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Scheduling of Surgery for Ovarian Cysts And "Pre-Care"

Devout_Haruhiist

Devout_Haruhiist

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Hi all! Looking for some advice regarding care prior to surgery for ovarian cysts.
One of my sows, Hilda (~3.5 yrs old), started showing some evidence of ovarian cysts about 3 weeks ago. She was being a bit aggressive with her cage mate (another sow) and also slowly dropping weight. Vet confirmed that she had two ~1cm cysts, one on each side via ultrasound. Over the next week I watched her symptoms and decided to see about scheduling her for surgery, though the vet said there was still a small chance the cysts might resolve on their own (my GP has actually had one case where they were smaller and went away).

Due to the holidays, however, the earliest she can get surgery is January 2nd. And there is only 1 vet (my current vet) in my city who I would trust with this procedure and his office has a lot of experience with this. My biggest concern now is making sure she is in the best shape possible before the surgery. So looking for any tips as to how to do that, since I have no other options I can think of other than to wait for the surgery date.

Good points:
-she is still eating on her own and excited at feeding time. She climbs up to sniff her greens, eats her greens and hay, etc.
-She is has not exhibited any other visual cyst symptoms like barbered fur, nipple stuff, or actually having the cysts visible yet

Bad points:
-her weight is still slowly dropping, there is fluctuation of course but I would say a few grams a day. I have started her on critical care a few times a day which she still takes willingly from a spoon (and sometimes is actually excited about it) but not sure how long that will last. Worried about her losing too much weight in the weeks before her surgery
-she does seem a bit lazier-- while she is active at times, she does spend a lot of time lying around (moreso than usual). I asked the vet if I should consider giving some small dose of metacam in case she is in discomfort, but he said unless her pain visible escalates or I hear her that I shouldn't and wait to give metacam in the post surgery period

I know that's a bit rambly but mostly just looking for any thoughts or tips here. I'm honestly less worried about the surgery itself at this point (though I know that is also always a risk) than the fear that she just rapidly declines over the holidays. Then again maybe I am overreacting?

Thanks!
 
Hello, I am sorry your girl has ovarian cysts and needs surgery but with the right vet which is sounds like you have a good vet who knows what they’re doing, the surgery is straight forward

Please have a read of the following link which will give you tips on preparing for an operation and post operative care:

Wiebke

Thread 'Tips For Post-operative Care'

1 Preparing for an operation
2 Care tips for freshly operated guinea pigs
- General advice
- Supportive home care and syringe feeding
- Pain relief, gut stimulants and when to see a vet as an emergency
3 Recovery
4 Companionship
- The importance of company
- Tips for medically separated piggies


Ideally, your...
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I hope her surgery goes well and I will be thinking of you both on 2nd January

Please keep us updated x
 
Hi

Wishing you all the best for the op. Our post-op care guide starts with a chapter with tips on how you can prepare for a planned operation. ;)
 
Thanks, everyone! I've read these over and I think I have everything prepared. I was also able to snag an earlier slot-- this Thursday instead of January 2nd. I was just too worried about waiting that long. Even though she is still eating on her own her appetite is definitely reduced (hence the critical care). I'm hoping by doing the surgery earlier I can increase her chance of survival.
 
Figured I would give everyone an update-- and thank you for all the well wishes for Hilda.

Hilda had her spaying on Thursday with no issues. She came home Thursday late afternoon pretty out of it. Early Thursday evening I got a tiny bit of CC into her. By 11PM or so she walked out of her hiding area and sniffed at her hay. By midnight she munched a piece or two of hay and a piece of lettuce I offered. Also got a tiny bit more CC in her (still probably not enough but I was trying to be careful since she was letting a lot dribble out).

