• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Abscess vs Tumor

SusieW

SusieW

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Feb 23, 2018
Messages
125
Reaction score
250
Points
340
Location
Nottingham, UK
Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts here.

One of my guinea pigs developed a HUGE lump on his throat 11 days ago. He's an alpaca so I groom him every day so I know that it wasn't there one day, and came up overnight. I know this for sure/there was nothing to feel one day, the next day the lump was there, so if it was there previously it wasn't a size that was detectable.

It massively freaked me out so booked a same day vet appointment. He's eating and drinking and fine in himself. I was sure it was an abscess as I has a guinea pig with one before (that was a stomach abscess) and it came up suddenly and felt the same. It is rock hard.

But I was shocked as the vet didn't think it was an abscess, instead thinking it's a tumor. We had ten days of loxicom and baytril and went back today. No change in the size of the lump which he said there should be if it's an abscess.

I saw a video from the LA Guinea Pig Rescue about a lymph node abscess and the size and the placement are identical to his.

We've been given a referral from our vet to an exotics specialist as he said if it's a tumor or abscess they will be best placed to remove it, although he was concerned about the placement of the lump as apparently there is a big blood supply there. I'm pretty upset as feel as though the outcome may not be great and he's a lovely natured little guy who deserves a long and happy life.

He is apparently 3 in April so not an old pig, although I've only had him 4 months and he came from an 'interesting' background that I don't want to sound mean about as i think the lady who had him was trying her best but he was a state when I got him with sore feet and lice, and I can't be sure he's not older. He lives with his brother and a younger male Lunkarya, they are all very good friends and exceptionally chilled out pigs... there's never a cross word let alone fighting, so I don't know how he could have got an abscess as there is no wound, but I also don't know how a tumor could have appeared overnight.

We are waiting for the specialist vet to contact us but I feel there is a lot of knowledge on here so was wondering if anyone had any thoughts.

Thank you for reading.

Attached is my little guy on the way to the vet today, and with his friends. The lump isn't visible in photos but it is massive to feel.
 

Attachments

  • 20210212_110351.webp
    20210212_110351.webp
    49.7 KB · Views: 15
  • 20210207_134048.webp
    20210207_134048.webp
    81.1 KB · Views: 15
SusieW said:
Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts here.

One of my guinea pigs developed a HUGE lump on his throat 11 days ago. He's an alpaca so I groom him every day so I know that it wasn't there one day, and came up overnight. I know this for sure/there was nothing to feel one day, the next day the lump was there, so if it was there previously it wasn't a size that was detectable.

It massively freaked me out so booked a same day vet appointment. He's eating and drinking and fine in himself. I was sure it was an abscess as I has a guinea pig with one before (that was a stomach abscess) and it came up suddenly and felt the same. It is rock hard.

But I was shocked as the vet didn't think it was an abscess, instead thinking it's a tumor. We had ten days of loxicom and baytril and went back today. No change in the size of the lump which he said there should be if it's an abscess.

I saw a video from the LA Guinea Pig Rescue about a lymph node abscess and the size and the placement are identical to his.

We've been given a referral from our vet to an exotics specialist as he said if it's a tumor or abscess they will be best placed to remove it, although he was concerned about the placement of the lump as apparently there is a big blood supply there. I'm pretty upset as feel as though the outcome may not be great and he's a lovely natured little guy who deserves a long and happy life.

He is apparently 3 in April so not an old pig, although I've only had him 4 months and he came from an 'interesting' background that I don't want to sound mean about as i think the lady who had him was trying her best but he was a state when I got him with sore feet and lice, and I can't be sure he's not older. He lives with his brother and a younger male Lunkarya, they are all very good friends and exceptionally chilled out pigs... there's never a cross word let alone fighting, so I don't know how he could have got an abscess as there is no wound, but I also don't know how a tumor could have appeared overnight.

