Hard area on older female

[PipandOreo]

Hi, I was health checking my 6 year old female Pip about an hour ago and noticed that her bits were a bit swollen and noticed that the top of her bits was quite hard and looks like it had lost some hair (not sure if it just looks like she’s lost hair because her bits are a bit swollen). She‘s never liked being stroked at all (especially her tummy and can rumble if you do touch it) but when I feel around her tummy she rumbles a lot more so that makes me thinks she’s in some pain. She’s otherwise acting completely normal, up at the bars wanting snacks all the time! She’s eating and drinking normal and she doesn’t squeal or rumble when I pick her up. Her bits also look a little dirty which could just be because she’s older and doesn’t clean herself as well.

I wasn’t sure if what she has is a bladder stone or a stone in her urethra as she has a hard area about her genitals but she hasn’t passed any calcium or squealed when she’s been weeing. She isn’t hunched over when weeing either and she’s pooing normal. She has filtered water and no veg that is high in calcium but I know that there still is a chance she can get stones.

I’m quite worried about going to the vets because the last time we went we had to out Oreo to sleep and it was a bit of a shock, but I will probably phone the vets on Monday if any symptoms persist and can book an emergency appointment anytime.

Thanks you in advance for any advice and knowledge on this, worried piggie owner here! x

(I’ll post some pictures but please excuse her dirty fur, she’s 6 years old and a Peruvian and due a bit of a clean!)

 

[Siikibam]

It is a good idea to get her checked out. Are the pictures you posted showing the hard part? Or is it the grease gland that’s hairless and hard? All the best and let us know how you get on. You can also give her a bum bath if she’s grubby.

 

[PipandOreo]

It is a good idea to get her checked out. Are the pictures you posted showing the hard part? Or is it the grease gland that’s hairless and hard? All the best and let us know how you get on. You can also give her a bum bath if she’s grubby.

The pictures were to show where the hairless part was which is where its quite hard. She also looks a bit swollen compared to how she normally looks.
Yes, shes due her bum bath as she bit dirty!

 

[VickiA]

I would definitely get her seen by a vet. If she’s missing hair then she has probably been nibbling at the area indicating that it’s causing her some irritation/discomfort.

 

[Merab]

Poor girl.
I agree that a vet check is in order.
Let us know how you get on.
Hopefully it will turn out to be nothing to worry about.

 

[Swissgreys]

Just wanted to add that she is a beautiful girl, and she looks in great condition for her age.
A vet check would be a good idea, but hopefully it won't turn out to be anything serious.

 

[PipandOreo]

I would definitely get her seen by a vet. If she’s missing hair then she has probably been nibbling at the area indicating that it’s causing her some irritation/discomfort.

Poor girl.
I agree that a vet check is in order.
Let us know how you get on.
Hopefully it will turn out to be nothing to worry about.

I’m going to phone up tomorrow to get an appointment, fingers crossed we can get an appointment for early next week

 

[PipandOreo]

Just wanted to add that she is a beautiful girl, and she looks in great condition for her age.
A vet check would be a good idea, but hopefully it won't turn out to be anything serious.

Thank you, she’s a very spoilt and loved piggie! I’m going to phone the vets tomorrow to hopefully get an appointment for next week.

 

[Wiebke]

The pictures were to show where the hairless part was which is where its quite hard. She also looks a bit swollen compared to how she normally looks.
Yes, shes due her bum bath as she bit dirty!

Hi!

If in any doubt, please have her vet checked on Monday for a potential urethral stone. this is the area where they typically fetch up in sows; just before the exit.

 

[Merab]

Hope you do get an appointment for tomorrow.
Holding you in my thoughts.

 

[PipandOreo]

Just got back from Pips appointment which ended up being an emergency appointment. The vet had a feel around and found a lump in her tummy, she thinks it is either an ovarian cyst or a stone. They prescribed Loxicom and Co-trimoxazole, I forgot to ask about whether I should give her a probiotic or not. We’re going to go back for another appointment in about 10 days to speak to a higher up exotic vet. They mentioned an x-ray to determine what it is but I’m unsure as she’s almost 6 years old and don’t really want to put her under general anaesthetic. At the moment she’s on pain medication so hopefully that‘ll be enough for her for now. She seems well in herself and is currently munching on her hay!
Should I give her some probiotics as well? Thanks in advance x

 

[Siikibam]

You can give probiotic 1-2 hours before or after the antibiotic. Can you get the X-ray done any sooner than 10 days?

 

[PipandOreo]

You can give probiotic 1-2 hours before or after the antibiotic. Can you get the X-ray done any sooner than 10 days?

