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Urgent Please Help

Tabybim

Tabybim

Junior Guinea Pig
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I've just found a large lump on my 2 year old skinny pig Godfrey, it's on his hip near his leg joint and it's large. I'm completely freaking out godfrey is my baby and I lost a pig who was his age a few years ago in the most devastating of ways , I can't lose Godfrey! The lump is new and I'm taking him to the vets tomorrow as soon as they open.
 
So sorry to hear this. You are doing the right thing taking him to a vet.
 
Please let's us know how he gets on at vets tomorrow. We have had piggy lumps removed in the past and piggies have been fine, so try not to worry too much until you know what the vet says. Huge hugs and I hope things go okay tomorrow at vets
 
The vet took cell samples and should get the results back on Friday. Since finding the lump I pretty much haven't stopped crying , I can't eat or sleep . Has any one else been through any thing like this ? What was the outcome? Godfrey is my whole life.
 
@Tabybim Try not to worry. Lumps can turn out to be nothing but fatty deposits. One of my pigs has one on his chest. The vet has checked it a few times and isn't worried about it at all.

Even if it is something then you've noticed it early and the vet will be able to treat it for him.

Take care and give Godfrey a big kiss.
 
I agree. please try not to worry until you know something for sure.

The vast majority of lumps on guinea pigs are harmless fatty lumps. Hopefully Godfrey has one of those.

You have noticed it early and taken him to the vets which is all you can do.

Please keep us updated xx
 
Yes one of mine had a lump in the same place when she was only a few months old; it turned out to be an abscess & was successfully removed all in one go. If you can, I recommend asking your vet to remove the whole lump, it gets it out of the way with one op, as sometimes vets will just do a biopsy instead which might mean another op down the line.
 
Please don't panic. Wait until the vet has the results as the majority of lumps are benign. I've had many piggies with lumps and bumps over the years. All but one were removed safely. The other was left in situ and stayed the same for about 2 years until my old girl was pts at over 8 years.
 
Ive a piggy who is 4 years old and has multitude of lumps .two vets have seen him and believe it to be Luekemia,but that was back in January,he has not lost any weight,still rumblestrutting,and keeping his 4 wifes in check.so i feel these lumps are probably benign harmless lumps !so please do not get too anxious ,await the biopsy results.your piggie is young ,so more likely to be fatty or benign.xx
 
Two of my old lady pigs had fatty lumps and one of my boars had one come up the size of a walnut - all taken out and made a speedy recovery.
 
The Tumor is cancer and quite aggressive he is having surgery to remove it tomorrow . I don't think I'll be posting anymore I'm too devasted, I don't even know if he'll make it through the operation , everything's uncertain.
 
Tabybim said:
The Tumor is cancer and quite aggressive he is having surgery to remove it tomorrow . I don't think I'll be posting anymore I'm too devasted, I don't even know if he'll make it through the operation , everything's uncertain.
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Oh no I am so sorry to hear this.Got everything crossed for Godfrey xx
 
I've been through that, all you can hope for is to wait & see how invasive it is. Try to come in to the forum, you can get support from the people here. Ask questions, anything you want. It is so much better than shutting yourself away. Sending healing vibes to Godfrey.
Also massive hugs to you.
 
I am so very sorry to hear this :(

But please don't disappear from the forum. We are all here to support you and some of us have been through this ourselves including me.

I know it is hard for you to talk about right now, but has your vet confirmed what sort of cancer it may be as there are many different types and some are curable xx
 
Hi, thank you for your kind messages. Godfrey had a major operation last Friday to have the Tumor removed, the vet was not particularly confident he'd make it through the surgery but it was our only hope. Without surgery he only had a very short time left. Anyway much to my great relief he came through the op with flying colours and was eating the moment he woke up! He was a bit dopey that evening and I stayed up all night with him but he continued to eat and drink and go to the toilet normally. The vets and nurses said he was the most easy going pig they'd ever treated! Touch wood he hasn't shown any interest in his stitches but has quite a build up of fluid which the vet said was normal and would eventually be reabsorbed into his body. He's on antibiotics and painkillers but seems perky. I had a phone call on Friday , a week after the op to confirm they had been able to remove all of the cancer and if the Tumor doesn't come back in a month he should have a normal life span. Obviously I'm happy he has come this far and at this stage this is the best news I could hope for . He's not out of the woods but I'm trying to take one day ( one hour) at a time and enjoy him while his feeling good. No one can know what the future holds and I might not post as often as usual but I will try , I know many others of you have been through heartbreaking times with your pigs and they become like your babies. I may need some post surgery advice at some point I hope that will be okay. Thank you!
 
