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Lump removal

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sjpm

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One of my pigs, George, is having a lump removed this Friday. You can see it quite clearly in the pictures. Now this lump seems different to a regular fatty lump and that's why my vet and I have decided to remove it. It's quite large, about an inch and a half in diameter, an irregular shape, on his lower back/side above his stomach. My vet said normally they would leave lumps in guinea pigs alone but this one is apparently too hard to be just a fatty lump and that is why the vet wants to remove it and have it analysed. He said it was totally my decision and that he would rather do it now while he was still young (he's 3) rather than risk it grow and remove it with more risk when he's older. So he's having it off! I'm a little bit worried but at 1.4kg he's quite a strong hefty pig so fingers crossed he'll pull through OK!

I need a little bit of advice from someone who's been through this before! Will they need to put a collar on him and will I need to keep him separate from his brother for a while after the op? They're identical twins so I'm a little bit worried about separating them but if it's for the best I'll do it. Spare cage at the ready!
 

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I'm sorry he's got such a worrying lump, I do hope his surgery goes well on Friday.

Has the vet tried to determine the contents of the lump at all e.g. tried to withdraw the contents via needle? My pigs had a few abscesses 'diagnosed' this way, when pus was found to be inside the lump; it was then lanced and drained.

Post-op care should be fairly straight forward for a wound on his side/rump. Provided the vet uses the ideal anaesthetic, he should be eating and moving around quite normally soon after the surgery. Some pigs remain a little 'groggy' and have a reduced appetite, it is important to ensure they are getting sufficient food to help recovery, which means syringe-feeding if they are not eating very much for themselves.

No need for an elizabethan collar, although some guineas will attempt to nibble the stitches. However I've been down the collar route before for another medical problem and it is really not worth it, it just doesn't work for guinea pigs.
 
There is no need for a collar, he may try to nibble the sutures but incisions heal very quickly.
Is the lump a sebaceous cyst?
 
The vet isn't sure what the lump is, just that it is quite hard and not loose under his skin so it must be attached to something. He didn't try to draw anything out of it so who knows? I'm just hoping it isn't anything bad :{

I've had another guinea pig that had to wear a collar and the poor thing couldn't even eat, had to be hand fed, so I'm hoping George doesn't have to have one. I've got all the bits for syringe feeding if it comes to that.
 
I do hope the op goes well on Friday. One of my girls had a large lump removed from her rump a few years ago. She looked terrible afterwards - like a badly tied up parcel - but it healed really well and once her hair had grown again she was absolutely fine, you'd never know it had been there.
 
George is home! The surgery went very well and as soon he got home he went straight to the hay! I think he must have been starving because he went in at 8.30 this morning and I didn't pick him up til 4. Poor thing!

Anyway, the vet thinks it was a Trichofolliculoma (sp?) considering where it was and the consistency inside it. I opted not to get it sent off to be analysed because it was unlikely to be malignant, considering he'd had the lump for several months, and it would have cost me an extra £40. I'm starting to wish I had had it tested though because it would have been interesting to see what it really was.

It's a huge incision! I was really surprised because I thought it would only be small but it looks like he's been butchered. 10 stitches, getting them out in 10 days. I'm keeping him away from his brother and on vetbed for a few days just to monitor him. But so far he seems to be fine, eating and pooping like normal rolleyes
 

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The vet isn't sure what the lump is, just that it is quite hard and not loose under his skin so it must be attached to something.

It does sound like it was a sebaceous cyst, Amelia has one (our sponsor pig).


Glad he came through surgery ok though :)

Amelias is being left to either pop on its own or if it needs it it'll be lanced but not removed
 
A trichofolliculoma, as the name implies, contains hair follicles, a de-luxe version of a sebaceous cyst!
Harmless.
 
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