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Large, Angry Looking Lump On Side

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Dani00135

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So I suppose I should start from the beginning, shouldn't I?
So a few months ago (maybe five or six) I noticed a small lump, about the size of a pea, on my cavy's side. I was a little panicked, because she's one of the first guinea pigs I've ever had and I had never experienced something like this before.
So we took her to the vet that week, and she told us that there were a lot of possibilities of what it could be (cyst, tumor, fatty lipoma, etc.), but she wouldn't be able to tell us exactly what it was unless we ran some tests and sent it to the lab for a biopsy.
Now, to book an appointment at our local vet costs about $80 just for her to take a look at it and give her opinion. She ran some numbers for us and gave us an estimated sum of what it would cost to send it to the lab. It came to about $800.
Since it wasn't that big, and it didn't seem to be bothering her, we decided to wait and see before making a decision.
Now, fastforward six months, and this is what it's grown into. It's about the size of a cotton ball now, and I can almost move it around, if that makes sense. As much as I would love to take her to the vet and have this monstrosity removed, we just don't have that kind of money. We could easily walk in, pay the $80 for the vet to have a look, but I know exactly what she would recommend; do the biopsy. There is a huge difference between 80 and 800.
She's about three years old, and hasn't had any health problems before. She hasn't stopped eating, drinking, or pooping, and while she has lost some weight it's not a substantial amount. I would just like to know if anyone (someone with more experience with this than I have) can identify what this is and let me know what my options are? I would appreciate any input.
 
Poor girl! Without a biopsy, it is unfortunately impossible to say whether it is benign or not. It is going to take an operation to remove the lump - which is unfortunately anything but cheap; whether that is with or without a biopsy. :(

Could you please add your country to your details. We have got members from all over the world and dollars are the currency in several countries, as are very expensive vet costs. Please click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. Thank you.

@helen105281 @Adelle
 
She needs treatment specially if she is losing weight.Sorry if it isn't what you want to hear.You could always just get it removed and forget the biopsy if you can afford that.
 
To grow to such a substantial size personally i would just have it out instead of taking biopsies etc as it will probably keep growing.. Sending lumps off for analysis are expensive so you could ask for a quote on how much it would be to have it out and not send it off (if you are strapped for cash the biopsy will take a chunk off the bill, and since it will have been removed, knowing what it is wont really make much difference at that stage).. They may also let you pay the bill up if you can agree on a plan.

Please weigh her daily and top up with syringe feed- she will need to be in good shape for an anaesthetic so this is key:
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

All the best, i hope she can be sorted soon x
 
Agree with Adelle that it is best to go for removal straight away.
 
That looks pretty concerning, I would be worried about it potentially being a malignancy. I'm certainly no vet, but to me it doesn't look like a cyst or a lipoma or an abscess. I feel like it would be worth the consult fee to go in and see the vet and get a diagnosis and at least get an educated guess, even if you can't afford the biopsy. Then you can make decisions based at least on an educated opinion. Good luck!
 
Adelle said:
To grow to such a substantial size personally i would just have it out instead of taking biopsies etc as it will probably keep growing.. Sending lumps off for analysis are expensive so you could ask for a quote on how much it would be to have it out and not send it off (if you are strapped for cash the biopsy will take a chunk off the bill, and since it will have been removed, knowing what it is wont really make much difference at that stage).. They may also let you pay the bill up if you can agree on a plan.

Please weigh her daily and top up with syringe feed- she will need to be in good shape for an anaesthetic so this is key:
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

All the best, i hope she can be sorted soon x
Click to expand...

@Adelle has given you some really good advice.
If you opt to just have it removed and nothing else done, then it should help keep the cost down.
But she definitely does need some treatment, as the lump is clearly growing and is possibly quite painful for her.

The real issue here is that whatever option you choose it is going to cost money, and the sum may end up being substantial.
Even if you keep the operation as basic as possible (simple removal, no biopsy) there will still be the cost of antibiotics, pain relief, follow up appointments, etc. Then you need to allow for the fact that she may get an infection, require syringe feedings, and all manner of other issues, all of which will end up costing more.

Depending on where you are located (I am guessing the US as you quoted the operation price in dollars) you may want to look for a vet that offers discounted fees to people with limited funds.

I know this may not be a popular view to share, but for the sake of your guinea pig if you are unable to afford the cost of her treatment then the kindest thing to do may be to look into having her put to sleep. There is no point starting treatment, and then not being able to provide her with follow up checks, appropriate medications etc. At least this way you can ensure that she will not suffer.

I wish you good luck with making a difficult decision.
 
Obviously only a vet can diagnose it, but it does look very like a sebaceous cyst one of my boars had years ago.

It was tested and it wasn't anything nasty but when it got to a size similar to your pigs we (the vet and I) decided to remove it as it was only going to get bigger and it would eventually affect him in some way.

I would definitely have it removed if it were my pig. If I bothered with tests afterwards would probably depend on cost
 
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