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Geuina pig

L

lex234

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Nov 30, 2025
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Location
Virginia
hello i’m kind of coming here because i have nobody else to get advice from. I got this male geuina pig he’s about 3 yrs old, in July of last year, everything was fine until September I noticed a lump on his side, well further looking he was inflicting wounds on himself and was bleeding. It was about the size of a penny, soon as I saw that i took him to the vet. They told me they wasn’t sure what it was, but it’s clear he’s in pain.They prescribed him pain medicine, and antibiotics and told me to monitor. Well, not long after it grew, he lost hair around it. And now, it takes up his whole side, his whole side is covered in scabs that he often reopens and causes him to bleed. Even with the medicine, it progressed. He was still eating, drinking, and active. This year I decided to take him back to the vet since the way it had gotten I wasn’t sure if euthanasia was the best option. They told me it’s not “terminal” but it is painful. Again, prescribed me the same medicine and told me to monitor. That was this September. Now i’ve noticed his eye is getting infected. Honestly, it’s getting to the point it’s hard to see him the way he is. He can’t be touched on that side without squealing in pain, he can’t be comfortable without medicine to help. Yes, he is still eating, drinking, etc. And yes this is not “terminal”. But I’m still so torn. I’ve heard a lot you don’t euthanize an animal unless they are not eating, or acting themselves. And no, my geuina pig may not be at that point but he will not improve, or recover from this. This may not ever necessarily kill him, but that dosent mean he won’t live his life in pain. And it just dosent feel fair to make him live that way. Rationally I know he won’t get better and it’s best to prevent him from suffering, but my heart is telling me, “what if it’s not right?” “what if it’s not his time?” I guess I just need help on what to do. Thanks
 
I’m sorry to hear this, it sounds very difficult.

You say he was given pain meds and antibiotics and that he is doing this to himself.
Is he by himself or does he have a friend?

Did the vet try to drain the lump at all ie to see whether any pus came out?
Are you able to get to a different vet for a second opinion on this?
What did the vet say about his eye? How has it got infected?
What pain meds is he on and at what dosage?

Has you been weighing him daily to monitor hay intake (you can’t gauge hay intake by eye).

Euthanising an animal does not come down just to when they stop eating as some never do stop eating.
It’s about quality of life and the prognosis.
If he is in unmanageable amounts of pain even with twice a day strong dose painkillers, and nothing is helping with no probability that he will recover and is in fact getting worse then that is the reason to make the decision for euthanasia.

I have added a guide below which can help further with when to make the decision.

A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. I’m so sorry your piggy is unwell.

What dose of pain medication is he on. Maybe he’s still biting at it because it hurts and if your vet gave a higher dose it might calm him down. I’ve also read on here that some people put a dressing over wounds to stop the piggy biting it. I think they make them from old socks?

Is he still on antibiotics? Maybe a different one or longer course might help.

Is there a cream your vet could prescribe to help soothe the area?

Have they swabbed the area and sent it away to be cultured? This way a specific antibiotic could be used.

Hopefully your vet can get to the bottom of this issue.

I’m sending you hugs and healing vibes to your piggy. ❤️
 
Welcome to the forum.
So sorry that you are having such a difficult time.
I can’t add to what has already been said but I am holding you in my thoughts
 
Hello, thank you so much for your reply!
yes he was given pain medicine it’s metacam in pretty sure, twice a day. aswell as an antibiotic prescribed sulfameth twice a day. Even with that, it still progressed. Yes he is doing this himself, and no he is not housed with any other piggies. And no the vet said they are not able to drain it it needs surgery. But the thing is, when i took him september of last year he had a lump on his side, this year there’s no more lump it’s just wounds he’s creating. They checked for mites, etc. They said it also didn’t seem to be infected, it just seemed to be bothering him. They suspected cancer because even with him digging at it, it never “opened up” and no puss ever came out, it only bled. And even with medication there was no improvement. But they said they wouldn’t be sure without a biopsy, which again surgrey. And there is not a lot of exotic vets in my area i had to travel 45 minutes away for this one. and also i have not yet took him to the vet for his eye i have been cleaning with warm water and saline. No i haven’t been weighing him, but he was weighted at his first and second vet appt and he had lost quite a bit of weight. I hope this answered all your questions, again thank you so much for responding it means a lot!
 
