Penny's Med Thread

[Annapox]

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.

[Lynx]

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.

[Annapox]

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.

[Lynx]

There you go (rotated it).

Interesting you have experience with fatty lipomas!

Was the incision closed with glue or stitches? (I can't quite tell from the picture)

[Annapox]

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.

[bpatters]

If you've put a cone on her, then try to extract her cecal poops and offer them to her to eat. Use of a cone can contribute to digestive problems because the cecal poops contain needed bacteria to aid digestion.

[Annapox]

I've seen Penny poop and then turn around and eat the poop off the floor; will that work? She did it sometimes even before the surgery, when she didn't feel like standing up. And if that won't work and I need to extract the cecal poop, how do I do that?

[bpatters]

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.

[Lynx]

I think one of the few times I actually saw a cecal poop was once when trying to give a butt bath to a guinea pig. One kind of slid out. The greenness and smelliness was noticeable! Good to know she has occasionally eaten them from the floor.

I would imagine having her separated would also mean her cagemate will not steal them from her (some guinea pigs do this).

Your explanation of the incision was helpful. Note that sometimes theoretically "dissolvable" sutures can protrude and/or not dissolve. You have the benefit of the incision being in a fairly easy location to monitor.

[Annapox]

Thanks for the info! Unfortunately, Penny escaped from the cone while I wasn't looking; I think it loosened over time. On to Plan B: Anti-itch cream. We don't have Preparation H (which is mentioned on the post-op care page) in the house, but we do have an anti-itch cream with the same active ingredient in the same concentration, so I'm hoping that'll help.

[Lynx]

You may have to look over the warnings on the anti-itch cream and see if there are any warnings about ingesting it. Your trying to keep it open to the air is excellent (the best way to heal vs. bandaging which can hold in moisture) especially in this case where you don't have to worry about dirt as much.

[Annapox]

Ooh, good point. Yeah, the anti-itch stuff I was going to use has a warning about ingesting it. I'll see if we have anything that doesn't have such a warning. If not, I will probably need to go to the store.

I realized this morning that Penny's poop has been slightly off since the surgery. (Delayed realization, I know.) She's still pooping plenty, but her poop doesn't dry up over time like it normally does; it stays squishy. I think it might also be slightly bigger than usual. (I'd compare the size against Lily's poop, but Lily's poop is always pretty small, which is probably because Lily herself is so small.) Could this be a side effect of the meloxicam? Her weight has been stable, and she's still eating and drinking normally. She's also getting harder to medicate, which I usually take as a good sign.