General wound care help

[PurplePaws121]

Hello!

One of my boys got a pretty good gash on his nose (just under his nostril, I guess it's about the size of a #2 pencil lead, or just a little bigger) during a failed introduction, happened a few days ago. It started to scab over and every day I keep checking it. It's causing a lot of crusty clear-ish stuff to form around his nostril and while I was trying to carefully clear that away, he moved and the whole scab came off. It's a pretty raw spot, kinda bloody looking but not bleeding. I don't see any pus.

I washed it out with a syringe full of warm salt water but didn't put any antibiotic ointment on it because i'm afraid he'll get it off with his paw and lick it.

Is there anything else I could/should do? Will this heal? I'm so worried. I just lost one of my pigs and I would hate to lose one to a small injury, but I also don't want to just rush off to the vet.

He's still eating and drinking fine and hasn't lost weight.

 

[bpatters]

You could use diluted betadine or chlorhexadine to keep it clean. But if there's no pus, it will likely heal ok. I wouldn't try to get the scab to come off -- it will loosen from the underneath side when the skin is healed enough.

But if you think there's a puncture wound, you should take him to a vet. Puncture wounds abscess pretty easily on guinea pigs, and I can't imagine what dealing with an abscess on his nose would be like.

 

[PurplePaws121]

I don't have those things so salt water was next best choice. I will get betadine tomorrow though.

I feel bad for picking at it. Do you think I disrupted the healing process too much? Will it scab over again and keep healing? I wont bother it anymore, I was just trying to help, just went about it wrong...now I know better.

There is no chance of him dying from something like this, is there?

 

[cyndyt]

From my experience I think it will probably be okay and heal.

After almost 9 months of living together in harmony my trio of boys started fighting in January.
I guess I hadn't heard it happening but when I separated them there were allot of cuts on them. Some were very nasty looking
My vet was out of town and there isn't another vet where I live that will see cavies. I cleaned the cuts out and used a prescription antibiotic cream on them and all healed well before the vet got back.
I think he will be okay and you don't need to worry about him passing from this.

 

[bpatters]

Scabs form naturally, and provide protection for the healing skin underneath. When you pick at it, it just disrupts the cycle. When the skin underneath is sufficiently healed, the scab will come off by itself.

By the way, this applies to any scab you may have on yourself, as well.