Friday morning she was a bit more perky. She came out for feeding time alongside her cage mate and sniffed around. She ate her veggies, a few pellets and picked on some hay throughout the morning. She also got her first dose of metacam (she was prescribed .27mL once a day of the dog metacam but as you'll see later my vet and I ended up bumping it to 2x a day). About 2 hours after her first metacam dose I started hearing a bit of a strange, low honk sound from her occasionally. I panicked thinking it was maybe a respiratory thing (though it wasn't on every breath) and was able to get her to the vet to double check. Vet said he breathing, lungs, etc. were normal and that the sound could be from discomfort from the surgical drug cocktail wearing off and transitioning to just the metacam. So he bumped it up to 2x a day of the metacam (.27mL)-- which from my own research here seems in line with the current practice anyway with guinea pigs processing it faster.

The noise ended up going away by the evening regardless. She got a second dose of metacam and picked on some hay on her own throughout the evening. She also ate some critical care mash I made off a spoon a little bit. She also started drinking from her bottle a little on her own.

As of this morning (Saturday) her condition is much the same-- excited in the morning and even stood up on her cage bars, but appetite for hay in particular still seems a bit low. Once again was able to get some critical care into her alongside her metacam, but still worried about her appetite. I also noticed in the morning (pre-metacam) that she seemed to be in a bit of pain pooping. Not sure if this is normal given the abdominal surgery and since it had been awhile since her last metacam. On the plus side I have been seeing her eat her poops.

Despite having had various piggie medical things before this is actually my first time with a post-op so I'm not sure what's within the realm of normal vs abnormal. I know it can take her some time to fully recover. Been monitoring her weight and ofc from before the surgery to right after it went down quite a bit but since then it has only declined a little the last few days. She was ~815g before her surgery (Weds night) [which was already after a month long period of weight loss from her cysts from like 950g]. Friday morning she was 752g and Saturday was 742g.

Overall I am somewhat hopeful that she is slowly rallying and monitoring her basically around the clock (I cancelled some holiday travel where I was going to board her over Christmas). Just don't know whether I am overreacting, underreacting or just right
 
Devout_Haruhiist said:
Figured I would give everyone an update-- and thank you for all the well wishes for Hilda.

Hilda had her spaying on Thursday with no issues. She came home Thursday late afternoon pretty out of it. Early Thursday evening I got a tiny bit of CC into her. By 11PM or so she walked out of her hiding area and sniffed at her hay. By midnight she munched a piece or two of hay and a piece of lettuce I offered. Also got a tiny bit more CC in her (still probably not enough but I was trying to be careful since she was letting a lot dribble out).

Friday morning she was a bit more perky. She came out for feeding time alongside her cage mate and sniffed around. She ate her veggies, a few pellets and picked on some hay throughout the morning. She also got her first dose of metacam (she was prescribed .27mL once a day of the dog metacam but as you'll see later my vet and I ended up bumping it to 2x a day). About 2 hours after her first metacam dose I started hearing a bit of a strange, low honk sound from her occasionally. I panicked thinking it was maybe a respiratory thing (though it wasn't on every breath) and was able to get her to the vet to double check. Vet said he breathing, lungs, etc. were normal and that the sound could be from discomfort from the surgical drug cocktail wearing off and transitioning to just the metacam. So he bumped it up to 2x a day of the metacam (.27mL)-- which from my own research here seems in line with the current practice anyway with guinea pigs processing it faster.

The noise ended up going away by the evening regardless. She got a second dose of metacam and picked on some hay on her own throughout the evening. She also ate some critical care mash I made off a spoon a little bit. She also started drinking from her bottle a little on her own.

As of this morning (Saturday) her condition is much the same-- excited in the morning and even stood up on her cage bars, but appetite for hay in particular still seems a bit low. Once again was able to get some critical care into her alongside her metacam, but still worried about her appetite. I also noticed in the morning (pre-metacam) that she seemed to be in a bit of pain pooping. Not sure if this is normal given the abdominal surgery and since it had been awhile since her last metacam. On the plus side I have been seeing her eat her poops.

