Is this a sign of an ovarian cyst?

[vmorin918]

Our little Willow had some dried blood around one of her nipples and we just noticed last night how her hair has been falling out and thinning (please don't judge. we have 8 girls and she has the most skittish, hardest to catch and is always hiding) We think possibly an ovarian cyst. She came to us as a foster 6 months ago, she was kidnapped out of an unsafe backyard breeding situation. She did not have the bloody nipple a few weeks ago when she got her butt bath and trim. Since the day we got her she's been a booty chaser, but a couple of our girls do that when they're in heat so we didn't think much of it.

Our usual Vet no longer works at the place we take our girls to, but they have a few doctors who "see" piggies and one who is more experienced then the others. The more experienced one couldn't get us in until Friday morning, do you think we should just try to get in and be seen by one of the others sooner?

 

[Claire W]

Hi, the thinning of fur could be due to ovarian cysts but it can also be a symptom of mites or a fungal infection. Enlarged crusty nipples are also a symptom of ovarian cysts but I’m unsure whether bleeding nipples are. I’d definitely have her checked out by the vet when you can

 

[Merab]

I agree that a vet trip is warranted.
Good for you taking in piggies from such an awful situation.
Hope Willow is ok

 

[Free Ranger]

As above!
Mites are contagious - cysts aren't. If we get mites we treat all piggies at the same time and yes it can get expensive if there are a lot of pigs, particularly as repeat treatments are essential to kill eggs and shift the infestation permanently. However, my friend had genetically related sows, both of whom got cysts and both also lost hair on the flanks. This was a few years back - in her case she ended up having them spayed but I gather you can sometimes have hormonal treatments now which avoids a surgery.
Good luck at the vets Willow! Let us know how you get on x

 

[vmorin918]

So she lives in a separate cage with 2 other girls who came from the same horrible breeding house. Those girls are fine, they still have a TON of hair (one is an all white texel and the other is I think a big fluffy abby with tail feathers lol) and they are eating, drinking, etc etc normally. Just little Willow is struggling.

I called the Vet and there's no openings until Friday. I don't know if I should bring her to the emergency vet either because I doubt they are as knowledgeable with piggies either. I wish more Vets were piggy-savvy so it wouldn't be as hard to find them.

 

[WobblyPiggy]

Hi, my female has ovarian cysts (she is a senior piggy) I'm unsure about bleeding nipples as she never had that symptom but she did start pulling her own fur out...she doesn't have any fur on her sides anymore because of it...she is undergoing treatment...id get her to a vet and as hard as she is to catch keep the areas clean just incase she gets anything stuck to it...alot of piggies are booty chasers and fur chewers as grooming is a friendly habit they have for eachother and sometimes they will be trying to get healthy poops from the other piggies...but please do have her seen by a vet that you're comfortable with and knows about piggies as they're hard to diagnose (we changed vets because we weren't comfortable with our first choice for our piggies and now we love our new vet)

 

[Free Ranger]

If she's been OK in herself until this point and is eating and not losing weight I would be tempted to wait for the knowledgeable vet on Friday - because if you don't get any answers from the first vet you'll end up seeing the expert anyway and then paying twice!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

I agree with Freela - better wait for a vet who knows about guinea pigs. This is not standard for ovarian cysts.

All the best!