Cystic ovaries?!

[PigMummyEm]

SO I took both my Guinea pigs to the vet about Fudges sneezing and the vet said all is fine and that it’s probably the hay or woodchips. He listened to her chest ect all good, BUT he looked at my other guinea pig Sorbet and said she has Cystic ovaries and apparently it’s very common? He said my options are have them removed under anaesthetic which comes with obvious risk or leave them and they might burst in time which will kill her. She’s older (5-6) so would be very risky having them removed I’m lost as to what to do.

 

[Wiebke]

SO I took both my Guinea pigs to the vet about Fudges sneezing and the vet said all is fine and that it’s probably the hay or woodchips. He listened to her chest ect all good, BUT he looked at my other guinea pig Sorbet and said she has Cystic ovaries and apparently it’s very common? He said my options are have them removed under anaesthetic which comes with obvious risk or leave them and they might burst in time which will kill her. She’s older (5-6) so would be very risky having them removed I’m lost as to what to do.

Hi and welcome

Ovarian cysts are very common in older sows. Thankfully the majority are not causing any problems.

You have basically got three options:
- a full spaying operation or an operative removal of just the cysts
- hormone injections or an implant (preferences vary between countries); the most common is chorulon/hcg. Not all cysts are hormone based; this method is therefore not always successful.
- draining of large cysts under no or very little sedation. This method is not permanent, as the cysts will refill. But that usually takes some months and the procedure can be repeated as often as necessary. It is a valid alternative of treatment for frail or older sows with non-hormonal but fluid-filled cysts.

That said, my Iola was 5 years old when she was spayed for two very large and fast growing non-hormonal cysts. She made a full recovery. But you want to be able to trust your vet, which I do with mine. Like with many sows that develop large, often not hormonal cysts in later life, she didn't show any other symptoms.
It is generally the hormone based smaller cysts that come with the typical crusty nipples, hair loss on the sides and aggressive/nonstop in season behaviour.