Cysts?

[Fudge and Rainbow :)]

My poor Fudge has had 3 lumps on her for over a year. One underneath her (quite saggy) one on her back (quite soft) and one just at her rear end (hard). We took her to the vets ages ago for them just to tell us she wasn't in any pain. She doesn't seem it either, I don't think the lumps bother her, but I am still worried! :{ The vet told us he could try to get rid of them, but didn't think we should take the risk as apparently guinea pigs aren't good under aesthetic.

Anyway, over a year on, one of her lumps has seemed to have grown and it is the hard one. We were worried they might be tumors but the vet thought they were cysts. Do cysts grow?! :{ My vet is brilliant and knows what he's talking about but maybe he was unsure about this? Do you think I should take Fudge to the vets again, I'm really worried. I don't want these lumps to kill her. She's my baby and I've had her since I was 9, so 5 years! 8... Her and her sister are inseprable, I don't know what will happen when one of them passes away, it's too hard to even think about! :0

What do you think these lumps are and should I get them taken off or is it too risky?

 

[Wiebke]

If the cyst is growing, it will need removing. Generally, GA is a lot better nowadays than it used to be.

Here is more info on the various kinds of "lumps":
http://www.guinealynx.info/lumps.html

 

[Laura-CCC4]

I think it's worth asking the vet if he'll aspirate the lumps via needle in some effort to determine the contents of them. It is possible that the hard lump is simply a cyst, but it's worth having it examined again, especially as it is growing.

There should be no need for a general anaesthetic (GA) to aspirate or lance the cysts, but whether a GA is needed for removal depends on the individual circumstances.