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Spaying Tallulah

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Char-x

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Took Tallulah to the vets for what I thought could be a sudden fingal infection (she seemed very itchy and dandruffy), and yet turns out by today she was fine! And the vet found nothing that could even suggest mites let alone fungal.

Anyway she has been very hormonal lately, just like Gypsey was before her spay. And I asked him to check if she had any cysts, and turns out she does and they are pretty big.

We discussed hormonal treatments but his recommendation was to get her spayed since she is pretty young (2) and is a healthy weight right now and therefore has a very good chance of a successful op (Gypsey was great and came out fine and was 200 grams underweight...). He also said it would make sure she wouldnt have any future problems with cysts, as if she had them as big as they are at this age then she will be most likely have alot of trouble at an elderly age.

Not to mention when we were trying to sort out her diabetes she was prodded every day with insulin and the poor girl really would not want to have to go through meds every day etc.

Anyway I really hope its as succesful as Gypseys was and she is back to herself soon. We havent booked her in yet but it will be in the next few weeks...
 
I will be keeping my fingers crossed for a trouble free procedure hun.
 
Fingers crossed that Tallulah will make it fine through the op and recover well!
 
Good luck Char, I hope her surgery does go well. I trust that you know her best and you are doing what you believe is right for her, it sounds like you feel your vet is competent enough.

As an aside, hormone therapy isn't daily treatment. CCT does one injection every four weeks, minimum of two injections. Other vets options vary but the therapy wouldn't necessarily be lengthy or ongoing, certainly not daily. It's not an absolute cure, but ovarian cysts themselves aren't a life-threatening condition and can usually be managed, and symptoms reduced/eliminated.

I have Saffron, a 22 month old sow, here at the moment who is being overly hormonal, hasn't stopped pestering Jasmine for well over a week now. If she continues this way for much longer she'll have to be considered for hormone therapy!
Even just two injections made an enormous difference to one of my past sows, who was very sexually aggressive and hormonal - I had to separate her from the other sows as she was biting them and pulling their hair out whenever she mounted - but after two injections she was calm enough to be nicknamed the "grandmother" figure of the whole group.

Anyway, fingers crossed for Tallulah. xx
 
Laura-CCC4 said:
Good luck Char, I hope her surgery does go well. I trust that you know her best and you are doing what you believe is right for her, it sounds like you feel your vet is competent enough.

As an aside, hormone therapy isn't daily treatment. CCT does one injection every four weeks, minimum of two injections. Other vets options vary but the therapy wouldn't necessarily be lengthy or ongoing, certainly not daily. It's not an absolute cure, but ovarian cysts themselves aren't a life-threatening condition and can usually be managed, and symptoms reduced/eliminated.

I have Saffron, a 22 month old sow, here at the moment who is being overly hormonal, hasn't stopped pestering Jasmine for well over a week now. If she continues this way for much longer she'll have to be considered for hormone therapy!
Even just two injections made an enormous difference to one of my past sows, who was very sexually aggressive and hormonal - I had to separate her from the other sows as she was biting them and pulling their hair out whenever she mounted - but after two injections she was calm enough to be nicknamed the "grandmother" figure of the whole group.

Anyway, fingers crossed for Tallulah. xx
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Thank you Laura, thats given me another area to consider as I knew I didnt have the option with Gypsey - her weight was to a point if left a few more weeks she would be in a risky position - so I didnt look into that side much. But since Tallulah's weight is still okay right now I think I will look into it.

What is the cost like with the injections? That would be the part my mum would need to be told about.
Also if the treatment is effective will it always be effective on them or can it one day just stop working?

That would be a concern because if it did stop one day it could be at an age she couldnt really be considered for a spay and then I would be at a loss.

Does the injection get rid of the cysts or does it just tame them down abit?

I think my vets main concern was the size and speed of the cysts as he believes it could indicate she is going to have them worst as she ages. He also said spaying can reduce the risk of certain cancers etc?

Thanks again everyone! x
 
I paid £10 per injection, no consultation fee though as my sow was treated at the CCT. It is a reasonably expensive injection, as HCG is an expensive drug, but it's still drastically cheaper than a spay!

I have not heard of HCG not working after a few injections, the only reason I can think of that it would not work is if the problem is not hormonal at all. I had a sow with a cyst on one of her ovaries and after two injections, the cyst was no longer detectable and her related symptoms had eased. However, I did not have the chance to discover if the cysts were able to recur as I lost her due to age and hyperthyroid-related issues thirteen months ago.

I don't think it is a therapy to eliminate cysts, but from my understanding and experience it does shrink and control them and manages hormonal imbalances.

I understand all your concerns and I too would be unsure of the best route to take if facing a vet so sure that a spay is better than hormone therapy, so it is entirely up to you. Maybe you could say you'll see how she does over the course of 3 months, or 6 months, with a short series of hormone injections. If there is no improvement or nothing seems to be helping, then consider a spay - bearing in mind the hormone injections should deal with most, if not all, related symptoms. I would say there is a high chance of the hormone therapy helping with her behaviour though, and a good chance it could shrink/control the cysts, and I would always recommend trying non-surgical procedures before opting for an invasive operation.
 
