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Internal Abscess, Vets Bills, Moral Dilemmas

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Luggage16

Junior Guinea Pig
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hi,
I have a piggy with an internal abscess though the vet isn't certain why. They have ultrasounded and aspirated and its def an infection. They have said to bring her back tomorrow for surgery.

Today's appointment cost £117. Tomorrow's surgery will be at least £300

We can find the money though it will be painful but I don't want to pay this if her chances of survival are low. At only 1 year old I feel if she is likely to bounce back well from it then it is probably fairest to try. Has anyone had a guineapig with similar?

Why are vets so so expensive? I hate being put in a position where I have to chose between paying a truck load of money or tremendous guilt :(

Any thoughts and opinions very greatfully received
 
Luggage16 said:
hi,
I have a piggy with an internal abscess though the vet isn't certain why. They have ultrasounded and aspirated and its def an infection. They have said to bring her back tomorrow for surgery.

Today's appointment cost £117. Tomorrow's surgery will be at least £300

We can find the money though it will be painful but I don't want to pay this if her chances of survival are low. At only 1 year old I feel if she is likely to bounce back well from it then it is probably fairest to try. Has anyone had a guineapig with similar?

Why are vets so so expensive? I hate being put in a position where I have to chose between paying a truck load of money or tremendous guilt :(

Any thoughts and opinions very greatfully received
Click to expand...

Hi! I am very sorry; treatment cost can mount up very quickly with a serious illness.

You are fully within your rights to discuss the success chances of an expensive operation before you commit.

I certainly do it, and I won't throw a lot of money at an operation whose success chances are below 50% without feeling like I am failing my piggy by not putting it through the mill with a major operation without very good reason.

I have risked emergency operations (some of which have come off, some of which haven't) and I have also decided several times not to operate. I can assure you that neither way is easier and that as long as you are putting your piggy's interests - and that includes quality of life - at the centre of your decision, you are not failing it. Sometimes a shorter life without an operation can be a better option than a risky operation. There is no right or wrong.

In the end, you have to choose what feels right in your guts. Any major operation is always a jump over the cliff. Any decision to not operate is a heart-breaking cutting short a lifeline.

HUGS
 
Poor you - it is such a difficult dilemma and there really are no right or wrong answers.
Everyone has to do what they feel is best for them and their piggy at the time.

What i would say is that if your girl is young and healthy and your vets are experienced with guinea pigs, then she has a good chance of making it through the operation and going on to lead a long and happy life.
Has the vet discussed her aftercare with you?
Depending on how long she stays at the vet she will require regular care at home while she recovers.
Are you in a position to do that?

No one else can tell you how much you should or shouldn't spend on your piggy.
That is a decision only you (and other family members) can make.

I am in a similar situation myself at the moment, with a very ill pig who is racking up some very hefty vets bills.
Tonight the vet said she feels we are at a pint where I should come up with a realistic maximum figure that we can afford and are willing to pay.
That feels tough to me - to put a price on a life - but at the end of the day we have a family and still need to be able to pay the bills at the end of the month.
So my advice would be to discuss this with other adult family members (if there are any) and decide on a figure that is realistic and affordable and take it from there.

Good luck with whatever you decide, and if you do go through with the op I would recommend starting a recovery thread on here so other members can offer support and good advice on meeting your girls needs post op.
I know I would not have made it through the last 4 weeks without the support and excellent advice of this Forum.
 
Thank you. We've hit really unlucky this year. This is our 3rd expensive piggy. I had one with dental issues that cost over £200 and they wanted to send us to an exotics but would have been over £300 for the initial work and then ongoing monthly treatment. With him we declined and had him pts because he hadn't recovered well at all from his first dental and was still being syringe fed weeks later. That was an easier decisions. Second was a baby pig with a scratched eye that cost £80. Well worth it and he is all sorted now and fit and healthy. This one I just don't know. She is happy and healthy generally. Eating well and snuggly etc. She's young so could well pull through and be fine. Likewise they could charge us hundreds and us not even get to bring her home again. It feels like
Gambling the family savings iykwim!
 
