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Advice on X-rays Please

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Toffeewoffee

Toffeewoffee

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I am going to be booking an appointment at the vets for minnie as she has lost some fur on her night side on her ribs side and upon feeling her last night i felt a round lump which i am guessing is an ovarian cyst, on her left side, it was definitely a lump and not an organ or her tummy, she has been fine with it, not off food still happy. But before i book the appointment i want to know what to expect, will she needs a GA for an xray? how long will it take? And do all ovarian cyst cases require treatment, or do some just plod along without any treatment? And lastly what treatment would you recommend, she is nearly 3 and a half years old.

Thanks xx
 
Toffeewoffee said:
I am going to be booking an appointment at the vets for minnie as she has lost some fur on her night side on her ribs side and upon feeling her last night i felt a round lump which i am guessing is an ovarian cyst, on her left side, it was definitely a lump and not an organ or her tummy, she has been fine with it, not off food still happy. But before i book the appointment i want to know what to expect, will she needs a GA for an xray? how long will it take? And do all ovarian cyst cases require treatment, or do some just plod along without any treatment? And lastly what treatment would you recommend, she is nearly 3 and a half years old.

Thanks xx
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I've not had any experience of ovarian cysts in my pigs, but the ones that are suspected at work are normally ultrasounded rather than xrayed, but it depends on what your vets are better at deciphering. Ultrasound is a bit of a mystery to anyone whos not very experienced in it!

If she's had fur loss and you can actually feel it externally, then it may be quite large, in which case they'd probably want to treat it, maybe with hormone injections?

What I'd advise is see your vet, if you aren't 100% happy with what they say, don't feel pressurised into agreeing to treatment there and then, give yourself a few days to talk to people with experience, do some research etc. then go from there.
 
Normally x-rays are done under ga... But talk to sport billie they had treacle done with out...
If it is a cyst the normal treatment is spaying but hormone injections are an option... Totally depends on the vet...
You could leave her untill she wasn't comfortable then help her over the bridge it totally depends on the pig... But hopefully it won't come to that and it's nothing serious...
The vets can do an ultrasound aswell... I've had a couple pigs have them and they are not put under ga...
x
 
I've had no experience with ovarian cysts but one of my girls was x-rayed recently. No GA and it was done in just a few minutes. Good luck at the vets, hope your piggie is ok.
 
Just wanted to add...
It may not be cysts...
Coco... Who had two huge lumps on her side... Crusty nipples... Hairloss on her sides ... And she didn't have cysts...

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If you look at these photos you would swear she had cysts... But she didn't... :)
So think positive and good luck at the vets...
x
 
Thanks for the replies, i will do all i can to keep her with us, if need be i will have her spayed, but only as a last resort if nothing else will work or not worth doing. As i say at the moment you wouldn't think anything was wrong with her, she is her usual happy bubbly self. I will probably give the vets a call first to see what procedure they would do (x-ray or ultrasound) and go from there, i can only feel one lump on one side, i know that doesn't mean there aren't any others, but i'm hoping she isn't cooking a few in her little tum :(

Thank again for the advice, though any other info, experiences and help would be appreciated as i want to do the right thing by her. xx

Clare, that is exactly what the hair loss is like, its more of a thinning of hair than her being bald, but she hasn't got the big pregnant tummy look, her nipples and slightly crusted and slightly bigger than normal, her tummy feels normal, but i could definately feel a sprout sized round lump on one side, just need to find out if it is an ovarian cyst and if not then what it is and deal with it. x
 
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As someone else has advised to check for cyst's an ultrasound is needed, my vet was able to feel Bette's cyst's during examination.

We did not treat her cyst's as she had no other cyst symptoms and was in very poor health.
 
Get her in the vets and ask for an ultra sound... Coco had one when she started to look like the above photos... It was put down to hormone imbalance but I have no idea how that would of worked out long term as that was just under a year ago and she went over the bridge a couple months back... :(
But up untill she passed sway we had no problems with her...
Fingers crossed for you...
x
 
