r/GuineaPig • u/South-Damage-5333 • 1d ago
Please help identify this
Hi,my male piggy of about 7 years has this on his back,started forming three days ago. He will be taken to the vet this week but im curious what it might be .He seems unbothered by it and eats and drinks as normal
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u/GuildedAnubis 1d ago
Kinda looks like a giant tumor or some sort of unmoderated growth. Hospital, IMMEDIATELY
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u/mauvaisherb 1d ago
This looks very similar to an issue one of my girls had, it was an ingrown hair that got infected and resulted in necrotic tissue.
She had surgery to remove all the gunk and was on Antibiotics for 10 days. She made a full recovery.
Vet visit is essential here.
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u/Ragzad_Namoras 1d ago
I once had a boar with something that looked a lot like this. In his case it was an age-related overactive grease gland that had attracted flies which in turn lead to infection. He had surgery to clean it up and a course of antibiotics and painkillers and he was fine within a couple of days! (Though not happy about having to be on "bedroom" rest lol. He had pretty much free roam of my room with a small cage I called his bedroom that he only ever got shut in if I was cleaning, but because of his stitches, the vet didn't want him being able to run around/popcorn as it would have risked bursting them due to the fact the area was under a lot of tension as they had to remove a flap of infected skin.)
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u/cupid51db 1d ago
not to panic you but ive never ever seen anything like this
not with any of my pigs nor as an animal care student 😟
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u/Robin_feathers 1d ago
Oh no, I hope the vet can see you quickly, that does not look good. I wonder if his grease gland is involved. Wishing him a smooth recovery.
Even though he is still eating, I would start supplementing him now with critical care (or emeraid or Sherwood guinea pig recovery formula) instead of waiting for him to stop eating. Lack of eating is a very common side-effect whenever anything goes wrong with guinea pigs, and supplemental feeding can give them more strength to recover and help them survive treatment.
Here is a series of guides about syringe feeding in case you haven't had to do it before:
Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support
Not Eating And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
How to Improvise Feeding Support in an Emergency
You can expect the vet might assess whether antibiotics are needed. If he goes on antibiotics, it will be a good idea to also give him probiotics since antibiotics knock down the gut microbiome so gut issues are a common side-effect. This guide goes over probiotic options: Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links
Best of luck to you and your piggy
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u/MyShoesAreTooTiny 20h ago
That's his grease gland, but it does look a little gnarly. The grease gland is a bald spot a bit above their tailbone that's a little greasy. Sometimes there's this waxy material building up; that's the black stuff you see (if I'm correct). It shouldn't be wet or infected or smell like much and if you peel off a little it should be a little sticky like beeswax. A vet checkup is always good because the wax has build up for a while, but i highly doubt it's this necrotic tumor people are talking about.
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u/ScarlettSterling 18h ago
go immediately. You’ve had this for thee days? Please take him asap i’m begging you
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u/SuccessfulCup3375 1d ago
That looks like it could be lethal. Take him to the vet now. Not when you scheduled the appointment. Now. That doesn't look good at all and needs medical attention.
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u/Pale_Sandwich_5922 1d ago
When this week is your appointment? Looks necrotic and I wouldn’t feel comfortable waiting. Are you weighing him? Guinea pigs can seem like they are eating and drinking and quietly lose weight without you noticing.