Suspected hyperthyroid?

[Amyrosie87]

Hi everyone,
My 3 year old sow Ruby has been back and forth to the vets a couple of times recently. Originally I noticed increased hormonal behaviour, swollen abdomen and the beginnings of hair loss - I suspected ovarian cysts but an ultrasound ruled that out. Her weight was stable at around 1350g. My vet treated her for bloat and said it almost looked like she she was pregnant - I confirmed that she definitely only lived with two other sows!
I took her back two weeks later because her hair loss was getting worse. I was told to keep an eye on her in case she was pulling her fur out due to boredom or the others were barbering her, but if she kept losing hair it might be something hormonal.
It's about 4 weeks later now and Ruby has lost 150g despite always eating, she has even more symmetrical baldness on either side, she's always active, zooming about the floor when I let them out, her ears are hot to touch compared with the other two. I've been reading up on hyperthyroidism and it's sounding more and more likely, so I'm really concerned.
I plan on taking her back to the vet asap before she loses any more weight, but would appreciate any advice as I've never dealt with this in a piggy before (and my favourite vet left last year so I don't trust the others there quite as much!)
Thank you in advance

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! Is your vet aware that the hormonally active cysts are actually the small ones and not generally the large and easily to spot ones? It frankly rather sounds like ovarian cysts to me (the hair loss pattern is absolutely typical) and not like hyperthyroidism. Has your vet also checked for a build up of gas?

My Pili Pala is suspected to have it (on top of having irritable bowel syndrome), but her symptoms differ quite a lot from what you are mentioning. She struggles to sit still, is very edgy and fidgety, and often has a higher body temperature when I lift her out of the cage for twice daily IBS medication and extra feed for her weight issues.
Since medicating and controlling guinea pigs with hyperthyroidism is still on the dodgy side even in those guinea pigs that are safely diagnosed with it, Pili Pala is currently under observation. She hasn't got any hair loss at all, by the way.

@Abi_nurse @helen105281 @Jaycey

 

[Amyrosie87]

I mentioned ovarian cysts a couple of times, but my vet didn't make anything of it... I think I would like a different vet to do another ultrasound so I have a second opinion, because I was convinced that was the problem when I first made Ruby the appointment. I've had pigs in the past with similar symptoms and they all got spayed.
Yes she checked for gas, there was a build up which she prescribed meds for, but that seemed to have gone when I took Ruby back.
Ruby's temperature is a bit higher than my other two - actually I've just remembered that my vet checked it and said it was high, but not high enough to suggest infection. She's always been a fidget so I'm not sure that's out of the ordinary!
I'm concerned about the weight loss, because she's probably the greediest of my girls, always munching on something! Yet she looks to be losing on average 20g a week.
Thanks for your help @Wiebke I will mention ovarian cysts again to the vets for sure.

 

[Wiebke]

I mentioned ovarian cysts a couple of times, but my vet didn't make anything of it... I think I would like a different vet to do another ultrasound so I have a second opinion, because I was convinced that was the problem when I first made Ruby the appointment. I've had pigs in the past with similar symptoms and they all got spayed.
Yes she checked for gas, there was a build up which she prescribed meds for, but that seemed to have gone when I took Ruby back.
Ruby's temperature is a bit higher than my other two - actually I've just remembered that my vet checked it and said it was high, but not high enough to suggest infection. She's always been a fidget so I'm not sure that's out of the ordinary!
I'm concerned about the weight loss, because she's probably the greediest of my girls, always munching on something! Yet she looks to be losing on average 20g a week.
Thanks for your help @Wiebke I will mention ovarian cysts again to the vets for sure.

Cysts also cause weight loss in the range you are mentioning, so that is not a clear symptom.

 

[Abi_nurse]

I had hyperthyroid piggies and they can be difficult to diagnose mostly. Also had plenty of ovarian cysts which like Wiebke has suggested could also cause some weighloss. I think you need to rule out the cysts and get those treated first if she does have the, before looking into the thyroid. If you can get your vet to do an ultrasound of her ovaries you can check for cysts and measure them too this way. If she doesn't have cysts then I would be looking into taking some blood to check the thyroid levels but these are not always conclusive. Would also check her neck for a palpable (able to feel) thyroid gland. From experience though the best results ive had have been from radioactive iodine treatment as most of the oral treatments haven't worked well for us.

Hope this helps a bit. If you have any specific questions let me know.

 

[Amyrosie87]

Well she has been back, had a second ultrasound, and they managed to spot a small cyst this time. So she has been booked in for a spay, hopefully that will resolve any problems and there aren't any other issues! Thank you all for your help

 

[Wiebke]

Well she has been back, had a second ultrasound, and they managed to spot a small cyst this time. So she has been booked in for a spay, hopefully that will resolve any problems and there aren't any other issues! Thank you all for your help

All the best for the operation.

Here are our post-op care tips for the recovery at home: Tips For Post-operative Care

 

[rhymer]

Wishing you well for the op.xx