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Found A Lump

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Bev

Bev

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Hi I am new to the forum and also new to looking after guinea pigs, I have just got two 12 week olds and one is being treated for a cold and have now found a lump under its chin am going to call the vets tomorrow but was wondering if anyone has an idea of what's wrong thanks in advance
 
Welcome to the forum.

It could be some kind of cyst but you are right to get it checked by the vet. An abcess is also a possibility
 
helen105281 said:
Welcome to the forum.

It could be some kind of cyst but you are right to get it checked by the vet. An abcess is also a possibility
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Thanks for your reply Am worried as she is already being treated with antibiotics and now this lump only had her a week, fingers crossed nothing serious and won't make the other one sick too. Have no experience with guinea pigs previously so still learning how to keep these girls happy and healthy
 
Hope its nothing really serious. Please, keep us updated with what the vet said.
Sending good vibes too.
 
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I think it may be a cyst or an abscess, my girl had one under her chin, but it magically shrunk by itself without any kind of treatment! The vet took a sample of the stuff inside the lump, and sent it to the lab to get tested. It took 3-ish days for the test results to come (for me). It turned out to be a sterile abscess, and my vet offered me 3 choices to do. Keep testing to see that it wasn't bacterial, get the abscess removed, or monitor it and if it gets bigger, then get surgery and remove it. I think you should just take your piggy to the vet and see what they say about the lump. Here is my thread if you want to check it out. I hope I helped! :)

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/sterile-abscess-advice-needed.119450/
 
Thank you all for your advice will take Elsa to the vets, this is a lovely forum and reassuring for a novice guinea pig owner like myself, do you think I should take my other one as well to make sure she's not affected too, took them both for a health check with Elsa having a cold on Monday and Ana was fine then
 
GuineaPigFan15 said:
I think it may be a cyst or an abscess, my girl had one under her chin, but it magically shrunk by itself without any kind of treatment! The vet took a sample of the stuff inside the lump, and sent it to the lab to get tested. It took 3-ish days for the test results to come (for me). It turned out to be a sterile abscess, and my vet offered me 3 choices to do. Keep testing to see that it wasn't bacterial, get the abscess removed, or monitor it and if it gets bigger, then get surgery and remove it. I think you should just take your piggy to the vet and see what they say about the lump. Here is my thread if you want to check it out. I hope I helped! :)

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/sterile-abscess-advice-needed.119450/
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Thank you your advice & thread was really helpful
 
Hi! Good that you are seeing a vet ofr both the URI and the lump. Sorry for the rough start into your piggy life! Only a vet will be able to properly determine what the lump is and how it is best treated.

PS: Guinea pig "colds" are called URIs (upper respiratory tract infections); they are always bacterial and not viral and do not transfer from or to humans. Knowing what it is called may help you in case you are looking for more information. URIs are pretty common in youngsters that have had to cope with huge changes in their short life; their young age, close proximity to other (usually shop) piggies and the huge immune system lowering stress make them more liable to pick up an opportunistic respiratory infection.
http://www.guinealynx.info/uri.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/lumps.html
 
PS: We also have got a piggy savvy vet locator on the top bar for our UK members.
 
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Well don't I feel silly the lump is nothing to worry about and something to do with the teeth roots, just more noticeable in the young apparently but in the plus side he said we were doing all the right things and have a lovely temperament when handled
 
I'm really glad to read this! And don't feel silly! In this cases is better to go for nothing than don't go at all!
 
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Don't feel silly; it is always better to be safe than sorry and a real lump in that area could have been potentially very bad news.

You are a caring, very observant owner. Believe me, any vet would rather deal with new owners like you than people who wait until it is too late!

The same goes for the forum. We are much happier if we get asked too many little questions than having to deal with a major emergency or the fall-out from a preventable bad accident. We have all had to start somewhere, and some of the lessons along the way have sadly been learned the hard way.
 
Thank you all, very kind words and appreciated, hopefully Elsa will be fully recover from her URI soon and no more worrying
 
Hey! I'm glad to hear the lump was fine! :) Just thought i'd pitch in as one of my girls has not long recovered from a URI, tjos can be contagious so it's best to seperate them. Your other piggy is probably fine if she has no symptom but keep a close eye on her nose and weight for now. Also, my vet had warned me dogs and guinea pigs can share this. Don't know if this is relevant but my vet had recommended me to keep the dog away too. Hope she feels better soon. Oh and if you can get vitamin C supplements for them. That did wonders for Biscuit when she wasn't recovering.
 
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SkyexXx said:
Hey! I'm glad to hear the lump was fine! :) Just thought i'd pitch in as one of my girls has not long recovered from a URI, tjos can be contagious so it's best to seperate them. Your other piggy is probably fine if she has no symptom but keep a close eye on her nose and weight for now. Also, my vet had warned me dogs and guinea pigs can share this. Don't know if this is relevant but my vet had recommended me to keep the dog away too. Hope she feels better soon. Oh and if you can get vitamin C supplements for them. That did wonders for Biscuit when she wasn't recovering.
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Thank you for the advice, unfortunately I can't seperate them but am keeping a close eye on Ana to make sure she stays healthy, I will try and get some vitamin C supplement, does this go in the water? Will it be ok for both? Elsa's nose is a lot better after medication but still needs to fully clear up and she has a huge appetite so have just made sure she has plenty of vit C enriched fresh veg, luckily my dog has been kept away as I want to make sure I minimise stress with them just moving to a new home and Elsa being poorly but great to know as wasnt aware that they can pass germs on to each other. Glad Biscuit is well now
 
Your welcome! :) and Thank you! She's bag to her old self again! Hogging the bowl and wheeking madly! lol and neither did i, and it's just sods law that it would only be dogs when i have a dog. And Biscuit loves him so it was hard to seperate them but they've all got the all clear of the vet now so they can play away! :) and i wouldn't be too worried i don't think it's highly contagious. Passes through sneezes mostly. So if they're faces are together just shuffle them along and keep an eye on the other one. And you can get tablets but it's easier to get the water soluble ones. It will be fine for your other guinea pig. As far as i'm aware any extra vit C gets wee'd out. But so long as you follow the guidelines you can use it everyday. :) How is little piggy today?
 
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SkyexXx said:
Your welcome! :) and Thank you! She's bag to her old self again! Hogging the bowl and wheeking madly! lol and neither did i, and it's just sods law that it would only be dogs when i have a dog. And Biscuit loves him so it was hard to seperate them but they've all got the all clear of the vet now so they can play away! :) and i wouldn't be too worried i don't think it's highly contagious. Passes through sneezes mostly. So if they're faces are together just shuffle them along and keep an eye on the other one. And you can get tablets but it's easier to get the water soluble ones. It will be fine for your other guinea pig. As far as i'm aware any extra vit C gets wee'd out. But so long as you follow the guidelines you can use it everyday. :) How is little piggy today?
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Elsa is still as greedy as ever and her nose seems to be getting a bit better each day so definitely on the road to recovery, it's very cute that your dog and piggy are friends am still a little nervous of introducing ours properly at the moment but will once I have got a proper run for the girls and they 100% settled and well. Ana still a little shy but getting a bit more confident each day
 
Well an appetite is a good sign! :) Elsa sounds alot like Biscuit! lol she's got a mad appetite too! and it is! They have wee conversations together and she calls him over too. Although i'm still wary, i'm always holding the piggies when he see's them. He's a good dog but gets too excited! lol and he's scared of Twix. She doesn't like him. Grumpy pig!
 
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