Aw hun - totally understand where you are atm x>>
We know our piggies better than anyone and only want the best for their quality of life...anything too invasive for mine would not be our option if possible unless a life or death situation :(
I hope any tests you take Minnie for prove negative and not threatening, keep her warm and comfy...it's times like this that we realise how much the little devils really mean to us.
I'm taking one of my older girls to the vet this evening as she has lost weight, has a small hard lump on her back, drinking lots etc. Happily eating and running around which makes it harder to distinguish she could be ill...hoping it's nothing nasty but have chosen not to go the invasive procedure route for her comfort and quality of life (she's 3 - 3.5 years old too :))
I had a boar x-rayed without GA for a stone last year, some vets may give a whiff for an examination, think it depends on the procedure and the experience they have.
Keep us updated, sending lots of love and healing vibes from us all here xx>>>xx>>>
 
Poor Minnie, good idea to have her checked out. Putt had ovarian cysts, she was diagnosed through an Ultrasound, with Putt she was diagnosed at 4 & 1/2 years we decided to watch and wait with her under the vets advice... She lived with them for a year until she was helped over the bridge.

Treacle has the beginings of cysts, displaying hair loss and Cookie is mounting her, our vet (the same one that treated Putt) used a digital x-ray which she said would definatley pick them up if they are there. None were shown but under Rosie's advisement Treacle is having Hormone injections, the first of which she had on Tuesday.

I believe if the cysts are there hormone injections would shrink cysts, with Putt we wouldn't have considered a Spay due to her age.

As for X-ray, a GA isn't needed. Rosie our vet will sort of brick them in on the xray plate so they can't run away, Or she will hypnotise them - very bizarre :)) Or if all else fails she gives a tiny whiff of gas to knock them out briefly, she never uses a full GA.

Really hope everything goes well for Minnie at the vets. Big hugs x
 
Ok thank for all of the info.

So hormone injections shrink the cysts then? This is what i meant to ask actually, what effect the different options have if that makes sense?

Would you think if the spay route is the recommended route to go down, she would be ok at her age? nearly 3 and a half? I dont know if size matters or not but she is a tiny pig only weighs 795 grammes, not because she is skinny but because she is just petite, would her size give her a reduced chance of coming through the op?

Sorry for all of the questions, i am just wanting to hurry up and get an appointment and be prepared with all of the info i need. xx
 
I wouldn't spay as my first port of call...
She's only a few grams over the safe weight for surgery...

C-section pig... When she was spayed she weighed 900g and was heavily pregnant with four pups who were all dead... :( she was tiny... And her age is approx. 1 year at time of surgery... And that was really risky...

You could always manage the condition rather than 'cure'...

Pigs can live for weeks or for years with this there's no hard and fast rule unfortunately... :(
x
 
I would only ever have op's carried out on any of my pig's as a last resort, like if their lives depended on it, i would always try any other options first. I'm just trying to get eveything clear in my head and be prepared for the vet trip.

Sorry to hear about c - section pig's pups :(

x
 
Toffeewoffee said:
I would only ever have op's carried out on any of my pig's as a last resort, like if their lives depended on it, i would always try any other options first. I'm just trying to get eveything clear in my head and be prepared for the vet trip.

Sorry to hear about c - section pig's pups :(

x
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Your always best off knowing as much as you can before you go to the vets... :)
Find the vets treat you a bit better if they think you know your stuff.... :))

I personally am the same... I don't take anything lightly but you'd be supprised what you can do with out surgery or invasive treatment...

Lodes of good luck vibes and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you and minnie...!
x
 
What a sweetheart x)

Always best to know your options before you visit the vets, just to clue you up, so to speak.

Lots of vibes and love to tiny Minnie x
 
Good luck vibes for later pwease....... we have initial consultation, then the vet will decide what he wants to do once he as seen her, :( xx
 
Was only thinking of little Minnie this morning, best of luck. Let us know how she gets on. Big hugs to you and love to Minnie x
 
sport_billy said:
Was only thinking of little Minnie this morning, best of luck. Let us know how she gets on. Big hugs to you and love to Minnie x
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Aw thank you, when i booked the appointment, it seemed like ages away, i can't believe how quickly it has come around! Will let you all know what the vet says, though OH is taking her, i am going to try and get there after work and meet him there so i can be there for the consultation, but no guarantees. xx
 
good luck minnie...!...
got my figners crossed for you and I'm thinking of you guys today...
x
 
I think it depends on both piggie and vet. Caractacus was a chilled out piggie and sat still for his x-ray - no GA needed. Other piggies I have would defo not sit, and would need to be "out". However, as an x-ray is quite quick, most vets could probably do this with a whiff of gas rather than a full on GA.
 
I would put a million pounds on the fact she would not sit still, she has ants in her pants 24/7 365.
 
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