Neutering/Spaying Preparing for almost 8 month male getting neutered

[Smileandnod]

I am preparing for my almost 8 month old male, Rocco, to get neutered so he can live with his mother and sisters in large cage system. This is a first for me (both the neutering and any surgery for my guinea pigs).

I found a knowledgeable exotics vet who has successfully performed neutering in guinea pigs.

As I am preparing for the surgery (it's scheduled for next Tuesday) I want to be sure I have everything ready and everything that might be needed. (I am stressed and anxious about this...can you tell?!)

Can anyone give me feedback on if I am forgetting anything? And any other suggestions/tips would be much appreciated. Thank you.

I have:
* 2x2 recovery cage on stand to prevent drafts and the cage detaches from the stand (with detachable connectors I bought at the cage store) so it can be moved if necessary.

*White towels and light colored fleece bedding

* Oxbow Critical care (apple banana flavored)

* Syringes (1cc, 3cc, and 5cc)

* Unflavored Pedialyte

* Probiotic (formulated for rabbits and guinea pigs)

* Extra tasty 3rd cut Timothy hay and his favorite KMS pellets

* Fresh veggies as always (green leaf lettuce, green peppers, cilantro, ect)

Are there any veggies I should avoid as he recovers?

Should I allow him to keep his cuddle cup bed while he's recovering? He tends to jump in and out of it.

Should I move him in another room away from the girls while he is recovering? Or keep him close like he is now? He tends to vigorously chew on his cage bars now even when I put a divider up so he can't see the ladies.

How long should he remain in such a small recovery cage after the surgery?

I scheduled the surgery at the beginning of the week and made sure the vet doing the surgery is going to be there throughout the week in case there are complications. When can I be sure he is safely out of risk?

I am also home from work for a couple weeks for his recovery.

Thank you. I will post updates after his surgery as well to this thread. I just hope everything goes well.

 

[spy9doc]

You are going way overboard with this! I say that gently because it is certainly better to be prepared than not. Of course, there is always a risk with any surgery, but if you have an experienced cavy-savvy Vet, then you have little to worry about. I speak with a good bit of experience as I generally have boars and all of them have been neutered.

The recovery cage sounds appropriate as he will probably only need to live there for a week. Yes, you read that right......only about a week. Barring any complication, he should be relatively healed in 7-10 days. Most Vets do NOT use sutures as a cavy will sometimes tend to pull at the sutures. Most of them use "vet glue" to seal the incision site. Rocco may exhibit signs of irritation as the incision begins to heal and turn into scar tissue. I sometimes swab a tiny bit of xylocaine ointment on the site to ease the pulling and itching sensation for a couple of days. Just keep an eye on the incision to ensure that there are no signs of inflammation.......redness, swelling, heat, or pain. That's really about all you need to do.

Change as little as possible during this time. I would leave him where he is with regard to proximity to the girls, except for perhaps a couple of days. Allow him to keep his cuddle cup as his level of activity will be determined by how he feels and he will need it for comfort. No special diet, probably no Critical Care unless he isn't eating, and probiotic is optional. You may want to syringe Vit. C during the recovery process. I use Oasis Vit. C Drops and syringe it full-strength, about 0.5mm. You can dilute it if you wish, but I just use it as is. My Sparky goes through periods of not eating his peppers, so I syringe the Vit C almost on a daily basis.

Following the surgery he will be sleepy from the anesthesia and may sleep a lot for the first 24 hours.....or not. Just let him be and he will eat and drink as he feels like it. Your recovery cage is small enough that he won't have to exert much effort to reach food and water.

Something no one ever tells you......his scrotum will be this loose floppy thing for a couple of weeks after the testicles are removed from it! But, it will atrophy to the point that you won't be able to tell that he ever had one.

This is a bigger deal to you than to him. He doesn't know what is coming and afterward it will soon be a distant memory. Remember that animals live in the moment and he won't miss what he probably never used. My Sparky doesn't remember that his penis is good for anything other than a waterspout! Once the testosterone leaves his body, his libido will calm down and he should be less aggressive. Do keep him separated from the ladies for a good 30 days to allow all the sperm to die just in case he does still have a libido and wants to play.

Everything should go fine for Rocco and his Mom will obviously be looking out for him.

 

[bpatters]

Four weeks is enough for the separation from the ladies, a week is plenty in the recovery cage.

Two weeks is way too long for you to take off from work to nurse him unless things go badly wrong. I'd take off the day of the surgery with the possibility of taking off the next day if needed. After that, he'd be on his own.

He probably won't need Critical Care, but it's always good to have some on hand.

See https://www.guinealynx.info/postop.html.

 

[Smileandnod]

Thank you spy9doc for all this useful information!

It helps to get info from someone who has first hand experience. And you nailed it ...I am going way overboard with this. ;-)

I watched this little guy be born and am so worried something will go wrong, but I know that he will be so much happier when it's all over with and he can join his family again rather than being in his cage alone.

 

[Smileandnod]

I kept him isolated for 3 1/2 weeks after surgery but I’ve heard longer is better, not for recovery but to make sure all the semen has died. 4-6 weeks is the best.

Thank you! I plan on taking as much time as needed. He came from one of the moms I adopted who were surprise...Pregnant! So I don't mind taking as long as is needed to make sure the surgery is effective! Although I am excited about seeing him with his mom and sisters again in a few weeks!

 

[Smileandnod]

Four weeks is enough for the separation from the ladies, a week is plenty in the recovery cage.