Okay, thank you. The earliest I can get one would be in a week because we want to see how she does on the medication before doing an X-ray. I’m trying my best to do what’s best for her but it’s all a bit stressful!

 

[Merab]

Caring for a sick piggy can be very stressful and you sound a very caring owner.
I tend to agree with @Siikibam than an earlier x-ray could be helpful, but I perfectly understand your concern about her age.
Whatever decision you make will be the right one for you.
Holding you in my thoughts.

 

[Siikibam]

I’m not sure that antibiotic can help with ovarian cysts or stones. Book the X-ray in and maybe get them to put you on a waiting list for cancellations. I hope you get to the bottom of it soon.

 

[PipandOreo]

Caring for a sick piggy can be very stressful and you sound a very caring owner.
I tend to agree with @Siikibam than an earlier x-ray could be helpful, but I perfectly understand your concern about her age.
Whatever decision you make will be the right one for you.
Holding you in my thoughts.

Thank you x

 

[PipandOreo]

I’m not sure that antibiotic can help with ovarian cysts or stones. Book the X-ray in and maybe get them to put you on a waiting list for cancellations. I hope you get to the bottom of it soon.

We had asked to see an guinea pig savvy exotic vet but I’m not sure if the vet we saw was actually an exotic vet. She wasn’t overly confident on what was happening to Pip and just said to book another appointment with the guinea pig savvy vet. She said to do that after about a week once the course of medication had ended. Maybe she thought Pip had a UTI however she didn’t mention that to me?

I‘m a bit stuck on what to do as I don’t have the money for multiple emergency appointments (which are double a normal consultation) when she needs the medication and a potential x-ray. I’m concerned that if I ask to see them sooner they’ll charge me for an emergency appointment rather than a normal consultation, but when I ring up I’ll ask them about that.
Thanks, I’m hoping it’s sorted soon too!

 

[Siikibam]

Its a normal appointment rather than an merging so they shouldn’t be charging you double. Is your vet on the recommended list?

 

[PipandOreo]

Its a normal appointment rather than an merging so they shouldn’t be charging you double. Is your vet on the recommended list?

They tried to charge us £195 for a consultation yesterday. We never normally have problems with them and they’ve been great with the pigs since we got them 6 years ago but I wasn’t overly happy yesterday. Yes they are, it’s called Holly House vets in Leeds

 

[Claire W]

I would personally have the xray sooner. If she has a stone, it could get stuck in the urethra which would be a medical emergency. Sadly, if she has a stone, it needs to be surgically removed

 

[Merab]

Depending on how close you are to the border with the East Riding, I was very impressed with Battle Flatts vets at Stamford Bridge.
Their exotic vet really filled me with confidence and the fee wasn’t extortionate.

 

[PipandOreo]

Here’s an update with Pip:
We went for a follow up appointment with a different exotics vet (at the same vets) who had a feel around and could palpate ovarian cysts in both sides but felt a 3cm mass on Pips right. She is confident Pip doesn’t have a bladder stone and believes the hard area above Pips bits is a mammary tumour. She believes that Pips rumbling could be a bit of pain as well as being hormonal, so I asked for some Metacam incase she’s in pain. We are going to have an ultrasound done on Pip to confirm if it’s ovarian cysts.

We’ve been given a few options if it is ovarian cysts which are spaying, hormonal injections or drainage.
Does anyone have experience with an elderly pig having ovarian cysts and a spay. I’m a bit unsure about whether I want to put her through a spay at 6 years old and would be worried she wouldn’t make it through. I was thinking about drainage but recurrence is likely and theres a risk of rupture. I just want to do what’s best for her and for her to be back to normal!

 

[Swissgreys]

Thanks for updating and sorry it wasn't better news.

I do know of people who have successfully had older sows spayed, although it is a big op.
But with an experienced vet it can certainly be done.
I also know of a couple of people who have tried the injections, which could be a good place to start?

I am not an expert, so hopefully someone with more experience will be along soon.
I will also try and find some old posts on the topic.

 

[Swissgreys]

These might offer some help and ideas of members who have had older piggies spayed:

Ovarian Cyst and Spaying

Ovarian cysts - what to do?

 

[PipandOreo]

Thanks for updating and sorry it wasn't better news.

I do know of people who have successfully had older sows spayed, although it is a big op.
But with an experienced vet it can certainly be done.
I also know of a couple of people who have tried the injections, which could be a good place to start?

I am not an expert, so hopefully someone with more experience will be along soon.
I will also try and find some old posts on the topic.

These might offer some help and ideas of members who have had older piggies spayed:

Ovarian Cyst and Spaying

Ovarian cysts - what to do?

