that Remi feels more comfortable and I hope you are more reassured after todays vet visit x

 

[Bill & Ted]

Poor little Remi, hope he is on the mend very soon I wouldn’t separate them if at all possible keep them together

 

[piggl]

Poor little Remi, hope he is on the mend very soon I wouldn’t separate them if at all possible keep them together

It’s still a very new issue (his neck) and I just really worry Reggie will cause more issue because he loves to run into him and push him out the way.

They’re divided by a metal grid so they can still fully see each other. Is that ok?
I guess this is classed as medical separation, although i didn’t think of it like that. I don’t want to potentially break their bond but I can’t afford to put them together and for Remis’ neck to swell again.

 

[Bill & Ted]

It’s still a very new issue (his neck) and I just really worry Reggie will cause more issue because he loves to run into him and push him out the way.

They’re divided by a metal grid so they can still fully see each other. Is that ok?
I guess this is classed as medical separation, although i didn’t think of it like that. I don’t want to potentially break their bond but I can’t afford to put them together and for Remis’ neck to swell again.

Fully understand that if Reggie is a bit pushy. Sending lots of healing vibes to little Remi

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’s still a very new issue (his neck) and I just really worry Reggie will cause more issue because he loves to run into him and push him out the way.

They’re divided by a metal grid so they can still fully see each other. Is that ok?
I guess this is classed as medical separation, although i didn’t think of it like that. I don’t want to potentially break their bond but I can’t afford to put them together and for Remis’ neck to swell again.

As you know, we don’t advise medical separation in most situations but there are some occasions where it is necessary and you just have to take the bond risk and put health first.
You should aim to keep the separation as short as possible and make side you go through the proper rebonding process (neutral territory etc).

I hope he is ok

 

[piggl]

Hi everyone, just wanted to give a little update.

Remi has been good, he’s eating and drinking fine and he is still a happy little boy.
He’s been on 0.52ml metacam since Saturday as his neck did start to well a bit more. We’ve been doing his cold compress 3x a day and the fluid swelling hasn’t recurred, at least not to the point it did last week.

He did nick a stitch yesterday, i’m not really sure how though. It was dribbling down his neck all the way to his feet. I held him and my mum helped clean him up with some cotton pads and warm water, the fluid thankfully stopped and that was the last leaking we saw.
My mum believes it’s not pure blood, because of the colour, so it was perhaps the same stuff that was removed last week, a mix of pus/blood/fluid.

I am going to make an appointment for him to be seen tomorrow. His neck looks well generally but he has grown another ball in his neck, it’s really strange as it’s hard and almost like the abscess that was removed, it’s just funny shaped.
Can the abscess just grow back? I don’t know haha.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Good luck at the vets, I’m tagging @FurryFriends (TEAS)for some advice for you, it does seem a bit strange

 

[fluffysal]

Dignified Sir George is sending healing rumbles

 

[piggl]

I’ve attached some images of his lump this morning. It does need a little clean but I am waiting until my mum gets back so she can hold him as I wouldn’t want to try it on my own and accidentally pull something or press too hard.

It’s not even a round lump anymore, it’s all bumpy and rock solid, very strange.

 

[Bill & Ted]

I’ve attached some images of his lump this morning. It does need a little clean but I am waiting until my mum gets back so she can hold him as I wouldn’t want to try it on my own and accidentally pull something or press too hard.

It’s not even a round lump anymore, it’s all bumpy and rock solid, very strange.

Poor little man, the wound looks ok, it‘s not sore or red looking but I would speak to your vet about these “lumps” Abscesses are often left open to drain and sometimes even sewn open so they can drain any fluid away. I hope someone who knows more than me can advise you, but do talk to your vet asap