[Gpdd] HEALTH Sassy

Penny Charlesworth piggyfriends48 at gmail.com
Fri Aug 23 04:55:14 EDT 2013


Joanne,

So Sassy did turn out to have an abscess and the nasty C word has not
reared its ugly head. That's a blessing. I have treated abscesses myself
and had them treated by my Rodentologist but have never had them named as
cervical lymphadenitis.

It is shame that the GL info is somewhat dated.

My Richardson's Diseases of GPs has the following to say on the subject.....

"Lumps should be removed surgically. If this is not an option, the
abscesses should be lanced and flushed out with chlorhexidine. Antibiotics
should be given, either enrofloxacin or cephalexin. Recurrence is common as
the animal may become a carrier."

Bear in mind that this is an English book and the names of meds can differ.

She says that " Streptococcus zooepidemicus is normally present in the
conjunctiva and nasal passages of guinea pigs. The causal organism usually
gains access to the lymph nodes via abrasions or the oral mucosa or via the
upper respiratory tract. Thus the use of abrasive materials in the feed or
bedding should be avoided." She then goes on to advise quarantine as the
discharge is highly contagious....as we mentioned before.

She reckons that a clean, stress free environment and a good diet are the
best preventatives.

For the benefit of the Moderators, this book is part of the Library of
Veterinary Practices and is written by an English vet.

I hope that someone in our group has experience of this and can reassure
you that Sassy will be OK. I am sure that Ann will have come across this in
her extensive work with vets.

Wishing you all the best.

Penny and the Piggyfriends.



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