Inoperable tumour

[PiggyintheMiddle]

So, although she still seems her normal self, lively and with appetite, she is a very poorly piggy. The vet has given her a larger dose than usual of a stronger painkiller than usual, to be given twice a day. We continue to monitor her behaviour, albeit even more closely and anxiously, as we now need to judge when the right time comes for euthanasia.... The vet counselled against us taking a larger sized bottle of painkiller because it wouldn't all be used ... so it's most definitely less than six months. Perhaps one.

9th September 2024: Bianca needs more medicine.
We now get to buy her a third bottle!
We were worried she wouldn't make it through August.

Medication is an exciting time for both of them. Big slave did it this morning (I am middle slave, hence the name piggy in the middle) and both of them were very eager. The medication needs to be taken with food so it's a lovely second breakfast for them both.

 

[PiggyintheMiddle]

You would not think that Bianca has a tumour. Just over 8 weeks on and she is as lively as ever. I am worried about Ophelia, who seems a lot more nervous now when she used to be the friendly one. Today, Bianca let us stroke her while she ate, and Ophelia did not. Usually Ophelia tolerates it but Bianca hates it. I think it could be due to the vet trips that she is so skittish, even though she is not examined.

This evening Bianca got hold of Ophelia's last piece of pepper so we got them more, but Bianca then begged while Ophelia was still eating (a pepper-stained mouth on a white piggy is so funny) and then they were fighting over the last piece, which I think was still Ophelia's, but Bianca got it again... Now they are eating Readigrass, which I hope they will share.

 

[Wiebke]

You would not think that Bianca has a tumour. Just over 8 weeks on and she is as lively as ever. I am worried about Ophelia, who seems a lot more nervous now when she used to be the friendly one. Today, Bianca let us stroke her while she ate, and Ophelia did not. Usually Ophelia tolerates it but Bianca hates it. I think it could be due to the vet trips that she is so skittish, even though she is not examined.

This evening Bianca got hold of Ophelia's last piece of pepper so we got them more, but Bianca then begged while Ophelia was still eating (a pepper-stained mouth on a white piggy is so funny) and then they were fighting over the last piece, which I think was still Ophelia's, but Bianca got it again... Now they are eating Readigrass, which I hope they will share.

Glad to see Bianca having regained her zest for life and her confidence. Ophelia will come round again in due time.

 

[PiggyintheMiddle]

Glad to see Bianca having regained her zest for life and her confidence. Ophelia will come round again in due time.

I hope so

 

[PiggyintheMiddle]

For some reason both of them seem to have lost interest in nuggets...

 

[PiggyintheMiddle]

But they quite happily took pepper.

 

[RosieLily]

Just caught up with the thread.

A difficult situation you are in. Our little ones live for today. We are their everything, proper care, lots of loving and lots of snacks (of course) is a life very well spent for these fluffy potatoes

It also warms my heart to see a mum-daughter team be so involved with their piggies. I was very alone in raising my animals and still feel my soul ache because I couldn’t take them to the vet as a child. You’re both doing great, your piggies are very lucky!

 

[PiggyintheMiddle]

Just caught up with the thread.

A difficult situation you are in. Our little ones live for today. We are their everything, proper care, lots of loving and lots of snacks (of course) is a life very well spent for these fluffy potatoes

It also warms my heart to see a mum-daughter team be so involved with their piggies. I was very alone in raising my animals and still feel my soul ache because I couldn’t take them to the vet as a child. You’re both doing great, your piggies are very lucky!

Thank you so much! They have definitely been to the vet a lot and Bianca's pain medication is costing us a fortune (we were advised to buy enough for one month rather than six as it wasn't sure whether she would even finish that but we are now three months in and have spent more than double). There has definitely been team effort from all of the hoomans in the family, from driving them to vets to making them really nice hutches (they have had three different hutches, each insulated, rat-proofed and extended). It's a shame that they don't like being cuddled, but we don't force them to put up with it apart from when they need weighing and nail cutting. Even Bianca now sometimes tolerates being stroked, which is really sweet. They are five years old now

 

[KHBz]

The vet told us not to buy the 6-month bottle of painkiller as that would be "too optimistic". *If* we then needed another 1-month bottle after the one we were advised to buy - for not much less than the 6-month one -, we could just ring up and order another ....

