Specialist LUMP ADVICE NEEDED :)

[Aleisha]

I have a 5 1/2 year old female guinea pig. Around 9 months ago I noticed a small lump on each side of her body and she was slowly losing hair around the area. We immediately took her to the vet but they referred as to a specialist vet surgery as they didn’t have much knowledge with the species. They told us that they cannot give us a definite diagnosis without x-rays and blood works which would be risky for her age so we decided to put her on 0.2ml of Loxicom twice a day for pain relief and they wouldn’t expect her to live longer than 2-3 months.

Here she is an extra 6 months after going to the vets and still acting normally; eating, drinking, running around and no obvious signs she is in a lot of pain. We took her back to the vets a couple of weeks ago for a check up and we believed she was passing stones in her faeces. The vet felt around her bladder and confirmed she had stones so put her on 0.6ml of antibiotics twice a day alongside the pain relief. I just wanted some advice from other vets on the lumps on the sides of her body, we believe they are ovarian cysts but the vet doesn’t think they will pop and they could possibly be tumours as she has a small lump on her belly as well.

Advice much appreciated for the best thing we should do for her welfare and any potential diagnosis. *Pictures attached*

 

[Jesse's pigs]

@Wiebke

Tagging a more experienced member than myself.

Bless her that is quite a lump! Is it solid or squishy?

 

[Wiebke]

I have a 5 1/2 year old female guinea pig. Around 9 months ago I noticed a small lump on each side of her body and she was slowly losing hair around the area. We immediately took her to the vet but they referred as to a specialist vet surgery as they didn’t have much knowledge with the species. They told us that they cannot give us a definite diagnosis without x-rays and blood works which would be risky for her age so we decided to put her on 0.2ml of Loxicom twice a day for pain relief and they wouldn’t expect her to live longer than 2-3 months.

Here she is an extra 6 months after going to the vets and still acting normally; eating, drinking, running around and no obvious signs she is in a lot of pain. We took her back to the vets a couple of weeks ago for a check up and we believed she was passing stones in her faeces. The vet felt around her bladder and confirmed she had stones so put her on 0.6ml of antibiotics twice a day alongside the pain relief. I just wanted some advice from other vets on the lumps on the sides of her body, we believe they are ovarian cysts but the vet doesn’t think they will pop and they could possibly be tumours as she has a small lump on her belly as well.

Advice much appreciated for the best thing we should do for her welfare and any potential diagnosis. *Pictures attached*

Ouch! That looks massive.

Unfortunately, your vets were right about the lab work needed for an identification of the lump. It depends on the judgment of their ability on how old a piggy they want to operate on; the risk of not being able to pull it off, especially with such a huge mass that may also have grown into the body, is going up with rising age. Sadly so it is the occurrance of lumps in all forms.

I am tagging in @Abi_nurse for you; she has much more practical experience in this area than I.

 

[Abi_nurse]

Hello there,

Are the lumps in the body (as in in her abdomen/tummy). Or is if a skin lump? If it's in the skin then have you thought or know about getting a needle biopsy so you may be able to see what it actually is and make more of an informed decision about the next steps. A fine needle biopsy can be done conscious. If the lumps are inside the abdomen then you cannot/it would be unethical do this without sedation.
The hair loss is suggestive of hormonal changes, not uncommon with older females at all. But seen it in a number of different cases from ovarian cystsm thyroid issues and adrenal gland disease. I have to agree with Wiebke above, sometimes it's really a toss up on weather it is the right thing to do at an older age, and this is something you need to talk with in detail with your vet. Many older pigs have a huge amount of concurrent illness and it can be difficult to consider putting them through long or big procedures. Many can do well but each piggie is an individual as is their conditions and procedures so there is no straight answer for all.

Hope this helps a little.
x