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Tumours

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Kerrie74

Kerrie74

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After having a chat with @helen105281 she suggested I make a thread and try and get some advice/opinions on Snow's tumors.

Snow is about almost two years old, he's been pretty healthy apart from a couple of colds, my adult son Aidan picked him up the other day to have a natter with him as he does all the guinea's (yeap we're a bit bonkers in this bungalow lol, even my Mum talks to them when she comes), he noticed that Snow looked a bit swollen around his nipple area. He was getting him ready to take him to the vets on Monday and noticed he actually has two lumps. Snow has been acting normal, eating, drinking, rumble strutting his brother which causes his brother Storm to want to kick his butt.

The vet that saw him made sure they weren't fatty lumps or abscesses, she said they feel like tumours and gave Aidan some options to pass onto me. One's a small one and the other is a bigger one.

1. Palliative care
2. An operation to remove the tumours
3. PTS

She mentioned having blood tests done but said that they may not even give results so I've decided against that one.

I've read that tumours can come back and Helen also said that sometimes they can spread when they've had surgery.

I obviously don't want to do anything that could cause Snow more harm and as we know there is a risk that he could pass away on the operating table. I was going to opt to have them removed but I'm wondering if palliative care is kinder?

Just going to tag @Abi_nurse in as Helen mentioned she has some experience in regards to tumours.

Thanks in advance
 
I've just noticed I keep spelling tumours wrong :eek:

I might be a bit slow at responding at the moment, I'm stuck in bed unwell. Just wanted to put that just in case people think I'm being ignorant.
 
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As l remember it they have "fatty tumors", fatty lumps, and tumors!and subatios systs

Try doing a little test, grab the lumop/mass and gentaly wigle it.
Does it have a lot of free movment in it ?
Or does it seem "anchored".
If you can wiggle it and it doesn't seemed to be really fixed to bone or muscle, then ligtlyhood is that just a fatty tumor.
that a lot of pigs in latter life devolop, may , develope some sort of lump

A surbatios syst often ozess white or greay subatios hair foulacal fluid


If it feels like it's totally heald on to something ? That's when you "may" have need for concern ,
If in any dought see your vet ,
 
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He's been to the vet, she gave the options in my thread which is why I was asking for opinions. It's not fatty or an abcess, she just said they felt like tumours.
 
I'm really sorry you're not feeling well today hope you get better soon.

Poor Snow, I hope he is happy in himself and not feeling any pain. It's hard to know what you would do until you are in a situation yourself but my reaction is .....
If the tumours are cancerous then go with palliative care until such time as you know he needs help over the Bridge. As there are already two then chances are it will have spread. Can the tumours not be aspirated to find out if they are cancerous or benign rather than a blood test which is a bit hit and miss depending on the type of cancer.

This reaction is based purely on my own life experience I have no experience with piggies and tumours.
 
Don't you just hate not knowing what you're dealing with? Are there any tests, any chance of a small biopsy under light anaesthetic to send away? If they're benign then I'd suggest leaving them. Also I wonder if an x-ray will show up how many tumours there are within him.
Being as there's more than one visible, then if it's cancerous I agree, it's probably already spread, in which case it is a case things will take their natural course until you feel his quality of life is deteriorating.

I have just had a tumour removed from Freddie. But that was just the one. It's hard to know what to do.
 
Really sorry you face a tough decision. I have a piggie who had an aggressive tumour on his back last autumn - it was removed and touch wood he has been fine since. But the post op part was tough on him (he is nearly 5 though) and it may return. But I don't know if mammory area tumours are different. I have had some needle biopsys done with no anesthetic (I held the pig, vet put in needle) - but they may need more tissue for a proper diagnosis. I don't know how the vet can say they are tumours without looking at the tissue inside?
Abi gave me advice when I was going through the 'lump' worry with my piggie @Abi_nurse
 
Hmm I think she was going on how they felt. I would take him somewhere else but sadly I have no way of getting him to a exotics vet. I thought if I asked for advice here that I could pass the info onto the vet.
 
Snow is very young, so he has many things going for him.
- the younger he is then the less likely these lumps will be nasty (it doesn't make it impossible).
- an aneasthesia is not that high risk he's likely to just die on the table. Providing you have a good vet risks are very minimal.

Personally I would do one of two things, either remove them to see what they are or leave them and monitor them. I really don't think putting him to sleep is necessary, he sounds like a perfectly healthy piggie otherwise. For now, if you cannot decide, just ensure you keep an eye on his weight.

To add, there are the one or two tumours that can be spread if you don't get good margins, these are usually highly aggressive tumours in older patients which they sound extremely unlikely to be these. Doing surgery would not spread them.

x
 
Thanks @Abi_nurse we know one of them is big but the other is small. Do you think it would be a good idea to have them removed regardless of what type of tumours they are with one of them being bigger? I just want to make sure he has a good quality of life and as it is his cage mate has kidney and bladder stones :(

I thought putting him down was a bit daft in all honesty, when my son said it I was like "Eh put him down? but there's nothing wrong with him as such!" so that is far from my mind.
 
Just an update for @Abi_nurse

Aidan (my son) spoke to the vet today when he took our dog to be microchipped, she more or less said one of the things you suggested, she said to monitor him for about three weeks, if they have grown then to have them removed.

Thanks a lot for your advice Abi_nurse :) I feel better than I did.
 
Kerrie74 said:
Just an update for @Abi_nurse

Aidan (my son) spoke to the vet today when he took our dog to be microchipped, she more or less said one of the things you suggested, she said to monitor him for about three weeks, if they have grown then to have them removed.

Thanks a lot for your advice Abi_nurse :) I feel better than I did.
Click to expand...

Glad you feel a bit better about this, I would agree. Monitor and then decide if you want to persue the surgery route.

x
 
My Guinea pig is nearly 7 and has a tumour which we've decided not to biopsy. However if he had been in the same position at 2 years old I wouldn't hesitate to find out what it was and if it was cancerous to have it removed as long as the vet thought it would help. He has age on his side.
 
Thanks, like I said, the vet has suggested we wait and see if they get any bigger, if they do then he'll have them removed. Apparently a biopsy doesn't always give you the answers you need sadly, I would much prefer to put the money towards his op and not cause him any unnecessary pain. My son will checking his tumours to see if they get bigger and will be keeping a check of his weight in the meantime :)
 
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