OH no, poor guinea pig, fungating tumour or absess?

[Flossam]

I just lifted out my 4 yr old guinea pig to clean out her cage and was quite alarmed to see what was a third eye peering back at me. Only it wasn't it was a wound ooozing black pus. How the hell could she have got in this state without me noticing?

I have squeezed all the pus out that I can, it smells like oh I don't know, bad enough to turn a nurses stomach. and is by the side of her mouth below her eye. I have washed her and it with water and salt water. her furr is glossy, her eyes are bright, I never had any reason to suspect anything was wrong, they have perhaps been squeeking more than usual but I thought it was because I had been lax with their hay...

I'm about to phone the vets obviously but does anyone else have any experience of this?

you want to make sure nothing has laid their eggs in there

IMO guinea pigs ask for things like this, I remember my guniea pigs all of asudden had blowfly eggs round their rear ends, one day they were fine, the next they looked lke they had been sittingin a bowl of rice

Pesky little critteres

Nothing I could see SW. I got about 5 tissue loads out of there. Just really thick horrible stuff. Squeezed it untill I couldn't get any more. Only saying to VVV that I will have to stop getting them, but thought Fudge would be the first to go (she's over a year older) .

oh god how vile!

Well we have app with vet in 30 minutes so we'll see what they say.

check theres nothing stuck on the inside of her mouth right at the back. a little grass seed or something. sometimes food can get stuck in there and rot and before you know it, its rotted a hole in the side of their mouth and face. (sorry sounds horrid i know) check her teeth as well. get her to the vets asap, keep it clean. They will give you some antibiotics and cream for her.

No TIL, thats exactly how it sounds. They haven't always had hay, just dried food and fruit and veg. Am wondering if the two are linked.

aww im sure she will be fine. good luck. let us know what the vet says.

any news?

She said she had never seen anything like it before. Agreed that it could have been caused by the hay as an absess, could be a cyst or a fungating tumour like I thought. Said she would most likely think the latter. Going to give antibiotics over the weekend and daily washouts then back on Monday. Possibly for a biopsy etc. So we will have to wait and see. I always feel I am so neglectful when I go to the vets. I am sure I should have noticed this before now.

Hi flossam, i had the same thing happen to my guinea pig it never seemed to bother her i did lose her a coulpe of years later, we used to get the bad stuff out then bath her in salt water hope all goes well

Thats interesting thanks! Did you have to get the yuck out for two years or just untill the infection cleared?

We never manage to clear it up she was at a good age when we lost her, so wheather it was old age or that we never found out. She just went in her sleep.

Oh dear. Your vet was completely stumped too then? Marmite dosen't seem bothered by it either, I have to say. She sat and let me squeeze it all out of her (sorry I know this is gross) without trying to get away. A sign it wasn't bothering her or she feels to poorly to battle? She didnt even squeek when they gave her the injection of ab's. We'll see what Monday brings anyway. Thanks for your help.

I will keep watching then so let us know what your vet thinks it is. It's a shame cos they can't tell you.

Looks like it might be a fungal thing. loads more yuck in the wound today which I had thought was looking much better We're to continue with antibiotics and review in two weeks.

Any more news on your guinea pig? worried

It was 5 months ago, I would imagine it's all sorted by now!