VivienOblivion
Junior Guinea Pig
Hello everyone,
My sweet baby Boozle is currently 5.5 years old. My trusted guinea pig savvy vet recently felt a lump in her abdomen. The ultrasound showed that she indeed has a mass there, and they suspected it to be uterine cancer. She thought it would be a straightforward operation, and it should be fine to wait for two weeks till both her and the other guinea pig savvy vet can both be present.
However, during the operation, she discovered that Boozle’s mass was attached to many vital organs. This included the intestines, kidney, and possibly more. Furthermore, it has grown from what felt like 4 cm to around 7 cm in two weeks time. She said it was a very strange case, because parts of the intestines seems to be enveloped in the mass. She said she has never seen this before. She was not sure if it was uterine cancer or lymphoma, nor if it is benign or malignant. She said that it is very likely that it is uterine cancer because they are known to attach to other organs. In addition, based on the speed in which the mass grew, she suspected it was malignant and quite invasive. She decided it was too risky to remove the mass, and said that there is almost 0% chance that Boozle would survive the operation as a result of the complications. The intestines are very delicate and small, and one small move could ruin her digestive system. They gave me the option to euthanise her, and they were leaning more towards just not waking her up from the anaesthesia because this mass will soon cause Boozle to suffer. But I decided against it because all of this happened so suddenly. I am not ready yet at all. From expecting a simple operation with minimised risks to terminal prognosis in a span of hours. Plus, Boozle still seems to be enjoying life and being a happy guinea pig. I just can’t choose to end it for her yet.
This is also what has got the vets scratching their heads in utter confusion. Boozle seems to be acting relatively normal, like a healthy guinea pig. She is eating, drinking, walking around, and pooping. There were some minor issues, such as the fact that she would refuse specific types of vegetables sometimes, while accepting other ones, lay down more often, or poop a few irregular shaped poops between normal ones. The vets and I both attributed these issues to vegetable preference and old age, because Boozle’s cage mates also do this. However, recently there has been a new development with her breathing. It appears to be more laborious than before. The vet said it’s possible that it is caused by the mass in the abdomen, which makes the breathing motion appear to be more noticeable.
The vets are very confused about the fact that the mass is not already causing more obvious signs of discomfort, illness, or digestive problems. She also handled the operation and anaesthesia very well. They have given Boozle the prognosis that she may have a few days left, or a few weeks, or a few months. They don’t know for sure, but it won’t be long.
At the moment, Boozle is one day into recovering from her operation. She seems to be doing okay, still eating a little bit of hay, pellets, and accepting vegetables. We are of course syringe feeding her critical care. She was not pooping in the first six hours, but then she started to poop small irregular pieces. Now, hours later, she seems to be pooping more and the pieces look more regular in shape.
I am freaking out about this whole situation because I love Boozle so much. She first came together with 2 other ladies, and they were all very close. Sadly, both her best friends passed away already. I really want to save Boozle, because she has always been my favourite. She is an amazingly sweet and loving guinea pig, kind of like a mother to my other younger pigs. She seems so strong and resilient, surprising all the vets with how well she has been doing, and how well she is still doing, in spite of her current condition. It appears to me that she still wants to live, and that we can both agree on.
And that is why I’m posting here. I would really appreciate your opinions on a couple of questions I have in mind.
1. I have read that abscesses can also attach to nearby organs, like uterine cancer. It is also one of the most common causes behind a mass that is mistaken for a tumour in humans. Have any of you heard of this happening with guinea pigs? Is it good to ask the vet to inspect it further to assess the possibility that it could be an intra-abscess instead of a tumour?
2. Is it normal for guinea pigs to act so normal, with hardly any noticeable signs of illness, while they are terminally ill with cancer? Could this suggest that maybe it is an abscess?
3. How can the vet assess if a mass is an intra-abscess or a tumour without an invasive operation? Do guinea pigs display different symptoms in each?
4. Do you guys know if it is indeed nearly impossible to detach a mass from the intestines without guaranteed lethal complications during or post-op? Is it worth it to get a second opinion on this?
Thank you guys in advance for your replies. I’m just so confused and sad about everything. Any help would be appreciated!
