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wish us luck!

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spudnik

I'm off to the vets at 4pm with lois, she had what looked like a tumour, but i think it was a cyst now, as it has popped and left her with a big scab which looks quite raw but not infected.. ive brought her inside to live in meekas cage for the time being as that has pro-fleece in, so shes off the shavings and I'm keeping it clean. hopefully they will give me some anti-biotics and maybe something to help it dry up?

I'm just scared they will say pts given her age etc where shes at now that isnt an option as shes no different in herself shes fine, and its not bothering her. shes 6 year old in feb, shes no different in herself shes still eating fine, she's lying on it so it musn't hurt her too much! and shes still being the normal cheeky guinea that she is..

my vets dont seem to know an awful lot about guinea pigs and i hate taking them there, but i cant drive so i dont have an option really :(

wish us luck!
 
Good luck, dont be pushed into anything she sounds happy enough at the mo. Fingers crossed O0
 
good luck! i don't think she needs to be pts by your description of her, don't be pushed into it if she's healthy and happy, they can't do it without your consent O0 (((hugs))) let us know how you got on O0
 
hi, I'm back from the vets.. they didnt say very much tbh.. she's thinks its a cancerous lump and she said it will deffo not heal up it will keep ulcerating, and she wants to remove it. I said that she wasnt going to remove it because shes 6 years old and my experience of having a piggie put through the same operation led to her dying weeks after the op, so I'm not willing to put her through that.

She said they can keep the infection under control by preescribing anti-biotics once a month but she thinks that it might be taking it too far if we do that.. even though shes happy, eating well, is a good weight etc..

she started going on saying anaesthetic is so much better than a few yeras ago etc and there is a bigger survival rate, and about 2 mins later said, small animals dont respond well to anaesthertic its the same with rabbits they dont tend to.. so i obv chose the anti-biotics route, should she become unhappy and deteriorate then something will be done but i dont want to pay money out for surgery when ive taken that route before and it ended badly.

so shes moving inside perm now to live with meeka, which is good for meeka she has a friend and shes on vet bed so it will keep her cleaner and drier :)
 
Oh that is good news then O0
Shell love the company and so will your other sow too :smitten:
 
awwwww bless poor little thing:smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: my ginger had cancer, but he had so many little tumors that he had to be pts she should be ok for now at least if you just keep an eye on her (((hugs))) i know what you're going through :smitten:
 
tbh I'm not suprised she does have a few other lumps, and me and my thought it could possibly be cancer anyway, i hope its not but it had already crossed my mind that it was.

i just hope i dont have to make the hard decision in the future to have her pts if it doesnt heal, they are a bit funny at my vets, the vet said she would want to see her every time she needs the anti-biotics which is gunna cost me for a consultation fee every month too thats £8.21 on its own!

i'll just see how she goes..
 
How does the vet "know" it is malignant and will not heal up?,has a biopsy been done.?.This is the only way you will know whether it is malignant or not.Why put the piggy through the discomfort of biopsy anyway.If it is malignant,it could all ready have spread so surgery could be a waste of time anyway,and if it is(hopefully) benign I do not see why the sore will not clear up.
If this were my pig,I would just try and get the sore cleared up and then leave it alone.

If the lump burst it is more likely to be a cyst anyway.Did some white " toothpaste" looking stuff come our of the lump,and has it left a crator>?.

I have had success with high potency manuka honey in clearing up crators left by burst cysts,in fact the honey is good for clearing up most types of ulcer.

Calendula ointment (from a health food shop,or some chemists) is a good natural antibiotic which I often use.

Wherabouts on the body is the sore?,cysts are mostly found on the back,but can occur in any part of the body.
 
spudnik said:
tbh I'm not suprised she does have a few other lumps, and me and my thought it could possibly be cancer anyway, i hope its not but it had already crossed my mind that it was.

i just hope i dont have to make the hard decision in the future to have her pts if it doesnt heal, they are a bit funny at my vets, the vet said she would want to see her every time she needs the anti-biotics which is gunna cost me for a consultation fee every month too thats £8.21 on its own!

i'll just see how she goes..
Click to expand...

I think that's all you can do, in the meantime you'll have to spoil her rotten
(((((big hugs))))) for you and lois :smitten:
x
 
Hi, thanks for replying mary :)

the lump had a yellow looking paste when she squeezed it which she said was infection, its flat is the sore its not caved in or anything.. its just under her belly on the left side like where her teat is. she told me to bathe with salt water 2x a day.

my sister has some purple spray that she uses on her horse she said they use it for all farm animals and its a mild anti-septic, she offered me to try that if i want i just dont know if its too strong for a guinea pig or not though so i havent done that, i have some hibbiscrub which is what id been cleaning it with until i got her to a vet.

i shall have a look for calendula ointment, thanks :)
 
Warm salt water or diluted Hibiscrub are both fine for cleaning.If there is pus,I use Hibiscrub ,then change to salt water when the pus is clear.

What is the equine product your sister uses?,a lot of horse products are safe for piggies. I use an excellent product called Topazine equine made by Leverton Company. It does contain parabens which I normally try and avoid,but they are in a very minute quantity.The product is a spay which is soothing and forms a barrier against dirt and infection.It would be good for use on the belly as this is in contact with the floor.I often use it for pigs with broken skin on the pads.

I get my supply from an internet equine shop called Horse and Rider.

Maybe your sister knows the product and the website.
 
I agree with Mary about malignant lumps :) It sounds like a Sebaceous Cyst to me, you need to get rid of the toothpaste material, some only needing once but others will last longer. I have a boy with one under his jaw bone at the moment ::) Extremely odd I think ::)
 
Spudnik,,


I forgot to mention that Topazine can be used in conjunction with ointments/creams.I often use it on top of GGs pad cream for a pad with broken skin. Have also used it in conjunction with Calendula ointment.
 
oik thanbks mary.. btw its quite big is the sore and raw, I'm just wondering if putting stuff on something that big is wise as it might sting? i'll get a pic later if it helps I'm at work until 2pm.. it was bleeding last night i thik she keeps itching it :-\

shes on 0.25ml of baytril x2 daily, i told my mum to have a look for calendula ointment and I'm gunna look on the hore=se website later, my sister said she will bring home her purple spray from the horses stable for me to look at, there is a local stable shop so i might have a look in there thats where my sis gets her stuff and its reasonably priced too :)

just wondering.. is there anything i can put on like a dressig to stop lois itching it and keep re-opening the sore, like i said it was bvleeding last night.. it wasnt a lot of blood but ikt was on her bedding and i want to keep it as clean as poss..

thanks again for all your help.
 
Both the Calendula ointment and the Topazine are soothing.

It would be good if you could keep the area covered for a day or 2 if she is scratching.It is difficult to keep dressings on piggies though because they will try and scratch,./chew them off.

Get some sterile gauze and cut a bit just big enough to cover the sore.If possible,cut some of the hair from the surrounding area,and try and fasten the gauze with surgical tape.I have always had problems with using dressings on piggies.Maybe Karen has a technique for this.
 
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