I have just ordered the FOURTH 1-month bottle and Bianca is still running around with a fairly clean bottom. Whilst that is unexpectedly lovely, I wish I had listened to my canny younger daughter ('the vets just want you to spend more') and got the bigger one to start with. I almost did this time, but the price has increased considerably in 3 months.

 

[KHBz]

The vet told us not to buy the 6-month bottle of painkiller as that would be "too optimistic". *If* we then needed another 1-month bottle after the one we were advised to buy (for not much less than the 6-month one), we could just ring up and order another ....

I have just ordered the FOURTH 1-month bottle and Bianca is still running around with a clean bottom. Whilst that is unexpectedly lovely, I wish I had listened to my canny younger daughter ('the vets just want you to spend more') and got the bigger one to start with. I almost did this time, but the price has increased considerably in 3 months.

I see that the content of my post has overlapped with my daughter's! Apologies!

 

[PiggyintheMiddle]

Bianca was an absolute angel taking her medicine this morning. Middle slave was not: tipping the contents of the bottle into the run when handing her the syringe. Fortunately, it was almost empty and I put the nugget bowl over the site after mopping it up with toilet paper.

 

[KHBz]

This is little Miss Bianca, her long-standing ovarian cysts hidden, on the ultrasound in July, by the tumour wrapped around both kidneys. I’d say she still has a good quality of life with her magic medicine!

 

[PiggyintheMiddle]

 

[PiggyintheMiddle]

 

[KHBz]

Ophelia rather liked her supper too ..,

 

[PiggyintheMiddle]

Bianca is our piggy with ovarian cysts. Looking back I first posted about the possibility of her having these over two years ago. When it was finally clear that this was indeed the problem, we decided to go for cyst-draining rather than an operation. Ever since, we have kept a very close eye on her behaviour so as to judge when she appears to be getting uncomfortable. We took her back many months ago for a check, but it would have been too risky as the cysts were small and too near an artery. So, the one drainage of the cysts seems to have kept her going for almost two years.

In the past couple of weeks, we noticed that she had lost more fur around the middle (because of the cysts) and looked more rotund in that area (I assumed because of the cysts). Her behaviour remained, and remains, lively, so I held off taking her to the vets just yet ... until yesterday, when we found bright red blood on some hay and we noticed that her bottom was dirty. £200 later, we learnt that she has an inoperable mass around both kidneys (I think 4 cm in diameter). Nothing to do with the cysts, which couldn't be seen because of the tumour.

So, although she still seems her normal self, lively and with appetite, she is a very poorly piggy. The vet has given her a larger dose than usual of a stronger painkiller than usual, to be given twice a day. We continue to monitor her behaviour, albeit even more closely and anxiously, as we now need to judge when the right time comes for euthanasia.... The vet counselled against us taking a larger sized bottle of painkiller because it wouldn't all be used ... so it's most definitely less than six months. Perhaps one.

My question at the moment pertains to her bottom. It is even dirtier than when we took her to the vets yesterday. My supposition is that she is too uncomfortable to bend over to clean it, although I would have thought that the strong painkiller would have alleviated that. Perhaps she is just too distended. I attach some photos of her. My daughter tried to clean her bottom very gently with water on a cloth yesterday, but didn't get it all off then. What do you advise we do? They are not piggies that like being handled (Bianca will barely tolerate a stroke) and so we only really handle them for weighing and nail clipping. The vet commented, after doing the ultrasound, that she is very tender across her underside. We can't leave her bottom like this, though, can we? We don't want to distress her.

.View attachment 253166View attachment 253167View attachment 253168

Ophelia and Bianca turned 5 today, so I also attach a picture of them with a special birthday vegetable platter.

