Diagnosis of Mammary inflammation and biopsy questions

[Shaivy]

Thanks for the info, if there is no lactation or feeding I dont really see how an infection could be inside the teat... mastitis is really only associated with milk production and feeding babies... I wonder if maybe you might see another vet, maybe a lady vet who understands about how breasts work a bit better, and get a second opinion?
I'm a bit baffled how the vet isnt taking this more seriously to be honest, it looks very uncomfortable for piggy and if it is hormonal changes with no pregnancy or lactation they should be checking the ovaries too... if this was my piggy I think at this point I would want a referral to a specialist and a CT scan of the reproductive organs and breast tissue to see exactly what is going on, its good they found no cancer cells with the fine needle aspiration but that doesnt really give any answers or a diagnosis or help poor piggy would be my thoughts!
This does seem quite unusual but if a good general vet is a bit baffled they are usually more than happy to pass interesting cases on to more experienced specialist colleagues...

And actually the worst part is in India there aren’t many vets who see a guinea pig , so i found this vet through some research and he is supposedly a specialist only. I am just so worried and confused at this point i don’t know what to do or where to go because I can’t even tell the docs what to do.

 

[Shaivy]

The medicines have reduced the swelling, if it was a tumor would the medicines have worked on it?

 

[PigglePuggle]

The medicines have reduced the swelling, if it was a tumor would the medicines have worked on it?

Anti inflammatory medicines would reduce the swelling whatever was causing it, but good that it has given piggy some relief. I'm sorry I hadn't realised you were in India where I know experienced piggy vets are not so easily available. Does your vet have the equipment to do CT scans at all? Or the expertise the interpret them, look if the ovaries are swollen perhaps? Are these things you could suggest to him? Or could he email the images to a more experienced vet elsewhere perhaps?
In the UK we are lucky our country is so small we never have to go far to find a different vet! Sending hugs for you and piggy x

 

[Shaivy]

I am afraid. I don’t know if he has the materials for a ct as its a small clinic. For the fnac too he sent the sample to some lab. I don’t know why but he is very confident it’s an infection only. Actually the swelling has reduced but when I touch that area there is a bumpy thing i come across which i can touch(its under the skin) and is only known when u touch the skin , its kind or 3d bumpy thing i come across which is the size of 1 cm by length and i guess around 1cm in volume too

 

[Shaivy]

Anti inflammatory medicines would reduce the swelling whatever was causing it, but good that it has given piggy some relief. I'm sorry I hadn't realised you were in India where I know experienced piggy vets are not so easily available. Does your vet have the equipment to do CT scans at all? Or the expertise the interpret them, look if the ovaries are swollen perhaps? Are these things you could suggest to him? Or could he email the images to a more experienced vet elsewhere perhaps
In the UK we are lucky our country is so small we never have to go far to find a different vet! Sending hugs for you and piggy

Anti inflammatory medicines would reduce the swelling whatever was causing it, but good that it has given piggy some relief. I'm sorry I hadn't realised you were in India where I know experienced piggy vets are not so easily available. Does your vet have the equipment to do CT scans at all? Or the expertise the interpret them, look if the ovaries are swollen perhaps? Are these things you could suggest to him? Or could he email the images to a more experienced vet elsewhere perhaps?
In the UK we are lucky our country is so small we never have to go far to find a different vet! Sending hugs for you and piggy x

thanks sooo much for your love. I have faith in my baby girl, she come out stronger.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Heyyy thanks so much for sharing your experience. I really appreciate it
Can u please tell how did the vet determine it was a tumor , did he physically examine it or there was some test?

He’s a brilliant piggie vet, very experienced, it took him about three minutes to diagnose, yes he had a good feel all over his body, including the lump and to check lymph nodes etc. He asked if I wanted the tumour sent off to find out if it was malignant or not but said actually, there was little point as the main treatment is to remove the tumour to stop it spreading and growing. There’s no chemo for piggies anyway.

 

[Shaivy]

Hi guys, does anyone know what are the best online vet consultations for guinea pigs?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I can’t help specifically but it does depend what is wrong with your piggy. An online vet would have limitations - some conditions simply need a hands on physical examination to be able to make a diagnosis.

 

[Featheryfriend]

I would be concerned that an online vet visit would not be very effective for most issues. Unlike humans they cannot describe their symptoms to a doctor firsthand!

If you already know what is wrong with your guinea pig and just need a quick follow-up I could see it working out. But if you need something diagnosed or require a general check-up, I'd strongly advise an in-person visit.

I have personally not even heard of vets offering virtual consultations for any type of animal. Sorry!

