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Cyst?

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VickyMidlands

VickyMidlands

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Hi everyone

My little one will be 7 in May. He has a cyst which one vet we saw 5 months ago said could have a tumour underneath it.

He isn't losing any weight. He's eating normally.

We went to have the cyst drained 2 weeks ago which took it down very small but it's filled up again. The vet said that may happen, she couldn't feel a tumour just that the skin had gone hard as like a barrier between the body and the cyst.

I'm not sure what to do. Shall I leave him and not get it drained again? Will it burst?

Thank you.
 
Maybe ring your vet to ask? It could be the only way will be removal but that's not an option at his age is it? What sort of cyst is it?
 
The cyst is by his mammory gland. I don't want to remove it for biopsy because I wouldn't put him through the surgery.
 
No I wouldn't want to either :( I would give the vet a call & see what they say/suggest, maybe they could try & drain again?
 
Last time we went she said it'll just fill back up and it's sometimes best to leave it. It doesn't seep or seem to cause him any problems, he's just as fast as he used to be! I'm so worried there's a tumour under there but it's been almost 6 months since the cyst was first noticed and he's had no symptoms, lost no weight and eating just the same. He comes out every night on our laps and loves that. I was thinking just to carry on taking him for check ups every 6 weeks ish.
 
Yes probably do that & just take him in a bit earlier if it weeps or seems red or painful for him. He's a great age, spoil him rotten :( x
 
:D I may be wrong, but I believe that if the cyst is loose and not attached to muscle, it is nothing to worry about. It's only when it is attached to the muscle that they can be dangerous. Can you move the cyst? is it soft or hard? My girl Bonnie (nearly 6 years old) has had a small pea-sized lump in the loose skin behind her left elbow for almost all her life. It has never changed. Similarly Suzie had a large cyst on her left shoulder for nearly 3 years that never bothered her. It started leaking thick greenish stuff :vom: one day so I squeezed it all out. It didn't fill up again. (Sorry if you're eating while reading this!)
 
Thank you for replying. Yes, the cyst can move. It is very large though and has filled right back up after being drained. It doesn't seem to be bothering him but he is lifting his bum to poo in a slightly different way so I'm worried he's not able to get all his poo out as easily and I've had to help him tonight again.
The vet said in November that he could feel a tumour underneath the cyst - it was by the mammory gland.
I'm so worried because it's so big and i really don't know what's causing it.
 
In these situations I think you need to consider what your options are. If there is a tumour, the only option is surgery, which you don't want to put him through at his age, and I totally understand (I wouldn't either). If the cyst starts to bother him, you could get it drained again to make things easier for him, but it will probably fill up again anyway, as the vet said. He is an elderly gent so the poo problem may just be impaction that he could well have got anyway and nothing to do with the cyst or the tumour.

So it boils down to quality of life. He is currently doing fine, needs a bit of poop help perhaps, but is happy and eating. As long as that continues to be the case, I don't think you need to worry. If and when he starts to struggle, you may need to consider your options again. I have had to make the difficult decision for some of my own piggies, and it is horrible, but I knew when they were ready to go, and keeping them with me would just have meant them suffering. I'm sure you will know too. Until then enjoy your time together - it could be a lot longer than you think anyway.
 
Thank you so much for your reply. It was so comforting to read. I think the not knowing what's causing it is really upsetting me as I want to stop it from happening but know I can't really. He is an amazing little boy and is always so happy, squeaking for his food bang on 5pm and when I come down in the morning before work! I don't know what else to look for other than weight loss and loss of appetite for potential cancer symptoms? The vet mentioned the skin going bumpy...but I can't remember clearly.
 
Update - it's been drained again and the vet has suggested coming back every 2 weeks for draining so it doesn't go black and risk exploding. He really didn't like it being drained because it was done virtually by hand and he was given a painkiller after as he just laid down on his towel and wouldn't move. I was so scared. She said there's definitely a tumour underneath which is a mammory tumour but because of his age she wouldn't recommend surgery. He's had it for 5-6 months so every day feels like it could be the last even though he's not losing weight or going off his food.
 
VickyMidlands said:
Update - it's been drained again and the vet has suggested coming back every 2 weeks for draining so it doesn't go black and risk exploding. He really didn't like it being drained because it was done virtually by hand and he was given a painkiller after as he just laid down on his towel and wouldn't move. I was so scared. She said there's definitely a tumour underneath which is a mammory tumour but because of his age she wouldn't recommend surgery. He's had it for 5-6 months so every day feels like it could be the last even though he's not losing weight or going off his food.
Click to expand...
I know it must be scary and very worrying but as he's still his usual self and still eating etc then he sounds like he's doing well xx
 
It's the not knowing I think that's tough - is it cancer? But then I don't want to know because I won't have him operated on.

The cyst has been bleeding today where the vet tried to drain by needle but it's better out than in and he's not been bothered by it at sll and was fine when we were cleaning it. He's been on me for a few hours relaxing and chomping on hay.
 
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