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Post by Orlaith on May 22, 2009 0:03:01 GMT
God, the male piggies of this forum are going through a rough time! We clean out our pigs every evening and on Wednesday I noticed Xander's genital area looked a little lop-sided but it was barely anything so I didn't think anything of it. Last night, we took Xander out so we could hoover the cage and he had a GIANT hard lump where his left testicle would be (if he still had it!). His behaviour and eating hasn't changed at all (although he has been particularly bitey for the last few days, which this might explain), which is a good sign, but since the lump had gotten so big so quickly and felt hot we got in the car and brought him to the emergency vet. So, it's an abscess, as you might have guessed. Luckily it hadn't burst so it hasn't spread throughout him. So the vet lanced it and drained a lot of pus out of it and gave him a baytril injection. We've to bring him to our normal vet today to get a course of antibiotics to get rid of the infection and do a salt-water poultice twice a day to draw the remaining pus out. I'm obviously worried about him since he's my special piggy but the fact that he has been as bright and bouncy as usual and eating like a horse is really encouraging me so I'm trying to stay positive. It's actually frightening how quickly it came up. Within 24 hours it went from nothing to being so full that it was a rock-hard lump (it's soft now that the pressure has been removed). Poor Xanxan! And it's a full two months since his neutering operation so I really wasn't expecting this, especially since his wounds healed so nicely! But anyway, fingers crossed for Xander! I'll post an update when we see the vet
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Post by luvcats22 on May 22, 2009 5:54:25 GMT
poor xander, hope he gets well soon. x
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Post by Orlaith on May 22, 2009 16:38:11 GMT
Myself and Xander are just back from the vet's. Eamonn was really surprised that he'd gotten an infection after two whole months had passed, especially since Xander has had a course of baytril since then for his crackly chest. But anyway, rather than trying to drain it with a needle, Eamonn made a little incision and massaged all the pus out, so at least it's empty now. Then he flushed it three times with surgical iodine and then he flushed it with baytril. Then Xander got a baytril jab and he's going to be on it for the next ten days now. We have to bathe the area with warm wet cotton wool every day and try to keep the wound open to make sure that everything is drained out. So, fingers crossed our little man is going to be okay
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Post by Orlaith on May 22, 2009 17:38:03 GMT
Oh, and we weren't even charged for the appointment, only the medications - it was counted as follow-up treatment from his op!
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Dawn - Admin
Administrator
MOTM May 2006, TPOTM Nov 2007
Dawn and the Cutiecavies
Posts: 22,784
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Post by Dawn - Admin on May 22, 2009 20:40:06 GMT
Awww.. poor Xanxan, lets hope he is better very soon, glad you have a good vet to take him to
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Post by shamrockmommy on May 22, 2009 23:02:39 GMT
Poor Xan. Diego is still struggling with his abscess but the vet's thinking is now that he's reacting to the suture instead of it being bacterial in nature, since he's on a fairly high dose of baytril which she says should have knocked out any bacterial infection. It alternates from looking like things will clear up, to being hard, swollen and full of pus. On Monday he finishes his meds and I will continue to flush with betadine solution but if that doesn't do the trick, he has to go get the suture stuff dug out. My poor boy.
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Post by Orlaith on May 25, 2009 9:47:33 GMT
I hope he doesn't need to get those sutures out! Poor little guy!
We've been cleaning Xan's wound out daily and there's been a very tiny amount of pus and then just blood so at least it's not filling up again too much. He's getting his baytril as well (which he hates!) so hopefully he'll pull through okay. He's as bright as a button so at least we know he doesn't feel sick.
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Post by abby on May 25, 2009 16:50:45 GMT
Aw poor Xander, i hope he recovers fully asap! xx
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Post by Orlaith on May 26, 2009 9:35:53 GMT
Well last night we were doing our usual wound cleaning with saline and cotton wool and we got LOADS of stuff out. Not really pus, more hard fibrous stuff like would be at the end of a cyst. There was so much of it in there! It feels really empty now so hopefully having gotten all that hard stuff out will stop any more pus being made. It was so so so gross, long stringy stuff and hard white lumps, but also it was great to see it come out and know that it's not in there anymore. Afterwards it was just clean blood so fingers crossed that's it.
Poor Xander, he is SO mad at us right now. He doesn't like getting it done so he's wriggling and struggling and biting us like mad. If it was something like clipping his nails I'd leave it and try the next day but this is too important for us to not do it just because he doesn't like it. Poor guy. And he hates getting his baytril too. But it's for his own good!!!
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Post by Orlaith on May 27, 2009 10:26:20 GMT
Last night Xander's wound had miraculously healed up really quick, but since the vet had told us to keep it open to let all the pus come out we rang him this morning. He said that all the hard stuff the other night would have been the lining of the abscess coming out so once all that's gone he should heal up really quickly, so it's a good thing we got all that stuff out!. So we have to continue with the antibiotics until the end of their course and keep a close eye to make sure it doesn't fill up again.
I'm so glad the vet made an incision rather than just lancing it. At the time I was worried that it would lead to another infection since it's an open wound, but we'd never have gotten all that stuff out if there had only been tiny needle pricks in it.
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Post by pixiemix on May 27, 2009 15:46:33 GMT
Aww poor Xander! I'm glad it's looking positive now though. Still don't think I'll ever get Harvey neutured after looking at all the drama the lil guys seem to be going through at the moment Hope Xander is well again soon! Nikki xx
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Post by Orlaith on May 27, 2009 16:23:48 GMT
Thanks! Hilda was in heat last night and he was constantly trying to get up on her so he can't be feeling too bad!
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Post by pixiemix on May 27, 2009 19:22:32 GMT
Lol no I wouldn't say he was in too much discomfort now then Dunno about Hilda though hehe Nikki xx
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Post by brulles on May 27, 2009 21:48:09 GMT
Aw poor guy. When i had one of my very first teddy's nudered he got an infection on one side a month later and a month after that healed up he got a infection on the other side. And my Jack that i had nudered a couple of years ago had about 3 infections before he finaly got well. I wonder why they get infections so easy after nuderings. I hope he's doing well.
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Post by shamrockmommy on May 29, 2009 2:09:56 GMT
How's he doing now?
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Post by Orlaith on May 29, 2009 9:04:44 GMT
He's great, we're checking him daily and there's no sign of it recurring so fingers crossed that's the end of it now. He's still getting his baytril (which he doesn't like) until Monday.
He's in great form, he's popcorning all over the place and he's become really friendly again (he was a bit cross while he had his abscess - it must have hurt him a lot!). I'm so glad he's okay!
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