Poor piggy lost her friend last week, has mites and now needs surgery

[MissStrawberry]

If she hasn't been spayed the vet feels she has cysts on her ovaries. If she has been spayed then it is a mass of another kind. I have checked her paper work from the RSPCA and they have it as unknown when next to if spayed or not. Her boyfriend was spayed so they could live together.

We are looking at an x-ray first if we want confirmation or we can skip that and go straight to surgery.

If it is something worse is there treatment she can have?

I looked on gorgeousguineapigs and they say this -

ovariancystsHormone injections are often very effective where guineas have Ovarian Cysts. A few of my own sows have had this treatment and it has been very effective with no side-effects. Two injections of Chorulon given 10-14 days apart is the usual course of treatment. In my experience if there has been hair loss, new hair usually starts growing back after 7-10 days.

My vet did not say anything about an injection and to me that would be a much better option to surgery.

Any advice please?

Taking her back in 2 weeks.

[MissStrawberry]

She is quiet at the moment so I am going to check on her.

I am buying her favourite parsley. Was supposed to use it in our dinner but figured she would appreciate it more .

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

If one of my guineas was that ill, I'd go through every single possibility but the thought of a stroke or heart attack wouldn't be my first thought.
So yes, I can imagine the shock of being told it was his brain (though he sounds like a quite elderly gent and strokes are very common in people).
With your BoyPig you had to act quickly.
Hopefully your GirlPig will have many more happy and healthy months ahead,
But when you know the time is nigh, you'll know.

(GP3 my little boar is trying to take years off me by going for the computer cable. )

[MissStrawberry]

Yes, I do.

With my boy it was only when he fell out of the hutch that we thought something might not be quite right and then two days later he had to be put to sleep as he had a problem with his brain but he ate his tea the night before and seemed okay.

With the girl, she has been treated for mites, but has been fine since she has been on her own and doesn't seem to be doing anything different at all.

It was horrible finding Boy so ill and still and I really don't want the children to go through that again if we can help it but primarily we have to make sure Girly doesn't suffer. I just can't put her through surgery.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Do you mean what sort of symptoms to look for?

Have a read through fortified threads about Fatimus. She was weeing on her tummy when she was ill, that was her first big sign that she was ill.

My little Abby boar went into Guinea-Pig downward spiral (I wrote about his illness in a thread "Help Urgent Hand-Holding" )

I knew from previous guineas and my guinea-pigs personality that he would go, I didn't think it would be so quickly though.

Guinea pigs are very vunerable to things, I'd think they find surgery a huge shock to their system.
Thankfully I've never had to have a GP put to sleep, but they've either gone in their sleep or slipped away (like GP2 did)

I find the first sign is they stop eating voluntarily (GP2 would eat food if we put it right in his mouth or Critical Care pushed into his mouth)
They 'hunch' up, seem disinterested.
GP2 sat in a little ball , nodding backwards and forwards.

And probably the biggest sign was GP1 was a pain in the bum very over-attentive to his brother.

[MissStrawberry]

If anyone is still reading, now that we have decided not to put GirlPiggy through surgery what do we need to look for if she becomes ill?

She either had cysts on her ovaries or a mass of some sort. She is eating okay. Was fine when we put her treatment on. She actually seems more willing to come near us than she used to be but can still be spooked by the cats. BoyPiggy was less scared of us too but then had to be PTS a few days later .

[MissStrawberry]

I will search for some socks.

She squeaked lots today to tell Daddy to hurry up when he was getting her dinner .

[FernieB]

Glad she's ok. She won't be too fussed what kind of cuddly toy she has - it's just something soft to snuggle. An old towel rolled up or balled up socks would work. And they would wash easily

[MissStrawberry]

GirlPiggy still with us .

I haven't heard her squeak for ages but DH said he heard her when he fed her the other day. I miss her little noises .

I was wondering if I should give her DD@s fur real Guinea Pig as company? I tried to buy a cuddly the other day but there was nothing.

She was very happy to be picked up yesterday when I cleaned her out but runs away when the cat gets too close to the cage!

[MissStrawberry]

I think 2 seconds was all it took and she is attacking the sweet corn as if she hasn't eaten for a week!

[MissStrawberry]

Sweet corn moved immediately.

Just had her head in the cereal bowl. tipping it up .

I miss BoyPiggy .

[FernieB]

Hope she enjoys her sweet corn when she gets there. I don't think I would want to put her through surgery either.

