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Do X-rays cause cancer?

H

Hdjdjdjd

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Hello everyone,
One of my guinea pigs ended up breaking her toe, so I took her to the vet to get an x-ray. They confirmed that her toe was broken and that there wasn’t much they could do. A few months later she started eating less and had green snot on her nose. So I took her back to the vet and gave her antibiotics. A month later I come home to find her puffed up, barely breathing and blind. I took her back to the vet, where I then found out she had a massive brain tumor and had to be put down. She was merely 2 years old. This whole event really shocked me and I’ve pondered for years what could have caused the cancer. At first I thought it was something in her food(GMOs or additives etc.), or maybe the water. But I used to give her sister the same food and water, yet she remained perfectly well. That’s when I realized it was the x-ray. I find it no coincidence that she got her foot x-rayed (extremely close to her face) and then got a brain tumor shortly after. I’ve seen many studies linking x-rays to cancer in humans so it only makes sense that it would create catastrophic damage in a guinea pigs body. All that to say, please reconsider x-raying your pet, and really research other treatment options.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. I’m so sorry that you have lost your piggy. What was her name and when did you lose her?
I sincerely doubt that the single X-ray she had could have caused a brain tumour but appreciate that you must be struggling to make sense of your loss. You are welcome to post a tribute in our Rainbow Bridge section.
 
I have had a fair few piggies x-rayed with no consequences like this and I'm sure there will be a number of pigs who weren't x-rayed who developed tumours.

Whilst I'm so very sorry to hear about your traumatic loss and what you went through I can't condone advice to not have x-rays.

In my experience vets will only recommend an x-ray when it is absolutely necessary and in the best interest of the guinea pig and their future treatment. I think by trying to avoid a x-ray you could be putting the piggy more at risk than by some small risk of developing a tumour
 
Lady Kelly said:
I have had a fair few piggies x-rayed with no consequences like this and I'm sure there will be a number of pigs who weren't x-rayed who developed tumours.

Whilst I'm so very sorry to hear about your traumatic loss and what you went through I can't condone advice to not have x-rays.

In my experience vets will only recommend an x-ray when it is absolutely necessary and in the best interest of the guinea pig and their future treatment. I think by trying to avoid a x-ray you could be putting the piggy more at risk than by some small risk of developing a tumour
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:agr:
 
X-rays are a very useful diagnostic tool and to suggest that they should be avoided is very bad and dangerous advice.

I am very sorry for your loss. It isn't unusual to try and look for reasons for why something bad happens. However, sometimes sadly bad things do happen and it really wouldn't have been because your guinea pig was x-rayed xx
 
Hdjdjdjd said:
Hello everyone,
One of my guinea pigs ended up breaking her toe, so I took her to the vet to get an x-ray. They confirmed that her toe was broken and that there wasn’t much they could do. A few months later she started eating less and had green snot on her nose. So I took her back to the vet and gave her antibiotics. A month later I come home to find her puffed up, barely breathing and blind. I took her back to the vet, where I then found out she had a massive brain tumor and had to be put down. She was merely 2 years old. This whole event really shocked me and I’ve pondered for years what could have caused the cancer. At first I thought it was something in her food(GMOs or additives etc.), or maybe the water. But I used to give her sister the same food and water, yet she remained perfectly well. That’s when I realized it was the x-ray. I find it no coincidence that she got her foot x-rayed (extremely close to her face) and then got a brain tumor shortly after. I’ve seen many studies linking x-rays to cancer in humans so it only makes sense that it would create catastrophic damage in a guinea pigs body. All that to say, please reconsider x-raying your pet, and really research other treatment options.
Click to expand...

I am very sorry for your loss. It is always difficult to make sense of it, so your mind is casting desperately around to find answers and tend to latch onto something circumstantial.

A one-off x-ray doesn't cause cancer; in 12 years and with literally thousands of piggies passing through this forum, we have never come across a case where this has been the case, not even in those cases where repeated x-rays have been necessary to manage a condition - and they pretty rare.
Any vet will only use x-rays when it is absolutely essential for a correct diagnosis and treatment - which can often be life-saving, like in the case of bladder stone operations.

Tumours are not all that rare in guinea pigs although brain tumours are. You have just been very unlucky. I would rather suspect a genetic link, but that is of course not provable under the circumstances.

It is always hard, especially when you lose a young piggy. I have found the ones I have lost early myself hard to cope with. But there is nothing you or your vets have done wrong; these things just happen! :(
 
So sorry for your loss.

I’ve lost 2 piggies to tumours - neither had been x-rayed.

I suspect that was an unfortunate coincidence.

Losing a beloved piggy is hard so take time to grieve and be gentle with yourself
 
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