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guinea pig lump? help?

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piggii

Hi. I adopted my albino guinea pig almost a year ago, I was told he was under two years old at the time. He had a little bump on his back, since it has grown. I took him to the vet a few months ago, she said it could be a cyst but wouldn't know unless she did a test, but "don't worry if he's acting normal, and come back if it gets bigger".. Since it's grown to be twice the size. I feel very bad for him because of the bump, I would think it would be uncomfortable, it's about a 2inch circle? When you touch it it feels kind of hard, a little squishy, no liquid or anything (I've been trying to research this online..) when I touch it he doesn't act like I am touching it, he's as active and hungry as ever, always wants food, responds to noises, etc... I'm planning on bringing him back, but she said it would be $125 just to test if it was anything, and $500 or something to actually remove it? can this be? So I'm hesitant to do this since if it is bad I can't really afford this if it needs to be done, but I want what's best for the pig... so should I be worrying? thanks for reading!
 
hello piggii,

my guinea pig muffin had a lump behind his ear and it turned out be an abcess. can you find a cheaper vet to take your piggie to? my vets are quite expensive but if you are ever struggling for money they can usually set up a payment plan so that you don't have to pay it all in one go. maybe you could see if your vets is willing to do the same.

i hope this helps

Cat :)
 
Sounds pricey. If it is not affecting your pig's behaviour, weight, appetite or movement then I would hesitate to take it any further at the moment. Or at least get a second opinion (and price) before going ahead.

Lots of pigs live with harmless fatty lumps; other lumps are more 'sinister' and need to be removed - hopefully yours is harmless!

Sophie
x
 
Hi Piggii, welcome to the forum :)

My Xander had a lump on his belly which sounds similar to your pig's although it was nowhere near as big and my vet advised me to leave it be unless it significantly grows or if his behaviour changes as like your pig, he was acting normally, shiny coat, eating well etc. Apparently malignancies in guineas are supposed to be pretty rare. Does it feel like it's moving around under the skin? If it is, there is a chance it could be a sebaceous cyst, but I don't know if they can get to as large as a 2 inch diameter... hopefully someone with more medical know-how will come along and help soon. Fingers crossed it's a harmless "just one of those things" type lumps :)

Good luck.
 
Lumps can vary from abscesses to cysts and fatty lumps. Tumours are not especially common when compared to the incidence of other lumps, and it is rare for a tumour to be "suspicious".

Has the vet tried drawing any fluid/cells from the lump? An analysis of cells or of any pus/fluid contained in the lump may help determine what it is, and what your treatments options are. No anesethetic should be needed for such a procedure - just a skilled hand to hold the pig still!
 
A cyst is very easily removed, only a surface anaesthetic is needed. A straightforward removal is all that is needed, no need to test for anything, that would be a waste of time and money.
 
Hi everyone, thanks so much for the responses!

boureki- no it doesn't feel it would move at all, it's pretty solid... also, his coat is fine except his hair falls out easily. though it has never not fallen out easily. does being albino have anything to do with that? or maybe he just wasn't handled enough? It was a "my kids got sick of it" story

CC4- no the vet didn't test it, I guess that will be the next step..but I'm going to take him to another vet, a friend has recommended one hopefully she will be able to help
 
piggii said:
Hi everyone, thanks so much for the responses!

boureki- no it doesn't feel it would move at all, it's pretty solid... also, his coat is fine except his hair falls out easily. though it has never not fallen out easily. does being albino have anything to do with that? or maybe he just wasn't handled enough? It was a "my kids got sick of it" story

CC4- no the vet didn't test it, I guess that will be the next step..but I'm going to take him to another vet, a friend has recommended one hopefully she will be able to help
Click to expand...

I have 3 all white piggies, & another who is mainly white. All lose their hair as much/little as my other piggies but i think it could be because they are white their hair is more noticeable on clothing :)
 
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