Very very strong seasons 🤦‍♀️

[Emx93]

Since fluffy and nuggets bond broke and nugget bonded with marshmallow her seasons are getting stronger every time. She gets rumbly and temperamental for a couple of days and then the day her season is in full swing she just doesn't leave marshmallow alone at all, just under two weeks ago I had to take marshmallow to the vet as nuggets season had caused her to almost stop eating and pooping and she needed gut stimulants and syringe feeds to get her going again (she lost 88g and is only a teenager!) The first rumbly days have started again andd I'm dreading it, marshmallows still not fully gained the weight back yet but is getting there?
Nugget does not have ovarian cysts that we know of, she is not aggressive or constantly in season its just every season gets worse. I'm really worried shes not going to let marshmallow eat again!
It was suggested to date them with a pair of sows and/or neutured boar so she has more people to harass and hopefully marshmallow will get a break, we have the space and this is a future plan but right now do not have the vet fund to take on any more pigs, we need to clear a lot off our vet credit card first!
The other suggestion (not from the vets!) was to spay her, again as a one off we probably could squeeze it on the credit card but it's a major operation and not something that would be my first choice!
Their bond is great whenever nugget isn't in season, but I don't want it to cause health problems with marshmallow!

What are my options here? I thought about a temporary seperation during her strongest season hours with a divide down the cage but I don't want to risk destabilising their bond either!

Sorry for the long post I'm just at a loss and worried with the season starting again, what age do seasons calm down? Is there anything I can do to help? We got her July 2018 and she was 8 weeks then so she's well past the teenage months!

 

[PigglePuggle]

Since fluffy and nuggets bond broke and nugget bonded with marshmallow her seasons are getting stronger every time. She gets rumbly and temperamental for a couple of days and then the day her season is in full swing she just doesn't leave marshmallow alone at all, just under two weeks ago I had to take marshmallow to the vet as nuggets season had caused her to almost stop eating and pooping and she needed gut stimulants and syringe feeds to get her going again (she lost 88g and is only a teenager!) The first rumbly days have started again andd I'm dreading it, marshmallows still not fully gained the weight back yet but is getting there?
Nugget does not have ovarian cysts that we know of, she is not aggressive or constantly in season its just every season gets worse. I'm really worried shes not going to let marshmallow eat again!
It was suggested to date them with a pair of sows and/or neutured boar so she has more people to harass and hopefully marshmallow will get a break, we have the space and this is a future plan but right now do not have the vet fund to take on any more pigs, we need to clear a lot off our vet credit card first!
The other suggestion (not from the vets!) was to spay her, again as a one off we probably could squeeze it on the credit card but it's a major operation and not something that would be my first choice!
Their bond is great whenever nugget isn't in season, but I don't want it to cause health problems with marshmallow!

What are my options here? I thought about a temporary seperation during her strongest season hours with a divide down the cage but I don't want to risk destabilising their bond either!

Sorry for the long post I'm just at a loss and worried with the season starting again, what age do seasons calm down? Is there anything I can do to help? We got her July 2018 and she was 8 weeks then so she's well past the teenage months!

We have a lady (mad lady Piggle) who had completely mental strong seasons from 16 weeks of age which are only calming down a bit now she is almost 2 years old- we took the "more people to harass" decision to ease the pressure on her female cousin Puggle by introducing a pair of older ladies, a neutered husboar, then another younger girl later!
I think it depends on your overall piggy ambitions and budget seeing as you already have 2 pairs of piggies (and kids, and other pets!).
But if Nugget is older than her rampant hormonal teenage months and this is a recurring thing that is stopping her living as part of a normal pair, then I might be wondering myself if she has the start of undiagnosed ovarian cysts that are too small to notice yet but might be better dealt with by a spay while she's still seemingly healthy as they may well show up later...
Though I've never had a spay done myself, luckily Piggle has improved with age and has 5 friends to inflict her hormones on during the occasional season when she's a bit feisty...! Maybe see what @Wiebke has to say when she's back online as she has a vast experience of both spays and moody hormonal piggy ladies!