We are waiting for the specialist vet to contact us but I feel there is a lot of knowledge on here so was wondering if anyone had any thoughts.

Thank you for reading.

Attached is my little guy on the way to the vet today, and with his friends. The lump isn't visible in photos but it is massive to feel.
Click to expand...

Hi!

Unfortunately, you can never tell a lump for what it is just from the location alone. It needs a hands-on examination and in some cases a lab analysis to find out what it really is - mostly the second as everything else is just guessing (ideally after the op and not from a needle aspiration).
Just to make matters more complicated, tumours and abscesses can not only happen in the same places, tumours can also abscess... and more harmless lumps can turn tumorous. :(

The problem with online research is that it can give you a fixed idea on an issue that is not necessarily what your vet finds and you are hugely thrown by it. Lumps in that area can be more varied than you'd expect. The problem is that LA is highlighting one possibility that may often be overlooked or that is the most common, but it doesn't mean that it must apply in every case.
In the throat area you have glands that can turn tumorous or infected (like the thyroid), you have the possibility of dental abscesses (most likely) and you have got lymph nodes which can go wrong in different ways. Plus the odd cyst or even a fatty lump...

Anyway, I most sincerely hope that the issue can be solved! Lumps in the neck area are always very worrying because it is such a sensitive area of the body and a lot is packed to a small space there.
 
I have had guinea pigs with sudden onset lumps in the neck area - in one case it was totally harmless - an abcess that responded well to treatment and was resolved and in one case lymphoma.

At the end of the day what I learnt was that you need to see a good and experienced vet and explore all the options.
Google is not your friend right now.
Wait for a diagnosis and take it from there.
 
Realistically, from what the vet has done so far, there is really no way to know what kind of lump you are dealing with. A lot of guinea pig abscesses wouldn't change with antibiotics alone (they have very thick pus that generally has to be lanced and drained to get an abscess to clear.) So you can't rule out an abscess yet. However, tumors can present in the neck and throat area too. Hopefully the exotics vet will be able to do a more thorough assessment and give you a better idea of what's going on, by doing a needle biopsy of the lump to see what comes out, etc. Fingers crossed it's the best case scenario and your pig makes a full recovery!
 
Hi. As others have said there are various possibilities as to what it could be. From my experience over the years, what you are describing most often (but not always) turns out to be an abscess. Such abscesses are often not the result of an external trauma but from an internal infection.

If it is an abscess the best treatment is usually to have them surgically removed, if possible. I once had a piggy who had a massive one come up out of nowhere. Unfortunately it was unable to be surgically removed as it turned out the abscess was surrounding other structures in the neck such as thyroid glands so the vet abandoned that idea and stitched a drain in instead and put her on some very powerful antibiotics. She made a very speedy and full recovery.

I would add that while a needle biopsy may reveal if the mass contains pus or not, this can be a risky procedure because there is a risk it will spread bacteria from the capsulated abscess, to under the skin and cause further infection. @furryfriends (TEAS) had a sanctuary piggy this had happened to, who took months to get better.

Hopefully an experienced piggy vet will be able to let you know exactly what is going on.
 
Thank you so much, everyone. That's all such helpful and interesting information. I'm really grateful for everyone's replies. I'm hoping to hear from the specialist vet soon.

Thank you all again for sharing your knowledge with me, it's very much appreciated!
 
Sorry you are dealing with such a worrying issue.
A good exotic vet would be able to give you a better idea of whether you’re dealing with an abscess, a tumour or some other kind of lump, so hopefully you will get answers today.
I hope it will prove to be something treatable.
 
Hi guys,

I hope this is right to continue the post.

I was just wondering what the normal wait time is for getting a referral from a normal vet to an exotics one?