Despite having had various piggie medical things before this is actually my first time with a post-op so I'm not sure what's within the realm of normal vs abnormal. I know it can take her some time to fully recover. Been monitoring her weight and ofc from before the surgery to right after it went down quite a bit but since then it has only declined a little the last few days. She was ~815g before her surgery (Weds night) [which was already after a month long period of weight loss from her cysts from like 950g]. Friday morning she was 752g and Saturday was 742g.

Overall I am somewhat hopeful that she is slowly rallying and monitoring her basically around the clock (I cancelled some holiday travel where I was going to board her over Christmas). Just don't know whether I am overreacting, underreacting or just right
Click to expand...

Hi

How much recovery formula are feeding in 24 hours?
 
Hmm, maybe 1 tbsp? Not sure offhand exactly how it translated to mL once mixed with water. Was a bit hard to tell for the first day since some was dribbling out and some was getting in. I am about to take her out again for some more. She has definitely been tougher to feed compared to other sick piggies I've had before, been trying to be careful not to aspirate her.
 
Also curious if anyone here had opinions on the metacam dosage (twice daily of 0.27mL of dog formulation)-- I wasn't sure if something like post-op necessitated something higher or if this was just right. But I feel like this is actually slightly lower than some doses I've given in the past for other maladies-- but could just be her size. She's on the smaller side so I understand that factors into it ofc.
 
Devout_Haruhiist said:
Hmm, maybe 1 tbsp? Not sure offhand exactly how it translated to mL once mixed with water. Was a bit hard to tell for the first day since some was dribbling out and some was getting in. I am about to take her out again for some more. She has definitely been tougher to feed compared to other sick piggies I've had before, been trying to be careful not to aspirate her.
Click to expand...

Hi

Try offering some more top up feed once or twice daily as an additional boost, whether that is recovery fare with a little mushed fruit, mushed pellets etc. to help boost the weight. Other members can help you with their own 'recipes' and tricks. Your additional support can make a difference to get her through this with a little extra boost/bolster.

Wiebke

Thread 'Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support'

1 Weight and Weight Loss
- Why regular weight monitoring matters
- How weight changes over a lifetime
- How to weigh on your kitchen scales (with video)
- The weight loss rules
- How critical is the weight loss for my piggy?
- Possible causes for weight loss
2 Body Mass Index (BMI) or 'Heft'
- Why is understanding your piggy's weight so important?
- 'Average' weight vs. individual weight - the big trip up
- How to check for the BMI...
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Hoping for a full recovery for Hilda.
It can take a day or so to recover from the anaesthetic as well as the op.
I put a dish of the critical care with some added mashed banana into the cage when I’ve had a sick piggy. It helps encourage eating for themselves.
 
I mix mushed pellets and critical care - that often helps to cover the taste. Or even give some plain mushed pellets when that does go down best at a time when extra bulk is what is needed most. In this situation there are no rules - each piggy is different and you try and experiment. Whatever goes, goes.
 
Happy to report that she seems to have turned a corner (in a good way) for her recovery. Late night on Saturday she seemed a lot more perky about eating her hay and drinking and that has persisted. She is mostly acting normally now. Of course she still has a lot of weight to gain back but it's been trending in the right direction and she is back to taking most of the critical care off a spoon willingly. Hoping it all continues like this
 

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Devout_Haruhiist said:
Happy to report that she seems to have turned a corner (in a good way) for her recovery. Late night on Saturday she seemed a lot more perky about eating her hay and drinking and that has persisted. She is mostly acting normally now. Of course she still has a lot of weight to gain back but it's been trending in the right direction and she is back to taking most of the critical care off a spoon willingly. Hoping it all continues like this
Click to expand...

That is such great news! Don't expect the weight to bounce back quickly. It will come in its own time - sometimes weeks or even months later. The important bit is stabilisation right now.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that she has reached that level and can take it from there.
 