 

[Emx93]

We have a lady (mad lady Piggle) who had completely mental strong seasons from 16 weeks of age which are only calming down a bit now she is almost 2 years old- we took the "more people to harass" decision to ease the pressure on her female cousin Puggle by introducing a pair of older ladies, a neutered husboar, then another younger girl later!
I think it depends on your overall piggy ambitions and budget seeing as you already have 2 pairs of piggies (and kids, and other pets!).
But if Nugget is older than her rampant hormonal teenage months and this is a recurring thing that is stopping her living as part of a normal pair, then I might be wondering myself if she has the start of undiagnosed ovarian cysts that are too small to notice yet but might be better dealt with by a spay while she's still seemingly healthy as they may well show up later...
Though I've never had a spay done myself, luckily Piggle has improved with age and has 5 friends to inflict her hormones on during the occasional season when she's a bit feisty...! Maybe see what @Wiebke has to say when she's back online as she has a vast experience of both spays and moody hormonal piggy ladies!

Thankyou
Overall piggy ambitions were always to take nugget to leader of 5, being 4 sows and a neutured husboar however its been a bad year for vet trips (I'm often there more than once a week) this should calm down very soon but I wouldn't want to take on more till there's more left in the vet fund if that makes sense?
A spay could help and I trust my vets and trust that fluffys weird spay complications were down to our sheer bad luck this year and fluffys drama queen tenancies, however nugget is prone to gas/digestive issues and the runs whenever she gets stressed, she thankfully hasn't had a flare up of this since bonding with marshmallow in July however I'm worried a spay may be too much for her, however since she's currently in good health she may be OK, I'm really not sure what to do so thought I'd ask the experts for advice
I should add they have a 24 square foot cage and 2 of everything, no hideys only tunnels so noone can get blocked, this is how fluffy started though and I hadn't found the forum at this point but she started with crazy seasons till she was constantly in season and then constantly aggressive, I wish idve known it was a problem as idve dealt with it before the bond broke!

 

[Merab]

I’ve had to deal with ovarian cysts and 2 of my girls have been spayed.
I trusted my vet implicitly to do the surgery and both girls came through very well.
Jemimah’s cysts flared up within days so her surgery was an emergency, Phoebe’s were slow and there was time to think through the options before going for the spay.

 

[Emx93]

I’ve had to deal with ovarian cysts and 2 of my girls have been spayed.
I trusted my vet implicitly to do the surgery and both girls came through very well.
Jemimah’s cysts flared up within days so her surgery was an emergency, Phoebe’s were slow and there was time to think through the options before going for the spay.

I don't think she actually has cysts, that's my dilemma she's just psycho piggy in season

 

[Merab]

I hope it isn’t cysts that you’re having to deal with.
Can’t help with the psycho stuff as none of my sows have ever been that bad, even with brewing ovarian cysts

 

[Eriathwen]

Would you be able to take little Marshmallow out for extra feeds during Nuggets seasons? That way theres no prolonged separations that may cause a rift, but she's able to get some peace and food without being chased off. This is what I currently do with my little one called Hazel, she was a runt to begin with but her mother has neurological issues thats lead to behavioural issues, cysts were ruled out by our vet, but she rumbles and does the funny slow bum wiggle on a daily basis with frequent chasing and generally being a bit tiresome,. Hazel wasn't growing at a rate I was comfortable with, taking her out for some peace seemed to help a little although I don't think she's ever going to be a big pig.

That being said, if it's a hormonal issue, spaying may help even if it isnt cysts, we didn't find my Mistys cyst until she was actually spayed, she was just overly hormonal and between myself and the vet decided that whatever it ended up being, spaying would likely resolve it, which thankfully (eventually!) it did.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

How old is your sow exactly?

Some girls can be very hormonal around 6 months of age (parallel to when boars are at their life time testosterone high) and can have monster seasons then.

If she is coming up to adulthood or an adult, then it is usually an ovarian cyst at the bottom of the problems. The ones that cause the big hormonal problems are usually small growing cysts according to the Maddocks and not the large silent fluid filled ones (although they can cause their own problems); a third group are the hard cysts that can turn cancerous.
In the longer term, you can either think about a spaying op or hormone treatment (which is unfortunately not any cheaper but less invasive); depending on how much you trust your vet.

The vet I use prefers to spay and is very good with it (Simon Maddock in Northampton). He has just spayed my 5 year old sister pair Morwenna (potentially cancerous hard cyst) in June and her sister Mererid (fast growing large non-hormonal fluid filled cysts) in October. I am currently saving up for a couple more spays.

So far, I've had 5 sows spayed and adopted two already spayed ones. The first sadly died when my then local operating general vet got the GA wrong in an emergency spay - they didn't account for the presence of a second massive cyst and that the cysts had caused a lot of gassing in a newly adopted sow back in 2010. That has taught me the importance of finding a good operating vet - it was after that that I found the Maddocks via this forum.