My sweet baby Boozle is currently 5.5 years old. My trusted guinea pig savvy vet recently felt a lump in her abdomen. The ultrasound showed that she indeed has a mass there, and they suspected it to be uterine cancer. She thought it would be a straightforward operation, and it should be fine to wait for two weeks till both her and the other guinea pig savvy vet can both be present.
However, during the operation, she discovered that Boozle’s mass was attached to many vital organs. This included the intestines, kidney, and possibly more. Furthermore, it has grown from what felt like 4 cm to around 7 cm in two weeks time. She said it was a very strange case, because parts of the intestines seems to be enveloped in the mass. She said she has never seen this before. She was not sure if it was uterine cancer or lymphoma, nor if it is benign or malignant. She said that it is very likely that it is uterine cancer because they are known to attach to other organs. In addition, based on the speed in which the mass grew, she suspected it was malignant and quite invasive. She decided it was too risky to remove the mass, and said that there is almost 0% chance that Boozle would survive the operation as a result of the complications. The intestines are very delicate and small, and one small move could ruin her digestive system. They gave me the option to euthanise her, and they were leaning more towards just not waking her up from the anaesthesia because this mass will soon cause Boozle to suffer. But I decided against it because all of this happened so suddenly. I am not ready yet at all. From expecting a simple operation with minimised risks to terminal prognosis in a span of hours. Plus, Boozle still seems to be enjoying life and being a happy guinea pig. I just can’t choose to end it for her yet.
This is also what has got the vets scratching their heads in utter confusion. Boozle seems to be acting relatively normal, like a healthy guinea pig. She is eating, drinking, walking around, and pooping. There were some minor issues, such as the fact that she would refuse specific types of vegetables sometimes, while accepting other ones, lay down more often, or poop a few irregular shaped poops between normal ones. The vets and I both attributed these issues to vegetable preference and old age, because Boozle’s cage mates also do this. However, recently there has been a new development with her breathing. It appears to be more laborious than before. The vet said it’s possible that it is caused by the mass in the abdomen, which makes the breathing motion appear to be more noticeable.
The vets are very confused about the fact that the mass is not already causing more obvious signs of discomfort, illness, or digestive problems. She also handled the operation and anaesthesia very well. They have given Boozle the prognosis that she may have a few days left, or a few weeks, or a few months. They don’t know for sure, but it won’t be long.
At the moment, Boozle is one day into recovering from her operation. She seems to be doing okay, still eating a little bit of hay, pellets, and accepting vegetables. We are of course syringe feeding her critical care. She was not pooping in the first six hours, but then she started to poop small irregular pieces. Now, hours later, she seems to be pooping more and the pieces look more regular in shape.
I am freaking out about this whole situation because I love Boozle so much. She first came together with 2 other ladies, and they were all very close. Sadly, both her best friends passed away already. I really want to save Boozle, because she has always been my favourite. She is an amazingly sweet and loving guinea pig, kind of like a mother to my other younger pigs. She seems so strong and resilient, surprising all the vets with how well she has been doing, and how well she is still doing, in spite of her current condition. It appears to me that she still wants to live, and that we can both agree on.
And that is why I’m posting here. I would really appreciate your opinions on a couple of questions I have in mind.
1. I have read that abscesses can also attach to nearby organs, like uterine cancer. It is also one of the most common causes behind a mass that is mistaken for a tumour in humans. Have any of you heard of this happening with guinea pigs? Is it good to ask the vet to inspect it further to assess the possibility that it could be an intra-abscess instead of a tumour?
2. Is it normal for guinea pigs to act so normal, with hardly any noticeable signs of illness, while they are terminally ill with cancer? Could this suggest that maybe it is an abscess?
3. How can the vet assess if a mass is an intra-abscess or a tumour without an invasive operation? Do guinea pigs display different symptoms in each?
4. Do you guys know if it is indeed nearly impossible to detach a mass from the intestines without guaranteed lethal complications during or post-op? Is it worth it to get a second opinion on this?
Thank you guys in advance for your replies. I’m just so confused and sad about everything. Any help would be appreciated!
and for your detailed response. I am very sorry to hear about your piggies 
), and I just don’t want to leave the house, knowing any day or minute could be her last. How do you deal with this? 
