Bald patches

[Mitsymoomoo1]

Hi there, my Mitsy has bald patches on each side of her abdomen. She has been treated with Ivormectin and bathed with antibacterial shampoo, her skin is lovely so no breaks, flakes or redness. I took her to the vet and was told that its likely to be cystic ovaries. Mitsy is not in any pain, even when handled and is a healthy happy piggy that sports bald patches. My vet said that if she is to be spayed there is a high risk due to anaestesia that there could be complications, but ive been reading on this forum that the cysts could burst! What do i do?

 

[sport_billy]

There are a few options for cysts one is as quite rightly pointed out what your vet suggested the other is possible hormone injections this can reduce this one of the first piggies had ovarian cysts and she was treated with hormone injections I will try and find some information on these for you once I get to work and post

 

[Wiebke]

Hi there, my Mitsy has bald patches on each side of her abdomen. She has been treated with Ivormectin and bathed with antibacterial shampoo, her skin is lovely so no breaks, flakes or redness. I took her to the vet and was told that its likely to be cystic ovaries. Mitsy is not in any pain, even when handled and is a healthy happy piggy that sports bald patches. My vet said that if she is to be spayed there is a high risk due to anaestesia that there could be complications, but ive been reading on this forum that the cysts could burst! What do i do?

Hi and welcome

It sounds like your sow could be suffering from ovarian cysts.
if your girl has the more common fluid filled cysts, then hormone injections or simple draining can be a non-invasive alternative.
If she has a hard cyst, then there is a high ikelihood that she may develop cancer at some point; in this case, a spaying operation is needed.
Finding a good vet is key.

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Recommended Guinea Pig Vets
Tips For Post-operative Care

PS: I have just had my five year old Morwenna spayed for a potentially cancerous cyst two ago; she is doing really fine. she is not my first sow I had to spay for medical reasons.

 

[Mitsymoomoo1]

I dont know what cysts she has. I dont know what to do...

 

[Merab]

I have had 2 girls spayed due to ovarian cysts.
Jemimah’s were fast growing and it was when she went in to have an abscess removed that the cysts were discovered and she had emergency surgery to spay her at the same time as the abscess removal.
She spotted 2 impressive scars.

A few weeks ago I became aware that Phoebe wasn’t quite right- the vet thought it was most likely ovarian cysts so she was booked in for tests.
I gave permission to spay her if it did turn out to be cysts. This was the case.

Both girls made a full recovery and we’re back to normal very quickly.

Yes, there is a risk.
Yes, I was on edge the whole time.
However I have a very capable and experienced vet.
For me this was the right decision in both cases.

Only you can make the decision for your girl.
Weigh up the pros and cons and then decide what you feel is the right choice.
I simply shared my experience and will keep you in my thoughts and offering support for your decision

 

[Claire W]

The first thing will be to have an ultrasound done and find out for definite if she does in fact have ovarian cysts. You will then find out if they're fluid filled or hard. You can then make your decision on what to do.

Most good vets will be able to feel a cyst on palpitation. My late Emma had one that my vet could feel but as it was causing her no problems and she had a cancerous tumour we left her b and she had regular check ups

 

[VickiA]

Please don’t panic. You don’t need to make any immediate decisions. Is your vet Cavy savvy? Might be worth contacting Tees Valley Guinea Pig Rescue as they may be able to recommend a Cavy savvy vet in your area.
I think once you know are happy with a Cavy savvy vet and you what you are facing then you can have an informed discussion with the vet as to whether to act or leave well alone. I have done both based on the particular circumstances of each piggy. I have had 4 sows spayed (2 were much older and 2 younger) and all survived. Just take your time to make the decision for your girl.