View attachment 253169

 

[PiggyintheMiddle]

Nuggets no longer excite them so they get veggies when Bianca has her medicine (she needs to have food with it).

 

[KHBz]

Time for an update. First, here is Bianca enjoying the finer things of life.





Four months since her diagnosis and on her fifth bottle of medicine, you would not think she were ill. Her fur, which she had lost around the middle, has grown back; she keeps herself clean; she runs out eagerly if her name is mentioned, still chewing a piece of hay; she balances up on her hind legs ('look, no hands!') to get a better view of the incoming food; she chunters ... in short, she is her same curious, intelligent little self. The one thing that might give away that something is not quite right is the unnatural and increasing bulge all around her middle.

As we decided to take Ophelia to the vets this morning, we asked for the vet who had diagnosed Bianca so that he could take a look at her as well. (PiggyintheMiddle started a thread for Ophelia yesterday and I'll ask her to link it here, because me... well... ... how do you do that?) The tumour does indeed extend across all her body now and is as big as her head. However, the medication is clearly making her comfortable and is probably suppressing the inflammatory response. I asked if perhaps the tumour was suppressing the cysts, given that the fur she had lost around the middle has almost fully grown back, and he said that that could well be the case, although added that they can also lose fur from stress.

I asked how much longer she might have left (after an initial diagnosis of not long at all), and it could be another four months. Of course, hard to say, as if the tumour grows into the kidneys, that would lead to kidney failure. In contrast with the first consultation -- just take a month's worth of medicine, and if you need another, ring reception; 6 months is 'optimistic' -- he agreed that it is now worth buying a 6-month-bottle of medicine.

So, Bianca is living her happiest life. We have always been scrupulous about following the knowledgeable advice on this forum, but, thinking she had one, perhaps two months to live, we somewhat 'relaxed' the recommendations around vegetables and nuggets ...

6 am: nuggets, tipped into the bowl and not counted. Quite right too. That was never a tablespoon, was it? That was 12 nuggets rattling around. How could that possibly keep any piggy alive? What has too much calcium got to do with anything? I don't see calcium. Of course we're going to eat our hay! And anyway, it's not possible for us guinea pigs to get 'full up'.
8 am: a good chunk of courgette or pepper --Finally! Why are you so late? It's already 8.01 am! - Oh. First that syringe. Yes, I know, I know, I'm going to have to come back and open my mouth.
5 pm: a bowl of vegetables -- About time! What took you so long? -- but still the usual amount
8 pm: again a good chunk of courgette or pepper -- Goodness me, that was a long time coming! -- Oh, I'd forgotten about that syringe. There's no need to get insistent about it. And anyway, If I'm 'such a good girl', as you keep saying in that goo-ey voice, why don't you just skip that syringe, hey?

Then, throughout the day, as we pop in to check on them, out runs Bianca, going up onto her hind legs expectantly (in spite of her increased girth) and back down to rub her nose repeatedly in polite, but increasingly frantic, request. Up and down. Up and down. Get a move on.

Nuggets no longer cut it. For goodness sake, we had them for breakfast. And don't you remember: Calcium? Full up? Remember now? You were the one saying it, not us.

Readi-grass? Are you joking, that's not worth coming out for.

Oh come on, you can't be serious! Scattering forage food?! You must be joking if you think that throwing old leaves and dead flowers about is acceptable. Do you really think we want to run around looking for it? Really? Why on earth should *we* be subjected to having our 'natural foraging behaviour' 'encouraged' when you can just bring us the proper vegetable food and profer it by hand, wherever we need to rest?

Coriander. Why. on. earth. did. it. take. you. so. long. to. work. that. out. Yes, and now another please. I'm rubbing my nose nicely and looking up to stare at you to make sure you have got the message. Yes, and another. Come on -- keep it coming! Everyone knows that the more you have, the more you NEED to have. It's basic biology. You can't stop now, that wouldn't be healthy.

So there you go. Happy days.

