Diagnosing Ovarian Cysts?

[Dilly's Piggies]

I have 2 sows that have been very hormonal for an extended period of time now, Willow is my 2 year old and her symptoms started about 5 months ago, one is changes in behaviour, she became very hormonal towards her 4 cagemates for no reason, she began chasing, mounting, rumble strutting at everybody, it is not as bad as it was but she does rumblestrut almost constantly. They've all lived happily together for a whole year and suddenly she changed. Willow also has physical symptoms too, I noticed a complete change in her body shape, her abdomen became very round and it hangs low, her shoulders have become thinner and her weight is jumping around a lot. Willow also has recurring blood in her urine which we are sometimes able to control with loxicom and antibiotics however it always comes back, although we think she may have IC, this just interested me as I've heard ovarian cysts/hormonal problems can cause bleeding like this. Willow has had an ultrasound of her bladder and ovaries, no abnormalities were found, however I still think she could have small cysts given her symptoms, I hear of some cases where no cysts are found on scans but are then found during surgery if they are small, so this leads me to ask if I should have her looked at again, perhaps an xray would give a clearer image, are there any other ways to diagnose them? If nothing shows up again are there hormone treatments available we can try her on to see if she responds?

My other sow Harriet has only just turned 1 year old, a bit young for cysts I think as I've read it usually happens in sows aged 18+ months, but it could still be possible. Harriet has been a complete nuisance to her cagemates for a whole month now, normally the seasonal behaviour lasts between 2-4 days and it goes away, never had one be like this for so long besides Willow. Harriet is much more sexually aggressive than Willow, Harriet has also dropped 60g in weight in the last month, she became very picky with her food and her nipples are enormous! I compared them to her sisters and there is a huge difference, literally! It's honestly like she has been in season for 4 weeks straight, she is so focused on asserting her dominance and chasing/mounting her friends that she isn't eating as much and thus losing weight, she still eats lots of hay but she isn't eating many pellets or veggies. Harriet will go to the vet on Monday and will most likely be booked in for an ultrasound, but I just wanted to come here first to see what the best way to diagnose these are as I've never experienced hormonal problems of any kind before. Are xrays better for both Harriet and Willow?

 

[GPTV]

Here's a link to a past post
Ovarian Cysts?

My Ellie had an ovarian cyst approx 1inch that was diagnosed by ultrasound. She had the hormone injections that were successful

Not sure that an xray would show it any clearer as they're usually better for bony structures-high density masses.

Try expanding this quote it may be useful?

Anyone With Experience Of Cysts ?

have a look at this thread there is some useful information on it. Also some more links to other ovarian cyst threads.

My Ellie had the injections at 6yrs as too old for a spay & did really well with them, then again 12months later as the lump/cyst grew back.
her thread is also on here.

Ellie- Ovarian Cyst,maybe Stones, Suggestions Please.

she didn't have any textbook signs of cysts, but she kept getting UTI's & heavy bleeding, she had a conscious ultrasound scan & the cyst was found, then after my suggestion of the injections she went back for 2x injections approx. 7-10 days apart after the vials had been ordered in (actually a cattle hormone) .

I would ask about painkillers (usually loxicom/metacam) for a while as apparently ovarian cysts can be painful, especially if small or growing.
anything else I can help with just ask

Got to leave for work now but happy to help with any other answers I can answer for you.

Xx

 

[Wiebke]

It is usually the small growing ovarian cysts that are causing hormonal issues, less so the large ones.
It should respond to hormone injections, but I would recommend to not to treat unless the behaviour is really disruptive. Ovarian cysts are pretty common in sows, but the vast majority never cause any problems and don't need treating or operating.

 

[Dilly's Piggies]

It is usually the small growing ovarian cysts that are causing hormonal issues, less so the large ones.
It should respond to hormone injections, but I would recommend to not to treat unless the behaviour is really disruptive. Ovarian cysts are pretty common in sows, but the vast majority never cause any problems and don't need treating or operating.

Willow was extremely disruptive for the first 3 months this started but has since calmed down a lot, it's just her change in body shape and constant rumbling that makes me wonder if we should try the hormone injections and see if that helps, Willow also chatters her teeth a lot, not at any other pig but she will look at me and chatter, I know this can be a sign of pain so this is another symptom I think.

Harriet has been a nightmare in general for the past month, she used to be very calm and well behaved but has since become difficult to handle, she won't let me trim her hair or nails for example, plus she is stressing her cagemates out, they can't sleep or eat or be anywhere near her without being pursued and humped lol! So she will definitely go for a scan as she hasn't had one yet. If cysts do show up would you immediately spay her at 1 years old or try HRT treatments first? At her age she is young and healthy enough for surgery but I'm still afraid to lose her

 

[Wiebke]

Willow was extremely disruptive for the first 3 months this started but has since calmed down a lot, it's just her change in body shape and constant rumbling that makes me wonder if we should try the hormone injections and see if that helps, Willow also chatters her teeth a lot, not at any other pig but she will look at me and chatter, I know this can be a sign of pain so this is another symptom I think.

