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ovarian cysts

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my first pggiy that had it looked slightly fat on the sides. my other one had a bald patch on her back and that was it. if you think your sow has it go to vets they can scan them awake and can tell you. usually virtually striaght away.
 
When Pinkie was diagnosed with ovarian cysts Claire, she was slightly plump around her sides, when you felt down her sides towards her back legs you could put your fingers around the cysts they were sort of egg shaped, she had one in each ovary. She didn't feel plump all the way down only like I say towards her back end slightly under her tummy, sorry it is rather hard to discribe. They don't usually like you to touch them, when they have cysts around their back end. If you are worried at all get the vet to check her out for you. Do you think Connie has them, is that why you ask?
 
Most cysts can be felt by palpation just beneath the ribcage; they feel slightly bumpy and round, and will roll under your thumbs as you examine the pig. The usual symptoms are:

- Hormonal behaviour (excessive rumbling, mounting)
- Hair loss (the alopecia is frequently symmetrical on the sides of the belly)
- Swollen/enlarged/crusty nipples
- Swollen abdomen

I can't remember if an xray will show them, but an ultrasound certainly will. Ovarian cysts are commonly diagnosed as a kidney complaint, but the kidneys don't move under your thumbs as cysts do.

Treatment is preferably non-surgical -a hysterectomy is not usually necessary unless the cysts are causing other problems. Hormone treatment is the first port of call; 0.2ml HCG injected, and repeated after 4 weeks, usually shrinks cysts enough that they no longer pose a problem. If the cysts are excessively large, they can be drained by a needle inserted into the abdomen.
 
I think I'm just talking myself in to things again. Connie has never liked to be touched around her back end. She has been felt and prodded all over by 2 different vets since her problems first started and neither of them can feel anything. If she were to have cysts, would they have been discovered by now? (remember that her problems started in November).
 
Depends if the vet palpated her abdomen properly. It seems to be a particular way of palpating that highlights the cysts, I don't know if a 'general' examination would show them up as vets tend to improvise unless they are experienced with piggies, and some vets seem to feel that cysts can only be diagnosed by ultrasound. The most common symptom is usually either the hormonal behaviour or the hair loss.
 
As I posted on another thread yesterday, ovarian cysts are very commonly misdiagnosed as kidney tumours. There is no need for scans/xrays to diagnoses their presence.
Again, as I posted on the other thread, they usually bother the owner more than the pig, whilst the vets. delight in coming up with new and expensive ways of diagnosing and treating them.
So often it is a case of knowing whether to treat or not which is more important than knowing what the condition is.
 
The thread Rocky's Scan contains everything on ovarian cysts already posted here and more.
 
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