That's fantastic news :) Fingers firmly crossed that he is given the all-clear next month.
It's also good that he's been eating and had done so straight away.
I would keep his cage extra clean, monitor how he is moving around and make sure he is eating and drinking well. Has he been given any Metacam?
 
Since writing it feels like I've been on a roller coaster ride . Godfrey healed well but now the swelling is back and larger than before , he had a scan and the vet said it was unlikely to be just fluid build up , as it looked more substantial on the scan , so either the Tumor and therefore the cancer is back or vague possibility it could be severe inflammation . However Godfrey has been on both antibiotics and an anti inflammatory . He goes back to the vets on Wednesday and they may want to take more cell samples in which case I should get the results on Friday and I'm terrified! Does any one have any idea how long a Guinea pig can live with cancer ( it is an aggressive carcinoma but on his hip) ? Currently he is perky , eating well and has even gained weight. I guess I'm just terrified of him suffering and I don't want it to get to that stage , but I also don't want to cut his life short while he's still happy . I'm so confused and I feel almost like I'm grieving for him while he's still here. Has anyone else nursed a terminally ill Guinea pig ( or other pet)? Advice would be great. Obviously I'll also discuss all this with my vet but I'd like to talk to someone whose been through a similar experience.
 
I'm so sorry to hear your news. It's not a position I've been in ( yet ). I agree with you - the priority is to make sure Godfrey isn't suffering .

Thinking of you and Godfrey :hug:
 
Aw hugs, I'm sorry you are having to go through this. I hope it is just swelling/fluid.

I was in a similar situation, with my lumpy girl (Millie), last week. She lived with a neck lump for 9 months - happily. We chose not to operate due to her age and other circumstances. I always knew that I'd 'let her go' when it started to effect her everyday life or if she was in pain. I just took everyday at a time, I tried not to think about the lump and just enjoyed her and spoilt her rotten whenever possible.

She started showing some odd symptoms last week (head tilt) and was obviously in some pain whilst losing weight. I could probably have kept her going on painkillers and syringe feeding, however I didn't think this was the quality of life she deserved. It was so hard, but I know she went with dignity, before she had to 'suffer' and I actually feel better knowing that.

Everyone is different, with different situations. I had 9 months to try and get my head around it all, but appreciate that others may not have that long.

I guess a hip lump could effect his mobility, so you may have to make some cage modifications (to ramps etc..). Just give him the best life you can and try not to dwell on it too much. Take each day as it comes.
He'll let you know when the time comes (hopefully not for a while yet).

Be kind to yourself xx
 
Hi, I have had a terminally ill dog and I totally get what you mean by starting to grieve whilst they are still here. In his case, he was obviously poorly, though managed by medication and he still had quality of life (my phone just corrected life to love. He most definitely had quality of love) he was not what he was when he was not sick, and that's what I think I was grieving for at that time; the loss of what he was, rather than the oncoming loss of him.

I would say it gets easier but it doesn't really :( 5 years later and I'm still crying
Gotta just try and make the most of the good times and get lots of hugs during the bad ones. *hugs*

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Tabybim said:
Since writing it feels like I've been on a roller coaster ride . Godfrey healed well but now the swelling is back and larger than before , he had a scan and the vet said it was unlikely to be just fluid build up , as it looked more substantial on the scan , so either the Tumor and therefore the cancer is back or vague possibility it could be severe inflammation . However Godfrey has been on both antibiotics and an anti inflammatory . He goes back to the vets on Wednesday and they may want to take more cell samples in which case I should get the results on Friday and I'm terrified! Does any one have any idea how long a Guinea pig can live with cancer ( it is an aggressive carcinoma but on his hip) ? Currently he is perky , eating well and has even gained weight. I guess I'm just terrified of him suffering and I don't want it to get to that stage , but I also don't want to cut his life short while he's still happy . I'm so confused and I feel almost like I'm grieving for him while he's still here. Has anyone else nursed a terminally ill Guinea pig ( or other pet)? Advice would be great. Obviously I'll also discuss all this with my vet but I'd like to talk to someone whose been through a similar experience.
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BIG HUGS

I am very sorry for the bad news. Sadly, there is no time frame we can give you. it all depends on how aggressive the cancer is, where it is located and how quickly it is spreading to vital organs. It can go very quickly in a matter of days or just a couple of weeks or you may have yet weeks with Godfrey.
What I do with my own piggies in a situation like that is to count every I day have with them as an extra day to cherish. While knowing that your time is limited, it allows you to make the best of what is left and to pack everything into it that you want to do, say and show. Love transcends time, and you will be amazed at just how much you can pack into a very short space! it is not the quantity that matters, but the quality.

