Lymphoma in Piggies

[Cuddles With Cavies]

So poor little Amber was diagnosed with Lymphoma today after her lymph node FNA came back with strong signs of the disease. Whilst the test itself isn’t always 100% accurate, my vet said that with how strongly the test indicated towards lymphoma there’s little merit in doing a full biopsy. We’ve discussed options, and from what my vet says there isn’t a whole lot we can do other than keep her comfortable until the time comes.

He said there were drugs we could try but they weren’t overly successful and often had negative affects, and I don’t want to put her through that.

So shes now on a course of painkillers and we’re just going to see how each day goes.

I was just wondering if anybody has had any experience with this? I’m sort of going by that as long as she’s eating and active we’re okey. But I don’t really know what to expect; how long have I got with her? Symptoms of the disease I should be aware of? Things I can do to make her time left as happy and comfortable as I can?

Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all.

 

[Wiebke]

I am very sorry for your diagnosis; it's one we all hate!

Painkillers is the best way to ease the symptoms.

Depending on how aggressive and advanced your lymphoma is, you are looking at a matter of days or a few weeks. The longest I know of is about 3-4 months in rare cases.

The good side when dealing with a terminal diagnosis is that you have the grace to live the remaining time very consciously and make the best of what you have got. Love transcends time; you can literally pack a lifetime's worth into a matter of minutes.
The grieving process starts when you get the bad news. It is one of the worst moments, but when you use your time together well, you won't be left with any feelings of guilt or failure nor any unanswered questions; just the inevitable pain of loss which never gets any less. It is a very bitter-sweet but also an intensive time. You do not grieve any less, but the dynamics are different and you can work through a lot before your girl has to be sent to make her journey to the Rainbow Bridge, carried by your love. Use it well!

 

[Claire W]

I am so sorry for your diagnosis

I have had two piggies with lymphoma. The first one, Ena had a lump removed which showed lymphoma. Her wound wouldn’t heal because of the cancer so her stitches fell apart and we had to have her pts

Erika had a lump biopsy which showed lymphoma. Her tumours grew rapidly and we had to have her pts two weeks after diagnosis due to one of the tumours pushing on her windpipe therefore causing breathing difficulties.

My advise would be to spend as much time as you can with her making memories and take lots of photos.

It hard to say how long she has as it all depends on how fast the cancer spreads xx

 

[Katiedid]

Hi I’ve had a piggy with lymphoma - the one in my avatar. He lasted 8 weeks ish from diagnosis and was happy up until the last 2 days then struggled a bit and at that stage he was PTS. Generally he just lost weight and became very very lumpy.

 

[sport_billy]

I am sorry, we lost treacle to lymphoma and like you choose for palliative care and to keep her happy until the end. I will find the link to her thread on here documenting everything. Just make everyday a great day for them. Huge hugs

 

[Flutterby]

So sorry for the bad news. Sending lots of hugs x

 

[Cuddles With Cavies]

Thank you everyone. Amber seems to be doing okay. The painkillers seem to have picked her up a little and she’s acting pretty normal. Her weights at 1129g. She’s normally around 1185g. I’ll keep everyone updated on how things progress with her. I’ve worked it out and it’s been about 4 weeks since I first started to notice something was off with her. We’ll just have to see how each day goes.

I feel terrible for her sister though. They’re thick as thieves and so close. I’m not sure how she’ll cope losing Amber. Has anyone got any advice for this?

 

[Cuddles With Cavies]

Just a quick question. Amber got her pain meds prescription today from the vets (before now I’ve just been giving her 0.2ml of Rosie’s left over meloxaid). Anyway, she’s got a whole bottle of it, but they’ve said to give her 0.5ml twice a day! Is that right? It seems like an extremely high dosage to me especially considering she’s only 1129g @Wiebke

 

[Wiebke]

Just a quick question. Amber got her pain meds prescription today from the vets (before now I’ve just been giving her 0.2ml of Rosie’s left over meloxaid). Anyway, she’s got a whole bottle of it, but they’ve said to give her 0.5ml twice a day! Is that right? It seems like an extremely high dosage to me especially considering she’s only 1129g @Wiebke

Your vet is going as high as they dare, and as lymphoma is a terminal cancer, it is safe to do so. Her comfort has absolute precendence because long term kidney damage is not an issue.

Once metacam/meloxaid/loxicom is coming to the limits of what you can do, your vet can switch to tramadol, which is a stronger painkiller and safe to use in guinea pigs.

 

[Cuddles With Cavies]

Your vet is going as high as they dare, and as lymphoma is a terminal cancer, it is safe to do so. Her comfort has absolute precendence because long term kidney damage is not an issue.

Once metacam/meloxaid/loxicom is coming to the limits of what you can do, your vet can switch to tramadol, which is a stronger painkiller and safe to use in guinea pigs.

Okey thank you very much. Is it better to break down the dosage over the course of the day so maybe do 0.25ml four times a day or just stick with 0.5ml twice daily?

 

[Wiebke]

Okey thank you very much. Is it better to break down the dosage over the course of the day so maybe do 0.25ml four times a day or just stick with 0.5ml twice daily?

In my experience metacam lasts around 10 hours, so it is up to you whether you want to stick to two or three dosages in a day.

 

[Cuddles With Cavies]

In my experience metacam lasts around 10 hours, so it is up to you whether you want to stick to two or three dosages in a day.

Okey thank you

 

[Claire W]

My Erika was on a high dosage of metacam also for her lymphoma. She had a dose twice a day x