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Ovarian Cyst?

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aimzer

aimzer

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hello everyone.

I just returned from holiday yesterday (my mum was piggy-sitting) to find that one of my piggies, Honey, hasn't eaten any of her veggies in the morning and has just been lying in her bed barely moving. Mum said she was perfectly fine on Saturday night and ate all her veggies and was begging for more as usual. Her abdomen was really quite big and she wouldn't eat anything and wasn't her usual wriggly self.

I got an emergency appt at vet yesterday who gave her antibiotics, metaclopromide and fluids by injection. I also got some critical care to try and give her although she doesn't seem to like it.

Anyway, she was still the same this morning so took her back to vet. It was a different vet today and she thinks it may be ovarian cysts so she has kept her in for a scan. Honey is a healthy 3ish year old.

I can't help but get worried for her. I hate leaving her there all alone :(

If it does turn out to be a cyst do you guys recommend going for the op? I have read a few different things saying the op is too dangerous but have also read that the hormonal treatment isn't very effective.

Sorry for long post. Need to get it all out! Thanks.
 
I am sorry :( You could try the hormone injections first, however she sounds quite poorly at the moment so I wouldn't think the cysts would cause her lethargy, if anything cysts make my pigs totally hyper & chasing each other a lot. How piggy savvy is your vet? Have you checked our vet locator at the top of the page? Sounds more like bloat to me, the tummy gets very hard & distended in some cases. If it is, once she's home I recommend giving her gentle tummy massages & putting her on a vibrating mat or pad to help shift the gas build up. Hope she will be ok.
 
Thanks for the reply. Just checked the vet locator and the nearest one is 40 miles away. The practice I am using state on their website that they provide small animal care and they seemed to know what they were talking about. It's called Dunnydeer Practice in Insch. Do the vets on the list specialise in g.pigs?

I did mention bloat when I went in yesterday but the vet said it didn't feel like gas :/
 
Vet just phoned saying there was a large amount of fluid in the areas so they are giving her hormone injection now.
 
I was thinking about bloat too, but if the cysts are large that can cause all types of issues as they encroach on other organs and can affect both their breathing and their guts.

I hope the injections help.
 
I had two 3 year and 8 months old sows spayed within a month of each other (one this July, one August)

Pebbles had a uterine mass and 2 ovarian cysts removed (we weren't aware as neither showed up on an xray or scan).. Luckily she was absolutely fine and recovered well

Pringles (her sister) also had a large ovarian cyst which was feelable by the vet, and also showed up on a scan. We tried the HCG injections, she had 3 within 10-12 days of each other. Unfortunately it made no difference at all, so around £80 was wasted and she ended up needing a spay anyway. She had the spay last Tuesday (it wasn't a full spay, she had incisions either side to remove the cyst and ovaries only) and she has also recovered absolutely fine.

Bearing in mind I did see one of the leading exotic vets in the country, though. I definitely think the injections are worth a try still, as I have heard success rates. :)
 
She had the injection this morning but she has not improved. Still not eating or drinking and pretty much refusing to be syringe fed. The critical care I have is the fine ground powder and she just lets it's dribble out her mouth.

The vet said she wasn't dehydrated so she should be ok if I leave her til tomorrow as don't want to stress her by keeping trying with the syringe.

If no better by tomorrow I have to go back to fed to get her tube fed :(
 
You could try with some unsweetened babyfood fruit puree - as you need to get food in to keep the guts going or they can shut down in a few hours - If she wont take from a syringe try the back of a teaspoon - if the shops near you are closed a garage or petrol station might have some.
 
She seems to like this baby food better. It is carrot, Apple and parsnip. I have managed to give her 5 ml so far. should I carry on?
 
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Give her as much food as she will eat, she needs to keep her gut stimulated. Good luck at the vets tomorrow x
 
Ok I have managed to give her around 7ml of baby food and I mixed in a little bit of critical care powder. She doesn't seem to want to take anymore. Will that be enough? Should I get up through the night and try again?
 
Yes if you could try to give her the same amount every few hours it will help keep her guts going.
 
Ok thank you so much for your reply. My only thought is that I may be distressing her by taking her out of her cage constantly! Catch 22 situation!
 
It is something that needs to be done unfortunately, it is crucial that you keep her guts going.
 
Things are not looking good. She only took 4ml then 1ml through the night. This morning she is making little noises and is more lifeless. She keeps nudging her head up and down. not sure if she's taking a fit. Vet doesn't open til 8.30 :(
 
Poor girl, she sounds very poorly, it is 8.30 now so expect you are there already but ask to be seen as an emergency appointment first thing.
 
Pains me to type this but I had to get my little Honey monster put to sleep. The vet said I did everything I could for her but it still doesn't make it easier. There was a rainbow overhead so at least I know she'll make it over the rainbow bridge.
 
Thank you. The vet just said yesterday that the ultrasound revealed that there was fluid in her abdomen so gave her a hormone injection. But today she was so much worse and the vet said her abdomen feels bigger and it was hurting Honey when she was feeling around her abdomen. It makes it worse for me not knowing what it was. I just wish there was more I could have done.
 
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