Drying edges on ears?

[Wendys piggy]

My piggy, Fudge, has a massive lump in his abdomen and has also another lump on the back of his leg. He's lost a lot of weight in the last couple of months too .. the vets have said there is nothing they can do but I've now noticed that the edges of his ears are drying up .. any suggestions on *** i should do?

 

[Abi_nurse]

Just to ask so I can answer better, What colour is you piggie, or more importantly what colour are his ears? And how old is he? How well is he eating? Pellets are the best way of putting weight on, but it depends on how well you piggies eating?

x.

 

[missy]

Very sorry to hear that Fudge is unwell.

Has your Vet said what they think these lumps are or elaborated on this at all? It may be the case that there's no suitable treatment but if I were you I'd get a second opinion to be absolutely sure (and also it might be that the lumps can't be removed but there could be other things that could help him).

Obviously I have no idea how confident you are in your Vet but, generally speaking, most Vets are not very knowledgeable or experienced with guinea pigs. If you wanted to find a guinea savvy Vet then someone here might be able to recommend one near you. I know of excellent guinea savvy Vets in Tilehurst, Reading and also Ewell, if these are close enough.

Apart from the weight loss and dry ears, does Fudge have any other symptoms or appear to be in any pain? Abi_nurse's questions are very relevant and this extra information would be useful.

I'm not an expert but it might be helpful to put some aloe vera gel on his ears to soothe the dry skin. Perhaps if you post a photo here we can get a better idea of what might be causing this as it could require something specific. Has your Vet seen Fudges ears?

Gorgeous Guineas is a great online shop which sells natural skin products specifically designed for guinea pigs. You could email them for advice as they're very knowledgable on guineas' skin. It might simply just be a straightforward case of dry skin, which is not uncommon in guineas, but it could be that the ear problem is somehow linked to his other problems though, so it'd be best to get an experienced Vet to take a look.

Good luck x

 

[Wendys piggy]

Hiya

Fudge is black with a tan strip across his middle. His ears are black. I took him to the vets when i first noticed the lump on his abdomen and she was immediately concerned and took him to see another vet for a second opinion. They both came to the conclusion that it wasn't good. One side is the lump, the other is full of fluid. He was drinking A LOT but has slowed down the amount he drinks .. he still drinks though. Still interested in food but he's never been a very active piggy .. If I put him out on the ground he looks at me as if to say "what am I supposed to do now?"! He perked up a bit during the week when I was eating a banana and insisted that I give him some.

The nursse saw his dried ears when I took him to have his nails done but she didn't know what to suggest other than a bit of vaseline. The lump on his rear is new.

They don't want to recommend surgery because of the size of the mass .. they did suggest an xray but they said they would have to sedate him for that and the risk of death is high.

He also alternates between loose stools and normal ones ... and sometimes squeaks as though it hurts ... he's certainly not a happy piggy ...

I weighed him yesterday and there is no change, which is good so I'll keep an eye on that ...

I forgot to add, he's just 2, literally last week and he likes P@H pelletts.

Oh, btw, I had him castrated last year with his half brother Ginger (RIP) (the vet recommended it cos Ginger kept mounting him). Unfortunately Ginger died whilst coming around from the anaesthetic. I'm reluctant to have Fudge operated on because of what happened to Ginger .. who was very healthy (as far as I could tell).

Thank you both x

 

[missy]

Thanks for the extra details.

Does your Vet ever perform x-rays without anaesthetic? They're absolutely right in saying that sedation carries risks for guinea pigs but some Vets are experienced in doing xrays on guineas without any anaesthetic. The Ewell Vet I mentioned definitely does conscious xrays (that's where I go) and I'm pretty sure that Tilehurst Vets would too.

I realise that you've had 2 opinions already but if I were you I really would take him to a Vet who comes well recommended for specifically having lots of guinea pig experience and specialist knowledge. The fact that your Vet won't offer a conscious xray makes me wonder if they have as much piggy expertise as some other Vets. As anyone here will tell you, it's a very common problem that Vets are sadly lacking when it comes to guinea pigs as they don't get the same level of training as they would for cats and dogs, because guinea pigs are classed as exotic animals.

