Poof surgery update - 5 days post operation

Waiting for yet another syringe full or either medication or Critical Care

After five nerve-wracking days, we are happy to report that Poof seems to be recovering nicely.

Last Thursday we brought Poof to our vet for her ovariohysterectomy (spay) surgery for her cystic ovary. They gave us the option to watch the operation but neither of us were able to stomach it - it was difficult enough watching Poof struggle in the chamber while inhaling the anesthesia gas. The operation went smoothly and our vet informed us that he found the small cyst on her left ovary.

Sleeping Poof's shaved tummy

Neither of us got much rest during the first 48 hours after we brought Poof home. We took turns sleeping in shifts to monitor her, and brought her out for weighing, feeding, inspection and cage changing four times a day. She was groggy and inactive for the first day and a half, and showed little interest in even her most favored foods. As a precaution against bloat and gastrointestinal stasis, we force fed her Critical Care. We hand cut fresh grass from our lawn and searched far and wide to bring her all of her favorite foods, hoping that something would entice her to eat on her own. (As a side note, it is not easy to find quality seasonal summer fruits like watermelon and corn husks in the middle of February!)

The good news is that Poof gradually improved day by day, and is doing well after we took her off pain medication yesterday. Within 12 hours, she showed renewed interest in foods, had an increase in appetite, ate larger quantities more frequently, and began to eat fresh vegetables on her own again. She is more alert and active, and will even walk up to investigate for food when the other pigs are being given dinner.

Unfortunately Poof was feeling so great, she somehow managed to prematurely remove two out of her nine staples by herself. (And they said guinea pigs rarely ever bother their staples!) It has only been 5 days since her surgery, and they are supposed to stay in for 10-14 days. How she ripped them out I have no idea, especially since each staple has four small prongs to secure it in place. However, it was undeniably her own doing since both were found lying next to each other in the exact spot she had been resting in earlier. Luckily the vet said that it should be fine as long as the incision site is not continuously bleeding or starting to reopen. It looks like somepiggy is starting to feel more like her old mischievous self again!

Read this post for more details about Poof's ovarian cyst symptoms, diagnosis, and recommended treatment.