lex234 said:
hello i’m kind of coming here because i have nobody else to get advice from. I got this male geuina pig he’s about 3 yrs old, in July of last year, everything was fine until September I noticed a lump on his side, well further looking he was inflicting wounds on himself and was bleeding. It was about the size of a penny, soon as I saw that i took him to the vet. They told me they wasn’t sure what it was, but it’s clear he’s in pain.They prescribed him pain medicine, and antibiotics and told me to monitor. Well, not long after it grew, he lost hair around it. And now, it takes up his whole side, his whole side is covered in scabs that he often reopens and causes him to bleed. Even with the medicine, it progressed. He was still eating, drinking, and active. This year I decided to take him back to the vet since the way it had gotten I wasn’t sure if euthanasia was the best option. They told me it’s not “terminal” but it is painful. Again, prescribed me the same medicine and told me to monitor. That was this September. Now i’ve noticed his eye is getting infected. Honestly, it’s getting to the point it’s hard to see him the way he is. He can’t be touched on that side without squealing in pain, he can’t be comfortable without medicine to help. Yes, he is still eating, drinking, etc. And yes this is not “terminal”. But I’m still so torn. I’ve heard a lot you don’t euthanize an animal unless they are not eating, or acting themselves. And no, my geuina pig may not be at that point but he will not improve, or recover from this. This may not ever necessarily kill him, but that dosent mean he won’t live his life in pain. And it just dosent feel fair to make him live that way. Rationally I know he won’t get better and it’s best to prevent him from suffering, but my heart is telling me, “what if it’s not right?” “what if it’s not his time?” I guess I just need help on what to do. Thanks
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And i also want to mention the first time he was took to the vet they told me they suspected a cyst of some time, they told me with time they were worried if he kept digging at it that it would open up and puss would come out. But, it never did. So when I took him back they told me they suspected it to be cancer, since it’s only bleeding, and it’s now invading other healthy tissue. It went from around his rib, to his whole upper back. I also want to mention even with medicine i will hear and see my pig dig at himself to the point he squeaks and jumps in pain, also when washing his bedding often times i see blood spots from his wounds. I just want to be 100% clear on what’s going on. Thanks again for everybody’s replies and kind words!
 
I’m glad he has for pain meds. It just depends whether the dose of Metacam he has been given is high enough.
There are other types of stronger pain meds which can be used so that may be something to discuss with the vet.

Just as general advice, piggies should be weighed every week as part of routine care. It is the only way to monitor hay intake. You then switch to daily weight checks when they are unwell as you need to step in with syringe feeding a recovery feed to stop the weight loss.

Eye issues are considered urgent and should be checked by a vet within 24 hours of the issue starting. In this case and with his other issues, it at may well be linked but only a vet can determine that.

The issue with a biopsy is that even with it, if it does turn out to be cancer then there is nothing that can be done. If the vet does think it’s cancer then it comes down to quality of life and to be guided by your vet - from what you have said this sounds to be particularly severe, large amounts of weight loss means he isn’t eating properly, no chance of improvement, painful and distressing for your piggy so the presence of those issues are your guide to among the decision.

It’s hard but letting a piggy go when you are certainly there is no way to resolve the issues, is the kindest thing.
 
Piggies&buns said:
I’m glad he has for pain meds. It just depends whether the dose of Metacam he has been given is high enough.
There are other types of stronger pain meds which can be used so that may be something to discuss with the vet.

Just as general advice, piggies should be weighed every week as part of routine care. It is the only way to monitor hay intake. You then switch to daily weight checks when they are unwell as you need to step in with syringe feeding a recovery feed to stop the weight loss.

Eye issues are considered urgent and should be checked by a vet within 24 hours of the issue starting. In this case and with his other issues, it at may well be linked but only a vet can determine that.

The issue with a biopsy is that even with it, if it does turn out to be cancer then there is nothing that can be done. If the vet does think it’s cancer then it comes down to quality of life and to be guided by your vet - from what you have said this sounds to be particularly severe, large amounts of weight loss means he isn’t eating properly, no chance of improvement, painful and distressing for your piggy so the presence of those issues are your guide to among the decision.

It’s hard but letting a piggy go when you are certainly there is no way to resolve the issues, is the kindest thing.
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Thank you so much for your kind words, your advice really has been so helpful, Yes been on different dosages,I can tell the pain medicine makes him more comfortable but not comfortable enough he’s not messing at his wounds. Yes letting a pig go is so unbelievably hard, I got my pig the summer after my father passed away so i really grew an attachment to him. But, as you said when there’s no resolving the issue letting go is the most humane option. I’m just not sure where to go from here. The last vet appointment i brought up euthanasia and the vet told me it’s “not terminal”, and that he looks to be very “vocal and energetic still”. It kind of gives me mixed emotions. Do you think i should call and speak to the vet? Thanks again.
 
