Ovarian cysts and spay operation - advice welcomed!

[Cadbury]

Hi everyone,

My Guinea pig (2 years old) is due to have a spay operation on Monday due to suspected ovarian cysts. The vets attempted an ultrasound yesterday but she was in so much pain that they had to use anaesthetic. When they brought her back through she looked very distressed and the vet said that while under the anaesthetic her breathing and heart rate slowed/dropped considerably. The vet then put her on additional pain relief and she is now doing much better and is behaving as normal with no signs of distress, nothing like she was yesterday.

My question is, is the reason her breathing and heart rate fell likely to be because she was in pain and very stressed? ie. is she at risk of this happening again during the operation or should she have the same level of risk as any other guinea pig now that she is pain-free and relaxed?

Also, please could someone tell me what the risk is for a guinea pig not surviving this operation? I am probably getting totally mixed up but thought my vet said the chances were 50/50 - I’m confused because if the risk was that high surely no one would have their pig spayed just as a preventative measure?

Also, is the risk of not surviving higher with a pig that has ovarian cysts than with a preventative spay?

I’ve put so much time and effort into keeping her syringe fed. I love her to pieces and really don’t want to lose her. Any advice from someone who has been through this is very welcome!

Thank you for reading.

 

[Mon59]

I think this is too much information from the Vet.

My Girl was exactly the same age with suspected Cysts. I obviously don’t know what happened at the vets but I picked her up later that afternoon and she was a bit sorry for herself for about 24 hours. Shaved down both sides . Had her painkillers and was fine after 48 hours.

Now a very bouncy 3 years old !

The only thing I would ask is how many has your vet done ? Mine was a bit of a GP expert so I wasn’t worried. If in doubt ask because there is some variation in general anaesthetic expertise..

I say don’t worry, but if the vet thinks 50/50 perhaps consult another vet. I wasn’t told anything like that ! Seemed a boring routine matter to my Vet.

 

[Cadbury]

I think this is too much information from the Vet.

My Girl was exactly the same age with suspected Cysts. I obviously don’t know what happened at the vets but I picked her up later that afternoon and she was a bit sorry for herself for about 24 hours. Shaved down both sides . Had her painkillers and was fine after 48 hours.

Now a very bouncy 3 years old !

The only thing I would ask is how many has your vet done ? Mine was a bit of a GP expert so I wasn’t worried. If in doubt ask because there is some variation in general anaesthetic expertise..

I say don’t worry, but if the vet thinks 50/50 perhaps consult another vet. I wasn’t told anything like that ! Seemed a boring routine matter to my Vet.

Thanks for the reply! I think I must be wrong about the 50/50 bit (perhaps she was talking about something else and I got confused). If it was that high then surely they’d recommend the injections instead, but the vet thought the spay was the better option.

It was an exotics vet, and the op is booked with an exotics specialist so I’m hoping that brings the odds up!

I’m glad to hear your experience was positive, makes me feel more positive!