Harriet has been a nightmare in general for the past month, she used to be very calm and well behaved but has since become difficult to handle, she won't let me trim her hair or nails for example, plus she is stressing her cagemates out, they can't sleep or eat or be anywhere near her without being pursued and humped lol! So she will definitely go for a scan as she hasn't had one yet. If cysts do show up would you immediately spay her at 1 years old or try HRT treatments first? At her age she is young and healthy enough for surgery but I'm still afraid to lose her

I would talk it over with your vet. At that age, it is worth to try hormone treatment. Spaying is a serious operation and if she has cysts, they will still be very small - that are usually the ones that cause the aggressive behaviour which will usually abate after a while. Only if your girl is constantly in season for weeks and is losing weight would I consider invasive treatment.
Iola is only the third of my sows to have a spay; you can say that about 1 in 10 of my sows really needed doing something about them. I lost one of my sows in a spaying op 7 years ago (my then vets were not the best; it was before I found the Cat&Rabbit in Northampton). If you can get away without a full spay, I would strongly recommend to do so.

Ovarian cysts are not causing any pain at this stage (only when they get very large), nor is her figure caused by large cysts. When coming up to adulthood, sows develop their genetically determined adult female pear-shaped figure, nothing to do with cysts or overweight. You do the same during your own puberty as a human woman.

As to her teenage misbehaviour towards you: Establish your dominance with her (you can tell her you love her afterwards) and praise her lavishly for any good behaviour, but you are simply letting her get away with murder. I currently have remind my teenager Nye who is the boss and to mind his manners from time to time.
Here is our piggy whispering guide: How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language

 

[Dilly's Piggies]

I would talk it over with your vet. At that age, it is worth to try hormone treatment. Spaying is a serious operation and if she has cysts, they will still be very small - that are usually the ones that cause the aggressive behaviour which will usually abate after a while. Only if your girl is constantly in season for weeks and is losing weight would I consider invasive treatment.
Iola is only the third of my sows to have a spay; you can say that about 1 in 10 of my sows really needed doing something about them. I lost one of my sows in a spaying op 7 years ago (my then vets were not the best; it was before I found the Cat&Rabbit in Northampton). If you can get away without a full spay, I would strongly recommend to do so.

Ovarian cysts are not causing any pain at this stage (only when they get very large), nor is her figure caused by large cysts. When coming up to adulthood, sows develop their genetically determined adult female pear-shaped figure, nothing to do with cysts or overweight. You do the same during your own puberty as a human woman.

As to her teenage misbehaviour towards you: Establish your dominance with her (you can tell her you love her afterwards) and praise her lavishly for any good behaviour, but you are simply letting her get away with murder. I currently have remind my teenager Nye who is the boss and to mind his manners from time to time.
Here is our piggy whispering guide: How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language

Oh so Willow's change in body shape is because she's getting older? She just turned 2 years old on May 1st, it was just how sudden her shape changed and how big her abdomen is, made me worry lol!

And for Harriet I booked her an app this afternoon for 3.00pm, I'll let you know how it goes but I did feel some suspicious lumps low down on her stomach this morning but she wouldn't let me touch for long without scrapping and squealing, she seems painful there whatever it is, or perhaps just naughty! She is down to 920g today also, she was 933g yesterday and almost 1000g 4 weeks ago, she is too thin in her body condition too, I tried giving her some porridge oats but she wouldn't eat them, she will only eat hay at the moment, not that bad but she's not getting enough calories to sustain her weight at the moment so I'll pick up some critical care today at the vets

 

[Wiebke]

Oh so Willow's change in body shape is because she's getting older? She just turned 2 years old on May 1st, it was just how sudden her shape changed and how big her abdomen is, made me worry lol!

And for Harriet I booked her an app this afternoon for 3.00pm, I'll let you know how it goes but I did feel some suspicious lumps low down on her stomach this morning but she wouldn't let me touch for long without scrapping and squealing, she seems painful there whatever it is, or perhaps just naughty! She is down to 920g today also, she was 933g yesterday and almost 1000g 4 weeks ago, she is too thin in her body condition too, I tried giving her some porridge oats but she wouldn't eat them, she will only eat hay at the moment, not that bad but she's not getting enough calories to sustain her weight at the moment so I'll pick up some critical care today at the vets

You can take both girls for a check. I thought that Willow was a year younger. Harriet definitely needs to be seen.
Please do not feed porridge oats anyway. It's basically fatty/starchy junk food for guinea pigs and not doing anything for her as it will come off again in the blink of an eye anyway. There is obviously some major discomfort going on. Once that is solved, her weight will come back on under her own steam once her body is ready for it. Her body weight is still good overall and nowhere near the dangerous zone. Keep her going with fibre; much healthier and sustainable.

All the best!

 

[Dilly's Piggies]

You can take both girls for a check. I thought that Willow was a year younger. Harriet definitely needs to be seen.
Please do not feed porridge oats anyway. It's basically fatty/starchy junk food for guinea pigs and not doing anything for her as it will come off again in the blink of an eye anyway. There is obviously some major discomfort going on. Once that is solved, her weight will come back on under her own steam once her body is ready for it. Her body weight is still good overall and nowhere near the dangerous zone. Keep her going with fibre; much healthier and sustainable.

All the best!

I took Harriet to the vet on Monday, the vet didn't feel anything abnormal and said her weight is fine, which I know but it's a notable drop for her as an individual, she's normally up near 1000g. I've been told to take her back in 2 weeks to check her weight and condition again, a bit disappointed I was hoping she'd have a scan right away given her prolonged hormonal behaviour, been going on 6 weeks now. We'll see!