Of course, even if you have an xray done, it's still possible that the lumps are inoperable but you'd hopefully have a much better idea of what's going on and there may still be a suitable treatment.

I'm sorry that you lost Ginger - that must've been awful. Wendys piggy, I hate to say it but I think that your Vet sadly gave you bad advice when recommending having them neutered. Unlike with other animals, it's very rare for guinea pigs' behaviour to change as a result of castration. All it does is stop their ability to reproduce. I'm really sorry that you were misinformed about this. It is a common misconception and, like many others, I had no idea until I joined this forum.

Please do consider trying another Vet so you can hopefully get a better idea of what's wrong and therefore stand a much better chance of treating it and managing any symptoms. I hope you realise that I'm just trying to help and am not getting at you. I switched Vet after joining this forum and discovering how incompetent my old Vet was. Sadly for me it was too late for my pig who was poorly at the time, but I'd urge anyone who has doubts about their Vet to find recommendation for another, please x

 

[missy]

Double post - sorry

 

[Abi_nurse]

It is always possible to do a conscious xray on any animal. However not all patients are willing to sit still. I xrayed a dog conscious today and that was hard enough. Many vets will therefore suggest sedation/aneasthetic, because its much easier to work with a still/calm animal, even if its not the best for the animal. With personal experiece, although risky, general aneasthetics in piggies, if monitored closely by an experienced veterinary nurse can be fine and ive had several guinea pig aneasthetics go wonderfully, but unfortunally like cats and dogs it always varies from patient to patient.
Ive xrayed a guinea pig before which we gassed down with aneasthtic for only a matter of minutes, took xrays and it woke straight up. This may be an option, and gassing a piggie down for a matter of minutes (although sounds cruel to say) is a lot safer and has a smoother recovery in the majority of cases.

As for the lumps, without some sort of investigation, most easiest through either an xray or surgery there is no real telling. Maybe ask the vet about a fine needle aspirate biopsy. This is where a small needle is placed into the lump and a tiny sample of cells is taken. The sample can then be sent to the laboratory to see what kind of lump it is, benign or nasty. This may be an option, tho do be warned, tho you probably already know, guinea pigs are not a fan of needles. Bless them. Make sure you ask about the price of this too, lab fees can be quite expensive.

As for the ears, if your guinea was white I would have thought sunburn, but as hes not I really dont know what to suggest. Maybe some sort of moisteriser? Maybe ask your vet for something if theyre really bad. But if hes feeling under the weather in anyway this may just be related to feeling not so good.

I hope this helps a bit?

xx.

 

[missy]

It is always possible to do a conscious xray on any animal. However not all patients are willing to sit still.

That's very true however it's my understanding that most Vets wouldn't even entertain the thought and will routinely anaesthetise piggies without first trying to xray them conscious.

It should usually be possible to sand bag or wrap a pig for the purpose of xraying. I've even seen a guinea pig 'restraining bag' for this purpose, which is effectively a fitted fabric "bag" which fastens with velcro around the neck and across the back, so just the head is sticking out, keeping the body and legs wrapped up and immobilised. (I think Sarah from Chucklebunnies sells something like this)

In an ideal world a piggy wouldn't ever be sedated for an xray but I do appreciate that it's not always possible. All I'm saying is that I personally feel that, if at all possible, it's advisable to seek out a Vet who will only sedate as a very last resort, rather than in most/all cases. These are unfortunately few and far between so I understand that it's just not always possible. If anaesthetic is unavoidable then obviously the smaller the amount the better.

Wendys Piggy, if you could post a closeup pic of Fudge's ear it would perhaps help x

 

[sproggie14]

It doesn't sound to me as though your vets are particularly experienced with guinea pigs. For example, suggesting neutering to cure mounting between two boars - this wouldn't have worked. The loss of your other boy during the procedure might also suggest that the vets is not very experienced. With an experienced vet it should be no more risky to anaethetise a guinea pig than a cat or dog.

I would be very reluctant to just give up on such a young boy (not suggesting you are but your vets seem to be). I would definitely recommend finding a specialist exotic vet and trying to get some investigation done as to what the lumps actually are.