Spreading the hormonal overload can buffer the problem to some extent although it is a strain on the whole group. You can get into trouble if you happen have two ovarian cyst divas in the same group at the same time (the reason why my Heini and Hapus did fall out).

You can see whether a divider in the cage can help during the very worst of it as long as it is a temporary measure and not a long term solution while you are saving up for a spay - see how your undersow is reacting to some respite (see tips on bullying in the second link).

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Bonds In Trouble

Unfortunately there is no cheap solution, so please take the time to do your research and think things through. We are here for any questions.

Sorry for not being around too much - I am currently recovering from not being well.

 

[Emx93]

Hi!

How old is your sow exactly?

Some girls can be very hormonal around 6 months of age (parallel to when boars are at their life time testosterone high) and can have monster seasons then.

If she is coming up to adulthood or an adult, then it is usually an ovarian cyst at the bottom of the problems. The ones that cause the big hormonal problems are usually small growing cysts according to the Maddocks and not the large silent fluid filled ones (although they can cause their own problems); a third group are the hard cysts that can turn cancerous.
In the longer term, you can either think about a spaying op or hormone treatment (which is unfortunately not any cheaper but less invasive); depending on how much you trust your vet.

The vet I use prefers to spay and is very good with it (Simon Maddock in Northampton). He has just spayed my 5 year old sister pair Morwenna (potentially cancerous hard cyst) in June and her sister Mererid (fast growing large non-hormonal fluid filled cysts) in October. I am currently saving up for a couple more spays.

So far, I've had 5 sows spayed and adopted two already spayed ones. The first sadly died when my then local operating general vet got the GA wrong in an emergency spay - they didn't account for the presence of a second massive cyst and that the cysts had caused a lot of gassing in a newly adopted sow back in 2010. That has taught me the importance of finding a good operating vet - it was after that that I found the Maddocks via this forum.

Spreading the hormonal overload can buffer the problem to some extent although it is a strain on the whole group. You can get into trouble if you happen have two ovarian cyst divas in the same group at the same time (the reason why my Heini and Hapus did fall out).

You can see whether a divider in the cage can help during the very worst of it as long as it is a temporary measure and not a long term solution while you are saving up for a spay - see how your undersow is reacting to some respite (see tips on bullying in the second link).

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Bonds In Trouble

Unfortunately there is no cheap solution, so please take the time to do your research and think things through. We are here for any questions.

Sorry for not being around too much - I am currently recovering from not being well.

Thankyou I really hope you feel better soon, my vet is good and I can afford a spay, it's more the long term cost of more pigs that I can't afford yet as all of them could in theory end up on long term medication at some point or other, she will be 2 in May so definitely not a teenager my vets have operated on fluffy twice and princess once, the vet that operated on Princess has 25 years operating experience and fluffys ops were also done by experienced cavvy savvy vets I will try taking marshmallow out for extra feeds during this season and discuss spaying with the vets! Do you think she'd be OK with a spay given her history of gas/soft poops related to stress this was what was concerning me most about a spay! She hasn't had a flare up of this since late July xx

 

[Emx93]

Would you be able to take little Marshmallow out for extra feeds during Nuggets seasons? That way theres no prolonged separations that may cause a rift, but she's able to get some peace and food without being chased off. This is what I currently do with my little one called Hazel, she was a runt to begin with but her mother has neurological issues thats lead to behavioural issues, cysts were ruled out by our vet, but she rumbles and does the funny slow bum wiggle on a daily basis with frequent chasing and generally being a bit tiresome,. Hazel wasn't growing at a rate I was comfortable with, taking her out for some peace seemed to help a little although I don't think she's ever going to be a big pig.

That being said, if it's a hormonal issue, spaying may help even if it isnt cysts, we didn't find my Mistys cyst until she was actually spayed, she was just overly hormonal and between myself and the vet decided that whatever it ended up being, spaying would likely resolve it, which thankfully (eventually!) it did.