Figured I'd pop in with another update on Hilda. She is 2 weeks out from her procedure and she is back to behaving completely normally, complete with occasionally zoomies and everything. Also eating on her own (though I am still giving her ~1 tbsp or so of critical care which she takes from a spoon most days).

She had her staples out yesterday and did well with that and her incision has healed well. The only thing of slight concern to me is her weight. After surgery and her first week of recovery she was sitting at ~750g (which was a drop from ~810 before her surgery). Since then despite her energy levels and appetite improving her weight has not only not gone up but has slipped down slightly, to the 730s or so (I know there can be daily variation ofc). I asked the vet about this yesterday when she was getting her staples out and he said it may still be some time before she stabilizes and regains weight.

Am I worried over nothing? I don't see any other symptoms and neither did he that might cause this at a glance (i.e. no breathing issue, no teeth issue, etc.)
 
Devout_Haruhiist said:
Figured I'd pop in with another update on Hilda. She is 2 weeks out from her procedure and she is back to behaving completely normally, complete with occasionally zoomies and everything. Also eating on her own (though I am still giving her ~1 tbsp or so of critical care which she takes from a spoon most days).

She had her staples out yesterday and did well with that and her incision has healed well. The only thing of slight concern to me is her weight. After surgery and her first week of recovery she was sitting at ~750g (which was a drop from ~810 before her surgery). Since then despite her energy levels and appetite improving her weight has not only not gone up but has slipped down slightly, to the 730s or so (I know there can be daily variation ofc). I asked the vet about this yesterday when she was getting her staples out and he said it may still be some time before she stabilizes and regains weight.

Am I worried over nothing? I don't see any other symptoms and neither did he that might cause this at a glance (i.e. no breathing issue, no teeth issue, etc.)
Click to expand...

I would recommend that you feed a little top up extra to help with the weight; just some extra calories until the weight is coming back on its own, like a mushed up pellets, recovery formula, porridge oats, mushed fruit or mix thereof.

Wiebke

Thread 'Weight - Monitoring and Management (Underweight & Overweight)'

1 Health monitoring: BMI, weighing, poo out and body changes
- The importance of the weekly health and grooming body check
- Different feedback from BMI, weight, poos and body changes
2 Regular weight monitoring
- How often should I weigh?
- Weighing tips
3 Guidelines for changes in weight
- Weight loss guidelines
- Sudden weight gain and fluctuations...
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Wiebke

Thread 'Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support'

1 Weight and Weight Loss
- Why regular weight monitoring matters
- How weight changes over a lifetime
- How to weigh on your kitchen scales (with video)
- The weight loss rules
- How critical is the weight loss for my piggy?
- Possible causes for weight loss
2 Body Mass Index (BMI) or 'Heft'
- Why is understanding your piggy's weight so important?
- 'Average' weight vs. individual weight - the big trip up
- How to check for the BMI...
  • Like
  • Love
 
Added to @Wiebke ’s suggestions I used to give mine a small dish of their Critical care with a piece of mashed banana in.
All my piggies loved it
Glad Hilda is doing well after her op
 
And just out of curiosity, is there some medical reason or reasons that her weight might be stagnant or trending down this far out from the surgery when her energy level and appetite seems higher? I feel like in the couple of days after the surgery she was not eating a lot (hence my assist feeding her, etc.) but her weight was more stable. Now that she seems much more recovered and hungry is when her weight is trending slowly downward. Seems like it should be the opposite.

I guess unless anything else is going on but there's definitely nothing obvious like I mentioned earlier (teeth, URI/UTI, etc). Just wondering if I do end up having to take her to the vet again what I might need to look for. Or if this is some kind of just hormonal/body rebalancing post-spay? Trying to determine my panic level I guess while continuing to supplement her food intake.
 
I'm afraid I have no experience with females, just jumping your post.
 
