Neck Mass: Surgery, Antibiotics, Draining??

[kitty]

Awww. We are worrying too! Hope it all works out well! xoxoxo

[Clover]

She is beautiful Jemima , I really hope she improves.

[Janet]

You have to keep us updated on Koko. Her aunties all over the world are worrying about her. Do we have any uncles?

[Jemima]

Hi, guys--thanks for you concern and sweet comments.

I don't know where things stand with Koko. It's been a discouraging week, overall. Yesterday our new battle was with diarrhea. She has had mushy poop before, but not this bad. I haven't seen any beneficial effect with probiotics, so I gave her poop soup again. Although she doesn't like it, it seems to help stabilize her poop at least somewhat. When her poops are mushy she also doesn't want to eat. Her weight is down an ounce from the highest it's been in the past 3 weeks, but she's still up an ounce and a half since two days after surgery.
She's still picky eating, but at least she's eating.

Today was the least amount of pus we've seen in her neck since right before the abscess popped a week ago. Last night I thought there was no end in sight to the pus from flushing. I hope today is a new lease on life with that part of her body. I still want to make sure over the next week that there appears to be no new pus in her neck.

Then I have to figure out what we should do about the newest lump on the side of her neck. It had felt a tad bigger over the last week (is the Baytril not working--not penetrating--was it there before her surgery to begin with??) but today it seemed a tad smaller. My uneducated opinion is to give her neck a week to see how the pus goes, and if that seems to be on the mend, then have the vet either lance/drain or surgically remove it.

I guess I'm figuring that if in a week we've seen no improvement in her neck, then dealing with the new lump is useless.

She has been on antibiotics for 20 days now. 8 on Bactrim and 12 on Baytril. I don't know how we'll go another 3 plus weeks on Baytril. I still don't even know if it's helping.

I've been near losing my mind, and it's tough to keep going. But I'm trying.

Plus, we are still nervous over Saige's never-ending pregnancy. I'm so afraid of losing her during childbirth. I can't believe Saige hasn't given birth yet. She HUGE!

Thanks again for all you're kindness, concern, and advice. It really does help keep me going.

[SaigeTheSweetie]

I'm scared for saige and koke... I hope they both end up being well...

[kitty]

We all know what it is to love a piggie soooo much and we're all pulling for Koko and Saige. It's driving me crazy that mine have LICE yet alone the horrible problems you're dealing with. All I can do is tell you I'm thinking of all of you and saying piggie prayers for your girls' recoveries. xoxoxo

[Clover]

Its good that she's still eating. It might be the antibiotic thats causing her diarrhoea. Its best to ask your vet first Jemima, but when my Squeekie was effected by antibiotic, I split the dose up, half in the morning and the other half in the evening. He was still getting the full dose within 24 hours and it really helped his tum cope better. I'd still keep up with probiotic and if you can make sure she's getting enough fluid with her having diarrhoea. Also its best to keep them off veggies and fruit while her poops arn't normal.

Is she eating her pellets and hay ? You could buy some Timothy hay that might tempt her to eat more. Also adding a few oats with her pellets might help her to gain some weight.

Has the vet seen the new lump?

I'm really rooting for both your girls.

[Jemima]

Yes, the dose is split into twice a day. I think especially with Baytril it 's better that way. She'll eat her pellets, and although I have given her the Oxbow alfalfa based (being young still and maybe still pregnant??) but she prefers the Timothy pellets she was raised on. She'll eat hay as long as I rotate between the Timothy and Alfalfa/Bluegrass, and as long as she doesn't get a lot of either one at once.

I have greatly reduced her veggies/fruit, but she wasn't eating them anyway. Maybe she knows she won't feel too good after??

She was SO happy last night!! Running around and popcorning all over. It was so great to see her happy again, and all we can do is continue trying to meet her needs and praying that the efforts will be successful.

The vet is the one who found the new lump at the side of her neck/shoulder area. (I'm glad we're paying her to do something!) We all just don't know when it first occurred. It was only found last week at the recheck for her neck. This morning it still seems even the taddest smaller. The vet wanted to 'wait and see' with this lump, and at this point I can sort of see why. If we can't successfully battle her neck, I doubt we'd successfully battle the new lump and we'd put her through a lot for no reason. I think now that if the pus in her neck has been taken care of, we can lance and drain the new lump and flush it.

Haven't checked or flushed her neck today, but we are so hoping that it will appear the pus is gone.

Koko's also due for another ivermectin injection for possible mites. Must have been, since her scratching has gone down 98%.

Kitty, hope your lice problem clears up soon. Haven't had that one yet. What are you using for it?

[kitty]

We're using the same stuff for the lice. Sounds like Koko feels beter if she's popcorning?! We're all pulling for her... !

[skipperdoo]

A lot of folks use Advantage for lice: a drop behind each ear.

[Clover]

jemima said:

She was SO happy last night!! Running around and popcorning all over. It was so great to see her happy again, and all we can do is continue trying to meet her needs and praying that the efforts will be successful.