 

[PiggyintheMiddle]

Thread 'Concerned about Ophelia'

Nov 19, 2024

Bianca was diagnosed with inoperable tumours in July, and we didn’t expect her to still be alive and well so many months later. She’s on a high dosage of painkillers and living her best life. We are increasingly concerned about her sister, however. Ophelia has become very nervous and hides a lot, and isn’t as eager as Bianca for food. Tonight she didn’t come out for vegetables and showed no interest in food until Bianca had finished both bowls (she got food then, and Bianca had to be blocked from stealing it). We will continue to keep an eye on them but we don’t really know if she is ill...

• PiggyintheMiddle
• Replies: 11
• Forum: Health & Illness Support Corner

• 

Here's Ophelia's update.

 

[Wiebke]

Time for an update. First, here is Bianca enjoying the finer things of life.

View attachment 260507

View attachment 260508

Four months since her diagnosis and on her fifth bottle of medicine, you would not think she were ill. Her fur, which she had lost around the middle, has grown back; she keeps herself clean; she runs out eagerly if her name is mentioned, still chewing a piece of hay; she balances up on her hind legs ('look, no hands!') to get a better view of the incoming food; she chunters ... in short, she is her same curious, intelligent little self. The one thing that might give away that something is not quite right is the unnatural and increasing bulge all around her middle.

As we decided to take Ophelia to the vets this morning, we asked for the vet who had diagnosed Bianca so that he could take a look at her as well. (PiggyintheMiddle started a thread for Ophelia yesterday and I'll ask her to link it here, because me... well... ... how do you do that?) The tumour does indeed extend across all her body now and is as big as her head. However, the medication is clearly making her comfortable and is probably suppressing the inflammatory response. I asked if perhaps the tumour was suppressing the cysts, given that the fur she had lost around the middle has almost fully grown back, and he said that that could well be the case, although added that they can also lose fur from stress.

I asked how much longer she might have left (after an initial diagnosis of not long at all), and it could be another four months. Of course, hard to say, as if the tumour grows into the kidneys, that would lead to kidney failure. In contrast with the first consultation -- just take a month's worth of medicine, and if you need another, ring reception; 6 months is 'optimistic' -- he agreed that it is now worth buying a 6-month-bottle of medicine.

So, Bianca is living her happiest life. We have always been scrupulous about following the knowledgeable advice on this forum, but, thinking she had one, perhaps two months to live, we somewhat 'relaxed' the recommendations around vegetables and nuggets ...

6 am: nuggets, tipped into the bowl and not counted. Quite right too. That was never a tablespoon, was it? That was 12 nuggets rattling around. How could that possibly keep any piggy alive? What has too much calcium got to do with anything? I don't see calcium. Of course we're going to eat our hay! And anyway, it's not possible for us guinea pigs to get 'full up'.
8 am: a good chunk of courgette or pepper --Finally! Why are you so late? It's already 8.01 am! - Oh. First that syringe. Yes, I know, I know, I'm going to have to come back and open my mouth.
5 pm: a bowl of vegetables -- About time! What took you so long? -- but still the usual amount
8 pm: again a good chunk of courgette or pepper -- Goodness me, that was a long time coming! -- Oh, I'd forgotten about that syringe. There's no need to get insistent about it. And anyway, If I'm 'such a good girl', as you keep saying in that goo-ey voice, why don't you just skip that syringe, hey?

Then, throughout the day, as we pop in to check on them, out runs Bianca, going up onto her hind legs expectantly (in spite of her increased girth) and back down to rub her nose repeatedly in polite, but increasingly frantic, request. Up and down. Up and down. Get a move on.

Nuggets no longer cut it. For goodness sake, we had them for breakfast. And don't you remember: Calcium? Full up? Remember now? You were the one saying it, not us.

Readi-grass? Are you joking, that's not worth coming out for.

Oh come on, you can't be serious! Scattering forage food?! You must be joking if you think that throwing old leaves and dead flowers about is acceptable. Do you really think we want to run around looking for it? Really? Why on earth should *we* be subjected to having our 'natural foraging behaviour' 'encouraged' when you can just bring us the proper vegetable food and profer it by hand, wherever we need to rest?