We had a vet appointment on Friday morning and he said he'd refer us, but we still haven't heard anything from either vet and now I don't know what to do. Is this wait time normal? If not should I contact my original vet or the exotic one? I don't want to be pushy or annoying and have a bit of a fear of phone calls but I'm starting to get a bit annoyed as if this is something that can be sorted out I don't want him to have to wait in case it becomes inoperable. The lump grew out of nowhere but hasn't grown since but I'd still rather get it sorted. He's a lovely little guy and I just need to know if I need to be more pushy/a better advocate for him as I desperately want the best outcome for him.

With one of my previous guinea pigs I sat in the vets with him for hours because they forgot we were there and I was too pathetic to say anything... just sat and watched everyone that arrived after us be seen before us.

So I don't know the etiquette here, should I contact them or wait for us to call us?
 
I’d call your original vet and ask them what happens next and the timescale. I take the view that we are the advocates for those who can’t speak for themselves so I never worry about coming across as pushy.
 
Hi everyone,

Sorry to post yet again.

My guinea pig with the lump finally got seen by the exotics vet on Monday. They didn't know what the lump was but took a sample to test, and as it turns out it is an abscess which is what I thought in the first place.

I am feeling really frustrated as it took 20 days to get a diagnosis of the lump, despite the fact that we went to the vet the day it appeared (2nd Feb). The exotics vet we were referred to never got in touch and when I contacted them they said their exotics specialist had left, as was the case with the other exotics vet our vet recommended when I then contacted them.

I don't know why our vet didn't just test a sample of the lump on the first day we went to the vet like the specialist did as it would have saved him basically a month of time. I don't want to feel angry but sort of do.

He is going in for surgery tomorrow and due to stay at the vets overnight but I am very upset as the prognosis is not great due to the size and location of the abscess and I'm so worried about the anaesthetic and everything. I'm even more worried now as he has just this afternoon started tilting his head to the left (does that mean an infection has spread to his ear?)

I feel like I have let him down and it's not fair on him as he is incredibly sweet and lovely and he's only had four months of happiness and he deserves many more years yet. He's nearly 3, I know that's not old but does it make surgery more dangerous?

I've only had one pig need surgery before which was an eye enucleation, he came through it fine despite post op complications (he was allergic to the stitches) but he was only 1 at the time.

Does anyone have any experience with abscess surgery, especially on the throat?

I'm so worried about him.
 
I’m sorry that you have been given the run around but am glad you finally have a diagnosis.

The head tilt could be from an ear infection or neurological issue.

All the best for his surgery. I hope it goes well x
 
Firstly be kind to yourself.
The delays were in no way your fault and it is clear you have been doing the best you can to advocate for your boy from the start.

I would say his age is not a huge concern. If he is otherwise pretty healthy then 3 really isn't that old. Several members on here have had much older pigs (5+ years) undergo major surgery and do fine.

Our boy Eddi had a back abscess surgery when he was 4 years old and he recovered well.

What I would say is that it helps to be prepared for their care at home afterwards.
Stock up on pain killers, syringe feeding supplies and extra things like a selection of hay to tempt them to eat.
 
Please don’t beat yourself up.
You have done everything you could.
The surgery is booked so hopefully all will go smoothly.
I’ve had a piggy have an abscess removed from her back, and in the same op she had an emergency spay.
She recovered well.

As @Swissgreys said - aftercare at home is important.
I add some mashed banana to the Critical Care for feeding as my lot love it.
I also grate some sweet potato with oats, another favourite.
These help get the appetite going again.

As with humans, it does take a day or two for the piggy to recover. Just watch over him.
It sounds as if he’s in the best hands with you.

Holding you in my thoughts.
 
Thank you so much to you all for your kind words and extremely helpful replies. I really appreciate it. He's at the vets now. He wasn't looking great this morning and his head is very tilted but is still eating at least. My mum doesn't think he'll make it but he doesn't seem like he's done with life yet to me. Usually his trio is very loud and chatty but his brother and their friend (the other two in the trio) haven't said a word since he's been gone. 😔 the only positive is that I'm not worried about reintroducing him as all three are the calmest, least dominant pigs you could meet... even the boss pig isn't really bothered about being the boss, but just hoping he'll do okay being away from them today and in the surgery.