Thats such a good sign jemima that shes feeling better in herself, sending lots of healing wishes her way

[Jemima]

She definitely does seem to be feeling better and we are encouraged.

Yet, after 2 1/2 weeks there's still some pus while flushing. Does this sound right?

[Jemima]

I just got off the phone with our vet.

(By the way, her exotics vet consult was with a vet at UC Davis)

She still thinks the prognosis for healing Kokonut is not good, but she is pleased that she's alive and kicking so far. Strange, though, because she called telling me someone had called her saying Kokonut had passed away. Odd.

However, I told her we have minimal pus in the neck, but still the lump on the side of her neck. We have scheduled an appointment for potential surgery on this new lump next Monday.

I am scared to death; we've come so far with her and to risk her life going under anesthesia and post op stuff is overwhelming me right now.

There is a chance she could just lance/drain, but because of it's location more than likely she'd have to undergo anesthesia anyway.

Just looking for verification that this surgery next week really is my only option?? I certainly can't just leave it there, right??

[Jemima]

Some more updates:

There's been more pus in Koko's neck, and it makes me believe infection is still present and Baytril isn't cutting it.

Three days ago we found a plastic stitch up near her top holes that I hadn't seen before. Yesterday, it was sticking out a lot, Koko must have been pulling at it, and there was a mass of some sort in the middle of the incision line laying horizontally. While trying to flush, I couldn't get fluid from the hole under it to the hole above it like I normally would.

I called the vet and asked about the stitchie thing and she said it was internal sutures. I didn't even know that she had had them. She did think perhaps her yanking at it had stirred up some stuff in her neck.

Since I'm thinking the Baytril isn't helping, I asked her again her problems prescribing chloramphenicol, and she said it's dangerous to humans and she just won't do it. She didn't sound very pleased with me. I then asked about doxycycline, and she said she won't prescribe that because it causes mouth sores.

I tried to find some local vets who might prescribe chlor, but none got back to me, so called a vet that had prescribed it to a rescuer's pigs that were healed. It was a 3 hour drive one way that I was able to stop along the way and get 2 sheets of coroplast, dragging along 5 of my kids.

The vet seemed to agree that the new mass was probably something stirred up or a reaction to, the internal sutures. Didn't think that area--still having 10 or so open holes, or the other small lump on the side of her neck near her shoulder, needed to be open right now, since she would prescribe chloramphenicol!

She felt it is the best drug in this situation, having tried Bactrim and Baytril. She also said she had been researching the antibiotic beads and felt it may be worth trying in Koko if the chlor doesn't work.

She did say I needed to wear gloves while giving it to her, and I am wondering if it is safe for my daughter to clean her cage or hold her while she's on the chlor. I don't know if it excreted in the urine or poop. The vet was going to check into it, but I haven't heard back yet.

The medicine will be coming to my home in the mail, and I am eager to start it. I will be finishing up the course of Baytril, and I will also postpone the surgery for now, since the guineas that were treated with the chlor that had remaining small abscesses were healed from them.

I'm really tired now, so I hope this makes sense.

Thanks!

[Janet]

This has been such an ordeal for your family. I hope this new medication will do the trick. Please remember there are a lot of us out here praying for Koko's recovery. I'm one of the novices here who doesn't know much, but as you know there are plenty of experts who can share their experiences with you.

[Jemima]

Thank you so much for your kindness Janet--it goes a long way in helping me get through the days I feel like giving up. You're prayers are coveted!

[Jemima]

Exciting day:

The chloramphenicol arrived today. Administered, albeit nervously, first dose. Has everyone who's used chlor used gloves? Any extra precautions taken while giving the drug? Any of you become extra cautious with handling your piggy and cleaning cages while on chlor? What about flushing the abscesses--any additional precautions there?

All seemed to go well. Kokonut flipped out until tasting it. Hope she'll be OK with it. Has anyone had diarrhea with their piggies on chlor?

Question: The vet prescribed .28ml 2 OR 3 times a day. But for 2 weeks no matter what. Does this make sense? Why have a choice? If I only do twice a day, that means I have enough for one full week--why not go an extra week?

Any ideas?

Also, my used cubes arrived today. Hope to have fun trying to design a cage.

[kitty]

Wow, you have gone above and beyond with Koko but I know how it is! I know NOTHING about that drug but I'm betting someone does. I wonder why it's so dangerous to humans? Hang in there- we are all rooting for you and Koko! xoxoxo

[kitty]

I just GOOGLED "chloramphenicol"- whew! It said a 3 times a day dose is best. Sounds like the right drug for Koko but it's kinda scary with the possible ALWAYS fatal aplastic anemia that humans can get just by ingesting a teeny spot! So wear those gloves and wash, wash, wash afterwards regardless! Also said it tastes terrible to the pet....good luck!

[SaigeTheSweetie]

Poor Kokie... Seems she is getting better though!