Penny's Med Thread

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Thu Feb 10, 2022 4:37 pm


That is good news! It looks like a sebaceous wart that older dogs will sometimes get. Glad she got an exam and is in good health.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Feb 10, 2022 8:17 pm


Just for your information, the cyst could also be excised too (surgically), removing the wall of the cyst so it doesn't keep forming. But you can certainly monitor it, keep it clean, watch out for any inflammation or signs of infection - what your vet advised.

Annapox

Post   » Fri Feb 11, 2022 9:51 am


Thank you for the information! My vet said that a cyst on its own wouldn't usually be worth putting a guinea pig under anesthesia, but that if, heaven forbid, Penny needs another surgery for something else at some point, she could remove the wall of the cyst while Penny was under. I'm guessing that would change if the cyst kept getting infected, but for now just monitoring the cyst and keeping it clean feels like the less risky option.

Annapox

Post   » Fri Oct 14, 2022 9:49 am


The cyst ended up shrinking to the point where I can't feel it anymore. The pigs had their annual checkups on 10/11, and the vet thinks Penny might have arthritis. She's six years old, so it would be understandable.

I mentioned to the vet that when Penny is lying down and has to poop, she often just stays lying down, and the poop hangs halfway out her butt for a while, and I think it's leading to some poop stains on her butt. I thought Penny had picked up that habit because she's getting older and probably has less energy, but the vet said she might be having difficulty getting up from a lying down position or experience discomfort when doing so. I've never seen her visibly struggle to get up, but that doesn't mean it isn't difficult for her.

The vet also noticed that she stands with her legs far apart and said that that could be a sign of arthritis; I had thought she was doing that to accommodate the spare tire she developed when the ovarian cyst caused her weight to shift from her butt to her belly (she still has the spare tire). It was also clear that the part of the exam where the vet felt Penny's hips and back legs was the most offensive part to Penny.

The vet has put Penny on a low dose of meloxicam for the next three weeks (starting on 10/12 because I decided to medicate her in the mornings instead of the evenings), and we'll decide what to do next depending on whether I notice any differences in her behavior. So far I've noticed that she's gotten slightly harder to medicate each morning, and I'm not sure whether to take it as a sign that she's feeling better with the medication or a sign that she just really wants me to stop shoving syringes in her mouth.

Aside from the possible arthritis, I've noticed recently that Penny's lower eyelids are a little bit droopy. The vet said that as long as her eyes aren't oozing or anything, we should keep an eye on it but don't need to do anything.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Oct 14, 2022 10:58 am


Thanks for the updates! Glad to hear the cyst is no longer an issue. You might also want to keep an eye on her but for odor. If she also lays around and pees and her butt hairs get wet, odorous bacteria may grow (I hope this behavior does not mean she can't get her good poops (cecal feces that should be reingested and that are smellier) any more). Trimming butt hairs can help keep down any bacteria growth.

I hope the medication does show some improvement if she has arthritis.

You might want to read over the page linked to from this one, also.
https://www.guinealynx.info/links.html#aging

Annapox

Post   » Fri Oct 14, 2022 12:57 pm


Thanks for the info! I've never seen her pee while lying down, but when she has poop stains, the fur there often looks a little wet. Occasionally I see her poop while lying down and then turn herself around so she can eat the poop off the floor. I'm guessing those are the good poops; both fortunately and unfortunately, I often can't smell things other people can smell, including guinea pig poop and pee (although I can smell the hay when it's wet from being peed on).

The vet recommended baby wipes to get the poop off Penny's butt so that she doesn't need a butt bath. My family doesn't currently have baby wipes but does have bathroom wipes that aren't targeted at any age group in particular, so I'm giving those a try.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Oct 14, 2022 10:38 pm


Personally, if you choose not to give a butt bath, I would use a wet (but squeezed out) warm washcloth to wipe her. I am guessing the baby wipes include some sort of lotion and scent and might actually not be appreciated by her.

Annapox

Post   » Sat Oct 15, 2022 1:04 pm


That's a good point. My family generally goes the unscented route when possible, so I didn't think to check, but "fragrance" is the last ingredient in the wipes. No mention of lotion, though. Up until now I have been giving Penny butt baths when I've seen poop stains, but I know guinea pigs shouldn't have baths too often. That's why I wanted an alternative, or at least something that could keep Penny's butt cleaner between baths. The vet tech recommended waterless shampoo (she said it's what they use), and the vet recommended baby wipes. I haven't tried a warm damp washcloth before, but I have tried a warm damp paper towel in the past, and that didn't seem to do anything. So a washcloth would work a lot better than a paper towel?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Oct 15, 2022 7:43 pm


Paper towels have their uses. I guess I am someone who uses cloth towels and washes them.

I don't think butt baths are harmful. If you feel it is appropriate, I would just do one. Guessing a mild cleansing agent like Johnson & Johnson's baby shampoo might work.

[edit] But much better to use a shampoo specifically formulated for pet hair that will not strip oils from the skin. A couple suggestions follow in the posts below.

Annapox

Post   » Sun Oct 16, 2022 12:18 pm


Yeah, I've been using baby shampoo for the butt baths, and it works. I'm just worried about drying out Penny's skin because sometimes she gets a new poop stain the day after a bath. I don't want to leave the poop there for too long, but I don't want to bathe her so frequently that it dries out her skin, either. So I was just hoping there was something I could do to stretch the time between baths.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun Oct 16, 2022 1:34 pm


As long as you rinse her well, the frequent baths won't hurt. But I'd get something besides baby shampoo. Squeaky Clean Critter Shampoo is made for small furries, and won't strip the oil from her skin and hair.

Annapox

Post   » Sun Oct 16, 2022 3:29 pm


May I ask what it is about Squeaky Clean Critter Shampoo that keeps it from stripping the oils from the skin and hair?

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