[Sawdust]

It's a tough call. Hope she continues to be OK.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

I think (IMO) let her be just now, and keep a close check.
If she becomes unwell there will be signs (but guinea-pigs do hide it very well).

I would consider very carefully about putting any guinea-pig through surgery and at her age , it's not without risk.

Put the sweetcorn on the lower level, maybe she CBA climbing but she'll want to eat it

(She'll be writing in AIBU - "I'm an old lady, I've been through bereavement, the vet says I've got a lumpy belly and wants to operate.......and my mum puts my sweetcorn upstairs.... I should LTB really" )

[MissStrawberry]

Thanks for asking. She seems the same as she always was. Have put her some sweet corn on the top level but she hasn't been up for it yet. I am certain I don't want her to have surgery but I also don't want her to suffer if I don't .

[Sawdust]

How is she doing MissStrawberry?

[MissStrawberry]

I am going towards not having surgery. It just seems too much for her. She is so cute and funny and I can't bare to put her through all that.

[FernieB]

You could phone and ask to talk to a vet. As 70 says if you read the vets profiles you get a feel for their interests.

[MissStrawberry]

I just found one 15 minutes away but as there has been no activity on their forum bit since 2009 I am a bit sceptical. I am in Kent if anyone can recommend anyone.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

No harm in Googling.
I got the name of the vet I go to from another MNetter on here.
It's a bit of a drive for me but I'd sooner travel to somewhere that my furbabies are treated how I want them to be.

If you go through all the vets practices they usually have profiles on the staff. You can see if any have a special interest in guineas.

I know that The Cambridge Cavy Trust have lists of vets they can recommend, but I don't know if you need to be a member to get the list.

[MissStrawberry]

Would it be daft to google and see if there is a specialist GP place near enough to go too?

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Go by your instincts.
Go for a second opinion if need be.

I really liked the vet who saw my pig (it was the day he died sadly) but he picked him up gently, examined him, listened to my DD and I when we told him everything that had happened.
Even though I knew deep down there was really nothing that would pull my GP through (you still hope don't you)

They run a guinea-pig clinic so I know they handle more small rodenty or rabbity critters than anything else.

[MissStrawberry]

I agree.

My cat was put to sleep in May after living with cancer for 10 months. I still miss her such a lot and sometimes forget she has gone .

I am not putting her in for surgery. TBH I am not sure of the benefit of putting her through anything if we aren't going to act on the results.

I didn't like the vet.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

When my daughter had to decide on what we did with GP1 after GP2 died she wouldn't contemplate him having surgery. I suppose she couldn't bear the thought of losing him. (He's 3 yo and neutering isn't as invasive as what your guinea would face)

I think see your usual branch vet and ask them if they can scan (I work with humans in the NHS and I know X-rays have their place but for soft tissue MRI or scans are needed.With animals it depends on what the vet has available but I'd want more detail before opening up )
Then fore warned and all that.

<br />
Oue elderly cat (she was 17 and we got her as a 2 yo) lost weight and seemed to be struggling with life. She was still eating but her long term mate (NDN elderly cat who was 21 ) had died and she was finding it difficult to defend her territory and cope wiith the hot weather.<br />
The vet said her previous blood tests showed a high thyroid level which can lead to fits or heart attack and blindness. <br />
It could be maintained (but not treated) by tablets.<br />
TBH I know cats will wander off and die , so I made the decision a couple of weeks later to have her PTS.<br />
She had a good long life. We saw her ebb away. <br />
I thought "Who's going to benefit really if we put her on tablets"?<br />
And the vet said "For what it's worth you are doing the right thing"<br />
<br />
Sometimes there is too <span class="italic">much</span> intervention.

[fortifiedwithtea]

From experience I would say a pig in pain won't look at you, sits with their bum to you hunched up with fur fluffed up like a pom pom.

Yes catering for one when you are used to two is strange .

And I agree with you, hiding away is a sign of being a very sad piggy. Naughty Girl is spending too much time in her bedroom as well. I'm taking her out for more cuddles with veggies treats. Got stuck on the phone with my mum today for a long time and Naughty Girl rewarded me with a huge pee

[MissStrawberry]

She hasn't eaten all her tea but we can't get used to only catering for one so maybe I have given her too much. She has been hiding since tea time. We are in Kent. Her eyes are red and looked the same earlier as they always have. I suspect she is missing him more than she is letting on. I doubt I would go back to the vet we saw today tbh and would go to our usual branch.