Old girl

[Ggriff]

Hi all,
I have a (nearly) 4 year old female called Ginger, the past few months I’ve noticed some changes in her: the whites of the her eye coming over into the colour and a small lump along her spine (near the rib cage). I’ve had her out today and I’ve noticed her nipples have some sort of growth on them and I’m unsure if this is normal or if it’s something to worry about. She seems her normal sense and I don’t want to take her to the vet unless necessary to avoid extra stress. Any advice is more than welcome, or any information about what may be wrong !

 

[PigglePuggle]

Sounds like she has a few issues there that definitely need a vet check, only a vet can say for sure- any eye changes should be checked out very promptly and a lump.could be anything- a benign cyst, an infected abscess, a tumour- nipple changes could be linked to hormone changes like ovarian cysts, or could be a symptom of a mammary tumour...
4 years old isnt really very old, certainly middle aged when health problems start to crop up more often, but piggies sometimes live to 6, 7, 8 years old!
Get her to the vet as soon as you can, ideally in the next few days, only a vet can diagnose and treat whatever these issues are.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

You do need to take her to a vet for hands on checks and diagnosis

Members of the forum can offer advice and experiences once you have a diagnosis

I hope she is ok. Do keep us posted on how things go at the vet

 

[Wiebke]

Hi all,
I have a (nearly) 4 year old female called Ginger, the past few months I’ve noticed some changes in her: the whites of the her eye coming over into the colour and a small lump along her spine (near the rib cage). I’ve had her out today and I’ve noticed her nipples have some sort of growth on them and I’m unsure if this is normal or if it’s something to worry about. She seems her normal sense and I don’t want to take her to the vet unless necessary to avoid extra stress. Any advice is more than welcome, or any information about what may be wrong !

Hi!

Please have her vet checked. Any changes to the nipples need to be seen promptly as it indicates a problem with ovarian cysts, which a rather common in adult sows because they are not bio-engineered to live much longer than about 3 years so the hormone output never slows down.
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

Any lump should also be assessed by a vet whether it needs to be removed or can be kept under observation. Please keep on weighing her weekly as an important part of life-long health monitoring.
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Guinea pig body quirks - What is normal and what not?

The clear edges between the iris and the white of the eye can blur as your piggy gets older; that is nothing to worry about.

PS: At four years of age, your girl is just coming towards the end of her best years but she has ideally still got some way to go.
The average life expectancy is 5-7 years but piggies can live longer. A good unlimited grass hay based long term diet with only a modicum of preferably green veg and herbs and 1 tablespoon pellets since veg and pellets essentially replace the supplementary role of wild forage in the fresh/dry grass diet that guinea pigs have evolved on.
A good diet can boost a healthy life expectancy for 1-2 years.

Please NEVER put off seeing a vet over stress worries - your piggy will survive the stress but they may die from not being treated in time. If she has a companion, please take both; a 'paw holding' mate is a great stress reliever!
More tips for vet visits: Tips For Vet Visits

All the best!

 

[Merab]

Welcome to the forum.
I agree with the comments already made.

 

[Ggriff]

---

Sounds like she has a few issues there that definitely need a vet check, only a vet can say for sure- any eye changes should be checked out very promptly and a lump.could be anything- a benign cyst, an infected abscess, a tumour- nipple changes could be linked to hormone changes like ovarian cysts, or could be a symptom of a mammary tumour...
4 years old isnt really very old, certainly middle aged when health problems start to crop up more often, but piggies sometimes live to 6, 7, 8 years old!
Get her to the vet as soon as you can, ideally in the next few days, only a vet can diagnose and treat whatever these issues are.

Thank you ! She’s part of the family and we all love her so much (including our dog who is obsessed with her). We’ve booked her into the vets and she’ll be seen tomorrow morning ! Thank you so much for your advice !

 

[Bill & Ted]

Hello and welcome to the forum
Hope everyth8ng goes well tomorrow and there’s nothing too concerning for your little lady x