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Bellas turn now, ovarian problems?

Cavy Kung-Fu

Cavy Kung-Fu

Adult Guinea Pig
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I will be taking her to the vets but thought I’d look for some advice first.

To start with here’s some info:
  • She’s not lost weight.
  • No hairloss on sides, but some change just above her genitals?
  • A little bit of hormonal behaviour but not too drastic, with seasons and the herd change it could be down to those factors?
  • She doesn’t seem to be in pain or discomfort but obviously I can’t be 100% sure as they hide it well.
  • She’s been a little quieter recently but again, she lost her sister and the herd split up so I don’t know if it’s illness related or not. She still does zoomies and demands food!
Mostly I’ve noticed her nipples are MASSIVE compared to normal but soft, I can’t feel any lumps around the area. Obviously there’s no chance of pregnancy either. Here’s a picture for reference, has anyone experienced something similar?

C79963CD-DA5A-4366-BCDE-A47BD9B9C111.webp

Thanks in advance!
 
Tagging @Wiebke as she is an experianced member. Sorry i cant give any advice as i have never had sows before and i am not that experianced with overian cysts. Hope it isnt anything too serious
 
Cavy Kung-Fu said:
I will be taking her to the vets but thought I’d look for some advice first.

To start with here’s some info:
  • She’s not lost weight.
  • No hairloss on sides, but some change just above her genitals?
  • A little bit of hormonal behaviour but not too drastic, with seasons and the herd change it could be down to those factors?
  • She doesn’t seem to be in pain or discomfort but obviously I can’t be 100% sure as they hide it well.
  • She’s been a little quieter recently but again, she lost her sister and the herd split up so I don’t know if it’s illness related or not. She still does zoomies and demands food!
Mostly I’ve noticed her nipples are MASSIVE compared to normal but soft, I can’t feel any lumps around the area. Obviously there’s no chance of pregnancy either. Here’s a picture for reference, has anyone experienced something similar?

View attachment 114812

Thanks in advance!
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If there are changes to the nipples, it is always worth to vet check for a mammary tumour, ovarian cysts or problems with the womb.
By far not all cysts cause the classic symptoms; in fact in my own experience, the majority don't.
 
Wiebke said:
If there are changes to the nipples, it is always worth to vet check for a mammary tumour, ovarian cysts or problems with the womb.
By far not all cysts cause the classic symptoms; in fact in my own experience, the majority don't.
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Thank you, yes that’s what I was afraid of! I’m so worried with more illness with my lot, I wish that I’d had them all spayed when they were young tbh! So many issues with lady parts in the last year :(
 
Cavy Kung-Fu said:
Thank you, yes that’s what I was afraid of! I’m so worried with more illness with my lot, I wish that I’d had them all spayed when they were young tbh! So many issues with lady parts in the last year :(
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Hopefully it is not something serious, but it is better to check earlier than when it is too late!
 
Wiebke said:
Hopefully it is not something serious, but it is better to check earlier than when it is too late!
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Absolutely! Can such things be found out with a hands on examination or are we looking at ultrasounds or x-ray?
 
Cavy Kung-Fu said:
Absolutely! Can such things be found out with a hands on examination or are we looking at ultrasounds or x-ray?
Click to expand...

It depends on whether your vet suspects larger ovarian cysts or rather a womb related problem.

All the best best!
 
Just a bit of an update... the vet couldn’t feel any obvious signs on enlarge ovaries but we’re going to look at doing an ultrasound scan. She’s going to look into the possibility of hormone injections etc and obviously mentioned the subject of spaying. I’m very worried about it all, she’s 4 in October so I’m kind of thinking a spray sooner rather than later would be better but I don’t know.

Has anyone got any advice or can share experiences? I’ve thought a lot about spaying as we’ve had issues with Tonks and soooo many lumps with the girls (Tonks and Drom have small lumps rn as well that I’m keeping an eye on) and in a way I kinda wish I’d had them spayed when they were younger... Perhaps we wouldn’t be having all the problems we’ve had if they’d been spayed early on...
 
Cavy Kung-Fu said:
Just a bit of an update... the vet couldn’t feel any obvious signs on enlarge ovaries but we’re going to look at doing an ultrasound scan. She’s going to look into the possibility of hormone injections etc and obviously mentioned the subject of spaying. I’m very worried about it all, she’s 4 in October so I’m kind of thinking a spray sooner rather than later would be better but I don’t know.

