Sounds like she did great and the surgery was a success! I like the idea of doing the incision on the side to lessen the chance of infection and am glad the lump was removed.
I imagine you read the postop page link I put up. The idea with pain killers is to give enough at the right times that pain does not break through. It is harder to relieve the pain once it has started than it is to prevent it.
I recall some people advising that once a day meloxicam may not last long enough and by the time the next dose would be needed, she may be experiencing pain. Some people break up the dose into two daily doses so there is more continual pain relief.
I hope her recovery progresses well!
p.s. Regarding the spay, were only the ovaries removed and not the uterus?
Penny's Med Thread
Yes, this was a spay, and I was told it was an ovariohysterectomy, which would mean her uterus and ovaries were removed.
Yes, I did read the post-op page link you put up, and I found it very informative. Since I gave Penny the full dose of meloxicam this morning, I can't give her more until tomorrow morning. I was told that the post-op injection she got should last 24 hours, so there should be some overlap between that and the dose I gave her today at 9:00. If it seems like she's not feeling well tomorrow when it's time for her next dose, I could start splitting it up into a morning and evening dose.
Right now I'm keeping the cage divided for now so that I can tell how much Penny is pooping, but I obviously can't keep the cage divided forever. If Penny doesn't stop eating or pooping, how long should I monitor her this closely before I can safely say she's out of the woods? If it's a long time, I should probably set up a whole separate cage for her, but either it would have to be a little pet store cage or the pigs would have to be in different rooms.
Yes, I did read the post-op page link you put up, and I found it very informative. Since I gave Penny the full dose of meloxicam this morning, I can't give her more until tomorrow morning. I was told that the post-op injection she got should last 24 hours, so there should be some overlap between that and the dose I gave her today at 9:00. If it seems like she's not feeling well tomorrow when it's time for her next dose, I could start splitting it up into a morning and evening dose.
Right now I'm keeping the cage divided for now so that I can tell how much Penny is pooping, but I obviously can't keep the cage divided forever. If Penny doesn't stop eating or pooping, how long should I monitor her this closely before I can safely say she's out of the woods? If it's a long time, I should probably set up a whole separate cage for her, but either it would have to be a little pet store cage or the pigs would have to be in different rooms.
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Lynx
- Celebrate!!!
Part of the purpose of separating them and generally having the recovering guinea pig in a smaller area is to let the incision heal without forming adhesions (tearing and scarring of the healing tissue). Because this was laser surgery (and I think you said a much smaller incision area), it may heal much more quickly. If it is unlikely she will do a lot of running around and if an examination of the incision area shows it is healing well, I am guessing you can err on the side of sooner vs. later.
I would still separate them for a few days.
I would still separate them for a few days.
That makes sense. Yes, Penny's incision is smaller than I remember Rosie's being by about an inch. It looks like this (I don't know why it's sideways; it's right-side up in the file on my computer): 
It's also flatter than I remember Rosie's incision being. I've looked at the photos on the spay recovery page, but since this incision doesn't really look like that one, I'm not sure how to tell when it's healed.
The vet's office called yesterday and said the vet did get everything out of the lump that was on Penny's butt, and it's nothing to worry about as long as it doesn't come back.
Penny's still eating and pooping well. She took much longer than usual to eat her pellets yesterday, but she did finish them by the end of the day. She ate everything else just as fast as usual. She seems to be in good spirits, too.
It's also flatter than I remember Rosie's incision being. I've looked at the photos on the spay recovery page, but since this incision doesn't really look like that one, I'm not sure how to tell when it's healed.
The vet's office called yesterday and said the vet did get everything out of the lump that was on Penny's butt, and it's nothing to worry about as long as it doesn't come back.
Penny's still eating and pooping well. She took much longer than usual to eat her pellets yesterday, but she did finish them by the end of the day. She ate everything else just as fast as usual. She seems to be in good spirits, too.