I'm going to do the extra feeds thing for this season and then talk about spaying with the vets I think, thankyou xx

 

[Wiebke]

Thankyou I really hope you feel better soon, my vet is good and I can afford a spay, it's more the long term cost of more pigs that I can't afford yet as all of them could in theory end up on long term medication at some point or other, she will be 2 in May so definitely not a teenager my vets have operated on fluffy twice and princess once, the vet that operated on Princess has 25 years operating experience and fluffys ops were also done by experienced cavvy savvy vets I will try taking marshmallow out for extra feeds during this season and discuss spaying with the vets! Do you think she'd be OK with a spay given her history of gas/soft poops related to stress this was what was concerning me most about a spay! She hasn't had a flare up of this since late July xx

18 months is the age when ovarian cysts can get going... I would discuss her digestive issue with your vet and discuss whether chorulon injections or a hormone implant may be the better way forward for her. Thankfully there are more options these days! (see the sow guide link in my previous post).

Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

 

[Emx93]

18 months is the age when ovarian cysts can get going... I would discuss her digestive issue with your vet and discuss whether chorulon injections or a hormone implant may be the better way forward for her.
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

Thankyou, hope you feel better soon! Xx

 

[Wiebke]

Thankyou, hope you feel better soon! Xx

I am getting better, thank you!

 

[Emx93]

I am getting better, thank you!

I'm glad your feeling better. I spoke with the vet today, they aren't very pro spaying her because it is just hormonal behaviour, no cysts that we know of and they've stressed she could die on the table and this is an elective procedure and we need to be aware of that. I want to start by saying I fully trust my vets but I only want the best for nugget and I certainly don't want to loose her, at the same time I dont want to be taking marshmallow out to syringe feed every 2 hours every time nuggets in season. I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. Anyway the vets going to speak with one of the locums as she's not operating much at the moment so we'd be in for a long wait to find out their success rate and if they can do the laproscopic spay, though the vet said it wasn't any less risk just removing the ovaries because it's the ovaries that have a tendancy to bleed when removed and that's what makes spaying higher risk than most ops. If the locum isn't confident and has a very high success rate we're asking for a referral to Ellie at matlock, it's going to be extremely hard to get there as we're miles away (I think about 1hr 25m in a car) will have to work around school runs and the fact sam leaves for work at 5pm unless we can get in on a Monday but I only want the best for her so I will find a way. Is it really a huge huge risk? Fluffy was spayed at my usual vets and aside from taking a while to get eating and the hernia a few months after she did great. I'm just very undecided, her seasons are horrific and getting stronger and longer and I suspect something hormonal going on but I don't want to loose her just because she's stressing marshmallow, but again I dont want marshmallow to be loosing weight and need gut stimulants every time. They are such good friends when nuggets not in season so I also can't see benefit to a seperation

 

[Wiebke]

I'm glad your feeling better. I spoke with the vet today, they aren't very pro spaying her because it is just hormonal behaviour, no cysts that we know of and they've stressed she could die on the table and this is an elective procedure and we need to be aware of that. I want to start by saying I fully trust my vets but I only want the best for nugget and I certainly don't want to loose her, at the same time I dont want to be taking marshmallow out to syringe feed every 2 hours every time nuggets in season. I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. Anyway the vets going to speak with one of the locums as she's not operating much at the moment so we'd be in for a long wait to find out their success rate and if they can do the laproscopic spay, though the vet said it wasn't any less risk just removing the ovaries because it's the ovaries that have a tendancy to bleed when removed and that's what makes spaying higher risk than most ops. If the locum isn't confident and has a very high success rate we're asking for a referral to Ellie at matlock, it's going to be extremely hard to get there as we're miles away (I think about 1hr 25m in a car) will have to work around school runs and the fact sam leaves for work at 5pm unless we can get in on a Monday but I only want the best for her so I will find a way. Is it really a huge huge risk? Fluffy was spayed at my usual vets and aside from taking a while to get eating and the hernia a few months after she did great. I'm just very undecided, her seasons are horrific and getting stronger and longer and I suspect something hormonal going on but I don't want to loose her just because she's stressing marshmallow, but again I dont want marshmallow to be loosing weight and need gut stimulants every time. They are such good friends when nuggets not in season so I also can't see benefit to a seperation

Hi!

You want a vet who is confident and experienced because the quicker they can operate, the lesser the risk of post-op complications.
If I feel that a vet is not happy about operating on a guinea pig or performing a particular operation, then I do not push them and see whether I can use another vet or work a way around a problem. A spay is a major operation and it can go wrong on occasion.
You can also discuss the advisability of hormone infections vs. spaying with Ellie and work out which way is the best forward for you.

