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Advice Needed Please! Cash Has A Lump

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Tbag

Tbag

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hi folks, I'd like any advice/insights you have to offer. We noticed Cash was behaving a bit strangely tonight, scraping up the end of his vet bed/leaning his head slightly to the side. He settled down a bit after that and ate his veggies, had a run around, gnawed on his logs. When I picked him up I went in for a chin rub (his favourite) and he tucked his head away into my arm. I managed to get a little rub at the top of his chin and then moved further down to discover a little 5p sized lump right in the middle of his throat area. I haven't been able to feel it as much as Id like to check the consistency/placement etc because he doesn't seem to like it being touched. He is his normal self other than the slight head movement and is eating, drinking and breathing fine.
I rang our emergency vet number and they said that all they would be able to do this evening is give him pain killers which he doesn't really seem to be in need of and from my description of his symptoms they didn't seem to think he was in any immediate danger. Will be ringing vets tomorrow morning and hoping Ann might be in on a Friday for some reason. If she's not I have an option of going to Seers Croft in Horsham (not registered there yet) or seeing when Ann is next in - which might not be til Monday.
Really not sure what my best by would be.
Help much appreciated!
 
Hiya :)
To me I do wonder about Thyroid still....any further news on Cash's health issues? This is exactly what happened with Haven!

Haven had her chin/throat lump removed on Tuesday. She had the "lump" checked back in December/January, and the fluid was drained and shown to be a cyst. When it came back the size was managed by drugs ((Vidalta)) until she was healthy enough to operate on.

Of course I could be wrong.... But if it was me...and if he is eating and drinking okay as you say (and breathing well and generally okay in himself) I think he will be okay to wait till tomorrow or longer if he is okay in himself. There is no wrong or right in my opinion, its just how comfortable you feel waiting to find out...weighed out with how you feel about a diffrent vet testing the lump with a needle prick etc. x
 
HUGS!

I would think that it will keep until tomorrow to see an experienced vet, especially it is not impinging on his appetite. It depends on how quickly the lump is growing whether it can wait until Monday at the worst or not, but you will have a bette idea about that by tomorrow morning. An emergency vet won't be able to do anything about it apart from trying to get a diagnosis.
 
Massive hugs, things like this come as a shock. We found a lump under Cookies neck, our vet operated and got it all out and she has been fine since..

It's good news on the acting fine and eating/drinking front. I would agree with Jenny and Wiebke and wait till tomorrow to see a knowledgeable vet as an emergency one wouldn't really be able to do much and it is causing him no distress at the moment. Please let us know how he gets on and try not to worry (I know this is harder said than done...) x
 
Big hugs from here, too. The worry of being a piggy slave. I'd agree with the other post above. If Cash isn't distressed I would wait to see your cavy savvy vet and get to the bottom of it. Lumps are so scary, but this may turn out to be easily treatable. Healing vibes coming Cash's way.
 
Thank you gods of piggy advice and calming words! The person on the other end of the emergency vet line was very helpful and reassuring but it's good to hear it from people with some piggy know-how too! I've calmed down a bit now and he's still his usual self which is encouraging. Think when you find or see these sort of things they're all you can focus on and you ignore all the other positive signs!
I'd definitely like to see Ann rather than having to go somewhere new since she knows him and his case history too. Hopefully the lump won't get any bigger or she'll be around before Monday!
 
So this morning he is still in good spirits (first up at the bars for his brekkie!) and the lump isn't any bigger. He also didn't seem to mind me touching it as much or seem as bothered by it.
Unfortunately Ann is actually on leave until a week Monday but they've said they have a locum vet in who is very experienced with piggies so we're booked to see him first thing tomorrow. Fingers crossed he does know what he's doing!
 
Thanks folks! Quick question - I just grabbed a pee sample as he's never obliging at the vets or when we have a time limit before leaving the house! Should I leave it out somewhere cool or put it in the fridge?
 
So we are back from the vets with a weeks worth of baytril. The locum vet (who was very good - knew enough about piggies and wasn't afraid or ashamed to google a few things when he wasn't toooo sure) thinks it could be a swollen lymph node due to a little infection hence the baytril. He also said it could just be a cyst but seemed to think if it isn't an infection then it's more indication towards hyperthyroidism. Got to go back next Monday when Ann is back and see what the deal is. Likely we'll have to have some sort of surgery to look at the lump in better detail!
 
Forgot to say Cash is most definitely NOT impressed with baytril, poor little man! He pulled such a face and even did a little rage dance when he tasted it!
 
Good luck with the Baytril, my two hate it also! . Good luck at the vets Monday and i hope what ever it is it gets sorted and as you say if it is hyperthyroidism then feel free to as your vet to contact mine (as there is such little info out there for piggies with it). :)
Hugs to Cash (and you) x
 
He's not impressed with me either now!
 
Oh, sounds like he needs a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down!
Seriously though, I do hope everything goes okay and best of luck and good vibes and hugs going out to him!
(PS Please don't give him sugar XD)
 
Haha no, no sugar. We are having to soften the blow with a little watered down fruit smoothie though or we can't even get the syringe near him!
 