Have you discussed with your vet the possibility of a payment plan?
I believe some vets are amenable to this.
You are in a tough place and my heart goes out to you.
Keep us posted.
 
Is it an abscess that could be lanced/marsupialised (sp?) from the outside? i have Grace my mature lady- she's about 5yrs old, she had a facial abscess on her cheek & was prescribed Zithromax for a few weeks, then the abscess was cleaned out, marsupialised (stitched open) & left to drain, i had to keep it open/ & flush it out with Baytril 2x a day & keep going with the oral Zithromax for a week or so afterwards. she didn't stop eating throughout & recovered really well, now her hair has grown back from being shaved off, you wouldn't realise anything had been done. i think i paid around £150 for grace's surgery, plus the meds price.
although she would still need a general anaesthetic, it would be less invasive if it was a site easily accessable externally, rather than internally.

however i did have Dopple who was around 4yrs old & she had a ring of infection around her neck, apparently its common in children &penicillin is used with great effect(although no good/dangerous for piggies), Dopple was on Zithromax also, but unfortunately the infection was too bad & a very traumatic vet visit later i lost her :(
(although i think if things had been done differently by this particular vet she would have still been around-the on call emergency vet was not my usual guinea savvy vet!

i have also had guineas with sebacious cysts that are full of gunk & sometimes need cleaning out (or removing if infected) but they wouldn't be overly expensive i shouldn't think, the vet showed me how to gently squeeze out the gunk on one of my girls, who's cyst kept refilling.

can you get a quote or worst case scenario price from the vets? or arrange a payment plan if the price goes over what you can afford to pay out in one lump sum immediately?

these little critters get right under our skin & hold us to ransom with the vets bills don't they? :xd:

Good luck with what you decide & wishing your guinea a full & speedy recovery. xx
 
They think it may even be inside an organ, possibly uterous so def not fixable from the outside. I wish I had a crystal ball so I knew if it was worth the gamble!
 
Luggage16 said:
They think it may even be inside an organ, possibly uterous so def not fixable from the outside. I wish I had a crystal ball so I knew if it was worth the gamble!
Click to expand...

are they thinking of spaying her then?

have you tried any antibiotics/meds to fight the infection yet, or are they opting straight for surgery?

make sure they are experienced & competent/ have a high success rate, before you let them operate on her.
The risks are greatly reduced if they spay guineas routinely, if they only operate on the occasional guinea, i would feel inclined to find a more experienced vet - it could not only make the difference between successful op or not, but may make it cheaper in the long run if there are fewer or no complications during or after surgery.

Before the op discuss aftercare & pain relief for when you get her home too.
good luck & healing vibes.
xx
 
I don't think they have much experience tbh. The more I read the more I think she has a better chance without the surgery. We are going to cancel tomorrow and research some more before we decide. I feel like if we take her tomorrow she likely won't come home and currently she is happy and eating etc (all be it with a lumpy belly). We have antibiotics and pain killers.
 
Have you tried the recommended vet locator on the toolbar above? these vets are usually more experienced with guineas than the average general vets, they usually recommend not only the practice, but also the best vets to ask for too.

have they checked for fatty lumps? was it greasy on the needle when they checked them? are the lumps protruding out & on the skin or are they situated deep below the skin?
My grace had an ovarian cyst & was given hormone injections, her cyst was walnut sized (approx 3cm diameter) & could be felt by putting light pressure on her underside. the hormone injections reduced the cyst.

i would like to think they know what they are operating on, before they open her up!
its good that she's eating, etc. - keep it up it is all positive signs, so far :)

i think i would try for a second opinion, even if its a different vet at the same practice. ask loads of questions to ensure you're happy with them operating whatever you decide.
xx
 
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