Neutering fiasco

[mane3862]

Today I went to have my little piggie Bart neutered so that he can live happily with his sister Lisa without "accidents". The little guy has been so unhappy all this time that he's had to be separated from her, so this day was long awaited.

Anyways, I took the day off from work. We get there, and the assistant tells me that she will sedate him by injecting a mixture of ketalar and something else (rompun?) into his leg. This surprised me, since I had been told that they would use isoflurane, but she assured me that they had neutered lots of cavies, and this was their procedure. They had just recieved equipment for using isoflurane, but had not unpacked it yet.

When the assistant tries to inject, Bart naturally pulls his leg away and the ketalar is just "injected" on the table. Since they could not be sure if anything had actually been injected, they did not dare to inject a second time and I was sent home with a scared un-neutered little piggie. They told me that the veterinarian would call me to arrange a new time, and this time they would use isoflurane. Then they gracefully told me that I would not have to pay for this first visit, as a favor from them...

I'm not sure, I have a bad feeling about this. Of course, just because the assistant slipped up, that doesn't mean that the vet is bad (I never even met him), but the fact that they have not used isofluran before, and that Bart probably will be the first they use it on is worrying. But it's maybe not so hard to use? Also, the other vet in town that specializes in small animals did not seem to know anything about guineapigs, so there is not much choice.

Should I be worried?

 

[Plummie]

I might be worried, as it just doesn't seem they are confident in what they're doing. You should ask the vet how many guinea pigs he has spayed/neutered in the past (just a few, or hundreds?) and what his success rate has been. Has he ever lost any gp's during surgery? If his success rate is lower than 99% or if he's only done a handful of pigs, I would be out of there. I wouldn't want a vet learning the procedure on my pig.

When I got my rabbits neutered and spayed, I asked all these questions to make sure they were getting the very best care. I also know that my vet used Isofluorane to sedate them... same for my chinchilla who broke his leg two years ago, they used Isofluorane. Never heard of anyone using Ketalar, but I am not a vet so maybe it is more common than I think.

I would just research everything you can find on neutering pigs and get yourself up to speed. Ask a bunch of questions until you feel comfortable. If you still aren't feeling right about it, then seek out another vet, even if you have to drive a couple hours it would be worth it in my opinion.

 

[cavy_upstairs]

uhg i would go to a new vet, im not trying to tell you that you should, but if yours was the first piggy that they are using it on, i would be a little scared ..
~

 

[pennick]

I would put a call into the hospital and arrange to speak to the vet himself and explain what happened and listen to what he has to say. Accidents can happen and doesnt mean they are not a responsible hospital. At least the person acknowledged the accident and decided not to reinject your piggy.

By speaking with the vet himself it will ease your mind or put you on alert.

 

[charliesmommy]

Is the vet an exotics expert? That would make a difference as well; many vets see very few exotic pets such as guinea pigs, and while they may be confident in doing spaying and neutering on cats and dogs, guinea pigs are quite different.

 

[mane3862]

OK, so I found another vet that handles guinea pigs. She said that they neuter 1-2 cavies per month, and so far they have never lost one. They too sedate by injection and not gas, and they usually do not put in antibiotics automatically after the operation. Seem like using gas has not become practice in Sweden yet.
Does it sound any better? At least she had a 100% success rate.

 

[Slap Maxwell]

It sounds okay. Can you post this on Guinea Lynx?

 

[AmiableAnimals]

I really don't think you want an injectible anesthesia, with the very possible exception of torb (butorbinal?) but even that takes a few hours for the pigs to come out of. Why don't you hold off on anything and ask at guinealynx.info and pigloo.net for vet recommendations in your area? Where do you live? Personally, I owuldn't let a pig be put under with anything other than iso, possible with torb as a pain killer if the pain of the surgery warrants it - I don't think a neuter falls into that category.

 

[Slap Maxwell]

She lives in Sweden, so I don't know how many people would be able to help her.

 

[AmiableAnimals]

Hmm, good point. I guess I would go with the vet who has had the most experience, and success, then. Good luck!! I do think the iso is the safest, but you are right, if they are not 100% with it, that could be a risk, too. See what type of training they have done for it - could be they went to an excellent course and would be good with it. Good luck!

 

[kalrik]

This is a tough situation. My vet used iso and said that he was down and then up within ten minutes. She said antibiotics aren't necessary and shouldn't be used unless they need to be, ie shoulnd't be used as just a precaution. I would go with the person who has done many injection ones with no deaths than the vet who hasn't had iso in his office before and is going to use it on your pig for the first time.

 

[mane3862]

OK, I checked guinealynx but didn't find any recommendations for Sweden. So I have booked a time on monday with the new vet with the high success rate. Even if she's doing injections it seems like she is well experienced with this. I've been told that using iso is not trivial, and using it for the first time on Bart seem much too risky.

Keep your fingers crossed for us!

 

[AmiableAnimals]

Good luck and please keep us updated. Personally, I would *always* give antibiotics and pain meds post neuter.

 

[mane3862]

So far so good!

I'm glad I changed vet, these ones seem so much more professional (if anyone in Sweden, Uppsala is interested, they're called "Ekeby Djurpraktik"). I picked up Bart 7 hours ago, and he has been eating and drinking and walking around since then. I also got antibiotics to give him the following 10 days. They said I could give hime some youghurt to get the digestion going again, has anyone tried that?
Now I'll keep my fingers crossed that everything heals the way it should!

 

[Slap Maxwell]

Teresa and many others choose not to give yogurt, as there are risks. Emailing her or posting on GL would help you find alternatives.

 

[charliesmommy]

I'm glad everything worked out well! Good luck with the recovery!

 

[mane3862]

Here's a little update on Barts recovery. It's now ten days since the neutering, and recovery has had ups and downs. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

He was neutered last monday. The days after the procedure he ate less than normal, and mostly only as a result of him being happy from something else, like time outside the cage, sitting next to his mom on my lap etc. This made me think he might be depressed.

After a few days (friday), Bart developed diarreha and a loss of appetite. The vet told me to immediately stop the antibiotics treatment, which I did. He also got some fresh poop from his mother. After this, his appetite and mood really seemed to increase, and his poops had normal size and shape, although a bit darker and smellier than before.

Yesterday I got worried again, because during the 10 hours I was away, he did not produce a single poop. I could hear his tummy rumbling and he looked uncomfortable. Still his appetite was good, and after eating fresh grass he produced some small poops. Today I've stayed at home to monitor him, and it seems like he's actually producing a large number of normal sized poops again, it's just that after a while he eats them, that's why there's no trace of them.

I'm now crossing my fingers, hoping that he will recover smoothly!
Here's a picture of the neutered area:
(broken link removed)
And here's a picture of Bart:
(broken link removed)

Oh, shoot. All this time I was writing this, I've been troubled by a loud piercing noice. I just assumed it was in my head (I have tinnitus), but now I walked past the kitchen, and it was the dishwasher that was making the sound. Seems like it broke, and the floor is full of water...

 

[Slap Maxwell]

I am glad he is doing well.

 

[kalrik]

I hope it just goes up hill from now. My vet told me the antibiotics are not a good idea unless they need them post neutering. I am glad Bart's eating well and pooping. He's very cute!

 

[daftscotslass]

Be careful in housing him with the laydees for a few weeks as it takes over a month for all traces of the sperm to have gone.