Gilligan

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Mon May 09, 2022 9:15 pm


Spoke with Dr Hardy and he's pretty sure that he's going to prescribe baytril for Gilligan. He's looking over the photo and will call me in the morning to let me know. He'll also try to expedite the clinical visit. He said that they might have to open up the abscess at some point. He would like to have Gilligan on antibiotics for a few days before opening it and removing the abscess; much like a dentist or surgeon would do before operating. I'll find out more in the morning.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon May 09, 2022 9:56 pm


Good to know he got back to you. I think it is so helpful to be able to send a vet a picture. He/she can often get the idea of exactly what is going on from an image. Meanwhile, I would keep flushing it, if you can. We often tell people that abscesses heal from the inside out so if you can flush out the pus, that can help with the healing.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Mon May 09, 2022 11:40 pm


It hasn't filled up nearly as much as it did the last 2 days. There's some in there to drain, so I'll try to do that the best I can without hurting him. So far it hasn't taken much to drain it, but that is probably because it's been so full of pus. With less in there it may take more to drain it, so I have to be very careful. It it takes too much to drain it, I might skip it until I speak with Dr Hardy tomorrow.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Tue May 10, 2022 1:22 am


So I got Gillian's abscess to drain pretty easily. The hole it drains from is noticeable now. I have to pull back his fur to see it, but it's there. It's about the size that a guinea pig incisor would make. I don't know if it is from Skipper biting him or if it is from the first rupture of the abscess two days ago and it's gotten bigger from draining. There was a lot less pus in there than the last two times, so it appears that it's getting better on its own. I'm optimistic now that antibiotics will knock it out.

I should also note that the drain hole is about in the middle of the pocket of infection, so I have to run from his nose back and from his eye forward to get all of the pus out. Gilligan lets out a little squeak now once the pocket is empty. Tonight is the first time that's happened. It also bled a little bit. Not profusely, but it did ooze a spot or two. Not sure if that's good or bad, but I know that in humans it is good for an infected wound to bleed.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue May 10, 2022 8:59 am


Do you have a curved tip syringe?

Image

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue May 10, 2022 2:50 pm


Yes, I was just thinking about that. That are very handy for flushing wounds, etc.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Wed May 11, 2022 1:05 am


The saline bottle has a small opening that makes for pretty good flushing of wounds. Not as good as that syringe, but it does the job until I can get one. Wouldn't you know it; Dr Hardy never got back to me today. He emailed me last night asking Gilligan's weight, which is 2 lbs, 6 ounces, but nothing after that. I left him messages on his phone, in the office and through email. So it's yet another day without antibiotic for his abscess. Maybe he'll get back to me tomorrow.

The hole on his face where the abscess drains scabbed over, but what little pus that was in there came out around it and it came off when I flushed the wound. There is still no change in appetite or activities. He loves his carrot treat and forgives me for torturing him. Skipper is the lucky recipient of a carrot to keep him from stealing Gilligan's. The carrot they get is in addition to the daily treat all of the guinea pigs get.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed May 11, 2022 7:28 am


If it is helpful to you, I don't believe all abscesses are treated with antibiotics. With abscesses similar to this one, you remove the scab, continuing to flush, until it heals from the inside out. Hard to heal abscesses can require surgical removal of the wall of the abscess (to stop the continued production of pus).

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Wed May 11, 2022 3:32 pm


Gilligan has always been a strong and healthy guinea pig. Even though this issue with his abscess, he hasn't diminished in the slightest. Dr Hardy got back to me this morning and he prescribed 0.76 ml of Enrofloxacin (11.3 mg/ml) once daily. He also gave me a 2% solution of Chlorhexidine and a syringe to flush the wound with. The abscess isn't producing anywhere near the amount of pus as it was at the beginning. You can barely see any swelling, but the scab is pretty easy to spot. It shouldn't take too many times of flushing it and the antibiotic to knock this out. Of course I will be giving him probiotic to offset what the Enrofloxacin will do to the good bacteria in his gut.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed May 11, 2022 5:42 pm


I'm not sure I'd want to use Chlorhexidine for this. For one thing, it can be very drying and can cause skin irritation (needs to be diluted); also, it shouldn't be used anywhere near the eyes:
https://www.guinealynx.info/antiseptic_s ... orhexidine

I'd think that a warm, sterile solution would be a better choice but I don't want to contradict what your vet has instructed you to do. Maybe others can weigh-in on this.

Fingers crossed that he does okay on the Baytril and that you see continued improvement with the abscess.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Wed May 11, 2022 9:56 pm


What I have is 15 ml of 2% solution and I have to mix it with a gallon of distilled water before using it. I imagine that is plenty diluted enough to be safe. I should be able to keep it out of his eye.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu May 12, 2022 12:04 am


I agree with Sef. The warm sterile saline would be a better choice. We've had discussions about flushing abscesses over the years. It is a very safe choice. I have used a chorhex solution to soak my guinea pig's foot and it was indeed drying (still was helpful).

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