Advice On Ovarian Cysts?

[Leeni]

So my both smooth coated girls Hupakko and Tyllerö (they are sisters) were diagnosed with ovarian cysts 1st of December. Edit. oops sorry, Tyllerö was diagnose already some time in autumn!
Tyllerö's cysts are relatively small but they cause her to bully and stress out others. The injections help her but only for a couple of months then I have to take her to vet's again. Or that is what I think, December was the second time we treated the cysts. Vet says that I could have her operated to remove cysts if she bothers others too much. But since injections help with the behavior issues I'm hesitant to have her operated because operating is of course risky. My question with her is how many times and how often can the injections be given?

Hupakko was taken to vet's for the first time because of the cysts. Her right ovary is huge, it's over the size of a tennis ball and I think it has grown a bit since. Also left is about the size of a golf ball. The cysts however don't affect her behavior and neither of the girls have lost any hair on their sides or anywhere else. Because of her normal behavior vet said that it is not necessary to sterilize her if she can move about all right and does not lose weight too much which would be a sign of a hormonal stress.

I am just worried about her front paws which are starting to be in an awkward position because of her weight. I don't want her to end up with inflammation in joints or something. She is now 1448g and Tyllerö is 1204g which would be a good weight for Hupakko, too. I estimate that the cysts weight a way over 100g maybe even 200g so she has much to carry.
So my question is should I have her operated at some point anyway? How large can the cysts grow and can they have a long term effect on her? Or is it safer not to operate? I have heard of many cases where recovering from of this kind of surgery hasn't gone too well.

 

[Wiebke]

I am very sorry for your dilemma!

It often takes at least two courses of hormone injection to settle hormones and they may come back at some future point, but as long as she can be kept stable on them, they are preferable to the risk of a major operation. It is typically rather the smaller cysts that cause the hormonal/aggression problems and not the large ones.

There is more of a case to be made for Hupakko having a spay, but if your vet is not confident to operate, then I would think twice about putting her through an operation if it can be avoided. There is however a risk that the cysts can burst and cause peritonitis (infection of the lining of the gut/lower body cavity). How old is she?
Some vets are able to drain large cysts under sedation, which is more in the way of a temporary solution, as the cysts will refill, but it is a lot less invasive than a full out operation with general anaesthesia and it is a precedure that can be repeated. Perhaps your vet would be prepared to speak/email this UK vet here who has experience with cyst drainage? Simon Maddock: The Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic - Contact us

 

[Leeni]

I am very sorry for your dilemma!

It often takes at least two courses of hormone injection to settle hormones and they may come back at some future point, but as long as she can be kept stable on them, they are preferable to the risk of a major operation. It is typically rather the smaller cysts that cause the hormonal/aggression problems and not the large ones.

There is more of a case to be made for Hupakko having a spay, but if your vet is not confident to operate, then I would think twice about putting her through an operation if it can be avoided. There is however a risk that the cysts can burst and cause peritonitis (infection of the lining of the gut/lower body cavity). How old is she?
Some vets are able to drain large cysts under sedation, which is more in the way of a temporary solution, as the cysts will refill, but it is a lot less invasive than a full out operation with general anaesthesia and it is a precedure that can be repeated. Perhaps your vet would be prepared to speak/email this UK vet here who has experience with cyst drainage? Simon Maddock: The Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic - Contact us

Thank you for the reply, @Wiebke , this makes me more at ease with the decisions ! It's been difficult for me because I don't want my piggies to suffer but don't really want to operate them either since it's risky.

Tyllerö and Hupakko are now 19 months old, so quite young still. I think it is unfortunately quite common in their breed to develop cysts..

My vet does not do surgical operations but she recommended a specialist who has spayed many piggies here in Finland. She also said that drainage can be done but it could be difficult since the cyst has many pockets in it and is as you said temporary solution. She didn't seem to be worried about Hupakko though the cysts are large, so maybe I am worrying without a good reason. she said that she would not recommend a surgery at this point. If the larger cyst starts to push and take space from other organs then I should get her spayed. She said I should monitor her poop as it should stay the normal size and shape and of course her appetite.

Maybe it would be ok if I waited to see if injections stop working on Tyllerö (if nothing changes before then)? Then if I have to get her spayed I could take Hupakko at the same time if it seemed necessary.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for the reply, @Wiebke , this makes me more at ease with the decisions ! It's been difficult for me because I don't want my piggies to suffer but don't really want to operate them either since it's risky.

Tyllerö and Hupakko are now 19 months old, so quite young still. I think it is unfortunately quite common in their breed to develop cysts..

My vet does not do surgical operations but she recommended a specialist who has spayed many piggies here in Finland. She also said that drainage can be done but it could be difficult since the cyst has many pockets in it and is as you said temporary solution. She didn't seem to be worried about Hupakko though the cysts are large, so maybe I am worrying without a good reason. she said that she would not recommend a surgery at this point. If the larger cyst starts to push and take space from other organs then I should get her spayed. She said I should monitor her poop as it should stay the normal size and shape and of course her appetite.

Maybe it would be ok if I waited to see if injections stop working on Tyllerö (if nothing changes before then)? Then if I have to get her spayed I could take Hupakko at the same time if it seemed necessary.

Yes, that sounds like a good plan. On that information, the advice from your vet sounds very reasonable. Both girls are still pretty young and should be fine with an experienced vet. Most sows with large cysts are older or elderly when an operation poses a much higher risk.