Devout_Haruhiist said:
And just out of curiosity, is there some medical reason or reasons that her weight might be stagnant or trending down this far out from the surgery when her energy level and appetite seems higher? I feel like in the couple of days after the surgery she was not eating a lot (hence my assist feeding her, etc.) but her weight was more stable. Now that she seems much more recovered and hungry is when her weight is trending slowly downward. Seems like it should be the opposite.

I guess unless anything else is going on but there's definitely nothing obvious like I mentioned earlier (teeth, URI/UTI, etc). Just wondering if I do end up having to take her to the vet again what I might need to look for. Or if this is some kind of just hormonal/body rebalancing post-spay? Trying to determine my panic level I guess while continuing to supplement her food intake.
Click to expand...

Hi

If you have concerns over any ongoing slow weight loss, please see your vet. We have no access to your piggy and can only react to your own perception and interpretation/emotional response. The weight should be stable at this stage.
 
Got her to the vet today (finally, was the earliest I could). Managed to slow down her weight loss over the last week with supplementing her food. She still was behaving pretty normally and eager for food.

Vet took her temperature and it seems she is running a fever, so suspect infection and started her on Albon today. Nothing showed up in any imaging though. Hoping the Albon helps and I'll continue to hand feed as well
 
Devout_Haruhiist said:
Got her to the vet today (finally, was the earliest I could). Managed to slow down her weight loss over the last week with supplementing her food. She still was behaving pretty normally and eager for food.

Vet took her temperature and it seems she is running a fever, so suspect infection and started her on Albon today. Nothing showed up in any imaging though. Hoping the Albon helps and I'll continue to hand feed as well
Click to expand...

All the best!

PS: Albon is sulfamethoxine and related to bactrim.
 
Headed to the vet for another checkup tomorrow so figured I'd post an update here. Sadly Hilda's condition has not improved at all with the antibiotics. It hasn't worsed by a lot but she has lost another 10g or so in the last week, sitting now around 700g or just below depending on time of day; and that's with anywhere from 2-3 tbsp of critical care per day as a supplement (plus she is still eager to eat her regular hay, pellets and veggies).

After doing some research this week I am starting to think she might be suffering from hyperthyroidism. A lot of the symptoms seem to match up like her weight loss despite having an appetite as well as some hyper activity. For example I usually take her out and put her on my couch in a hidey while I go get some critical care and/or veg to feed her. In the past (pre-surgery) she would just sit and wait in her hidey, but now I find her wandering all over the couch, even to the edge of it, with her nose in the air.

Not sure but definitely going to ask the vet to check this tomorrow. Could be she also had an infection at the same time I guess since I don't think hyperthyroidism would cause the fever.
 
Devout_Haruhiist said:
Headed to the vet for another checkup tomorrow so figured I'd post an update here. Sadly Hilda's condition has not improved at all with the antibiotics. It hasn't worsed by a lot but she has lost another 10g or so in the last week, sitting now around 700g or just below depending on time of day; and that's with anywhere from 2-3 tbsp of critical care per day as a supplement (plus she is still eager to eat her regular hay, pellets and veggies).

After doing some research this week I am starting to think she might be suffering from hyperthyroidism. A lot of the symptoms seem to match up like her weight loss despite having an appetite as well as some hyper activity. For example I usually take her out and put her on my couch in a hidey while I go get some critical care and/or veg to feed her. In the past (pre-surgery) she would just sit and wait in her hidey, but now I find her wandering all over the couch, even to the edge of it, with her nose in the air.

Not sure but definitely going to ask the vet to check this tomorrow. Could be she also had an infection at the same time I guess since I don't think hyperthyroidism would cause the fever.
Click to expand...

All the best! I am very sorry. It gets difficult once you get into a rat tail of secondary complications that ping off each other with frail piggies. :(

PS: The daily weight swing over the course of 24 hours is around 30g; just the difference between a full and an empty bladder can be as much as 10g.
 
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