Tumor Surgical preparations/recovery?

[blackarrow]

Our little Cletus is going in for surgery Tuesday to remove a tumor or cyst of some sort which is blocking one of his ear canals. Is there anything I should know about preparation of a guinea pig for surgery? I.e. can he have hay up until his surgery, should I skip his pellets the morning of surgery, etc.? Is it routine to put guinea pigs on antibiotics after a surgery? (This is not likely a wound which will be getting dirty.) Is it routine to separate guinea pigs after a surgery?

Thanks for any assistance. He's a strong, young, healthy acting little fellow but naturally I'm worried about him!

 

[Toadies]

GPs do not regurgitate, which is the reason for withholding food prior to surgery, so no need to withhold food and water. Anytime the natural barrier (the skin) is compromised (cut, etc.), ABs are usually given. As for separation, that would mostly depend on the extent of the surgery wound and the disposition of your piggies so you should probably count on at least a couple of days separation, but your vet can best advise you on that. Best wishes and try not to worry too much. Easier said than done, huh? Please keep us posted.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

Read about post-op procedures here--
https://www.guinealynx.info/postop.html

 

[akstrohm]

Good luck! I hope it goes smoothly!

 

[blackarrow]

Thanks so much, everybody. Great link, foggycreek, I wish I'd known about it before his first vet appointment. I hope I don't offend them by insisting they tell me before using any antibiotic but I'm going to insist, it's too easy to make a mistake it would seem. I'm also going to be insisting they tell me if he's not eating within 2 hours of his surgery - I'm not very happy right now with the tech I spoke with's dismissive attitude about me wanting to bring his own food. I'm taking his own food in whether she thinks it's unnecessary or not.

 

[blackarrow]

Update, he's home and seems a little groggy but OK. He's had a little bit to eat (not much) and has peed but so far no poo. Vet didn't think it was necessary to do a biopsy, said it was superficial and mostly fluid, thought it was perhaps a glandular tumor of some sort, so I don't have an official diagnosis but it doesn't appear it will make a difference in his treatment.

I'm planning on keeping him separate from his "brother" until I can verify that he's indeed got the digestive tract going again. I hope that's soon!

Update to the update - he's got poo, yay, LOL. Funny what you get excited about once you're a pig mom.

 

[Paula]

You might want to give him a little Critical Care if you have it, just to make sure he's getting enough food. Usually they are pretty groggy and not quite feeling like themselves the evening after surgery, so I always handfeed unless they are eating normal amounts, which they usually aren't that first night.

I'm glad to hear that he's on the mend.

 

[blackarrow]

Thanks. I don't have CC, and the vet doesn't stock it - they suggested a pellet slurry if he wasn't having much to do with his food. I'm going to leave him in his original cage for his veggies so he doesn't have to compete with his brother for dinner but if that goes OK I think he'd be happier with his buddy. I see he pretty much did eat his hay so that's promising.