The grieving process starts at the moment you hear the news. By the time death comes round, you have already done a fair bit if you face up to it and it means that while the pain of your loss is not any less and the actual leave taking is no less heart-breaking, you will find it easier to let go than when you have to do all the grieving afterwards, like with a sudden death. You do not grieve any less overall, but the grieving dynamics are different. ;)

My dad battled very painful terminal cancer for three long years; by the time he died, we were of course very sad, but also relieved for him that his suffering was over. The grieving started when we got the bad news as a family; it took us all some time to come to terms with the shere shock of it as it coincided with his early retirement (which happened because he had not been feeling well for some time).

I hope that you can still share some very special moments with Godfrey!
 
I'm really sorry for the difficult diagnosis. I totally understand what you mean about grieving while they are still here because you understand the time is limited. I've never had a pig with a cancer diagnosis like Godfrey's, but I have had that feeling with my elderly pigs when they are very clearly on the downward slope and you know that the time is growing short. All I can say is to take each day as it comes and treat him like royalty... spoil him, take lots of pictures, enjoy the time you have together now. ((HUGS)) to you and Godfrey both!
 
I'd like to thank everyone for their kind and sympathetic words . Godfreys back at the vets on Wednesday and they'll probably want to take more cells to test( something I find incredibly stressful cos I know he doesn't like being poked and proddedwith needles, I just wish it could be me instead. He's already been through so much and so bravely. It's so disheartening cos he has healed so well and now we might be back at square one)
He is still eating well and has even gained some weight and despite the enormous swelling on his hip he's getting around remarkably well. If the results do come back Friday , as expected, and the cancer is back does anyone know what this might mean for godfreys life expectancy? I can't believe I'm even typing these words , the idea of life without him is unthinkable. He is like my child , I'll never have kids but as strange as it may sound to some people my pets become like my babies. And as for Godfrey I've devoted the last just over 2 yrs of my life to him . I set an alarm clock to wake me through the night to check on and reheat his heat pad, I hold him for Atleast 5 or 6 hrs a day . I don't really even go out in case he wants me or needs his heat pad warming . He really is my whole life. I lost my pig , Harry just before I got Godfrey and I've never gotten over that and he was only 2 yrs old as well it just seems so unfair . Previously I had a lethal boy Patrick who lived to 4 and my other pig Betty was put to sleep just after Christmas. I know I just have to enjoy the time we have together but it's so hard when every time I hold him I'm reminded that I'm going to lose him .
 
HUGS

Unfortunately, we can't give you a time scale as it depends all on how aggressive the cancer is and how quickly it spreads to a vital organ.

Be aware that your grieving process has already started the moment you have got the bad new about Godfrey. We all dread the thought of losing a piggy or having to let it go. But for Godfrey's sake and even more so for your own sake, don't let it take over totally! As much as we love our pets, we only have them for a little while and we cannot choose the time and way they leave us. This allows us to love them unreservedly, but it also means that we have to develop coping mechanisms for the grieving process if we have a succession of guinea pigs.

I would very strongly recommend that you make use of a free pet bereavement line, where you speak to a trained, but involved person that is there to listen to you and to support you but that will guarantee that nothing goes further. Several forum members have done this and found it a real relief when they couldn't cope with the loss of their beloved piggies. You are already in that process, but you do not want to work yourself up to the degree that you cannot function anymore. The fear of loss can be often every bit as paralysing as the loss itself. Please make sure that you get the support you need!
SupportLine - Problems: Pet Bereavement: Advice, support and information
 
Sending you lots of love and hope. Guinea pigs are such innocent, sweet, special little beings they leave their mark on your soul. I too feel the loss of my piggies deeply. I've lost several piggies over the years and for each one it never gets easier. In my own experience I've found it better to go through a complete grieving process rather than try to supress your grief. I've recently lost two little souls within weeks of each other. I listen to hypnotherapy (Joseph Clough) as I go to sleep, such comforting words which aids a more positive frame of mind. I also am lucky to have sympathetic sister to discuss my losses with. What ever you do don't punish yourself, be kind to yourself. I know it's a cliché but time does heal, enabling you to remember them with fondness, without so much pain. If you are really struggling please reach out as there are many of us here who totally understand. Some very good advice here in the above replies.
 
I had to have Godfrey put to sleep Friday afternoon. I'm absolutely devasted , he was my baby and I miss him so much . The only consolation is he never suffered. Thank you for all your support through all of this .
 
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