Thank you so much again, I'm very grateful for the forum at the moment. ❤ here he is on the way yo the vet this morning. Head tilt not so visible here.
 

Attachments

  • 20210226_083618.webp
    20210226_083618.webp
    41.8 KB · Views: 6
Thank you so much Swissgreys.

We heard from the vet with bad news this afternoon.

Although the test they did indicated that his lump was an abscess, when they were operating on the lump they realised it was in fact cancer.
They managed to remove the biggest lump but called me after the surgery to say that the cancer goes very deep, right to his voice box. They have removed what they can including a lymph node. He said they got the bulk out but it will return.

He said the outlook isn't good and long term there is no cure and that the cancer has probably caused the head tilt and that it is uncommon for a cancerous lump to appear out of nowhere overnight which indicates it is aggressive cancer. He also said that statistically Albus is too young to develop cancer and that this throat cancer is uncommon, particularly given his age. He said it may be kinder not to wake him up after the surgery, but that it wouldn't be cruel to wake him up which is the option I chose. I'm not sure that I did the right thing but it came out of the blue... we went into today thinking it was an abscess removal and although I was prepared for him to die in surgery I wasn't prepared to have to make a decision about ending his life and I couldn't just make that decision out of the blue.

I am a strong supporter of euthanasia and in the last few years have had to euthanise three of my dogs (two seniors due to a brain tumour and kidney failure and my three year old dog who we still don't know what happened but she became so ill over just one day she had to be euthanised), and also two of my guinea pigs, so it's not like I can't make the decision when necessary but it didn't feel right in this case for Albus. He's still eating, drinking, playing and talking (well he was before the surgery) and didn't seem to be in any pain so I wanted to give him a chance for a bit more time considering the vet had already done the surgery when he called. I don't know how he will recover and how much time he has, but I feel at least he has the chance of a bit more time if he can recover from the surgery. He's not even 3 until April and I can't help but feel this is so unfair on him. I hear all the time about really old guinea pigs and feel like I must be doing something wrong.

Has anyone else had a guinea pig with throat cancer?

He's still at the vet at the moment and will stay overnight at the very least.

Feeling very sad tonight. :(
 
I’m very sorry to hear this. You didn’t do anything wrong, you took him into a vet and did everything you could do. It’s is 100% your choice when/ if you put him asleep. I’m so sorry that you have to make this choice.
Let me PM a couple of experienced mods they may be able to give you a better answer. @Swissgreys @VickiA @Wiebke
Sending all my best
 
I’m so sorry for the diagnosis :( I haven’t had a pig with throat cancer but have lost 3 piggies to cancer (two lymphoma) the youngest was just 3 years old.

You make the most of everyday that you have left together. Take lots of photos and make lots of memories. Remember that guinea pigs have no concept of time and they live for today and don’t realise they are ill.

(((hugs))) I hope he recovers well from the surgery and that you can make lots of happy today’s x
 
I’m so sorry it wasn’t the abscess diagnosis you were expecting, it must have come as such a shock, sending you big hugs x I hope little Albus recovers well from his operation and you have lots of happy time to share together
 
I am so sorry that this was not the outcome you expected. Just treasure every day you have together and make every moment count.
 
If he can recover from his surgery in some ways this is a blessing. One day he will have to return, but it will make your time together even more precious and you have a heads-up about his future so you will be able to monitor his health and know roughly what you are looking for... keeping an eye on him for signs of pain or discomfort etc. If he had been with his previous owner it sounds like he might have been really suffering by this time - you are able to give him a little longer with his family and make his final days happy. A little bit of springtime grass is worth a piggy hanging around for 💕 Not every pig can make the big numbers and the loveliest little souls are sometimes taken too early. I'm so sorry to hear your news x
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top