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Ovarian Cysts - Please, Please help!

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spice and honeys mummy

spice and honeys mummy

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Ok so Honey has had thinning hair on her bum for a while so i got some GG Shampoos and creams etc.

But recently we've noticed how round one side of her belly is looking, so after a few weeks aafter just saying it was 'fat belly' ive come to the conclusion its a lump.

Just been on the Guinea Pig Lynx medical website. And Honey matches all the symptoms of having ovarian cysts, it doesnt seem to affect her tho, shes so happy and friendly and wheeky still :)

Ive just told my mum, and shes says we're on a tight budget at the moment cause vet conslation fees are £28 and then plus your other expenses.

i'm supposed to be getting a pal for her this week.

arghhh i dont know what to do!

Thanks
xx
 
First of all, calm down dear! :)

Second of all, read this thread for info on treatments: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=35995

Veterinary cost depends entirely on what treatment you decide on. Roughly, including the consult fees you mention, you'll be looking at:

£50 for one course of HCG (two injections - often enough to shrink the cyst).
Anything from £28 (the consult fee) to drain a cyst via a needle in the abdomen (no anesthetic) - whether the vet charges for draining is down to the individual.
£100 at least for a spay and the post-operative care.

Please note that these are very rough guidelines; some places may be cheaper, others may be more costly. My sow was treated with HCG at the CCT, I paid £10 for each injection - nothing more. (Members of the CCT don't get charged fees for consultation)

It's not as expensive as can be imagined, and the condition is not life-threatening. You can hold off on treatment for a few weeks while you build your finances up and find a vet who you know will try out various options (rather than just saying she needs spaying).
 
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I wouldn't leave ovarian cysts for too long; they CAN burst.
Better have an x-ray done so you can see how big the cyst is. A little sandbag to immobilise the guinea pig saves you the cost and uncertainty of a general anesthetic.

The most common way to treat them used to be spaying, which is a major operation. But things have moved on a bit and there are a couple of less invasive treatments around.
 
There is no problem with leaving ovarian cysts for a time. They can burst either spontaneously, ie without any human intervention, or they can burst when the pig is being handled. Either way it is of no concern, in fact it is a good form of treatment!
The fluid from the cyst is absorbed into the body, the cyst may or may not return.
It is not necessary to x ray a pig with cysts, the size can be determined by gently feeling the area. A large cyst may be 4cm long and can feel solid, almost as though there is a pebble in the abdomen!
Treatment varies from:
Watch and wait;
Having the cysts drained, for which there is absolutely no need for a general anaesthetic.
Hormone treatment.
(Spaying and ovary removal is very drastic and risky, I would not put a sow of mine through that procedure)
 
My Cozzie has this at the moment. She lost a large amount of fur (initially bilaterally, but now the right side has a huge bald patch whereas the left is merely thinning). Also had sore and inflamed nipples, which are healing nicely with moisturising cream.

At present I am watching and waiting. I would be interested to learn more about the injection treatment. I am not keen for a hysterectomy/oophorectomy. The only real symptom is the loss of fur. It's horrible, but not enough reason to put her through major surgery at the moment.
 
Hormone treatments will deal with the hair loss/alopecia, Lucinda. The alopecia is related to the condition, so the injections will both shrink the cyst and correct the hair loss. It will take a fair few weeks for the hair to grow back, but it does tend to work very well.

The drug (HCG / Chorulon) is injected subcutaneously at the dose of 0.2ml. Each injection is typically given four weeks apart, but some vets do prefer to give the pig the injections long-term (i.e. one injection every 2-3 months). As an initial course of treatment, one injection repeated after four weeks should - at the very least - kick start the recovery from the alopecia.
 
I'm sorry to hear this love :(
I've no knowledge to help, but want to send lots of gentle loves, wheeeeeks, mini hugs and kisses from us all xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>
 
ccc4
I wonder what text-books you are using for your upto date knowledge?
 
Google, maybe? You are lucky to have the CCT so close at hand.
Anyway, you are probably more current with text-books than I am so which ones do you find most useful?
 
Hi All,
Thanks for all your advice :)
So if i have it drained, will Honeys hair grow back? And will shampooing help?

Also i was thinking of getting another pal for her, as she has been on her own since May.

Thankyou
x
 
I am unsure if draining will encourage hair regrowth, the only specific knowledge I have of draining is that it removes the contents of the cyst! Since the hairloss is down to a hormonal problem, I would imagine that hormone treatment should be given in order to address that balance.

Shampooing is still worthwhile. I find bathing once every 6-8 weeks is a fair length of time between baths to encourage good skin. Not to say pigs who are not bathed don't have good skin...just personal findings with my lot!


In answer to AP - I rarely refer directly to textbooks, though I do have a few should I need to look things up:

Piggy Potions (Peter Gurney)
The Veterinary Formulary (Yolande Bishop)
Diseases of Domestic Guinea Pigs (VCG Richardson)

Some are outdated, but in many situations it is useful to know of "old-fashioned" treatments. I also have Vedra's book. On occasion I refer to the Guinea Lynx (GL) website and/or GL forums if I come across something I am unsure of.
When I advise I do two things: I go on my own experience - things I have found myself, and things I have learned from various vets and Vedra during the treatment of one of my own pigs. I also go on other peoples experiences and opinions. I have come across very diverse opinions and advice from over four years of browsing and posting on a variety of forums; while much of this advice is conflicting, especially advice based in other countries, it's all useful to be aware of and I feel it makes for better judgement and a rounder understanding of most health conditions and their treatments.

