Kwee has cervical lymphadenitis

[Mastershroom]

So, barely a few weeks after Curly's abscess ruptured and healed on its own, now Kwee has developed a lump of her own in the same spot, under her chin. I took her to a recommended vet this morning, and she took a sample from the lump with a needle, examined it and determined that she has cervical lymphadenitis. Apparently it's highly contagious, so I assume that's what Curly had originally (it was never diagnosed by the vet that we took her to, not very experienced with exotics), and Kwee picked it up from her. The vet injected Kwee with Baytril and a painkiller, and sent us home with Bactrim and Metacam, and a couple of syringes to draw them out and feed her. She's scheduled to go in for surgery on Monday.

The vet said surgery is the best way to get all of the infected tissue out at once with little risk of anything being left behind. With Curly, we literally did nothing but give her Bactrim twice daily, and it ruptured and went away on its own. But the vet says we were just unnaturally lucky with that, and that it's not likely to happen with Kwee. So, I have reservations about spending $300 (basically my entire savings account built up over this year) on a surgery that might not be entirely necessary, but on the other hand, this vet is considered one of the top exotic vets in this corner of the state.

Also, what about the other pigs? Until today I had no idea that what Curly had was contagious, so they've all been together in the cage. Quee has not shown any symptoms or lumps, and is still lump-free. Given that she's already been exposed this long, would it be pointless to separate her now? What about Curly? Can she get the exact same thing again?

Sorry for all these stupid questions, but I've never had to deal with this before. :x

[bpatters]

I think we mentioned CL to you when Curly had her lump. And, yes, it is possible for her to get it again.

If I had a pig with CL, I'd have the lump removed and both pigs on antibiotics, and as soon as we could get them there.. It would help to have a culture and sensitivity test done so you can be sure to get an antibiotic that's effective against the bacteria.

[Mastershroom]

Yeah, I recall you mentioning CL as a possibility. The vet never mentioned it, but like I say, the clinic I took Curly to was more of a dog & cat kind of place.

Curly's been continuing her Bactrim prescription from her follow-up appointment, and there's still a little bit left. The lump's been gone for over two weeks now, and the skin is healed up. You really can't tell she ever had it. I'll keep her on it while I medicate Kwee as well.

I just have no idea what to do about Quee now. She's been perfectly healthy [knock on wood], and I'd like her to stay that way. But realistically, wouldn't she already have been exposed by now? Also, if I were going to quarantine her, I'm really not sure where I'd put her. We don't have another cage, and we live in a one-bedroom apartment.

[Paula]

Yes, she would have already been exposed and I don't think I'd separate them at this point. Unfortunately, abscesses don't usually rupture on their own. I've dealt with a dozen or so abscesses and only had one rupture and it is an extremely lucky break because it saves you the money of surgery. Good luck! Cleaning out GP abscesses is one of the more disgusting tasks associated with ownership and I don't envy you having two pigs back-to-back with the same issue!

[Mastershroom]

@Paula : okay, so I really was lucky that Curly's went away so easily with just medication.

The vet gave me two options; she either could have lanced and drained the abscess while I was there today, and given me a syringe and solution to keep flushing it out at home and hope that nothing gets left behind when it heals, or go for full surgical removal on Monday, which would involve putting Kwee under anesthetic, cutting her open and completely removing the infected tissue, which she says is a more effective and complete method, and shouldn't involve any extra maintenance on my part after the procedure, other than continued antibiotics and painkillers. I opted for the surgery. Lancing + draining would have been about $150, the surgery is around $300.

They shaved Kwee's neck where the lump is to get a better look at it...when she still had her fur there, it didn't really look too out of the ordinary, but now it's obviously very enlarged and ugly. Poor Kwee :(

[pinky]

I'm so sorry to hear about both of them. You might want to contact the person you got Curly from to let them know she has CL. Their guinea pigs have probably been exposed, too.

[Mastershroom]

@pinky : that's a great idea, I didn't even think of that. I'll go fire one off now.

