Ziggy's Abscess |
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| Checking for problems... |
 | Ziggy had previously had a problem with his back teeth overgrowing (see Ziggy's Dental Problems), so I was always really vigilant about making sure he was eating properly and checking that his front teeth were wearing evenly (if something is wrong with the back teeth, it is usually mirrored by uneven wearing of the front teeth). |
| The Warning Signs - Vet Trip No. 1 |
| It was during one of these routine checks that I noticed Ziggy's incisors were wearing at a slight angle as shown on the picture above (click to enlarge). He appeared to be eating normally, and was his usual weight, but having experienced dental problems with him I knew how quickly they can progress, and how well guinea pigs mask pain. So I wasted no time in getting him an appointment at the vet. By the next morning, his front teeth appeared normal - they had now evened out. But I took him up anyway as the fact they had worn at an angle was a good indicator that trouble was brewing, and it's always best to act before something becomes an emergency. The vet examined him and said that although there were slight signs that one of the molars may cause a problem in the future, at this time he was happy that his teeth were in good shape and that he must have evened out whatever problem I'd seen the night before. So Ziggy came home and remained under my watchful eye. |
Vet Trip No. 2 |  | However, a couple of evenings later I noticed that the same thing had happened again - the front teeth had worn at a slight angle. So again, Zigs and I went off to the vet the next morning (by which time of course they had evened out again - there's nothing like a guinea pig who makes you look like a neurotic owner!). An examination of his molars showed that the same one was appearing as if it may cause problems in a few weeks, but for now it shouldn't be causing him any bother. I pushed to have an x-ray done too, to see if there was anything else that could be causing his symptoms, for example elongated roots or an abscess. The x-ray showed up a tiny lump at the base of one of his incisors which couldn't be detected by hand. The vet did a fine needle aspirate on this lump, but nothing came out, and I was told to see how things went over the weekend. He said he did want to look further at the lump, but that if he was going to need dental treatment within a few weeks as he suspected he might, he'd rather wait and deal with both things under one anaesthetic. Given Zigs was still eating well and seemingly in good health, I decided to 'wait and see'. With hindsight, I should have pushed for the lump to be investigated further or removed at the time. I knew from the wearing pattern I'd seen of his teeth that he was favouring one side of his mouth, and the appearance of something on the x-ray had confirmed something was wrong. |
| And then it grew... |
| Over that weekend, it become apparent that whatever the lump was, it was a problem. It grew a little by the Saturday - enough so I could actually now feel it with my fingers. By the Sunday evening it had grown sustantially in a kind of bib down the front of his neck. One of his lower incisors had also become slightly wobbly. Needless to say he was straight up to the vet on the Monday morning who gave him an anaesthetic and had a proper look at the lump. It was soon apparent that the lump was an abscess which had formed on the root of one of his lower incisors. The pus that forms in abscesses can be very hard and thick, so this was why nothing had come out during the fine needle aspirate. They drained the abscess and thoroughly cleansed the area inside and out. The lower incisor the abscess had formed on had (which had become wobbly) had be removed as the abscess had caused the root to rot through. If a guinea pig breaks a tooth, it will grow back, but once one is removed from the root, it won't, so I knew I'd have to keep an eye on his front teeth to make sure he was keeing them worn down, and also make sure he could still bite in to hard veggies properly. |
| Culturing The Pus + Antibiotics |
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Some of the pus from the abscess was sent off to be cultured so that if the abscess returned aggressively, we'd know what antibiotic to use to help him as quickly as possible. In the meantime Ziggy was put on Baytril (0.2ml twice a day) to help his body fight it. This antibiotic is often the first port of call for infections in guinea pigs because of its safety margins, but it isn't always effective so doing a culture is like taking out an insurance policy to save time if things don't improve. It's important that if a sample of anything is being taken for culturing, it's done before putting a guinea pig on antibotics, or the antibiotics in their system may affect the results. Usually if a guinea pig is already on antibiotics and a culture is needed, the vet will take them off them for a few days to make sure they get a clear and accurate result.
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| The Shunt |
 | Unless an abscess is removed entirely and intact (as a capsule with no pus being exposed), the wound area where the abscess was, should to be left partially open and flushed frequently to keep it clean and allow the area to heal from the inside. Otherwise it is very likely the abscess will recur and being trapped inside the body provides the ideal conditions for it to flourish once more. So a shunt was inserted in Ziggy's neck to keep the wound open. The shunt was a piece of rubber tubing which was secured with a stitch at each end (I believe some vets simply tie the tubing to avoid using stitching). A tube is used as it keeps the wound open so much better than a flat object - you don't actually put anything in the tube. Ziggy really wasn't too bothered by this shunt - I did expect him to scratch and bite at it a little, but he got on with things in his usual manner. |
| Flushing |
| I had to flush the abscess wound out three times a day to keep it clean, keep it free of any more pus that started building up and stop it healing over on the surface before it had healed properly from inside. I started the process with a warm compress to help open the wound up (they can scab over quite quickly), and also the heat loosens the pus a little making it easier to shift. I used warm water which had been boiled and left to cool, and some cotton pads soaked in this and then held against the entire area for a few minutes (replacing them as they cooled). When that was done, I had a gentle squeeze of the area to get out any pus that was ready to go (and this isn't a very aromatic job, believe me!). Next I had some diluted iodine prepared (so it looks like weak tea) and I used a syringe (without the needle) to draw up the solution in to the syringe. Then I then inserted the tip of it in to the wound behind the tubing (where all the pus had previously gathered). Most of it will turn around and come back out but it's important to get it as deep in to the wound as you can to really disinfect the whole area. You repeat this many times, squeezing the area to release any pus in between, until you are happy the wound is clear of pus and clean. You can usually feel where the pus has gathered when it's on the surface, which makes it easy to get a feel for when you've done enough. Make sure you cover the surface where you are doing all this very well, especially if you're using something like iodine, which will stain. Also, make sure you clean your hands thoroughly, and anything else which has come in to contact with the pus. Ziggy was very brave and trusting, and sat still throughout all this, protesting very little which made it a lot easier for me. The only thing he got fed up about throughout this was having to be housed on his own so the other pigs couldn't nibble at the shunt. Also there are plenty of nasty bacteria in the pus from abscesses, so if one is about to be burst, or may be leaking pus, you really need to keep them away from other pigs who might lick at it. I let him have some supervised floor time with his girlfriends every day to keep his spirits up, but he was too much of a ladies man to be happy about being rationed in any way whatever! |
| Healing |
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Ziggy's abscess took a couple of weeks to heal completely, during which time I continued to flush the ever decreasing wound several times a day. The shunt was removed after about a week, because the size of the wound that was left at that time could easily be kept open without it. As the little pus that was appearing was only coming out when squeezed, he went back in with his ladyfriends at this time too. The results of the culture had come back a few days after it had been sent off, and they confirmed that Baytril was an effective antibiotic to help heal Ziggy's abscess. |
| Listen To Me! |
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Experiences like this have shown me that when it comes to the care of your pets, you absolutely do know best, and should stand up for what you want done, even when the vet thinks there may not be a problem. Don't be fobbed off if you have a gut feeling something is wrong - nobody knows your pet better than you. I knew something was wrong with Ziggy's teeth, but because of the inconsistencies in his symptoms, I was convinced to leave things. The end result may not have been much different even if the abscess had been flushed while it was small, but other cases could have far more serious consequences. If you feel there is a problem, then go with your gut instinct and make the vet take your concerns seriously - you are paying them for their service after all!
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