We can give you tips on post-op care if or when you decide to go through with an operation.

 

[Leeni]

Yes, that sounds like a good plan. On that information, the advice from your vet sounds very reasonable. Both girls are still pretty young and should be fine with an experienced vet. Most sows with large cysts are older or elderly when an operation poses a much higher risk.

We can give you tips on post-op care if or when you decide to go through with an operation.

Thank you @Wiebke , again ! I will monitor them closely for now so I'll know when it's time to go through operation.

 

[GPTV]

i know my ellie had an ovarian cyst the size of a walnut approx 1inch that was discovered on an ultrasound scan, she had lots of problems with recurring UTI's & would keep bleeding.
she had none of the other classic signs of cysts & was only a little bossy at times but nothing much.

the vet refused to do a spay because of her age, so i suggested the injections, which the vet researched a bit & then agreed to, i think Ellie was about 6.5yrs old for the first HCG injections (2 jabs a week apart) & the lump decreased & her general condition improved , also the UTI's stopped.
then approx 1 year later she had another batch of 2 injections as the lump had grown again, it then decreased in size & i never had need to take her for them again as she died at the age of 8yrs due to other health issues.

would it be worth trying a course of 3 injections say a week apart & see if this reduces problems for her so often?

but they are both still quite young so maybe a spay if you can find a competent, experienced cavy savvy vet for spaying, also the cyst sounds quite big one of them, is it definitely an ovarian cyst?

good luck & speedy recovery whatever you decide. xx

 

[Leeni]

An update: this is Hupakko today. The cysts are really huge . The right cyst has grown quite a bit very recently and the extra weight is starting to slow her down. She has gained another 100 grams of weight so I decided it is best for her to get the surgery. It will be March the 14th. I also booked the surgery for her sister whose cysts are smaller but her heat is on again and the vet said she will propably need the surgery at some point anyway. I thought it would be best to operate the both at the same time.
I hope the operation will be possible for Hupakko although the cysts are so large .

What should I know/read here before I take the girls to the surgery?

 

[Wiebke]

I have recently written a guide on post-operative care, which you may find helpful: Tips For Post-operative Care

Poor girl! I wish her all and her mate all the best!

 

[helen105281]

I hope all goes well, my Fuzzy has just been spayed for ovarian cysts too and has recovered really well, though the vet we use has done a lot of spays so her op was very quick. The first night was a bit worrying as she was very lethargic but by the next morning she was almost back to her usual self.

 

[Leeni]

I have recently written a guide on post-operative care, which you may find helpful: Tips For Post-operative Care

Poor girl! I wish her all and her mate all the best!

I hope all goes well, my Fuzzy has just been spayed for ovarian cysts too and has recovered really well, though the vet we use has done a lot of spays so her op was very quick. The first night was a bit worrying as she was very lethargic but by the next morning she was almost back to her usual self.

Thank you @Wiebke and @helen105281 ! I hope it will go well. The vet is supposed to be one of the best (and few..) who do these operations in Finland.
Do you think I should keep these two girls together after the operation? Or should I separate them, too?

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you @Wiebke and @helen105281 ! I hope it will go well. The vet is supposed to be one of the best (and few..) who do these operations in Finland.
Do you think I should keep these two girls together after the operation? Or should I separate them, too?

Please keep them together if at all possible.
Here is my Cariad post her emergency spay with my rather dominant, but surprisingly caring neutered boar Bryn, who accompanied her to the vets and throughout the recovery until Cariad was able to join her group on day three as soon as I was assured that her eating and weight were stable. The first night post-op, she needed a syringe feed top-up, but her appetite kicked back in midway through the night.
Bryn and tiny 700g Cariad in the spare cage on the day after the op


Cariad's operation scar the same day:


10 days later:


Despite being so small and her spay coming only months after a major bladder stone operation, Cariad recovered smoothly and without any weight loss. She also lived for another year to 5 years of age despite needing repeated bladder flushing.

 

[Leeni]

Please keep them together if at all possible.
Here is my Cariad post her emergency spay with my rather dominant, but surprisingly caring neutered boar Bryn, who accompanied her to the vets and throughout the recovery until Cariad was able to join her group on day three as soon as I was assured that her eating and weight were stable. The first night post-op, she needed a syringe feed top-up, but her appetite kicked back in midway through the night.
Bryn and tiny 700g Cariad in the spare cage on the day after the op
View attachment 42918

Cariad's operation scar the same day:
View attachment 42919

10 days later:
View attachment 42920

Despite being so small and her spay coming only months after a major bladder stone operation, Cariad recovered smoothly and without any weight loss. She also lived for another year to 5 years of age despite needing repeated bladder flushing.

That is a lovely and reassuring story, thank you for sharing !

I'm a bit concerned about the size of the operation wound/scar that Hupakko will get since the right cyst is now over 10 cm of diameter. They will need to make a huge opening for it.. Well, the vet will know better than me. They haven't seen her yet though I warned them that the cyst is large.

 

[Wiebke]

Fingers very firmly crossed! I know of sows that have survived massive ovarian cysts.

In Cariad's case, it was a grossly enlarged, fluid filled and borderline pyometric womb with a tumor inside, but she also had what the vet described as some nasty looking cysts when I brought her in for what I thought was another bout of acute cystitis in the wake of her bladder op.