My own piggy savvy vet is an hour away if all goes well; I have often been on the train and back with freshly operated piggies (plus taxies at either end), so I understand your concerns. But as it has several times saved piggies' lives where my local general vets had their limits, it is something I am willing to do.

All the best! Please be aware that specialist vets tend to be especially booked out in the run up to Christmas and after the holidays so I would see how the situation is and what days Ellie is practising and has got free appointment slots.

 

[Emx93]

Hi!

You want a vet who is confident and experienced because the quicker they can operate, the lesser the risk of post-op complications.
If I feel that a vet is not happy about operating on a guinea pig or performing a particular operation, then I do not push them and see whether I can use another vet or work a way around a problem. A spay is a major operation and it can go wrong on occasion.
You can also discuss the advisability of hormone infections vs. spaying with Ellie and work out which way is the best forward for you.

My own piggy savvy vet is an hour away if all goes well; I have often been on the train and back with freshly operated piggies (plus taxies at either end), so I understand your concerns. But as it has several times saved piggies' lives where my local general vets had their limits, it is something I am willing to do.

All the best! Please be aware that specialist vets tend to be especially booked out in the run up to Christmas and after the holidays so I would see how the situation is and what days Ellie is practising and has got free appointment slots.

Thankyou I will email Ellie after I hear back from my vets about the locum. They are usually very confident in operating on piggies with it seems everything except spays (concern about the ovaries bleeding) they said if the locum isn't confident and experienced in spays they reconmended the referral or waiting till the end of January when she can operate but it'd be a full spay not the laproscopic one. they stressed high risk for fluffy too but also said they've done many spays just they can go quickly wrong if the ovaries bleed and we need to be aware it's a high risk surgery and just because fluffy came through OK doesn't mean nugget will. My usual vets advise against hormone injections due to the risk of side affects so it'd be interesting to see what Ellie says about that option. Simon Maddock would be my second choice as although it's a lot further away its accessable on public transport easily whereas Ellie isn't, I don't drive and I have a school run at 9, non walking distance and I don't drive so oh has to do it, a school run at 3 and oh leaves for work at 5pm. my vets suggested an exotics vet in Sheffield called ark but I haven't heard them mentioned as one of the specialists on here.

 

[Wiebke]

Thankyou I will email Ellie after I hear back from my vets about the locum. They are usually very confident in operating on piggies with it seems everything except spays (concern about the ovaries bleeding) they said if the locum isn't confident and experienced in spays they reconmended the referral or waiting till the end of January when she can operate but it'd be a full spay not the laproscopic one. they stressed high risk for fluffy too but also said they've done many spays just they can go quickly wrong if the ovaries bleed and we need to be aware it's a high risk surgery and just because fluffy came through OK doesn't mean nugget will. My usual vets advise against hormone injections due to the risk of side affects so it'd be interesting to see what Ellie says about that option. Simon Maddock would be my second choice as although it's a lot further away its accessable on public transport easily whereas Ellie isn't, I don't drive and I have a school run at 9, non walking distance and I don't drive so oh has to do it, a school run at 3 and oh leaves for work at 5pm. my vets suggested an exotics vet in Sheffield called ark but I haven't heard them mentioned as one of the specialists on here.

I use Simon Maddock as well (thankfully it is not quite as far from Coventry) but yes, a spay always comes with a certain risk - more so than a boar neutering op - although I am now up to 6 sows spayed by him without problems. But a spay is also not simon's most favourite op although he has got plenty of practice.
The only sow I have lost was by my old-fashioned general local vets back in 2010 when they got the GA dosage wrong; I found Simon only in the following year. He has spayed my 5 year old sisters Mererid and Morwenna this year. But again, their books are filling up very quickly.

 

[Emx93]

I use Simon Maddock as well (thankfully it is not quite as far from Coventry) but yes, a spay always comes with a certain risk - more so than a boar neutering op - although I am now up to 6 sows spayed by him without problems. But a spay is also not simon's most favourite op although he has got plenty of practice.
The only sow I have lost was by my old-fashioned general local vets back in 2010 when they got the GA dosage wrong; I found Simon only in the following year. He has spayed my 5 year old sisters Mererid and Morwenna this year. But again, their books are filling up very quickly.

Thankyou, lots to think about, I think matlock and Sam driving would be more realistic than several bus and train changes with 2pigs and two toddlers in tow, I'm still not 100% what to do, she did used to get crusty nipples that came back after washing away but doesn't currently have crusty nipples, i can't ignore the behaviour though, if idve recognised fluffys behaviour as not normal sooner she may not have fallen out with nugget but then again if they were both hormonal back then, that does explain a lot!

