[Gpdd] CARE Abscess/Incontinence

Penny Charlesworth piggyfriends at tesco.net
Sat Dec 22 18:54:05 EST 2007


Hi Stacy,

Sorry to read that Willie has an abscess. My Frodo had one a couple of months ago, which came up very suddenly so don't blame yourself for not noticing your piggy's abscess. It may have only just become visible. Frodo's was in the same position as Willie's.

My Rodentologist lanced the abscess and flushed it out and, as I was about to go away, Frodo stayed with him rather than be left in the care of my pigsitter ( my son, who would have carried on with the treatment but I thought that he had enough to do with all the Piggyfriends without cleaning out an abscess every day ).

Frodo's abscess kept filling up again, as often happens, and needed lancing and flushing several times whilst I was away. The amount of pus needing removal lessened each time and eventually cleared up altogether. He is fine now but I shall keep watching him in case it recurs. He carried on eating throughout the treatment and was very laid back about having the abscess lanced and flushed.

The previous Piggyfriend who suffered an abscess was Jasmine, many years ago. This was a much smaller one than Frodo's and I dealt with it myself by lancing and flushing it, keeping the "hole" open to allow the pus to drain. I kept bathing it with a saline solution to keep it clean. Jasmine's abscess cleared up very quickly and only recurred once in the seven years that she lived with me. I treated the second one in exactly the same way.

So I would recommend this method every time. I am paranoid about piggies having anaesthetics and would never risk surgery for something that can be treated another way.

Yes, Baytril does taste nasty. I also taste test anything that my piggies are going to have. When I used to administer it, I followed it up immediately with a slice of a favourite veggie so that the piggy would not be too upset about taking it. Now I always use Septrin, a paediatric suspension, which tastes of banana. The last piggy to need any reached out and snatched the syringe in his eagerness to have his medicine. Most piggies react in this way. This is recommended by the CCT ( Cambridge Cavy Trust ) a piggy hospital in England and by my Rodentologist, who trained there. The dose is 1ml. twice a day.

Now Maxine. Sometimes the elderly piggies lay in the wet spot because they can't be bothered to move. I think that they are warm and comfortable where they are and prefer to stay there. Sometimes the elderly ones are a little stiff in the joints too. I bathe such piggies daily, dry them very carefully and apply a soothing cream to any scalded areas. I don't know your A & D ointment, which is probably not sold in England but if it something that is suitable for babies ( human ) it should be OK.

I cannot recommend VetBed too highly. We had a discussion about this on the Digest some time ago and although it did not at first seem to be available in the US, I remember that someone discovered a supplier. I forget who it was but if they are reading this, perhaps they will respond. I tried to look it up in the Archives but I am still getting the Page Not Found message.

VetBed is a fleecy material which wicks away the urine, leaving the top dry. I can buy it from a roll at a petstore and have cut it into various sizes to fit my carriers and hospital pen. It is warm and cozy on the top, which the elderly and infirm enjoy. I put a piece onto some newspaper, which can be thrown away and replaced when wet and the pieces of VetBed can be machine washed and are virtually indestructible. Some of mine is years old but looks like new.

I expect you have made sure that Maxine does not have a UTI.

Hope that this is of some help. Love to the Squee Squad.

Penny and the Piggyfriends.


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