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Lynx
- Celebrate!!!
Would you like me to add your pic permanently to your topic? I can rotate the image so it displays properly.
Sounds like she is doing well and not experiencing a lot of pain. Did the vet identify what the lump was? Cebaceous material? A fatty lipoma? Something else? If you find out, let us know. It may also help you to know what it was. For example, each lump can have distinct causes but if it is a fatty lipoma, there might be a tendency to develop another.
Sounds like she is doing well and not experiencing a lot of pain. Did the vet identify what the lump was? Cebaceous material? A fatty lipoma? Something else? If you find out, let us know. It may also help you to know what it was. For example, each lump can have distinct causes but if it is a fatty lipoma, there might be a tendency to develop another.
Yes, it would be very helpful if you could rotate the image for me.
I didn't get to talk to the vet herself, just one of the reception people who had been told by the vet what to say, and she didn't say what the lump was. If fatty lipomas work the same in guinea pigs and humans, then the lump wasn't a fatty lipoma. My dad has a lot of those, and Penny's lump was very different from the lipomas my dad has. It was much harder, much more raised up, and unable to be pushed around in a little circle. I will ask the vet for more specific information the next time I talk to her.
I didn't get to talk to the vet herself, just one of the reception people who had been told by the vet what to say, and she didn't say what the lump was. If fatty lipomas work the same in guinea pigs and humans, then the lump wasn't a fatty lipoma. My dad has a lot of those, and Penny's lump was very different from the lipomas my dad has. It was much harder, much more raised up, and unable to be pushed around in a little circle. I will ask the vet for more specific information the next time I talk to her.
They didn't actually tell me what they did to close it. (My only complaint about this vet is that she doesn't always tell me all the details, and I usually don't realize they've been left out until later.) I know that I don't have to bring Penny back to get sutures removed, and I know that the incision doesn't quite look like a straight line the way it normally would with glue, so I'm going to say probably absorbable stitches. I'll add that to my list of questions for the vet, though. I also know that "a therapeutic laser was applied to and around the incision site to promote healing."
Penny tries to scratch her incision with her teeth sometimes, so I got her a cone to wear. The smallest size was too big for her neck, though, so she's currently wearing it as a skirt. She's not happy about having to wear it, but it is keeping her from reaching the incision with her teeth while still allowing the incision to be exposed to the air. I imagine it will also keep the incision from touching the floor of the cage if Penny decides to lie down on that side.
Penny tries to scratch her incision with her teeth sometimes, so I got her a cone to wear. The smallest size was too big for her neck, though, so she's currently wearing it as a skirt. She's not happy about having to wear it, but it is keeping her from reaching the incision with her teeth while still allowing the incision to be exposed to the air. I imagine it will also keep the incision from touching the floor of the cage if Penny decides to lie down on that side.
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bpatters
- And got the T-shirt
If she has any when you're looking, they'll be in her anal sac. Hold her in your lap with her back against your stomach so that she's semi-sitting up. Open the anal sac with one hand, and probe gently to see if you can find any. They'll be green rather than dark brown or black.
You'll need something to scoop them out with -- cecal poops are very soft. And stinky. Take two q-tips, and cut the cotton end of one of them. Use one intact to scoop with, and scrape the goop off onto the other one. Use that one to offer it to her -- she'll likely just eat it off the end of the stem. That way, she won't get any of the cotton off the q-tip.
Feed her all she'll eat of them.
If she doesn't have any, check any other guinea pig you've got and see if you can steal some.
You'll need something to scoop them out with -- cecal poops are very soft. And stinky. Take two q-tips, and cut the cotton end of one of them. Use one intact to scoop with, and scrape the goop off onto the other one. Use that one to offer it to her -- she'll likely just eat it off the end of the stem. That way, she won't get any of the cotton off the q-tip.
Feed her all she'll eat of them.
If she doesn't have any, check any other guinea pig you've got and see if you can steal some.
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