[Paula]

The vet gave me two options; she either could have lanced and drained the abscess while I was there today, and given me a syringe and solution to keep flushing it out at home and hope that nothing gets left behind when it heals, or go for full surgical removal on Monday, which would involve putting Kwee under anesthetic, cutting her open and completely removing the infected tissue, which she says is a more effective and complete method, and shouldn't involve any extra maintenance on my part after the procedure, other than continued antibiotics and painkillers. I opted for the surgery. Lancing + draining would have been about $150, the surgery is around $300.

I would go with the lancing option, but that's just me. An abscess surgery should involve the same follow up flushing and packing, anyway. After 12 surgeries/procedures for abscesses, it was the same as the pig whose abscess ruptured - flush and pack twice a day to make sure it heals up from the inside out.

[pinky]

I would go with the lancing option, but that's just me. An abscess surgery should involve the same follow up flushing and packing, anyway. After 12 surgeries/procedures for abscesses, it was the same as the pig whose abscess ruptured - flush and pack twice a day to make sure it heals up from the inside out.

I've gone the lancing/flushing/cleaning route twice, too, and both healed up nicely with no recurrence. I was nervous cleaning it out when the first guinea pig developed an abscess from a bite but once I got the hang of it, it wasn't bad.

[Mastershroom]

So, should I opt for the lancing instead of surgical removal then?

[Paula]

It's up to you, but it's the route I would choose to go if it were me and my pig.

[Mastershroom]

Alright...well, now I feel silly for walking away from that offer yesterday, it could have been done by now.

On the plus side, the vet said to drop Kwee off at 9am tomorrow and pick her up in the afternoon, which means I will have an excuse to miss a good chunk of work. Silver lining, right?

[pinky]

Alright...well, now I feel silly for walking away from that offer yesterday, it could have been done by now.

On the plus side, the vet said to drop Kwee off at 9am tomorrow and pick her up in the afternoon, which means I will have an excuse to miss a good chunk of work. Silver lining, right?

Both options are normally offered by vets. In either case, you're still dealing with an open wound or incision that needs care. The plus side to having the pocket surgically removed is that it won't continue filling with pus but you still need to keep it clean and watch to make sure it doesn't get infected.... Some time off from work's not a bad plan...... Good luck tomorrow. My herd sends lots of positive thoughts.

[Zuidy]

I wish I knew more about medical conditions for Pigs. I just had to come and wish you luck, @Mastershroom , you have helped me quite a bit over the past half a year I have been here.

WHEEEEEEK!

[Mastershroom]

@pinky : then I think I'll just go ahead with the full surgery; I want it as fully taken care of as it can be. And of course I'll be cleaning the wound and continuing her antibiotics (I think they gave her Baytril this time, Curly got Bactrim).

@Zuidy : thank you! I'll give her an extra bit of carrot for you tonight.

[mufasa]

Just read the thread and wanted to send good wishes your way for a speedy recovery for your pigs. It's no fun being stuck in that cycle of vet visits, but I'm glad you know what it is and they can treat it. Hope it all turns out well!

[Mastershroom]

Thank you, @mufasa . I'll pass it along :)

[Mastershroom]

Just dropped off Kwee for surgery. They'll call me when it's done, probably in a few hours. Hoping it goes well...

[spy9doc]

Chester and Maya send prayers and wheeks for Kwee's speedy recovery. ^_^

[Mastershroom]

Thanks @spy9doc .

I just got a call from the vet, she just finished with the surgery. Apparently she couldn't remove the entire abscess at once because it was so huge, it was tangled in some muscle tissue and was even pressing on one of her lungs. Yikes! I believe it; her lump definitely felt way bigger than Curly's, about the size of a large grape compared to Curly's pea-sized lump.

But the doc said that all things considered, it went well, and she managed to get everything out over the course of several punctures and draining/flushing. I can go pick her up in about an hour and a half; the vet wants to keep an eye on her for a little bit after the procedure, and wants to give Kwee some time to wake up, as she's still quite groggy.

When she gets home I have to keep her separated from Quee and Curly for a week or so, for her own safety as well as to monitor her. I do have Quee's old pet store cage, so I might put that back together, or use a laundry basket and line it with towels; they're around the same size. She's also going to be on Baytril and a pain medication until she goes back to get her stitches removed in 10 to 14 days.