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Wrong Diagnosis?

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Emma Porter

Emma Porter

New Born Pup
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Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire. UK
Hii.. so i went to the vets today and she checked over my guinea pig Lola as i said she was slightly off her good and i was shocked to say she said she could feel some masses in her stomach which she said could be cancerous or a fecal build up and she gave me to options one to have her x-rayed but this wouldn't tell what it exactly was or have her put to sleep. i was so shocked i started to cry.

However i took her home as the only thing wrong with herself is that she doesn't eat all her veggies but i didn't state she had stopped eating, she still eats hay and a few bits of veggies and still drinks but isnt 100% right

She is defiantly nott seriously ill to be put to sleep! when i got her home i felt her stomach but only really noticing along her sides is masses which feel like fat which shes always had. do you think i should get a second opinion? as I'm so stressed the vet saying the humane thing was to put her to sleep but she is still moving about and lively but slightly off her food is this the wrong diagnosis and could simply be something like a belly upset. thanks

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Hi and welcome to the forum :) you have definitely come to the right place for lots of helpful advice.

If i were you i would use the vet locator at the top of the page and have her looked at again for a second opinion. Unfortunately alot of vets out there really don't know what they are doing and can often misdiagnose.

I will tag @Wiebke who will be able to give you alot more advice x
 
Welcome to the forum! Sorry to hear your piggy isnt well :( I agree with rosie and bramble, look at the vet locator and see if there are any piggy savvy vets near you. If not then i do suggest trying a different vet in your area. Obviously the vet you saw didn't put much effort into finding out whats wrong with her!
 
Hi, sorry to hear this.

I would advise a second opinion and an x-ray to check out what these masses are. Is she still eating? Pooing okay? Has she lost any weight? I have asked around to try and find a cavy savy vet in your area.
 
I agree she needs a second opinion and an xray. If she is off her food she may have some pain so she will need pain relief too. Has she lost any weight?
 
no she hasn't lost any weight, shes eating slightly but normally eats all her veggies in one but now she only nipples at them, shes eating hay and a few nuggets too. i thought the vet would have gave me some pain relief, i have rang them and complained as i know somethings not right but shes not ill enough to be put to sleep. & ive noticed shes had some poos but not alot so I'm thinking it could be a belly upset and shes weeing fine.
 
Oh dear - hugs.
It' always a shock when you find your vet doesn't have the best "interpersonal" skills. Is the reason she suggested PTS because you weren't sure about going ahead with the Xray?

How old is Lola? Did the vet say she felt the mass in the actual stomach or in the abdomen?
"Lumps" felt in the abdomen (the whole body of the piggie, not just the actual stomach which is a tiny proportion) can indicate one of several things including the two your vet your suggested, i.e. a tumour somewhere in the body (some of which can be removed by surgery) or alternatively feacal impaction/gut stasis (treatable) . It could also however be cystic ovaries (again treatable) or it could be the onset of bloat (treatable but need to act fast) The vet hasn't made a diagnosis at this stage - she has given you some ideas of what if could be and the first test she will need to do to find out more (i.e. an Xray) in order to reach a diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment.. Also if a piggie is in pain (one of the main reasons they go off their food) the vet needs to find out what is causing the pain before deciding on the correct painkiller).

This needs to be done as a matter of uirgency as, if Lola is not eating properly (especially not enough hay/pellets), then her gut may already be slowing down - and this can be rectified with gut motility drugs. You may need to syringe feed her some mashed up pelletes/critical care to help keep her guts moving. I suggest that you also weigh her daily to monitor for weight loss. When you lightly tap the her sides is there a hollow sound? If you put your ear up to her abdomen does it sound gurgly?

The only way you (and the vet) can find out what is wrong with her is to take up the vet's suggestion of an Xray. It isn;t always 100% certain you will get a firm diagnosis from an Xray but it is normally the first "test" on the list to be done for guinea pigs with this type of presentation. Depending upon the skills of an individual vet at interpreting the results of various imaging tests, some vets may opt for an ultrasound instead. If you don;t feel confident with this particular vet in terms of their piggie knowledge, it is always a good idea to get a second opinion.

