Operate or PTS? :(

[HarrysOtherWand]

I need some advice on what to do.

GP5 is less than 2 years old but she has an abscess in her tummy or bottom area.

I noticed she was looking a bit swollen down below last week but as she has had minor surgery to remove a lump , I thought it was just swelling from that. She’s fine in herself, eating , pooping and playing fine.

On Saturday I picked her up and the swelling burst with a cheese smelling liquid all over her and the floor. She seems to have an open sore which I washed, dressed and gave pain meds for before taking her to the vet.

It looks like she may need more surgery to remove , drain and pack the abscess. BUT I know guinea pigs are very high risk for surgery and for complications after as well as gut stasis requiring even more intervention. She’s also going to be very sore and miserable.

BUT other than this, she is a happy and healthy pig.

I’ve already lost one pig in a similar scenario and it was heartbreaking that it was the surgery itself that ended up killing her. I was truly devastated at her death as I loved her so much.

This would be the second surgery she will have had in the space of two weeks.

I want to do what’s best for my little pig. What would people recommend?

I don't know what to recommend but

What did the vet recommend? I think I'd always go for the surgery option because there's a chance they might recover but obviously if that can lead to more suffering then that would be a source of guilt for you.

We've just had the same dilemma, I think these are quite common in gps - our piggy was 5 and developed a large lump on the side of his face. Vet said would need to operate to drain the abscess and do some dentistry work - he said while there was a good chance he would recover there was always the possibility that the abscess would return. The cost of surgery was estimated at over £460, and while I would have paid this, the guinea pig would have to endure weeks of stress and pain, with no guarantee that it would be resolved so we took the decision to have him pts just today. Still don't know if we made the right decision, it's such a hard thing to do - talk to your vet and see what they recommend and go from there.

I really feel that some vets businesses are money orientated and don't put the welfare of the animal first. I agreed to an operation on a hamster which looking back was cruel and selfish, it cost a fortune and I regret it. It was an emotional time for other reasons and I couldn't think very rationally. The hamster didn't last long afterwards. It is a hard decision to make .

I’d put the animal down I think. Abscesses are notoriously bad and I once rescued a rabbit with one. My vet told me that it was kinder to put her down and she is really rabbit savvy.
As you know guinea pigs do not handle surgery well at all. I think it would be too much stress for the poor little guinea pig!

You know in your heart what you’re willing to put them through/pay.
Could the previous surgery have caused the new abcess?