|
Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Mar 17, 2015 22:51:34 GMT
I think River has a hernia; the incisions from his op 2 weeks ago have pretty much healed over, but he's got a relatively big bulge on the right hand side. I will ask a friend to help me take a picture of it later in the week if able. I was warned it could be a post-op complication. He's acting entirely like normal, which doesn't necessarily mean there is no problem but reassures me a little.
I am going to call the vet and ask their advice tomorrow, but I'm not sure a hernia in the groin(?I think) counts as an emergency so I'm not rushing. Plus, he could be due for a bowel movement that he just hasn't passed yet, so I'm going to check him again tomorrow. I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience with post-op herniation, and what the treatment options are?
|
|
|
Post by moletteuk on Mar 18, 2015 13:45:36 GMT
I would speak to the vet today if you can. Hernias in people can be very painful. I can't think what any treat would be other than opening him up again and putting some stitches into whatever structure is herniating.
|
|
|
Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Mar 21, 2015 12:10:54 GMT
Whoops. Abscess, not a hernia. He's had it drained, and I'm picking him up in a bit when the anaesthetic has worn off.
Guess I need to take the sand bath out again...
|
|
|
Post by moletteuk on Mar 21, 2015 18:02:53 GMT
Oh right, good, an abscess is better than a hernia! Is it on the wound? Have you got some antibiotics? Did he have antibiotics after the original op?
|
|
|
Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Mar 22, 2015 9:12:51 GMT
I think it was in the orignal wound site, but I didn't get antibiotics for him post-op. Not sure whether that's standard or not, but they had stitched and glued to stop him getting at the site and it did seem to have worked.
I have Baytril and a follow up appt on Thursday, to check him over, because apparently it smelled like something had died inside the abscess, and they were concerned that he had been one wrong jump away from sepsis. Daft little thing, if he'd told me he felt wrong I'd have taken him in on Wednesday!
|
|
|
Post by moletteuk on Mar 23, 2015 10:43:00 GMT
Hope he heals up OK now, keep an eye out for it ballooning up again. I thought ABs were standard after an invasive operation, maybe they gave him an injection at the time.
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on Mar 23, 2015 17:56:19 GMT
WOW! So glad you got him in and had it taken care of! That was really a close call for him and for you. I bet he is feeling better with that emptied now and the antibiotics too.
|
|
|
Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Mar 27, 2015 18:21:06 GMT
So, I took him back last night, and apparently I'm supposed to have been squeezing the site to encourage draining of the abscess? She did it for me last night, and it was horrid. I've had to do it tonight, and both he and I agree that it is no fun whatsoever.
I have another appointment on Tuesday to see how he's getting on, now that I'm encouraging the pus to come out.
In an annoying and hopefully unrelated note, one of my piercings which is prone to getting infected has flared up. I really hope it's not whatever he's grown in his abdomen :/
|
|
|
Post by moletteuk on Mar 28, 2015 10:52:03 GMT
The missed instruction must be frustrating! Is he OK in himself? If you don't get improvement soon it might be worth considering getting the pus cultured to check which antibiotic is best for it (it does cost a bit because they have to send it off to a lab).
|
|
|
Post by animalmadchloe on Mar 30, 2015 20:48:12 GMT
Cringe poor little mite
|
|
|
Post by saddlers on Mar 31, 2015 14:10:46 GMT
You are both certainly going through it at the moment, I really hope things settle for you soon
|
|
|
Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Mar 31, 2015 20:13:58 GMT
Next update- still oozing goop, vet has added in Septrin and gave me a hand in today's pus-squeezing episode. Another check up on Saturday. Both of us are bored of the vet trips now, it's better than the alternative but it is no fun
|
|
|
Post by saddlers on Mar 31, 2015 22:44:14 GMT
Poor little thing
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on Apr 1, 2015 4:34:23 GMT
You know, I can't help but wonder if he needs to be lightly knocked out, and the Vet thoroughly flush the area out. Perhaps even a drainage tube put in. (Tiny degu cone of shame to add to his already bruised ego.) Does it seem like the Baytril isn't doing the job? I would have thought you would see some improvement by now.
|
|
|
Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Apr 1, 2015 11:34:06 GMT
So, the problem with abscesses (based on my experience in humans) is that the body walls up the infection. Which makes it very difficult for the antibiotics to penetrate the area to kill the infection, hence patients are usually on antibiotics for a long time for abdominal abscesses. It didn't surprise me that he needed Septrin adding in either; between it and the baytril a lot of bugs are covered and Septrin has better penetration-ing (in humans anyway). They knocked him out, drained and flushed him when I took him in a few weeks ago, so what's left is the residual gunk- which is really difficult to clear out usually, due to the penetration issues.
The bit that could make it take even longer though, is that they "had" (?) to use braided sutures to close him up post-neutering, and they are prone to allowing bacteria to track back upwards. So I suspect he may be on antibiotics until the stitches dissolve.
I am seeing a gradual reduction in pus expulsion, but when the vet helped me last night we got quite a bit out - holding and supporting a degu in the right position is a two handed job, so you need a third pair of hands to squeeze properly. Otherwise you have to have a thick glove on, scruff him round the neck and poke at him from behind and underneath because he won't tolerate being on his back.
|
|
|
Post by saddlers on Apr 1, 2015 14:11:45 GMT
From personal experience, they are not nice and I went through a period of it being drained and packed, and without doubt it was easily the most painful experience of my life...just thinking of it makes me squirm. In the end I had the abscess removed surgically.....and wish they had just done that in the first instance. I appreciate it is much harder on a guy of this size. I feel so sorry for you both I really hope he starts to mend soon so he can enjoy the fact that he is neutered...all the pain and none of the benefits at the moment
|
|
|
Post by animalmadchloe on Apr 10, 2015 6:25:05 GMT
Poor little gooey sounds like a right trooper
|
|
|
Post by moletteuk on Apr 10, 2015 9:55:05 GMT
How is he getting on?
|
|
|
Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Apr 10, 2015 16:33:01 GMT
I didn't like the vet we saw last Saturday, I had hold of him to position him so she could see his undercarriage and she tried to lift him by the tail. I *may* have spoken very sharply, he was stressed enough by the delayed appt without her pulling at his tail. So we shan't be seeing her again (the vet surgeons seem to rotate around, I've requested not to have her where possible). Anyway, she said to keep on as we are and to go back in 2 weeks, which is now a bit less because I'm away for the weekend and a friend will bob in to give him his abx if he still needs them. We're still draining pus, still at a measurable quantity but it is getting less, but I know he's feeling better because he's fighting me more over it. Ski gloves are my new friend (he absolutely hated being held in garden gloves). I see this going on for a while longer, but at least getting the antibiotics into him is less of a fight than it was
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on Apr 15, 2015 15:23:32 GMT
Clearly she has managed to equate degus with rats, and doesn't understand their tails are designed to deglove for safety measures, or she wouldn't have tried to pick him up like that. When you say you may have spoken very sharply, do you mean speaking to the vet? I know I certainly would have!! Seems a long, and very slow healing for the poor little man.
|
|