Hope you manage to get to the bottom of what is wrong with little Lola.

x
 
Emma Porter said:
thankyou, the only issue is i dont think theres many vets in my area but I'm going to have a look around.
thanks
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I hope that you can find another vet. You may still end up with a depressing diagnosis, but as long as your piggy is still eating and not showing any sign of being in major discomfort, there is certainly not yet enough reason to pts just on spec!

With members from all over the world, it is very helpful for all of us of you added your country, state or (for the UK) your county/general area, as we can tailor our advice and recommendations much better to your options and opportunities. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. thanks!

Please weigh daily and if necessary, top up with hand feeding. Has your vet given you some pain killer? https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/
 
thankyou for your advice, Lola is coming up 4 years, she said the mass was in her abdomen and the vet only gave me 2 options one to have xray she said that would only state where it is and not actually tell what it is, and she sort of steered me away from having an xray and the other was have her PTS. when i rang to complain the head nurse told me that the vet i saw is still in training! and that the notes dont match up to what i was saying to her which makes me think that she wasnt really bothered and just passed it off as oh its just a guinea pig. I'm still waiting for a call back to see what they are going to do ive asked to see another vet their as the rest of them are good!
 
So basically your vet has said you can spend money on an xray that she thinks wont help figure out whats wrong or have her PTS. That's not very professional and i'm afriad i'd be taking her to a different vet. Those are NOT the only options for her, that vet obviously wasn't too fussed!
 
I've just spoken with Sue at Cavy Corner near Doncaster & her vets are Arundell Veterinary Care in Doncaster. Tel. 01302 822083. Sue said to ask for Stephen (on holiday at present) or Joy. You could also phone Sue herself at Cavy Corner 01302 787509. Sue has offered to take Lola in if she needs prolonged treatment & syringe feeding etc.
 
Thanks Stewy for that, i messaged Winston also glad you got a recommendation

Could you get to the above vets Emma?
 
wish there was something like that in my area, and i cant its around an hour away. However i have booked in with someone else for another opinion, she is moving around and is eating but not like she is normally is.
thankyou for all your help!
 
Let us know how she gets on Emma, may be worth checking her teeth over too
 
Best of luck. I can't recommend travelling to the right vet enough if you can make it work x
 
well another vet checked her and she had a few different lumps on both of her sides which indicates it looks like its cancer which has spread, and i don't no when the time will come when i have to make the decision butt she looks lively now so ill make sure she enjoys the rest of her life. maybe I'm being paranoid about her eating as i have her some dandelion leaves and she ate them all up..
 
Has she been given pain relief?

They can get harmless fatty lumps too, did the vet mention those at all?
 
I do think it would be a good idea to go elsewhere as they cannot diagnose cancer on touch alone.

Ideally the vet needs to do a fine needle aspirate and look for cancer cells under the microscope or a punch biopsy on one of the lumps and have histology done. All of these procedures can be done under local anaesthetic too if the vet is competent enough.

However, as I have mentioned above some pigs are full of fatty lipomas (my Little Rose is an example of this) and the Abby breed are prone to these in particular.

The reason she is not eating could even be unrelated to the lumps, and this needs to be looked into too.
 
^^^ Agree with Helen

My old blind Ginger is full of fatty lumps (and has been since he was 1yr old). Sadly he has also now (at 6.5yrs) been diagnosed with a malignant tumour in the abodomen but 6 months on and he is still enjoying life (and his wifepig) to the full!
x
 
I agree that a second opinion is essential.

My Ena was also full of fatty lumps. You can tell a fatty lump as it will move freely and roll around under the skin.

However, she quickly developed a pingpong ball sized hard lump under her armpit. I opted to have it removed and tested and sadly it was lymphoma. But up until this point, she was acting perfectly normal.

A vet may have an idea but it is impossible to diagnose a cancerous tumour by feel alone xx
 
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