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Specialist Lump On Tummy

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Pogwen

Pogwen

Junior Guinea Pig
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Peak District
Gutted tonight to find a lump on Dwynwen's tummy. It's quite hard and on the left hand side. She doesn't seem to be in any discomfort with it and is eating and pooping fine and bright eyed and bushy furred as usual. From other posts on here it may be a cyst - it doesn't really move and feels like it could be a fatty deposit. She is still young at just over a year old. A call to the vet tomorrow I think but just wonder if anyone has any other advice?
 
So worrying to find something like this but try not to worry too much at this point. Especially as she appears well and behaving like a piggie should :)

A vet visit (experienced with piggies, of course) will be good to find out a bit more, some of these lumps can be harmless, just fatty lipomas but some can be something else so better safe than sorry, only a good vet will be able to say for sure.

Good luck, keep us posted.
 
I would second the recommendation to see a vet. Lipomas are fairly common in pigs especially on the tummy, but unless they are getting in the way or are growing rapidly tend to be left alone. Can you tell if the lump is attached to her tummy, or does it feel like it's more in her skin? If it does seem to be separate then it is more likely to be a lipoma. Try not to worry. Hopefully a vet will be able to put your mind at rest.
 
Thanks for the advice. I am taking her in tomorrow at 11.30 when the more piggy savvy vet is in. The lump seems to be under her skin which is a bit worrying as doesn't move.
 

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And her little face to see she is bright eyed
 

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So back from the vet. She seemed to think that the lump feels like it is in the abdomen rather than under the skin which I thought too. Dwynwen has had a shave and ultrasound and they think it could be an ovarian cyst but are going to consult with a colleague in another vet. They are about an hour away and we took our other piggy there for surgery. However, I would be interested in any recommendations for the best vets if it is a cyst. I am willing to travel.
Do any of you have thoughts as to the next steps? She is still well in herself which is a good thing- even if she has to have surgery.
 

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Aw bless her. I'm afraid I have no experience with ovarian cysts but I know a few of our members have had experience with them.

I guess the first thing to do is to make sure it is an ovarian cyst. Some members on here have been offered a series of hormone injections to try and shrink the cyst rather than have surgery. One member who springs to mind it @biscandmatt and I think @helen105281 although I'm not sure and I can't remember them all.

Have you had a look at our vet locator at the top? There is a list of recommended cavy savvy vets on there and one of them may be in your reach.

I always imagined that as ovarian cysts are attached to the ovaries, they would be under the skin but like I say, I am no expert.

Here is a link to ovarian cysts from guinea pig lynx. You may find it useful
http://www.guinealynx.info/ovarian_cysts.html

Fingers crossed someone with more experience will be along soon xx
 
I have had a couple with cysts and one with an ovarian tumour. The tumour was treated with Chorulon injections which did help, she was 7 so a spay was considered too risky. Maddie had cysts which were drained and did not refill but we lost her a few months later due to bladder issues that weren't related to the cysts so I don't know if they would have refilled later on. Millie has them at the moment but they are small and so we are monitoring for now. Our next step would be injections or draining as putting her under a GA would be risky due to her being a heart pig.

I would see what the other vet says, they may want to try the injections first. If you are able to travel to Northampton, Simon Maddock would be the best vet to do the op if it was needed.
 
maisie had issues with cysts. she was treated with hormone injections first. our (amazing!) vet aidan raftery at asheligh vets, whalley range, manchester, treated maisie. i just can't recommend him enough. i'd travel to see him if i were you :)
 
Thank you everyone. Ashleigh is the vet my vet is conferring with and we have used them before so it is great that someone else recommends them for this specific issue- if that is what it is. Thanks so much for taking time out to give advice, I really appreciate it! As an update, my two girls have just had a lovely30 minutes out in the sunshine on the grass! First time this year so just wanted to give them a little outing.
 
Claire W said:
Aw bless her. I'm afraid I have no experience with ovarian cysts but I know a few of our members have had experience with them.

I guess the first thing to do is to make sure it is an ovarian cyst. Some members on here have been offered a series of hormone injections to try and shrink the cyst rather than have surgery. One member who springs to mind it @biscandmatt and I think @helen105281 although I'm not sure and I can't remember them all.

Have you had a look at our vet locator at the top? There is a list of recommended cavy savvy vets on there and one of them may be in your reach.

I always imagined that as ovarian cysts are attached to the ovaries, they would be under the skin but like I say, I am no expert.

