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Lump on mouth

JRM70

JRM70

Junior Guinea Pig
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I have 2 lovely guinea pigs both aged 6 and a half . Both have been in good health throughout their lives but about 6 weeks ago i noticed that one of them had a crusty nose , I took her to the vet and she scraped her nose and prescribed Baytril . I decided to look more carefully for a vet who had more knowledge of guinea pigs and I have found an wonderful vet . Unfortunately I have seen her very frequently since the crust nose , she has an respiratory infection and has been on antibiotics and taking metacam for just over 2 weeks , she had lost a bit of weight but has put a little back on . Last week I thought she had lost a tooth because her mouth looked different but when I took her to the vet she found a lump on her mouth . The lump has become bigger in the past few days . The vet thinks it’s something sinister and said she will remove it but because of my guinea pigs age and recent poor health there is a significant risk . I don’t know what to do as she’s such a happy wee soul and she’s still eating and drinking. I was wondering if anyone had had successful surgery on an older guinea pig . I don’t know what to do for the best .
 
Hi and welcome

It is always such a worry and that age is a real consideration. If your vet is however confident that she can remove it comparatively easily, then I would go for it; it grows too large, it will likely impact on eating etc.
There is of course a somewhat higher risk in all older piggies. If in doubt, please ask your vet for an open talk about the pros/cons and your vet's honest appraisal of the chances.

My two oldest girls were two sows with burst cysts, a 6 year old one with a smallish sebaceous cyst right next to her genitalia that had burst and got infected and where the location caused some concern and then a nearly 7 year old sow whose monitored cyst suddenly decided to grow and promptly burst while my operating vet was on summer holidays and I had two anxious weeks until his return.
Both sows have made a full recovery and lived to celebrate their 7th birthday.

Tesni (May) 2017and Hafren (August 2018) after their respective cyst removal operations|
IMG_4134_edited-1.jpg IMG_7598_edited-1.jpg

Here is our post-op care guide: Neutering operations: Considerations, post-op care and a successful recovery example
 
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Thank you , that’s really good to know . It’s such a worry . She’s such a happy wee thing , I’m heartbroken that she has developed this lump .
 
Such a worry for you, I know. But you clearly trust your vet, and any lump in the mouth will affect eating and drinking, so does need to be taken seriously. I’ve had older piggies undergo surgery and they have been fine. But I appreciate your concern about how she will get on with surgery and anaesthetic.
 
Thank you , it’s good to know that your older piggies were fine after surgery. That makes me feel a little easier about it .
Thank you .
 
Hello ,
Just a little update, my guinea pig had the lump removed from her mouth this morning. I know it is early days but she is doing really well well . She’s eating and drinking and is as mischievous as ever ! You would never know that she had surgery this morning and for someone her age she’s amazing.
Thank you both for your advice and reassurance, you helped to give me some hope . I hope she continues to do well .
 
JRM70 said:
Hello ,
Just a little update, my guinea pig had the lump removed from her mouth this morning. I know it is early days but she is doing really well well . She’s eating and drinking and is as mischievous as ever ! You would never know that she had surgery this morning and for someone her age she’s amazing.
Thank you both for your advice and reassurance, you helped to give me some hope . I hope she continues to do well .
Click to expand...

That is great news! Thank you for the update! You must be sooo relieved!:yahoo:
 
Thank you so much for letting us know. Let’s hope she continues to do well.
 
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