3908. How to treat eyelid abscess in a dwarf hamster in 2008. Case study 1.

 8 Nov 2020. Video creation.

HOOK  Eyelid Abscesses in dwarf hamsters are surgical conditions presented at Toa Payoh Vets occasionally. The cause is usually poor hygiene in the hamster accommodation or feeding bowl. The eyelids get infected and pockets of abscesses form in the eyelids.   BE KIND TO PETS IMAGE VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED TITLE How to treat eyelid abscess in a dwarf hamster in 2008. Case study 1. The hamster's eyelids are swollen with big abscesses. DEFINE ABSCESS An abscess is a pocket of pus. It can be present anywhere in the body. When an area of your body becomes infected, white blood cells fight the bacteria within the damaged tissue. The area becomes inflamed and in some cases, pus forms in that area. This is known as an abscess. TREATMENT OF RECURRENT ABSCESS. SURGERY UNDER ANAESTHESIA. 1. INCISION AND DRAINAGE. Incision and drainage under general anaesthesia. The vet uses a scalpel to cut the abscess so that the pus will drain out. Normal saline is used to wash or irrigate the wound. I recommend a LONGER CUT (more than 5 mm, if possible) to permit residual pus to be drained out post-operation. A video is shown:  https://youtu.be/2MToYprOA0Y  2. REMOVAL OF THE CAPSULE OF THE ENCAPSULATED ABSCESS. This procedure applies to abscesses enveloped by a thick shell. Hence it is called an encapsulated abscess. Incision and drainage will not be effective. It is possible that encapsulated abscesses can be present in dwarf hamsters. However, they are obvious in guinea pigs and rabbits. Incision and drainage will not resolve the problem as the abscess will recur later. Removal of the capsule and abscess as a whole is the best practice. POST OPERATION NURSING CARE FOR THE FIRST 3 DAYS 3 days of inpatient care to prevent recurrence of the abscess in the dwarf hamster. At Toa Payoh Vets, we use cotton bud tips to express any residual pus from above and below the incision daily for at least 3 days. Then we drip antibiotic eye drops onto the eyes and wound. TIPS AND ADVICES TO VETS COMPLAINT OF RECURRENT ABSCESSES 1. Abscesses treated in earlier stages may recur if the post-operation care does NOT involve twice daily for 3 days, expression of the residual pus. We use cotton bud tips to press out the pus. The vet must give the owner in writing that there is a possibility of recurrence to prevent misunderstanding especially if the owner does not want in-patient nursing for the next 3 days.     Some owners insist on bringing the hamster home on the same day but do NOT know how to provide the prescribed nursing care for at least 3 DAYS. It costs money to treat a recurring abscess. Some owners dispute that they had been advised on the post-operation care as they just applied eye drops onto the wound. The residual pus inside the fast-healing wound regroups to form a recurrent abscess. 2. WRITTEN POST-OP CARE INSTRUCTION TO PREVENT RECURRENT ABSCESSES To prevent misunderstanding, the vet should get the owner to sign a written instruction to the owner on the post-op care and record this in the medical record. MORE INFORMATION AT: -----------------------