Coriander. Why. on. earth. did. it. take. you. so. long. to. work. that. out. Yes, and now another please. I'm rubbing my nose nicely and looking up to stare at you to make sure you have got the message. Yes, and another. Come on -- keep it coming! Everyone knows that the more you have, the more you NEED to have. It's basic biology. You can't stop now, that wouldn't be healthy.

So there you go. Happy days.

End of life care can come with so many unexpected joys, fun and giggles. It is about living in the moment and taking a leaf out of our guinea pig's book to value the now and your shared time. It is only as sad as you make it. But it is usually the little things that make all the difference.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Isn’t she doing amazingly well, I hope you have loads more fun and games with her What a little trooper!

 

[Posyrose]

What a lovely update. I'm so glad that she's thriving despite her expanding girth and even still able to balance on her hind legs, that takes skill!

 

[PiggyintheMiddle]

What a lovely update. I'm so glad that she's thriving despite her expanding girth and even still able to balance on her hind legs, that takes skill!

Mini-slave taught her to do it for nuggets after we watched

and I think she's still aware that it's a treat-worthy trick.

 

[piggieminder]

Bianca's story made me smile, what a little sweetie.

 

[Merab]

What a wonderful story about Bianca.
So glad she’s doing well

 

[KHBz]

I am attaching two photos of Bianca. We don't ever dangle coriander high above her, as in this photo, but we wanted to show her shape and she does stretch like this when opportunistically begging.

I'm showing her shape because I'm wondering if the piggies are even aware that something is not quite right. It just doesn't seem like it from Bianca's behaviour. She is the first to run out and is far more enthusiastic about food than Ophelia (just as well because we don't want to be giving too much extra food to that little piggy). She stretches up, going up down up down as she balances on her hind legs, which shows her still to be nimble at 5 1/2 years old. She cleans herself, and at times will even chunter around contentedly. What she doesn't do is popcorn, but those had receded a long time ago.

She has lost a slight bit of weight, according to the vet's scales, which must translate into a lot of weight given how big the tumour is.

 

[KHBz]

I sent that before I meant to. I wanted to add that I doubt that the balancing on hind legs can be due to my younger daughter (11 at the time), encouraging her to to do so for food (as PiggyintheMiddle said). It was over 5 years ago and for such a brief period -- no more than a couple of days -- when they were taken out of their run into an extended one for half-an-hour or so. I gently asked my daughter not to do it when I saw. Ophelia doesn't and Bianca has always been much more lively and curious. In short, we haven't been training the piggies to do tricks! We have very much been guided by them, as a consequence of which they are not 'cuddly' piggies, only handled when necessary. They are, however, extremely comfortable with us and will try to shove us aside when we are in their run trying to clean it out!

(I think they've trained *us* to do tricks: sprinting downstairs, retrieving coriander, washing it in filtered water, and sprinting back up as fast as our little legs will carry us -- all at their say so [or rather, stretch so and nose-rub so]!)

 

[KHBz]

I sent that before I meant to. I wanted to add that I doubt that the balancing on hind legs can be due to my younger daughter (11 at the time), encouraging her to to do so for food (as PiggyintheMiddle said). It was over 5 years ago and for such a brief period -- no more than a couple of days -- when they were taken out of their run into an extended one for half-an-hour or so. I gently asked my daughter not to do it when I saw. Ophelia doesn't and Bianca has always been much more lively and curious. In short, we haven't been training the piggies to do tricks! We have very much been guided by them, as a consequence of which they are not 'cuddly' piggies, only handled when necessary. They are, however, extremely comfortable with us and will try to shove us aside when we are in their run trying to clean it out!

(I think they've trained *us* to do tricks: sprinting downstairs, retrieving coriander, washing it in filtered water, and sprinting back up as fast as our little legs will carry us -- all at their say so [or rather, stretch so and nose-rub so]!)

I only specify that it is filtered water because if the filter jug needs re-filling, it seriously slows the slaves down and shows a lack of forethought. It's just not good enough.