Lung Tumors

[alisha]

One of my pigs (bubbles) has recently passed due to a undetected lung tumor and i cant stop blaming myself for not spotting it before it was to late and the vet could do very minimum i was too upset to ask if i could have spotted it so does anyone know if there are any signs ive googled it and found nothing

 

[Wiebke]

One of my pigs (bubbles) has recently passed due to a undetected lung tumor and i cant stop blaming myself for not spotting it before it was to late and the vet could do very minimum i was too upset to ask if i could have spotted it so does anyone know if there are any signs ive googled it and found nothing

Hi!

Please stop blaming yourself. There is nothing for you to find because it is extremely rare; in fact you are the first one I have come across with that particular issue - and we have over a thousand problems/enquiries passing through our health/illness section every year. It is really THAT rare!

With tumours, there is nothing you can do to prevent them and there is nothing you can do if they are in a place that is not operable or the cancer has already spread too far. Guinea pigs have a very fast metabolism and they are prey animals instinctively hiding any signs of illness for as long as possible, so the odds are very much against you in the first place. Medical care for guinea pigs has made great strides in the last few years, but in many ways it is still very limited and is still very much running behind other species.

It is normal for the onset of the grieving process for any loving pet owner to feel guilty or experience strong feelings of failure leading to some serious soul searching as that is the flip side of the responsibility we are committed to for those in our care.
Please do not let that spoil and taint all the love and the precious time you have had together! As a caring piggy parent, you can give yours as long and as happy a life as they have been given and make that count. We cannot prevent any illness to happen or choose what those in our care ultimately die from, as much as we all would love to - you cannot even do that as a human. Being a good owner doesn't mean that we have to be perfect and omnipotent, all we are asked to is to give love and care and do the best we can with the knowledge we have at the time. Hindsight is such an unforgiving judge. And only helpful if we can carry our experiences forward to make them count in the future as we cannot change the past. What you have come up against is very unusual and pretty much untreatable and unpreventable unless you are a heavy indoor smoker.

You are most welcome to post a tribute in our Rainbow Bridge if or whenever it feels right for you. We all grieve differently, and differently for any piggy as each bond is unique.

 

[alisha]

I didnt know it was rare the vet never said i havent a clue what caused it as no one in my house smokes i have also already put a post on the rainbow bridge section thank you for replying

 

[Wiebke]

I didnt know it was rare the vet never said i havent a clue what caused it as no one in my house smokes i have also already put a post on the rainbow bridge section thank you for replying

It is just one of the many things were you are left wondering. But please do not feel guilty or like you have missed anything. Tumours can happen in any part of the body; most piggies with a lung tumour will die being treated for URI or breathing problems, hence why they are pretty much unknown in guinea pigs unless there is a scan. Using scans in diagnosing more frequently is also a fairly recent development.

 

[Freela]

Guinea pigs are good at hiding illnesses and there often are no real early symptoms of a serious illness. Early signs of illness can be very ill-defined, i.e. eating less, being more lethargic, or can be basically non-existent. I really don't think it's your fault or that you missed anything obvious, and the likelihood is that, with a lung tumor, the options to treat your piggie would likely have been very limited so spotting some tiny sign earlier might not have made any difference. ((HUGS)) and I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[alisha]

Guinea pigs are good at hiding illnesses and there often are no real early symptoms of a serious illness. Early signs of illness can be very ill-defined, i.e. eating less, being more lethargic, or can be basically non-existent. I really don't think it's your fault or that you missed anything obvious, and the likelihood is that, with a lung tumor, the options to treat your piggie would likely have been very limited so spotting some tiny sign earlier might not have made any difference. ((HUGS)) and I'm so sorry for your loss.

Thank you the thing that gets me is that she was popcorning for veggies in the morning then gasping for breath when i cheaked in her later in the day. She died 2 days before my hamsters death anniversary who died the exact same way as her the year before I'm honestly starting to hate april

 

[Tiamolly123]

I'm so sorry for your loss Alisha.
Sleep tight little one

 

[Freela]

Thank you the thing that gets me is that she was popcorning for veggies in the morning then gasping for breath when i cheaked in her later in the day. She died 2 days before my hamsters death anniversary who died the exact same way as her the year before I'm honestly starting to hate april

So sorry. It sounds as though she had good quality of life right up until her last day... honestly the last two pigs I lost passed very quickly... they were fine the day before and even the morning that they passed, then rapidly sickened in the afternoon and passed away by nighttime. Unfortunately I think this is sometimes the way it is with smaller animals.

 

[DM030819]

When my boar passed away from a lung tumour he was very similar. He had numerous issues that he was being treated for. But even on the day of his death he had been fine earlier in the day. It was very much a surprise.