 

[VickiA]

 

[Shaivy]

Actually my guinea pig was diagnosed infection in her mammary gland she has mammary inflammation
I just needed second opinion to confirm if its not a tumor
She is not pregnant

 

[Piggies&buns]

i really wouldn’t think an online vet would be able to do that. Confirming the absence or presence of a tumour would require hands on checks and tests

If you aren’t confident in your vet, then it would be better to go to see a different vet for a hands on check

 

[Swissgreys]

Actually my guinea pig was diagnosed infection in her mammary gland she has mammary inflammation
I just needed second opinion to confirm if its not a tumor
She is not pregnant

I am sorry for the diagnosis, but things like lumps and bumps in particular really need to be physically examined and an online consultation won't be very helpful.
An experienced vet will tell a lot from the size, shape, position and feel of a lump, and those things only work in person.
But why not just take your piggy to another vet for a physical exam.
Getting a second opinion is never a bad idea if it will make you feel more confident about the diagnosis.

 

[Shaivy]

I would be concerned that an online vet visit would not be very effective for most issues. Unlike humans they cannot describe their symptoms to a doctor firsthand!

If you already know what is wrong with your guinea pig and just need a quick follow-up I could see it working out. But if you need something diagnosed or require a general check-up, I'd strongly advise an in-person visit.

I have personally not even heard of vets offering virtual consultations for any type of animal.
Actually my guinea pig was diagnosed infection in her mammary gland she has mammary inflammation
I just needed second opinion to confirm if its not a tumor
She is not pregnant

I am sorry for the diagnosis, but things like lumps and bumps in particular really need to be physically examined and an online consultation won't be very helpful.
An experienced vet will tell a lot from the size, shape, position and feel of a lump, and those things only work in person.
But why not just take your piggy to another vet for a physical exam.
Getting a second opinion is never a bad idea if it will make you feel more confident about the diagnosis.

I have taken her to two other vets and both of them didn’t know much and very leas as compared to the first vet.
he said the lump is fibrous tissue and he gave medicine to dissolve it, have you ever heard of that?

 

[Swissgreys]

I have taken her to two other vets and both of them didn’t know much and very leas as compared to the first vet.
he said the lump is fibrous tissue and he gave medicine to dissolve it, have you ever heard of that?

I can't say I have ever heard fo a lump being dissolved with medication.
Do you know what the medicine is called.
And if you let us know roughly where in the world you are based, members can help try and direct you towards an experienced vet.

 

[Shaivy]

I am from India actually
So i mean I don’t know if its a lump he said it’s fibrous tissue which has collected
The medicine he recommended is chymoral forte
The name is trypsin i suppose

 

[PigglePuggle]

Hi, I posted on your other thread and I'm sorry you are not having much luck with the vets. Chymoral forte is a medicine containing digestive enzymes which are supposed to break down necrotic tissue and reduce inflammation. I see many research articles from India about its use in human patients with burns. But it isnt something we use in the UK and I'm not sure how it could work if taken orally, as the enzymes cannot cross from the gut into the blood... was this an injection or cream applied directly to the swollen nipples?
Not something I have any experience of myself and I personally cant understand the pharmacology of how this would work on a swollen nipple, perhaps yes on an open wound to remove dead tissue but not in this case... did the vet say they have used this before in similar cases?

 

[PigglePuggle]

I wonder if the staff could maybe merge this thread with @Shaivy 's previous post about mammary issues so the info is all in one place, @Swissgreys @VickiA @Lady Kelly ?
@Shaivy 's piggy has the alarming swollen nipples and is struggling to find a vet who can do CT scans etc to look for lumps or ovarian cysts etc as they are in India where there are not many specialist vets...

 

[VickiA]

Threads merged

 

[Shaivy]

I wonder if the staff could maybe merge this thread with @Shaivy 's previous post about mammary issues so the info is all in one place, @Swissgreys @VickiA @Lady Kelly ?
@Shaivy 's piggy has the alarming swollen nipples and is struggling to find a vet who can do CT scans etc to look for lumps or ovarian cysts etc as they are in India where there are not many specialist vets...

If there’s anyone from india who’s pig underwent similar situation and experience please help us as the vet situation for Guinea pigs here is bad((

 

[Shaivy]

Hi, I posted on your other thread and I'm sorry you are not having much luck with the vets. Chymoral forte is a medicine containing digestive enzymes which are supposed to break down necrotic tissue and reduce inflammation. I see many research articles from India about its use in human patients with burns. But it isnt something we use in the UK and I'm not sure how it could work if taken orally, as the enzymes cannot cross from the gut into the blood... was this an injection or cream applied directly to the swollen nipples?
Not something I have any experience of myself and I personally cant understand the pharmacology of how this would work on a swollen nipple, perhaps yes on an open wound to remove dead tissue but not in this case... did the vet say they have used this before in similar cases?