 

[Wiebke]

Thankyou, lots to think about, I think matlock and Sam driving would be more realistic than several bus and train changes with 2pigs and two toddlers in tow, I'm still not 100% what to do, she did used to get crusty nipples that came back after washing away but doesn't currently have crusty nipples, i can't ignore the behaviour though, if idve recognised fluffys behaviour as not normal sooner she may not have fallen out with nugget but then again if they were both hormonal back then, that does explain a lot!

Take the time to think things through and make your enquiries.

 

[Emx93]

Take the time to think things through and make your enquiries.

I will do thankyou x

 

[Emx93]

I sent Ellie a message on Facebook but haven't heard back as of yet (she's probably very busy) also haven't heard back from our vets as of yet either (again probably very busy) but I have had time to do lots of thinking.
I suspect something hormonal, I've been monitoring since her seasons started getting stronger and she had a crusty nipple back in August, it's not calming down its only getting worse and causing health problems for marshmallow I now feel its justified to look at treatment options. I could request my vet does an ultrasound to check her ovaries and womb but I think they charge between £120 and £150 for a conscious ultrasound which is a huge sum for something not urgent that may not give a definitive answer should it find something however I would feel more confident and justified putting her through treatment. However if her hormones will continue to get worse and not settle down then my options regardless of any scan results are to put them as neighbours or get rid of nuggets hormones their bond is very strong when the hormones aren't in play and breaking up a good bond seems unfair and nugget is a very social pig I don't think she'd do well alone even with a neighbour, and is her happiness not just as important here (quality over quantity right?) we made the decision to spay fluffy based on she'd have a happier better quality of life with a friend ((and she does and is clearly healthier too as she's gained nearly 200g from her full grown pre spay weight of 900g!)) but couldn't live with another pig in her hormonal state. Despite the post op complications spaying fluffy is still I believe the best decision we could make for her at that time, and I still stand by that, she's learnt to guinea pig again and is the happiest I've ever seen her what more could we ask for? Now nugget isn't as severely hormonal as what fluffy was, she can and does live with marshmallow it's just 4-5 days out of every 18ish that are causing problems. I feel that if the vet is confident in the operation (whoever we use) this could greatly benefit both of them but I will never forgive myself if she dies on the table during what my vet feels is an elective procedure, maybe I needed to explain the reasons we were enquiring about spaying better but i can have that chat when I hear back. Am I just in wanting to treat this or am I making an unreasonable request in your honest opinions? Because I need to hear that this is valid I think before I press ahead! I also can't in good conscious allow marshmallow to be harrassed to the point she can't eat, if nugget goes spontaneously into season while I'm asleep she could've not eaten for a while by the time I wake up!

 

[CuddlePigMum]

Can't comment on the decision you have to make here, I have no experience with moody sows. I have lost a piggie due to opting for elective surgery though, the feeling of guilt was immense.

What I will say is Ellie is amazing, she used to treat our piggies years ago when she was a vet at Alfreton Park practice. She went above and beyond with both diagnostics and treatment, and she wasn't afraid to try new treatments on a piggie with terminal cancer. This woman seriously knows what guinea pigs are about, very annoyed that she's not within traveling distance for me and my current piggies.

Hugs and good luck to you!

 

[PigglePuggle]

This is tricky and there's no right or wrong answer, but you are considering the operation with both Nugget's and Fluffy's best interests at heart. I've never had a spay done myself only a routine boar neutering which is much less invasive but I had the same feelings sending little Theo off for surgery, I was feeling so guilty and literally vomiting with stress that we sent this happy trusting little chap off for elective surgery! But his long term quality of life has improved massively since!
I think even without a definitive diagnosis all the symptoms point to some sort of ovarian problem with Nugget, and if she will need a spay at some point then probably better to have the surgery sooner while she seems healthy than later when a big cyst or tumour is diagnosed. Those would be my thoughts anyway, though I'm no expert on this- dont rush into anything but you can certainly talk to different vets and gauge their opinions, if she is unhappy and making her companion unhappy sometimes because of her hormonal flare ups then surgery might make everypig's life happier in the long run, if you can find a confident and experienced vet! Sending hugs x

 

[Emx93]