Tbag said:
Haha no, no sugar. We are having to soften the blow with a little watered down fruit smoothie though or we can't even get the syringe near him!
Click to expand...

Does the smoothie work?
 
@theoretikos - sort of. Its still a bit of a struggle but he does take it a lot better and doesn't pull as many faces afterwards so it must mask the taste quite a bit.
 
@Tbag I guess it is better than him not taking it at all. Hope he gets better soon x
 
Cash seems a little lethargic since Saturday - could this be an affect of the baytril?
It also seems like the lump might now be affecting his eating as he happily eats his hay, lettuce and other leafy veg but anything a bit bulky liked cherry tomato half/sliced pepper doesn't get a look in anymore. :(
 
The same thing Happened to Haven she was ok for a bit....but soon the lump got too big and she struggled to eat bulky thibgs eg carrott etc and was lethargic and looking sad. Once she went downhill. food wise it was time to get the lump removed....best see if they can give some vidalta if she is thinking thyroid to see if the lump shrinks. Once her dose was upped the lump shrunk a bit and her appetite got better and then the lump was removed.
But at the same time Baytril can make piggies loose their appetite...so may be best asking for a diff antibiotic?
When do you see the vet again? May be worth calling tommor and seeing if they can swap drugs and maybe check him over again?
 
Anne isn't back until Monday so we'd only be able to see the locum vet again if we went back. I think I will call and see if he thinks switching to septrin would be a better idea, or trying the vidalta even though still not 100% on the hyperthyroidism.
 
I would deff suggest switching meds from batril to seprin first and seeing if that works first.

If i were you I would say best to wait for the Vidalta until Ann is back or unless no improvement on Septrin after a few days.

I only say this as i know you were wary starting him on the meds because of the side effects (although Haven never had any) and you may feel better to have Ann prescribe it and be around if Cash got worse on the meds. But obviously if after a few days of septrin and no improvement or if he quickly gets worse, then i would say start vidalta (or another thyroid medication).

In the mean time i suggest giving Cash a bowlful of Critical care and anything he will eat. I started giving Haven a bowl of CC daily, banana, lettuce, cucumber, anything soft and appetising, pretty much anything she would eat to keep her gut stimulated. Also keep giving him oats and mashed banana as he likes that. At the moment "food" is more important than "diet"...if that makes any sense.

Haven wouldn't eat hay when she was poorly (or at least very little hay) but John my vet said not to worry about a "correct" diet while she was like that, it was more important getting food in she was comfy eating than the correct diet.

After a few days of the vidalta being upped and a few days of CC, she improved and perked up. But from the sounds of it you will probs want the lump removed once Ann is back x
 
Well he seems a different pig entirely this morning! Daddypig said he was up at the bars for treats and tucked into the blueberries and celery they get for brekkie. He also seemed a lot more alert and less dopey when I got him out for the baytril dosage - which he took with the least amount of fuss so far, and then started munching away on his oats. Will have to see how he is when we get back from work as vets are open til 7 so can chat to the vet if needs be.

Thanks again for your advice, esp the bits about food! I don't know if I'll be able to get my hands on any critical care until the weekend - unless anyone knows of somewhere in central London I could get it while I'm at work?

Think it will definitely be worth getting the lump off or at least surgically investigated. Better it's out than not!
 
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Indeed. Pleased Cash is better this morning. Haven had a few ups and downs while she had her lump.
He may have just been a bit fed up with the meds i know my two are sulking as both are on batril atm :-P. Keep an eye on his food intake...and poos etc and as u say if in any doubt...give the vet a call :-)
Hugs to Cash x
 
So, an update after this morning's vet trip. Which incidentally was a double whammy of unhappy pigs and bills since Tango managed to get something stuck in his eye last night (impeccable timing!).

Cash is back to his lively self since Tuesday and starting to put weight back on again. The lump hasn't changed in size at all so we're stopping the baytril since it would have cleared up anything else which might have been lingering by now and won't start affecting the lump if it hasn't done already (which I'm sure will make him happy once the vet trauma has worn off!). He was a very brave, if squealy and wriggly boy and had a conscious needle biopsy done on the lump which is now off to the lab for investigation. Ann seemed to think what came out looked quite cyst-y though and dark so heres hoping its just a harmless cyst and nothing related to his previous weight loss problem since he seemed to be on the mend from that. Also hoping its nothing else altogether! Fingers crossed.

Whatever it was that Tango had got stuck in his eye looked like it had gone as Ann did a really thorough search and inspection. There is however a small area of damage on the surface of his eye so he's on Chloramphenicol eyedrops for a week. Supposed to have them 4 times a day but I've got no idea how thats going to be possible since I can't take him to work and not sure how much I could scrape together to work from home again this week. Daddypig could do it Wednesday as he has the day off but otherwise it might have to be 2, or possibly 3 times if we give him a dose right before we go to bed at night.

So we'll be back to the vets again in a weeks time with hopefully some better results and no further accidents :(
I swear they're trying to put me in an early grave, or bankrupt me at the very least!
 
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