Hey thanks for helping
So he said it will break the fibrous tissue buildup
He gave it to me to give to her through syringe but I have not given it to her yet as i am not sure what this medicine is, i am still researching
Even i did not get fully convinced how it’ll help with her lump

I don’t remember him saying that he has given the medicine to other Guinea pigs

 

[Shaivy]

Hi guys
So my piggie started having a swelled nipple about a month ago. She also has a lump which is like 2 ldot sized balls under her nipple.I have received two diagnosis from vets which is could be a mammary tumor and it could also be fibrous tissue buildup.
I just want to know if anyone else received either of these two diagnosis(Mammary Tumor or Fibrous Tissue Build-up ) and what was your whole experience like?

 

[VickiA]

The only experience I have is of a piggy having a mammary tumour removed. We didn’t have it tested so don’t know if it was cancerous or not, but leaving mammary lumps can result in them growing larger and causing discomfort to the piggy.

 

[artcasper]

One of my piggys had 2 mamory tumours removed and made a full recovery but we didn't adopt her until she had had the surgery via the rescue.. so I don't really have any information on symptoms etc.. all the best

 

[Shaivy]

I am just not sure if its a tumor as doctors are not being sure
One doctor asked to get a fnac test done another said fnac can’t determine the tumor (I have received a lot of contrasting answers) but the piggie was very uncomfortable with fnac test coz of needle

 

[Shaivy]

One of my piggys had 2 mamory tumours removed and made a full recovery but we didn't adopt her until she had had the surgery via the rescue.. so I don't really have any information on symptoms etc.. all the best

Thanks a lot! This helps me

 

[Guinea-pigGaga]

I think you have two options available to you.

The first option would be to leave the lump, to ensure that you guinea pig remains comfortable, and to accept that the lump might be sinister in nature/that you may have to make a difficult decision in the near future.

The second option would be to have your guinea pig operated on, in the knowledge that it would be a risky procedure, but that you are giving your guinea pig a chance.

There is no right answer, you just have to do what you feel is for the best.

 

[Qualcast&Flymo]

I have a piggy who had a mammary lump found nearly 2 years ago. The first vet I saw (less experienced) said it was a tumour, and nothing could be done as it most likely had started to spread. So I went for a second opinion at a more specialist vet.
He tried to get a tissue sample via a needle ( is that what you mean by fnac?) to test for cancer, but it was inconclusive. So I opted to have it removed if possible. Fortunately it was neat lump, hadn't started to spread. I paid to have it tested - it wasn't cancerous, it was something like a "granuloma" or "steatitis", which sounds a bit like what your vet is talking about, fibrous tissue ...
My piggy came through the surgery well and is still with me, no further problems. She was about 4 years old when she had the surgery.

Hope you can get the right treatment for your little one xx

 

[Shaivy]

I have a piggy who had a mammary lump found nearly 2 years ago. The first vet I saw (less experienced) said it was a tumour, and nothing could be done as it most likely had started to spread. So I went for a second opinion at a more specialist vet.
He tried to get a tissue sample via a needle ( is that what you mean by fnac?) to test for cancer, but it was inconclusive. So I opted to have it removed if possible. Fortunately it was neat lump, hadn't started to spread. I paid to have it tested - it wasn't cancerous, it was something like a "granuloma" or "steatitis", which sounds a bit like what your vet is talking about, fibrous tissue ...
My piggy came through the surgery well and is still with me, no further problems. She was about 4 years old when she had the surgery.

Hope you can get the right treatment for your little one xx

Heyy Thankyou so much for sharing your experience, it gave me a lot of hope and understanding about my baby’s situation
For fnac they take the blood sample , so I think yours is something else.
she was so 3 meds for one month as the first doctor said it’s mammary inflammation but I just don’t feel confident about giving her meds for such a long time. So I stopped it and now i am just monitoring the lump to see if it grows then I will visit some more doctors(finding experienced vets is a big challenge here ) but i am trying my best.
Her lump is under her nipple and its not a hard mass its a but soft and its composed if two 2 small balls type thing;( I feel) was your piggie’s lump like this?

thanks again for sharing that because it helps me understand the situation mo

 

[Shaivy]

I think you have two options available to you.

The first option would be to leave the lump, to ensure that you guinea pig remains comfortable, and to accept that the lump might be sinister in nature/that you may have to make a difficult decision in the near future.

The second option would be to have your guinea pig operated on, in the knowledge that it would be a risky procedure, but that you are giving your guinea pig a chance.

There is no right answer, you just have to do what you feel is for the best.

Yaaaa that’s true
I am just monitoring her lump to see it it grows or not( for about some days) if it does then its more likely to be a tumor.
I feel like going to visit some more doctors because I haven’t found one who has given me something conclusive. (Its a challenge to find an experienced vet)
But I don’t feel confident about giving her meds for so long, what do you feel about that?