Bump in toe + xray

[Kramanat]

Hi all, Miso is a 5 year old active guinea pig who displayed a bump on one two about 2-3 months ago. We suspected an issue with the nail trimming but the bump didn’t subside.

She does not limp, the bump is not red or have any pus. When pressed, she does not display any signs of pain.

We took her to an exotic vet a few days ago and she recommended an xray. The xray seems to indicate the bone isn’t normal.

The doc is of the view that we should consider a toe amputation.

Looking for any opinions on what you think the issue could be and any other steps you suggest we could take before going down the surgery path.

Thanks for your inputs.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi all, Miso is a 5 year old active guinea pig who displayed a bump on one two about 2-3 months ago. We suspected an issue with the nail trimming but the bump didn’t subside.

She does not limp, the bump is not red or have any pus. When pressed, she does not display any signs of pain.

We took her to an exotic vet a few days ago and she recommended an xray. The xray seems to indicate the bone isn’t normal.

The doc is of the view that we should consider a toe amputation.

Looking for any opinions on what you think the issue could be and any other steps you suggest we could take before going down the surgery path.

Thanks for your inputs.

Hi and welcome

I think that your and your vet concerns basically boil down to these issues:
- Could the growth be cancerous? How likely does your vet rate this possibility?
- Is it likely to spread further into the foot/leg? How great would the risk be?
- Can the toe be left as it is or is the growth likely to cause mobility issues?
- Possible operation risks/costs.

Unfortunately, none of us has the medical training nor can we advise sight unseen. It very much depends on the findings on the x-ray. It is not at all unusual that you are hit by the diagnosis that you struggle to take it all in what your vet tells you and how much they have actually told you.

What you can do is call or email the clinic and ask for a clarification on these points or book a slot for a paid phone conversation with your vet when you can go through their reasoning and thoughts behind their recommendation with them, so you are then able to make an informed decision, which at this point you are obviously not feeling able to. Be sure to make a list of questions and that they have all be answered to your satisfaction.

If you have anxiety issues, it would be good if another trusted person could also listen in or come with you so they can repeat crucial points to you or make notes because you are even less likely to take it all in at the time and feel able to make a decision when your brain gets hooked on a trigger.
Pet Owners Anxiety - Practical Tips For Sufferers and For Supporters

Any operation is a very expensive leap of faith although piggies can still walk (if no longer necessarily run) with a toe less. It is a comparatively minor procedure at this stage.

I am very sorry for your dilemma but I hope that I have been able to show you how to get those crucial answers you need in order to make an informed decision.

 

[Kramanat]

Enclosed are the pic and x-rays. Didn’t figure out how to attach the first time around.

 

[Kramanat]

Also, there was a period where we were late in trimming her nails and they were longer than we wanted it to be and curved inward. The grooming place told us we had missed the date by almost a month and asked us to make sure we stick to a calendar.

I believe letting nails go overgrow can also lead to bones being deformed and for the calluses to form. Again throwing one more question for all of you to see if you believe it’s a possibility.

We are planning to take Miso for a second consult before we commit to something as serious as an amputation.

 

[Wiebke]

Also, there was a period where we were late in trimming her nails and they were longer than we wanted it to be and curved inward. The grooming place told us we had missed the date by almost a month and asked us to make sure we stick to a calendar.

I believe letting nails go overgrow can also lead to bones being deformed and for the calluses to form. Again throwing one more question for all of you to see if you believe it’s a possibility.

We are planning to take Miso for a second consult before we commit to something as serious as an amputation.

Hi

Firstly: You have NOT caused the problem by missing just one nail cut slot. I have adopted many a piggy that was rescued in a horrible state with badly overgrown nails, sometimes after years of neglect; but I can assure you that after over 80 rescue adoptees down the line, none ever developed a growth like that or were too crippled to move around because of missed nail cuts. This is totally unrelated.

Please try not to go down the path of always seeking fault within yourself first and foremost, just because that is our human species mental wiring hang-up. You are a perfectly normal, clearly very caring owner but this is something random that can happen to anybody. Cancer in pets is sadly becoming more common, the same as in humans, but that is not something you can control as an individual person. You need to drink and eat and breathe, after all.

The growth looks just a little fuzzy to me? I assume that is why your vet is concerned - that it could be a potentially cancerous ongoing growth and is not just normal bone?
Even harmless bone spurs would cause a problem over time if they continued growing and they are also painful (my mum has them on a couple of toes; that's how I know).

PS: It takes a unfortunately while for the forum registration to be full processed. You can only start uploading pictures once that process has fully finished. This is for security reasons. Keeping this a friendly and safe place takes unfortunately a lot more than you would think.

We don't have a video upload because were a zero gain place where we all what we do for free in our own free time and where we pay for the running cost (mostly security) by occasional voluntary donations. A video upload would cost a lot more. But since we are in total control of our own place we think that it is a small price to pay.
You will have to upload any videos on a public setting on a platform that doesn't require a membership sign-up and then copy across. Youtube works best. We do have members who prefer not to be part of social media and we respect that.
I hope that this explains it. Our forum quirks are all there for a good reason (or usually several); they help us to keep this a friendly and safe place but they are also needed to keep this forum viable.


I am very sorry that I cannot tell you to just leave it and it is going to be fine. Unfortunately, whatever this is, this looks very much like it is only going to continue to grow and cause much worse problems in the longer run.

 

[Eriathwen]

I agree there's no way you did anything to cause this. Honestly it does look potentially cancerous and I would opt to remove it sooner rather than later, before it has a chance to spread. I have a piggy, Ivy, who had to have a toe amputated, she twisted it somehow so badly that the nail was upside down and there was exposed shattered bone, due to the location it also became infected. She didn't limp or remotely flinch at having it cleaned or examined but I'm sure you can appreciate it was incredibly painful. Unfortunately they hide pain incredibly well, and bone cancer, if that is what this is, is very painful.

I recently lost a piggy who, in her previous home, self amputated the ends of her toes due to pain. Which is why I opted for surgery the second my vet advised it for Ivy. The risk of her doing it herself weighed on me quite a bit.

From what I know about bone cancer, amputation without spread can give a good year+ of good quality life. Whereas if it spreads to the lungs, as it seems to do, it's reduced to days to weeks, which is likely why your vet wants to remove it straight away.

 

[Kramanat]

Thanks for the inputs. Was trying to find any reason why this bump and bone deformity could be from reasons other than tumors or infections. May still be but wanted the opinions of experienced members who may have seen these before. I am planning to take her to another vet for a consult just to see if there is consensus on the next step being a toe amputation and if it is, that's the direction we are going to take....

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for the inputs. Was trying to find any reason why this bump and bone deformity could be from reasons other than tumors or infections. May still be but wanted the opinions of experienced members who may have seen these before. I am planning to take her to another vet for a consult just to see if there is consensus on the next step being a toe amputation and if it is, that's the direction we are going to take....

Wishing you and your little one all the best.

 

[Eriathwen]

The only other thing I can think of would be sceptic arthritis, I've had one who had it in her ankle but this would be more in the joint than the actual bone I would have thought..but it's definitely worth asking about in case they think a course of antibiotics are worth trying before surgery.
I hope the vet appointment goes well, good luck!