Two weeks is way too long for you to take off from work to nurse him unless things go badly wrong. I'd take off the day of the surgery with the possibility of taking off the next day if needed. After that, he'd be on his own.

He probably won't need Critical Care, but it's always good to have some on hand.

See https://www.guinealynx.info/postop.html.

Thank you bpatters! I guess I am worrying too much ... so thank you. I am a teacher so I am lucky enough to have this time off right now. Hopefully, like you said, I won't need to spend it all caring for Rocco. I am pleased to know that if everything goes well it should only be a couple days of minor care, rather than several days of intensive care.

 

[Smileandnod]

A quick photo of Rocco:

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Rocco is one handsome little man!

Best wishes to you both, and do keep us posted on his progress. It'll be over before you know it!

 

[Smileandnod]

Update:

Rocco's surgery went well today. He is home and he is eating lettuce and a bit of hay. I will continue to monitor his progress.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

So glad to hear!

You go, Rocco!

 

[spy9doc]

Hang in there, Rocco! Don't fret......pretty soon you won't miss them at all! And, you get to have your very own harem.

 

[Smileandnod]

An update on Rocco and some questions for members on the forum:

Day 3 after the neutering:

Rocco became lethargic and refused hay and lettuce. Immediately did a vet check. Surgery site looked good. He was given sub-q fluids for dehydration and we gave Pedialyte at home.

He perked up and started eating and drinking normally again.

Day 9 after surgery and current issue:

Rocco had a very pungent unpleasant smell on his fleece pads in his bed and where he primarily eats.

There was also white, flourlike spots on his fleece. He was squeeking in a way that was unusual for him and when he would move there would be more white urine spots that were like wet flour or chalk. My girls have had these every once in a while, but for Rocco there were many in a short duration of time (4-5 dime size spots in 3-4 hours).

His bedding after surgery has been changed out 2-3 times per day, with a complete cleaning every night.

He went back to vet yesterday. Vet said surgery site looked good. She physically examined his abdomine and when the vet protruded his penis it was covered in a thick, white cheesy material that had the unpleasant pungent smell.

The vet took a swab of the material and put it on slides. She also took him to the back to clean him up and check urine. His temperature was 103.5. He weighed 1136g before surgery, he is currently 1072g.

The vet said they saw bacteria in cheesy material on penis and couldn't get urine, but felt he had a urinary tract infection.

Rocco was given sub-q fluids.

Rocco was prescribed 0.70 ml orbifloxacin once daily for 3 weeks ( it is a 30mg/ml oral suspension) as the antibiotic. He was also given 0.15cc of Meloxicam for pain ( same as after surgery) once or twice a day.

The vet wants us to give him water in a syringe, up to 70ml a day.

I am giving him bene-bac probiotic. So far just a pea size amount 3 hours before antibiotic.

Today, he isn't as energetic as he has been. He is still making squeeking sound while staying in one place as if he is in pain. He hasn't been eating as much today as he usually does. He is eating, but seems tired or uncomfortable and leaves some uneaten when usually he gobbles his food. There are still white spots, but not as thick, not as big and not as many. His poops are normal.


So, here are my questions:

Has anyone experienced this smelly, cheesy material around a guinea pig's penis? If so, should this be cleaned regularly? ( How often? Best stuff to clean it? When to worry?)

How much and how frequently should I give the bene-bac?

He is not taking the water in a syringe well. I have tried a 1cc syringe, a 10 cc syringe and a curved syringe...the curved seems to be working best but more gets on me than in him. I worry about him aspirating the water, is this a legitimate worry? Any other suggestions on giving fluids?

Should I be feeding any special items to help healing? He always has green leaf lettuce, green peppers and sometimes cilantro. He gets unlimited 2nd and 3rd cut Timothy hay and KMS pellets. I started vitamin c liquid supplement as suggested to me in an earlier post by spy9doc as well.

Is there anything else I should do?

Anything else I should watch for or be concerned about?

Anything else to ask of the vet?

Thank you everyone...I appreciate any information.

 

[spy9doc]

Has anyone experienced this smelly, cheesy material around a guinea pig's penis? If so, should this be cleaned regularly? (How often? Best stuff to clean it? When to worry?)

Oh, yes, that "smelly, cheesy material" is probably smegma. Smegma is a combination of shed skin cells, skin oils, and moisture. It can accumulate under the foreskin and cause an odor or in some cases, harden and lead to irritation. In a cavy, it often accumulates under his penile sheath around the penis. Most boars produce it whether neutered or not.......just less so if they are neutered. Did you ever observe it prior to the surgery?

I usually do grooming once a month at which time I clip nails, clean ears, and clean the genital/anal area. You need to extrude his penis and then use a light oil and q-tip to clean around it. I use coconut, emu, or Vit. E oil. A little oil comes in handy if you are cleaning the anal sac as well.

We usually associate the white spots on the fleece to excess Calcium in the urine, but I suppose it could be a UTI. I have no personal experience.

With regard to syringing liquids, try angling the syringe and enter the mouth from the side and then aim it slightly toward the back of his throat. Don't try to go straight in from the front as it seems to stimulate a fear of choking. Go slowly and don't try to shoot the entire syringe in one push. Give him time to swallow the mouthful that you have just given him before pushing again. If he needs to rest, wait just a few seconds until he is ready. Also, allow him to clamp down on the syringe with his teeth if he wishes. Don't worry.....you'll get the hang of it.

Thanks for the update!