Thanks, my vet has said she would be happy to do the operation and has spayed older females before but obviously there are risks to doing it. Do you know how the people who tried the hormone injections got on, my vet wasn’t keen on doing the injections and rarely recommends it as she said they are quite painful and weren’t overly effective however she wanted to give me all the options so I can decide.

Thanks for tagging the old posts I’ll have a read of them now.

 

[Merab]

I’ve had piggies spayed but not as old as 6.
They all came through very well.
Any op is a risk and all you can do is weigh up the options in discussion with your vet, then decide what you feel is right.

@GPTV has had piggies who had the hormone injections.

Holding you in my heart

 

[GPTV]

Here's a quote from one of my previous posts about Ellie my 6+ year old piggy who had HCG injections.
Click on the expand wording to read the whole quote.

Hiya sorry I've not been on here much lately, I've not had the chance to read through the rest of the thread yet.

But yes Ellie had the HCG Chorulon injections.
2 injections 7-10 days apart both given in her rump (she shrieked a bit with both, but forgot seconds afterwards with scoffing veggie bribes in her face!)
Ellie was 6yrs old, had persistent genital bleeding & ongoing uti's. She had a conscious ultrasound scan & a walnut sized ovarian cyst was discovered.

The vet wasn't happy to operate on/spay Ellie due to her age with related anaesthetic risks, they're not exotic vets & that they didn't have many gpigs though the doors.

She suggested palliative care was the way to go...

My suggestion of the hormone treatment after others had mentioned it on here was bit of a research bonus for the vet I think.

The vet contacted the hormone manufacturer for advice & dosage info.

Its normally used as a cattle hormone so usually provided in a large vial dose & the vet only used a fraction of the vial. The rest had to be discarded, although I had to pay for the complete vial.

Not sure how much your vet would charge.... But I see that you can get the vials from
Chorulon 1500IU Powder & Solvent (5 x 5ml) From £48.20
For £57 with free P&P, you will need a veterinary prescription to purchase this, so you'll need to factor in the vets charge the prescription.

I use Viovet for a lot of products, but it's currently out of stock & a lot more expensive from them.
It might be worth asking the vet if this is the correct treatment & to get it delivered to them if it's cheaper than buying directly from the vet?

Ellie's coat became really glossy, smooth and silky within days, she seemed more relaxed generally & within a few weeks her cyst had reduced in size so much you could hardly find it.
Ellie had one more bad bleed after the injection, then never again

The treatment lasted approx. 12 months and then she had a repeat of the first treatment, this also lasted about 12 months.
I lost Ellie aged 8yrs to other health issues.

The injections worked brilliantly for Ellie, but sometimes they don't seem to make any difference - it depends on the individual piggy & the cyst.
There seems to be very little information to be found on side effects of using the hormone. It either seems to work or it doesn't generally.

Good luck with the decision on pretty Patsy & hopefully she'll soon feel better, whatever treatment you decide to have.

I'm not sure how relevant or accurate this is - but my vet said they would only do a cyst drain with an anaesthetised sow, my vet at the time wasn't used to operating on guineas & wasn't an exotics vet. That's why I opted for the injections.

Hope this helps?
Xx

 

[PipandOreo]

I’ve had piggies spayed but not as old as 6.
They all came through very well.
Any op is a risk and all you can do is weigh up the options in discussion with your vet, then decide what you feel is right.

@GPTV has had piggies who had the hormone injections.

Holding you in my heart

I think I’m going to phone the vets tomorrow for some more advice and to help me way up my options as to what’s best for her. Thank You x

 

[PipandOreo]

Here's a quote from one of my previous posts about Ellie my 6+ year old piggy who had HCG injections.
Click on the expand wording to read the whole quote.

I'm not sure how relevant or accurate this is - but my vet said they would only do a cyst drain with an anaesthetised sow, my vet at the time wasn't used to operating on guineas & wasn't an exotics vet. That's why I opted for the injections.

Hope this helps?
Xx

Thank you for sending this x

 

[PipandOreo]

Another update:
Over the past day Pips hair has started to feel thinner and I’ve discovered a few bald patches mainly on her sides but also under her chin (these have just appeared within the last day or two). I’ve also unfortunately found a small lump (photo attached)) towards her back end which I fear is something bad. I have had a rummage through her hair to see if I can see anymore lumps but stopped for the moment because she was getting stressed out as she’s still doesn‘t like/rumbles when I touch her.

I’m going to phone the vets tomorrow morning to hopefully chat to the vet about what I’ve found and what to do. I fear that we‘re reaching a point where things really aren’t looking good, which breaks me, I only lost Oreo 3 months ago.