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Is surgery really necessary?

Dilly's Piggies

Dilly's Piggies

Teenage Guinea Pig
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I have 2 sows that recently developed lumps, one has it on her back, and the other on her side. My vet has advised surgical removal for both but obviously I am very cautious about this...

For one it will be expensive for one surgery let alone two, secondly one is not a good candidate, she has had a life full of health issues and I've only recently got her back on track, another surgery would set her back again and risk her life. Thirdly I've lost a piggy before who went in for a simple lump removal and she sadly didn't make it, so I'm a little traumatised.

When I look back I feel stupid for putting her through surgery when it was just a small lump that wasn't bothering her in any way, the same as these two girls I have now. The lumps are not causing any issues, I don't feel it's necessary. I am extremely attached to my guinea pigs, sending them for surgery isn't something I take lightly, I only want to do it when it's absolutely necessary and all other options have failed.

Is there anything else that can be done without anaesthesia? Is it really worth risking their lives when they are both happy and healthy? I do want to have their lumps tested to make sure it's nothing sinister, but other than that I really don't want to do anything drastic to them. I'm sure you guys understand, we love our babies...
 
Sorry to hear about it. I can relate regarding your hesitation over anesthesia. My Finn is attached, and I am scared to get him neutered as I have heard many times guinea pigs sometimes don't wake up from anesthesia. I never want to lose my boy Finn over an unnecessary operation.

I never planned on getting Finn neutered. In fact, I was looking for a boar cagemate for him. But then, I was appointed Lara's pet parent by a friend who didn't want her, so I ended up with Lara. I never want babies by them so they live in separate cages.
I don't want to put my pets through breeding as I have zero experience and will only cause them harm so I decided best option was to raise them separately. They can see and hear each other and that will just have to do.
 
Betsy has had 2 fatty lumps for around 2 years now. The vet recommended removal but as she wasn't bothered by them I opted for keeping them under observation. I spoke to the Receptionist about what I had decided and she was very good and said to go with my gut feeling. Betsy's lumps get checked every week at the weekly check and if they change in any way I'll be straight to the vet. You know
your piggies best so do what you think is right for them.
 
What kind of lump did the vet say it was? Unfortunately if it's an abscess or tumor then surgery may be the best option. If it's a cyst or fatty lump then you may be ok without but it depends where the lump is, whether it's growing and whether it's likely to cause problems in the future (often opting for surgery earlier is better than waiting for health to deteriorate).
 
I think it all depends on what type of lump it is, where it is and whether it is growing or likely to cause problems. I have, depending on the circumstances, opted both for surgical removal and for conservative management (watch and wait). I wouldn’t rush into making a decision to proceed to surgery if you are unsure unless the vet has advised that time is of the essence. You can always ask for a second opinion.
 
I’ve had many Guineas with lumps. Most of the time we just left them and if they became problematic then we would remove them. The other option and one I have taken many times, is to ask the vet to put a needle in them to take a small sample of the tissue to get analysed (aspiration I think it may be called?). Then you will know exactly what you are dealing with and can then make a decision. Most of the time it’s a fatty lump but if it’s more than that you will at least know.
 
The vet doesn't know what the lumps are yet, I'm going to have them tested as I said in the post. The vet did put a needle into one girls lump to see if she could draw anything out, nothing came out so she thinks that one is most likely a cyst. The other girl we have no idea yet but it's presenting in exactly the same way. A bit of a coincidence that two of them got a similar type lump so soon together :blink:
 
One of the yuckiest ones I had had a lump on her rump. Same thing, vetbtested it and we decided it was not an abscess of cancerous so left it. About a year later it was very hot in the summer and it suddenly grew and then burst...it was full of grey paste...I had to keep it clean and squeeze out the remaining gunk and then we removed it to avoid it recurring. It was fascinating and disgusting all in one go! She was absolutely fine and it never bothered her. It was a sebaceous cyst btw.
 
My Jemima is horribly lumpy. She has them all over her tummy and some are quite big. We know with her that they are fatty lumps that don't cause her any problems. They are also probably genetic as her mum had the same thing. The thing I have found with lumps is to keep an eye on them. If they grow, burst or are clearly causing pain or getting caught then they need to be got rid of ASAP. If they are not causing problems and staying the same then I would just keep an eye on them.
 
My Edward currently has four fatty lumps which we are monitoring. He has one in his armpit which is thankfully not changing but he may need it removing if it grows bigger in the future as it could impair his movement.

But before you can make any decision, you need to find out what it is which can be done by a fine needle biopsy which may need sending off to the lab to determine exactly what it is.

My late Emma had a cancerous tumour which we decided to leave as she was nearly 6 years old at the time and my vet thought it kinder to let her enjoy whatever time she had left rather than put her through surgery.
 
The one thought to be a cyst does have an opening in her lump now, it's this grey coloured dried debris, it looks very similar to a blackhead that us humans can get. It hasn't grown at all, it's very small, the hole only started after the vet put a needle into it so it's a bit weird, it hasn't 'burst' yet though so I'm keeping an eye on it.

The other girl's is much bigger, around the size of a marble, there's no opening yet though, it's just a lump under the skin right now, neither pig seems bothered by it when I touch it so I guess I'll have to watch and wait to make sure it doesn't get much bigger.
 
When Christian had his needle biopsy done, all the vet did was to get me to hold Christian firmly and she stuck a needle in the lump and pulled up a load of gunk into the syringe and Christian was awake the whole time. Some vets may do it differently though.
 
Betsy said:
When Christian had his needle biopsy done, all the vet did was to get me to hold Christian firmly and she stuck a needle in the lump and pulled up a load of gunk into the syringe and Christian was awake the whole time. Some vets may do it differently though.
Click to expand...

Yep I had same experience...be warned mine screamed the place down! But it’s so good to know what you are dealing with.
 
Betsy said:
When Christian had his needle biopsy done, all the vet did was to get me to hold Christian firmly and she stuck a needle in the lump and pulled up a load of gunk into the syringe and Christian was awake the whole time. Some vets may do it differently though.
Click to expand...

Mine had the same experience too except it was one of the nurses holding piggy :) I definitely advise that you get the marble sized lump biopsied
 
The one with the grey gunk inside sounds like a sebaceous cyst, they are harmless, they can feel lumpy but generally tend to burst on their own & don't get very big. Personally I wouldn't risk an operation to remove one unless it grew massive or restricted movement. The second piggie's lump sounds it's likely to be a sebaceous cyst, so a fine needle aspiration whilst awake is easy for an experienced vet to do. Unless it is an abscess or a malignant lump again it is better to watch & wait.
 
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