Has anyone got any advice or can share experiences? I’ve thought a lot about spaying as we’ve had issues with Tonks and soooo many lumps with the girls (Tonks and Drom have small lumps rn as well that I’m keeping an eye on) and in a way I kinda wish I’d had them spayed when they were younger... Perhaps we wouldn’t be having all the problems we’ve had if they’d been spayed early on...
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No advice but we are starting to have a similar experience, we noticed that our older girl Jezzy floof has a swollen scabby nipple yesterday and a bit of fur loss so she's off to the vets soon to ask all these questions too... best of luck with your girl, Jezzy floof sends sympathetic piggy kisses!
 
PigglePuggle said:
No advice but we are starting to have a similar experience, we noticed that our older girl Jezzy floof has a swollen scabby nipple yesterday and a bit of fur loss so she's off to the vets soon to ask all these questions too... best of luck with your girl, Jezzy floof sends sympathetic piggy kisses!
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Thank you! Bella appreciates it. Hope Jezzy floof is doing okay! Is she seeing Simon at Cat & Rabbit? It’s all so worrying isn’t it?
 
I’ve just had Phoebe spayed because of ovarian cysts. They were caught early while still small so I opted for a spay now while she’s still young and healthy.
The vet mentioned hormone injections but the cysts recur so it’s ongoing.
The spay has dealt with the problem once and for all.
Jemimah was spayed last year when large cysts were found - she’d gone in for surgery to remove an abscess. In her case there had been no signs but they were caught and dealt with just as they were on the point of rupturing.

Jemimah is completely well again, Phoebe is recovering very nicely.
Her thread in the Health and Illness section is called ‘Oh Phoebe ‘

I feel I made the right choice for them and although there is a risk with surgery and I was feeling very on edge the day of the ops and a day or so afterwards I would still make the same decision.
I do have an excellent vet who I trust completely - this is important.

Hope that helps.
Holding you in my thoughts- it’s not an easy decision to make
 
Merab's Slave said:
I’ve just had Phoebe spayed because of ovarian cysts. They were caught early while still small so I opted for a spay now while she’s still young and healthy.
The vet mentioned hormone injections but the cysts recur so it’s ongoing.
The spay has dealt with the problem once and for all.
Jemimah was spayed last year when large cysts were found - she’d gone in for surgery to remove an abscess. In her case there had been no signs but they were caught and dealt with just as they were on the point of rupturing.

Jemimah is completely well again, Phoebe is recovering very nicely.
Her thread in the Health and Illness section is called ‘Oh Phoebe ‘

I feel I made the right choice for them and although there is a risk with surgery and I was feeling very on edge the day of the ops and a day or so afterwards I would still make the same decision.
I do have an excellent vet who I trust completely - this is important.

Hope that helps.
Holding you in my thoughts- it’s not an easy decision to make
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Thank you! Yes it’s very difficult. It’s not so much that I don’t trust my vet, they’ve operated on my pigs before but I know this is a huge op for them. Bella’s so tiny (900 grams top end) and has never had an op before so I don’t know how well she’ll recover.

I’m wondering if I should try and get to Simon as I’ve read that he has a high success rate. I really wish I could drive!
 
Betsy said:
Didn't you take Iggy by train to see Simon?
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Yea that’s right! One of the longest days of my life haha. It wouldn’t have been so bad but because I had to take the tube Iggy was terrified :( I was scared he’d have a heart attack or something with the noise and change in air pressure and that. Kinda put me off I won’t lie :)) He was much better on normal trains but Bella is worse at travelling so I’m not sure what my options are as it’ll be a long day for her no matter how we go.
 
Merab's Slave said:
Whatever you decide you will make the best choice possible out of your love for Bella.
There is never a 100% guarantee of success but we make the best possible decision and trust for a good outcome.
Make the choice that feels right to you
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Thank you, it’s so great to hear from people who’ve been through it. I’m hopeful that I may be able to get someone to take me to Simon! I think I’d be much more comfortable with him as I’d know she has the best possible chance in his hands. I really should just move to Northampton :))
 
I’ve had 3 older ladies spayed and all did fine afterwards. But let’s see what the scan shows. You may not need to plan for a spay operation.
 
VickiA said:
I’ve had 3 older ladies spayed and all did fine afterwards. But let’s see what the scan shows. You may not need to plan for a spay operation.
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Thank you, that’s very reassuring! That’s kind of what I was hoping but I’m also thinking of the future, like what’s the likelihood of it becoming worse if they’re only small and needing to be spayed when she’s even older? I suppose I’m just a worry pot when it comes to the pigs haha.

I’ll see what an ultrasound says, I’d imagine it’s something to do with her lady bits due to her symptoms but you’re right, I could just be worrying about something small.
 
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