Here is a link to ovarian cysts from guinea pig lynx. You may find it useful
http://www.guinealynx.info/ovarian_cysts.html

Fingers crossed someone with more experience will be along soon xx
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Thanks for the link. Very interesting as Dwynwen has always been a bit rumbles gritty and mounty so I wonder if that is what's behind it. I always assumed she kept trying to think she's the boss. I also thought her shoulders were a bit bonier although her weight was stable...and I thought she was a bit more picky with food! Very interesting! You spot these things but sometimes tell yourself you are becoming a piggy hypochondriac but a piggy mother always knows :-)
 
I am glad that you have found the link helpful :)

Pogwen said:
Thanks for the link. Very interesting as Dwynwen has always been a bit rumbles gritty and mounty so I wonder if that is what's behind it. I always assumed she kept trying to think she's the boss. I also thought her shoulders were a bit bonier although her weight was stable...and I thought she was a bit more picky with food! Very interesting! You spot these things but sometimes tell yourself you are becoming a piggy hypochondriac but a piggy mother always knows :-)
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Pogwen said:
Thank you everyone. Ashleigh is the vet my vet is conferring with and we have used them before so it is great that someone else recommends them for this specific issue- if that is what it is. Thanks so much for taking time out to give advice, I really appreciate it! As an update, my two girls have just had a lovely30 minutes out in the sunshine on the grass! First time this year so just wanted to give them a little outing.
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that's good then. she will be in good hands. there are three exotics vets at ashleigh's, all good. but i just love aidan. i told him i'm going to start an aidan appreciation thread on the forums! :)):)):))
 
Update: took Dwynwen to Ashleigh vet yesterday and booked in for surgery today as vet thought it was an ovarian cyst. She has been spade but they found it was actually an abscess which is deep into the abdomen and could not be operated on from inside because of risk of rupture and that she had been under for some time. Waiting for her to come round now and the plan is to put her on antibiotics for 2 weeks then drain it from the outside. It will probably create quite a big hole as so deep. Keep it clean and return to vet weekly. Quite upset as wish they knew that was what it was originally and tackled that first. Please send good vibes. Want to bring her home tonight as I know she would prefer to hear and smell Eira, our other piggy, but they are waiting to see how she does. Ringing again at 3.30. Any help and advice on abscesses most welcome and any supportive comments that I can do this would really help at the moment.
 
I understand you feel disappointed with your vets....and understandably so because you have had a nasty shock and are upset. However given what you have described I think
your vets made the best diagnosis upon the evidence available when they operated for a suspected cystic ovary. Whilst it turned out not to be a cystic ovary, the fact is, they would not have discovered it was actually a deep-seated abcess without performing the operation (unless they had access to, and you agreed to pay £400+ for, a CT Scan that would help them distinguish between the two prior to an op).

The really disappointing thing is that the abcess is so deep seated that they felt it could not be surgically removed SAFELY at the time - but again that would not have been discovered without the operation in the first place.

Given what has been discovered it is probably a good thing they spayed her at the time as there was a possible risk that the reproductive system could also become infected at a later date which could have resulted in an emergency spay for pyometra (or worse - a fatality).

Nevertheless - despite the operation - Dwynwen has gone through a surgical procedure and the "problem" still remains. My heart goes out to you - not only do you have the frustration that the operation may not have achieved anything (trust me it did achieve something for all the above reasons) but you now have to deal with what I regard to be one of the most unpleasant aspects of caring for a sick piggie........keeping a large abcess drained and flushed.

This is not for the faint-hearted - and I take my hat off to anyone (and I can think of a few members on this forum) who have undertaken the challenge. I wlil be sending you positive healing vibes and rooting for you all the way.

The only practical help I can offer is as follows:
a) As per @furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary If the abx prescribed is baytril or septrin then I would consider going back and pressing for zithromax.
b) You may want to ask if it is possible to culture the abcess to identify the bug and what abx it is sensitive to. This does not always work with abcesses....but it is worth a try and could save a lot of time.
c) It may "take two" to treat an abcess depending upon where it is located - one to restrain the piggie and one to "do the flushing". With one of my piggies, it was not possible for me to flush the abcess properly on my own - so after a few days of trying I asked the vets to board her to do it properly for me. Also, with long term treatment of a piggy (for whatever reason - even if just multiple syringe feeds)..it can become very stressful and tiring for the slave...so I have sometimes asked my vets to board the pig for a few days to give me some "respite"


I will be watching and wishing you well......and the Pebble piggies are sending Dwynwen healing wheeks
xxxxx
 
Thank you so much for your comments and spending time to reply with such useful and supportive comments. I totally agree, having spoken to the vet again later, that the right thing was done. Unfortunately, they wanted to keep an eye on her over night- and like a good piggy slave I checked that she will be checked on, fed and given relevant medications every 2 hours by the vet on duty. I feel a real absence and wish she was here (in nearly 10 years of being a piggy slave I have never been without one of my girls overnight despite them having big operations). Apparently she is not eating herself yet so they assisting feeding and I can't help but feel it is because she is not home and scared- which makes me upset. In the next week or so, all being well, she will have the abscess drained and then begins the long task of getting her right. I have spent this afternoon checking all the relevant posts as haven't dealt with abscesses before (lots of other things but not that!) the vet definitely mentioned Zithromax as they are v piggy savvy. My husband and I have already talked about our shifts for care.

Any advice on flushing would be gratefully received. How to remove puss and to keep the area clean too.

Again, thank you for all your thoughts and advice- it means a lot x
 
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