Ovarian cysts

[Rosanna Kapur]

I’m 99% sure my little pig (3 and a half) has an ovarian cyst. She’s booked in to see the vet at 4 pm today.

Can anyone advise on what treatments they may recommend and what the chances of her being okay are?

I first noticed her bald patch a week ago and treated her for mites. I feel awful for not taking her to the vets immediately now.

 

[Wiebke]

I’m 99% sure my little pig (3 and a half) has an ovarian cyst. She’s booked in to see the vet at 4 pm today.

Can anyone advise on what treatments they may recommend and what the chances of her being okay are?

I first noticed her bald patch a week ago and treated her for mites. I feel awful for not taking her to the vets immediately now.

Hi!

Can you please tell us where the bald patch is exactly located?

What kind of mites treatment have you used? Any low dosed broad pet shop treatment won't be strong enough to do more than temporarily suppress either mange or hay mites. You also have to always do a full 3 applications course; a one-off treatment won't do anything. We do not recommend home treatment on spec for that reason.
By far not all fungal or skin parasite cases are textbook which doesn't make a diagnosis any easier.

Ovarian cyst hairloss on the belly sides is usually symmetrical on both sides and hormonally caused. other symptoms are crusty nipples and behaviour like a sow is nonstop experiencing a strong season and a slow gradual weight loss. Most ovarian cysts won't cause any symptoms and not all ovarian cysts are hormonal. The cysts that cause symptoms are generally smaller and growing ones. Many sows develop ovarian cysts as they get older. Thankfully the majority of cysts doesn't cause any problems.
Treatments for cysts: spaying operation, hormone injections/implants (may require an exotics vet) or draining of fluid-filled cysts (the last one is a temporary solution with no/minimal sedation but it generally works for a few months, especially for frail and old sows with non-hormonal cysts). Treatment is generally not cheap and you want to have a good vet you trust fully for an operation. You and a good vet will have to weigh up whether it is worth to just monitor the cyst, especially if treatment is too expensive.