This is tricky and there's no right or wrong answer, but you are considering the operation with both Nugget's and Fluffy's best interests at heart. I've never had a spay done myself only a routine boar neutering which is much less invasive but I had the same feelings sending little Theo off for surgery, I was feeling so guilty and literally vomiting with stress that we sent this happy trusting little chap off for elective surgery! But his long term quality of life has improved massively since!
I think even without a definitive diagnosis all the symptoms point to some sort of ovarian problem with Nugget, and if she will need a spay at some point then probably better to have the surgery sooner while she seems healthy than later when a big cyst or tumour is diagnosed. Those would be my thoughts anyway, though I'm no expert on this- dont rush into anything but you can certainly talk to different vets and gauge their opinions, if she is unhappy and making her companion unhappy sometimes because of her hormonal flare ups then surgery might make everypig's life happier in the long run, if you can find a confident and experienced vet! Sending hugs x

I think the thing is if it is successful it will greatly improve nugget and marshmallows life together, and I won't have as many sleepless nights taking marshmallow out to keep food going in her every couple of hours or worrying I'm going to miss it and end up staying up all night watching them! But if it isn't successful it could go horribly wrong!
When fluffy was so poorly after her spay knowing they'd not found any cysts I regretted it so much but seeing her now hormone free, happy and healthy with Princess I know I made the right decision for her even with the hernia repair thrown in there and its absolutely the best thing I ever did! And now I know about the laproscopic option with an easier recovery I think that's definitely an easier choice but there will always be the what if! My cat has an appointment Tuesday so I'll do some chasing up then if I haven't heard I know they're super busy at the moment!

 

[Emx93]

I heard back from Ellie yesterday and she agrees the signs point to cystic ovaries and nugget would benefit from having her ovaries removed as she's young. She explained the risks and benefits to the just removing the ovaries procedure and I'm going to go for that option, the risk is about the same as any anesthetic procedure in guinea pigs. I can't in good faith leave them together during seasons if it's making marshmallow ill, I can't in good faith leave nugget alone because she wouldn't be happy, she may live her whole life healthy without her ovaries causing problems but there's a difference between surviving and thriving and marshmallow gives her a better quality of life, yes there's a risk and I will be utterly heartbroken if she dies that little girl means the world to me, she wasn't just my first ever piggy she was also my first ever pet but I can't put my fears of loosing her above her future quality of life. Decision made. Yes I'll fell guilt if things to pearshape but I know I'm making this decision with her best interests at heart and that's all we can ever do.

 

[PigglePuggle]

Best of luck, agreeing to any surgery even in an emergency when there is no other option is always daunting, but personally I think your vet is probably spot on with the diagnosis and you're definitely making the right decision to have the surgery while she is well. Its always a small risk but think how much happier your girls will be in the future if it all works out, you are doing this with their long term future health and well being as the focus for your decision x

 

[Emx93]

Best of luck, agreeing to any surgery even in an emergency when there is no other option is always daunting, but personally I think your vet is probably spot on with the diagnosis and you're definitely making the right decision to have the surgery while she is well. Its always a small risk but think how much happier your girls will be in the future if it all works out, you are doing this with their long term future health and well being as the focus for your decision x

Thankyou, its taken a lot of thought and research but I think I've made the right decision too I haven't had chance to speak with my own vet yet this is Ellie at matlock I trust my usual vet very much with a spay but she isn't familiar with the just removing ovaries procedure, as much as I trust her I wont ask her to perform a procedure she isn't familiar with as that's in no ones best interest

 

[Merab]

I opted for a spay for both Jemimah ( emergency) and for Phoebe ( before things got serious).
The decision with Jemimah had to be made on the spot but with Phoebe I had time to consider the pros and cons.

I’m glad I did opt for surgery. Both girls made full recoveries and are living full and happy lives.

I was a basket case the days of the surgeries but I think that is normal for us as we love our piggies and worry about them.
It was Ellie who discussed the case with my vet before we opted for surgery as my my vet wanted to talk to someone with more piggy experienc.

Hope all goes well for you.
Let us know how things go

 

[Emx93]

Oh I will definitely be a basket case, I was with fluffy and this time seems worse as I know what to expect recovery wise, our vets are doing the spay 6th January they did offer 30th December but its daddy pigs birthday and then lillies the day after so I didn't want anything to go wrong on those days! It's the operating vet who just does surgery that did princess' op that's doing it so she will be in great hands... I'm still nervous though!