What is this!?

[luv_my_guinea_pigz]

I have been treating my guinea pig Alice for Bumblefoot. She is bedded on Polar fleece which is cleaned once a week. No wet newspaper. I check her everyday to give her Baytril and clean her paw.

Tonight I noticed pus coming out of her back! I squeezed all the pus out and it became a hole. What is this? Is this some type of ruptured abscess?

I never noticed any lumps, and I was weighing her daily. None of the other guinea pigs in her cage has any symptoms.

I have isolated her. The pus was thick, and cheese like. No smell.

Photos below: Can anyone tell me what is going on, or have seen this before?

[Regiane]

To me it looks like a ruptured abcess.

You can fine some informations here:
https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewtopic.php?t=136

Hope others can help you with more informations soon.

[CavyHeart]

It could also be a ruptured sebaceous cyst. One of my guinea pigs, Vincent, had a similar oozing bump on his back near the hip. Previously, it had been a painless, jelly-like lump usually hidden by his long fur. When it ruptured, it formed a hole in the middle top of it that looked a lot like your photos.

As was pointed out when I inquired about it, the color of the gunk that comes out varies depending on the color of the skin and hair surrounding it. Since your guinea pig's skin and hair around the hole are light in color, the discharge from a cyst would be pale, too. The gunk from Vincent's cyst was also very thick, grainy, and had an extremely strong, foul smell like dirty gym socks. It was quite distinctive, if nothing else.

Other signs of infection around the site that would more strongly indicate that it was an abscess instead. For example, if it felt very warm to the touch, was extremely red, and/or if it were painful for you to touch near it. However, since Alice is on antibiotics, it could be suppressing these kinds of symptoms.

It still could be an abscess, so I would say you should definitely have a vet who is knowledgeable about guinea pigs look at it right away.

[Lynx]

You can have a sebaceous-like cyst that becomes infected too. Ditto on the warm to touch etc. for helping to determine if it is an abscess.

Let me know if you'd like me to permanently add your pictures to this thread (that way if they are removed from the location where they are hosted, future readers will still be able to see them here).

Sometimes these things recur and it is only from a surgical removal of the site that it is "cured".

www.guinealynx.info/.html

I would also keep an eye on it.

[Jaycey]

That looks exactly like my Listers cyst. He had one on his left side which left a hole like that when it was emptied out.

CavyHeart is right about the pus being different colours depending on the skin. I learnt that here. Lister has black skin so the pus was grey coloured.

Definitely keep an eye on it as Lynx suggests. Lister's never seemed to bother him, and it stayed empty and the same size for ages. Suddenly it refilled and grew. I chose to had it surgically removed.

[Lynx]

I think I actually learned it when reading one of my vet books (and passed it on).

The pictures look more like an abscess than sebaceous cyst like material (i.e. not like a follicular cyst with keratinous material).

[WICharlie]

I strongly suggest a vet visit. The vet will clean the "hole" out completely and will probably went you to flush it several times a day while it heals. I would not be surprised if the vet would also prescribe an antibiotic.

I would inspect this pig completely to see if there are anymore of these on her.

I have to admit to feeling a little gaggy looking at these pictures. The hardest condition for me to deal with with the rescue pigs was probably when I had one with an abcess. It's just kinda gross. I have a pretty good stomach for almost all other things.

[luv_my_guinea_pigz]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for your fantastic replies it really does help.

I have booked an appointment for an exotics vet this Saturday for 10am. My normal vet is not on call so best I could do at the moment. I've never been to this vet but they are cavy savvy.

Lynx - Would be appreciated if you could keep the photos up, (as gross as they are!). I think they can help others in the future know what this is.

Cavyheart - I don't think it is too infected as it is not warm or hot to touch, and there is no smell. I think it is a little painful however she lets me touch it. I am giving her Baytril antibiotics 0.3ml still at the moment although I've almost run out.

Jaycey - Thanks for the info with Lister, I had a look at your reference thread it looks the same! Would it be worth having is removed now I wonder?

UPDATE: Overnight it scabbed over. I squeezed all the pus out until there was just clear liquid and blood.

I have a few questions:

Do I have to make sure the wound remains open? I washed it with warm water reopened it (the hole now is VERY small compared to yesterday)

How do I flush it out? I have no curved syringes, the pharmacy here does not sell them. At the moment I am just filling the hold with antiseptic Betadine solution.

Can I stop it from scabbing over somehow? Can I fill the hole with a cream?

Sorry for all the questions, I just never knew this could happen! I've dealt with abscesses and malocclusion before but never this.

WICharlie- I agree very graphic pics... I still feel quite ill from looking at them. I just hope my baby girl gets better.

Thank you all. Shall keep you updated.

[Bugs Mom]

Ask your vet for some syringes if you can't find them anywhere else. I'm surprised your pharmacy doesn't have any.

Just for possible future use This Little Piggy Marketplace has great supplies. She should be under the Guinea Pig Related topic on here.

[Talishan]

Got it!

That is just the first site that came up. Key in "curved tip syringe Australia" and you may get more. Dentists and oral surgeons also often have these because they give them to patients to flush the sockets left after dental extractions. Craft and hobby stores sometimes sell them for precise application of glue and paint, etc.

[Jaycey]

I'm in the UK and couldn't find the curved syringes at a pharmacy, and the vets didn't have them either. I found mine at a craft store, and bought a handful whilst they were there. I have no idea why they would be in a craft store, but they were.

When Lister's lump/hole was like Alice's I did take him to the vet and we were given Baytril, and I kept flushing until there was nothing in the hole. The hole stayed there and I kept checking. At that point I chose not to have it removed, as it wasn't bothering him.

It wasn't until it became larger and inflamed that I chose to have it removed. I don't think it was bothering Lister still, but the size of it scared me, it was about an inch in diameter. Lister was quite a healthy little guy so I though the anaesthetic wouldn't be an issue with him, and I trusted my vet enough to feel comfortable with them performing the operation.

[Lynx]

Thanks for the pics. I cropped them slightly and compressed them so they will download quickly.

Those curved tip syringes are absolutely fabulous for flushing.



I think everyone should have a couple around!