Long story short, most of it is learned through hands-on experience with my own pigs. What I have not learned myself, is gleaned from a diverse range of opinions. It must be said I trust the CCTs advice more than most, but I find advice from other sources just as valuable.

And yes, I am very lucky to live so close. The irony does not escape me - I moved away for 9 months and was at the CCT almost every month. I got back here 5 months ago and I have made only two visits there!
 
Yes, you are lucky, it is a 200 mile round trip for me to visit Vedra. I think my "record" was about 15 visits in one year. So far, no trips this year.
Those seem to be the standard reference books.
I find that many sows that have hair-loss often get new hair growth. I take the view that in many, or most, cases hair loss is part of the ageing process. Whether or not it should be regarded as "normal" and should be left untreated is open to debate.
 
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CCC4 said:
Hormone treatments will deal with the hair loss/alopecia, Lucinda. The alopecia is related to the condition, so the injections will both shrink the cyst and correct the hair loss. It will take a fair few weeks for the hair to grow back, but it does tend to work very well.

The drug (HCG / Chorulon) is injected subcutaneously at the dose of 0.2ml. Each injection is typically given four weeks apart, but some vets do prefer to give the pig the injections long-term (i.e. one injection every 2-3 months). As an initial course of treatment, one injection repeated after four weeks should - at the very least - kick start the recovery from the alopecia.
Click to expand...

Many thanks for that. I think it is the first option.
 
Hi,
Went to the vets today.

The vet saw Honey and was instantly concerned about her lumps. Turns out once side of her belly has filled with gas and the other the lump.
She then told me she was going to put a needle into the lump , but she decided to take Honey out the room to do it.
She came back and had managed to drain 8ml from the cyst. Turns out it is ovary cysts .
The vet told me I'm going to have to have her spayed and then explained the other treatments that you mentioned.
I'm going back next week to talk to a guinea pig specialist to discuss the options.
 
All the best for poor Honey!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for her!
 
Doing nothing is still an option. How old is the pig? 8ml of fluid is a very small amount to drain, the cyst(s) must be quite small.
Quite often, shortly after eating, the gut may contain gas, this can lead to a misdiagnosis. Maybe it is your choice of words but I get the impression that the vet is telling you what to have done and that is to have the pig spayed. Don't feel pressured into putting the pig through any procedure just for the sake of it.
I have said on many occasions that knowing when to treat, or not to treat, is as important as knowing how to treat.
 
Poor Honey, I hope that between you, you and your vet can come up with an action plan to help Honey. Good luck.
 
Am I right in thinking the other options are not really necessary if she is spayed? Spaying means no ovarian cysts (indeed, no ovaries!), the hormonal side will balance itself out in time, which will deal with other symptoms.

Of course it is down to you, but do stand your ground if you feel anything is unnecessary or if it is something you are uncomfortable with.
 
A major operation must be weighed against the condition that is being treated.
 
Yeahh, To be honest i think the vet wasnt really specialist guinea pigs as she thought she was pregnant to start with.
She's 2 1/2 and 3 in March :)

I'm going to have a chat with the other vet, who apparently is great with small animals. I dont really want to have her spayed as ive heard its risky and I'm not sure how much it will be.
The vet said she only drained 8ml because she didnt want to collapse (i think she said the gut, i cant really remember).
But bless Honey, I picked her up when she got home and she felt so much smaller without all that excess on her.
Going back on Tuesday.
Thanks for all your comments :)
 
At that age I would recommend the spay. Thats the same age as my piggy who recently went through the op with no problems. Of course each cavy is different and it would be a good idea to do blood tests to see if she is healthy enough to go through it.

If she is getting cysts at that age it would appear she is prehaps prone to them. My vet is very cavy-savy and he said spaying really is the best option for younger piggies because if shes getting them now she will most likely get them when shes older, and then of course her option of healthy spaying will be greatly reduced.

Gypsey (my cyst pig) was loosing weight with it also and it was a matter of also not wanting to waste time of other treatments incase she she lost anymore weight and then was too underweight/unhealthy to be put under - we wanted to do it while she was 'at her best'.

And if my other girl piggy got cysts at a young age I think I would opt for spay too - it just eliminates any future problems with cysts. But of course older piggies may not have this option.

Either way, good luck!
 
I would advise to wait and do nothing,
Char-x, what indicators would a blood test show, very few gp operations are preceeded by a blood test? A pre-op. blood test is usually associated with American veterinary practice.
 
It is a major operation and you would prefer to have to done by a specialist with experience. The very best and most practised is in Northampton (ask furryfriends for details about Simon).

Long term weight loss seems to be quite often one of the problems connected with the op. If you can get away without doing it it's worth it!
 
Blood tests are very good at diagnosing various problems - it might be more rare over here but mosy cavy-savy vets will recommend it if the pig is strong enough.
Theres a very good vet down here in Essex, he specialises in Guinea pigs but I'm not sure how far you are willing to travel?
 
My vet gets the nail softer from soaking it in warm water and then over cuts a nail.
 
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