I find it interesting that the vet says it’s not terminal but suspects it’s cancer which ultimately is terminal. If he has cancer then it’s palliative care with pain meds and then deciding when he no longer has quality of life (that might be now, it might be a month or two but that is a decision only you can make as you know him best and only you know when he has given up the fight ) and you then have to let him go. We always say that letting them go a day too early (and they spend their last day having a wonderful treat-filled day) is better than it being a day too late (and they spend their last day in pain and unhappy).

Otherwise If it isn’t cancer it really depends on whether you can get him comfortable with sufficient pain meds - perhaps with something stronger than Metacam - to give him more time. Also whether you can stabilise his weight.

Weight loss means he is in fact not eating enough. Not eating can be because of being in pain (thus linking back to the question of pain meds), cancer can also cause weight loss.
This is where you need to step in with daily weight checks and plenty of syringe feeding.
The question then becomes - if this is not a resolvable issue - whether keeping him going on pain meds and syringe feeding is fair and how long it is fair for (hence the quality of life discussion).
The skin issue itself may not be life threatening (except if the lump is cancer) but it must be uncomfortable and if he doesn’t eat enough, continues to lose weight then his body will eventually shut down anyway.

I do think an open discussion with your vet to get their diagnosis and prognosis is the best thing right now.
In the meantime you need to weigh him daily and step in with syringe feeding to at least try to stabilise him for now.
 
You say he no longer has the lump, just the wounds, is that correct?

Do you have any pictures?
 
Wheekallweek said:
You say he no longer has the lump, just the wounds, is that correct?

Do you have any pictures?
Click to expand...
I don’t have any pictures very close but i have pictures of last september vs this september. And yes, no lump. The vet even said there didnt feel like a lump there anymore. But I remember there was before, because the only reason i noticed it was because when he stretched out I could see one side poking out more, and then not long after i looked closer at it and saw a lump with two tiny wounds on it. But I don’t have a picture of the “lump” itself, this is all i have sorry!
 

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Hmmm, unusual! We had a pig in the rescue a few years ago who had a lump in a similar place, albeit there were no wounds and it didn't bother him.
We also had a sow with a small lump similar to this but nowhere near as severe.
Unfortunately they were both cancerous, but they live happy lives until their time to cross the Rainbow Bridge came.

I agree that stronger pain relief may help, it may stop him from bothering it. We've had success with gabapentin and tramadol but this would need to be discussed with your vet.
 
What about trying to cover it. Vets have a sticky bandage type material they use.

Like this:
IMG_3045.webp
 
It definitely looks nasty.
How much Metacam does he get at each dose?
Is it cat version (0.5 mg/ml) or dog version (1.5 mg/ml). Dog is three times stronger and can certainly be better for piggies on some situations eg a dose at the lower end of cat version can often not do much for pain management in guinea pigs). There are stronger pain meds.
Generally speaking, if pain in a wound is managed well, they often leave them alone to heal.
 
Piggies&buns said:
It definitely looks nasty.
How much Metacam does he get at each dose?
Is it cat version (0.5 mg/ml) or dog version (1.5 mg/ml). Dog is three times stronger and can certainly be better for piggies on some situations eg a dose at the lower end of cat version can often not do much for pain management in guinea pigs). There are stronger pain meds.
Generally speaking, if pain in a wound is managed well, they often leave them alone to heal.
Click to expand...
He gets dog version.
 
Wheekallweek said:
Hmmm, unusual! We had a pig in the rescue a few years ago who had a lump in a similar place, albeit there were no wounds and it didn't bother him.
We also had a sow with a small lump similar to this but nowhere near as severe.
Unfortunately they were both cancerous, but they live happy lives until their time to cross the Rainbow Bridge came.

I agree that stronger pain relief may help, it may stop him from bothering it. We've had success with gabapentin and tramadol but this would need to be discussed with your vet.
Click to expand...
Thanks
 
Hello guys just want to update that i’ve talked to the vet, they said they understand and that not only can i not help him, nobody can. This isn’t something that medically can be fixed. So at that point quality of life is important, she expressed geuina pigs are prey animals and will act “fine” until they absolutely cannot. She said planning for something like this instead of waiting until he stops eating, and being active is for the best. Thank you all for your advice, but seeing my pig suffer for over a year now is the line i draw. Thank you all for your kind words and advice, it really means so much.
 
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