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Thank you, I have spoken to my mum and she said once we have adopted a new pig (hopefully this weekend) we will get in touch with my vet and discuss the hormonal treatment with him.
Like you said, it sounds like its worth a go, she is a good weight unlike Gypsey which does let us have this spare time to try other methods.
 
My girls (18months) and both were spayed the end of last year :), both are fine, I didn't have them at the time... but they are with me so all must have been fine :)!
 
Good luck for Tallulah today Charly, I hope whatever treatment you and the vet decides on goes well.
 
Thank you both.

I talked to my vet about the HJ and he said Tallulah's seem to be springing up so its likely she would need quite a few in her lifetime and frequently, and it would cost aprox £44 per injection (inc consultation) because it would be ordered in just for me.

He said he is sure she will be fine for the spay, but of course as any animal there is always risks but he does do atleast one a week so atleast I know he is a good experianced vet.

I hate having to wait not knowing if she will make it. I cant imagine loosing her, shes the rock to the group and for Gypsey.

I have left her alot of veggies to have once she comes round, its full of corriander and some apple to tempt her to eat. They said they will offer her hay and excell pellets too once she is awake enough.

He said blood tests werent necessary because the cysts appear to be her only health problem, otherwise she is very healthy - minus loosing abit of weight due to the cysts. He wont be doing an xray either because he has a recent one of her already and understands the less Tallulah is put through the less likely she is to wallow and become stressed.

Thank you for all your help Laura, its good to know because if Montana ever gets cysts I wouldnt put her through a spay as shes older.

They spay was £81...! It was £50 when Gypsey was done...
 
Will do.

Does anyone have any idea what the best pain med is for pigs after op?
 
Rimadyl is usually the ideal, 5-10mg up to twice daily, although Metacam is most common (0.1ml up to twice daily).
 
I have just phoned them and they said she has come through fine. She couldnt tell me if she had began eating yet, but said I can pick up up anytime after 4.30pm.

This is the worst part I think though, the post op and keeping her eating.
 
Great news sending healing vibes her way, please keep us updated hun.
 
Yay excellent news.

Good luck with looking after her from here on. I hope she carries on eating.
 
Lets hope! I will have everything on hand that can tempt her...

I have cut their 4x11 in half and then made a 2x2 for tallulah and the rest is the other 2 girls - thought its better they are in a smaller cage by her than having the whole of the cage as she might get lonely (never been on her own before).
 
Well she is home and eating...YAY! I'm so relieved I just touch wood she carries on like this.

To be honest when I got to the vets and saw her in her carrier she looked like she was giving up on life right there and there, she looked awful! and they gave me back her salad box and I saw none had been touched...I was so worried then.

But got her home and she came out her carrier and has been eating hay, some corriander dill and brocholli and some pellets. She is definitely a pig who has to be at home to be completely at ease.

Gypsey wont leave her alone through the bars and has even pulled her hair, she is confused I think but it helps Tallulah knowing she is right there.

The total cost came to aprox £180 which includes consultation, pain meds, critical care, heat pad and tasty hay and herbs to entice her to eat. So not bad since it looks like she will be healthy and no longer has to worry about cysts ever again.
 
Well she is home and eating...YAY! I'm so relieved I just touch wood she carries on like this.

To be honest when I got to the vets and saw her in her carrier she looked like she was giving up on life right there and there, she looked awful! and they gave me back her salad box and I saw none had been touched...I was so worried then.

But got her home and she came out her carrier and has been eating hay, some corriander dill and brocholli and some pellets. She is definitely a pig who has to be at home to be completely at ease.

Gypsey wont leave her alone through the bars and has even pulled her hair, she is confused I think but it helps Tallulah knowing she is right there.

The total cost came to aprox £180 which includes consultation, pain meds, critical care, heat pad and tasty hay and herbs to entice her to eat. So not bad since it looks like she will be healthy and no longer has to worry about cysts ever again.
 
Great news! I wish Tallulah a quick recovery!
 
I am relieved for you and Tallulah that the surgery went so well. It is encouraging that she is eating well too. I hope the rest of her recovery goes well, please do keep us updated. :)
 
Glad she's eating. That's good news.

Also looking forward to updates about her and hearing about her recovery.

Scary day for you eh?
 
Lisajazz said:
Glad she's eating. That's good news.

Also looking forward to updates about her and hearing about her recovery.

Scary day for you eh?
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For me and my bank balance :))

She was wheeking for her veggie dinner tonight and has eaten quite abit. She did just come out and walk like a slug like she was feeling uncomfy but the fact she is uncomfy and still coming out to eat is good I guess.

Those warmers are so good, I have put it under her vetbed and its kept it all snug x)
 
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