Lump on guinea pigs neck

[Jesse's pigs]

Hi guys long time no see, and unfortunately I return a very stressed and worried pigmum.

So Steve (some of you may remember him he’s had a few posts on here- the beautiful white created piggy in my profile pic) is stressing me out. He’s 6 years old now which I know is a fabulous age, and he has been doing brilliantly. Don’t get me wrong he’s slowed down slightly and he is smaller in terms of weight than he was in his prime bit not underweight (he’s sitting at 1.1-1.2kg where he used to be 1.3kg).

Since Tuesday I noticed he has not been eating his pellets like normal. He usually a pig who clears his bowl and wants more come bedtime. I also noticed that evening he had the slightest head tilt (and I mean u had to really look to notice it) and seemed to keep turning his head every now and again to the left as though something was bothering him. I jumped to his teeth (his never had dental issues but I know these can be symptoms). I took him to work with me the next day (I’m a student vet nurse) and they examined him for me but said his teeth felt okay (although he had a mouth full of watery pellets and spit-nice Steve) and couldn’t see anything wrong with his ears/rest of him. Advised some pain relief (meloxicom) And see how he goes. I also took some recovery home and have been syringe feeding him this. He normally turns his nose up to this when I’ve let him sample in the past but he’s been gobbling it down which shows how hungry he is! Since starting the pain relief I have noticed an improvement he is acting more himself, I’m still giving recovery and he is now eating a small small bit of his usual pellet. He is still not right though and I know this in my heart of hearts. He is drinking less (but I also put this down to the fact he’s getting +++water with the syringe food) and still isn’t wolfing his pellets down like I’d expect.

So I have it in my head I’ll book in with the cat and rabbit clinic when they reopen as I see they’re currently moving their clinic and open again the 22nd. I’ve weighed steve he was 1.170kg when I weighed him Tuesday, he is 1.206kg today (so at least I know my feeding his working) BUT I’ve felt him today and I feel a lump on his neck. It’s hard and he doesn’t like me touching it. I’m now so upset and worried that it isn’t just teeth. I’ve seen abscesses in practice on piggies necks but they’re all soft…this is so hard.

I’m not looking for a diagnosis. I am gonna take him to vet as soon as they open. I guess I’m searching for happy stories where this isn’t something sinister. I’m telling myself it’s a lymph node cos of teeth cos I can’t lose him. I’ve lost my 14 year old rabbit, 15 year old childhood dog and recently my tortoise in quick succession. Steve is so special to me but he is also my last part of ‘them’.

Thank you,

One heart broken pigmum.

#help #advice #illness #vet #worried #abscess #lump

 

[Wiebke]

Hi guys long time no see, and unfortunately I return a very stressed and worried pigmum.

So Steve (some of you may remember him he’s had a few posts on here- the beautiful white created piggy in my profile pic) is stressing me out. He’s 6 years old now which I know is a fabulous age, and he has been doing brilliantly. Don’t get me wrong he’s slowed down slightly and he is smaller in terms of weight than he was in his prime bit not underweight (he’s sitting at 1.1-1.2kg where he used to be 1.3kg).

Since Tuesday I noticed he has not been eating his pellets like normal. He usually a pig who clears his bowl and wants more come bedtime. I also noticed that evening he had the slightest head tilt (and I mean u had to really look to notice it) and seemed to keep turning his head every now and again to the left as though something was bothering him. I jumped to his teeth (his never had dental issues but I know these can be symptoms). I took him to work with me the next day (I’m a student vet nurse) and they examined him for me but said his teeth felt okay (although he had a mouth full of watery pellets and spit-nice Steve) and couldn’t see anything wrong with his ears/rest of him. Advised some pain relief (meloxicom) And see how he goes. I also took some recovery home and have been syringe feeding him this. He normally turns his nose up to this when I’ve let him sample in the past but he’s been gobbling it down which shows how hungry he is! Since starting the pain relief I have noticed an improvement he is acting more himself, I’m still giving recovery and he is now eating a small small bit of his usual pellet. He is still not right though and I know this in my heart of hearts. He is drinking less (but I also put this down to the fact he’s getting +++water with the syringe food) and still isn’t wolfing his pellets down like I’d expect.

So I have it in my head I’ll book in with the cat and rabbit clinic when they reopen as I see they’re currently moving their clinic and open again the 22nd. I’ve weighed steve he was 1.170kg when I weighed him Tuesday, he is 1.206kg today (so at least I know my feeding his working) BUT I’ve felt him today and I feel a lump on his neck. It’s hard and he doesn’t like me touching it. I’m now so upset and worried that it isn’t just teeth. I’ve seen abscesses in practice on piggies necks but they’re all soft…this is so hard.

I’m not looking for a diagnosis. I am gonna take him to vet as soon as they open. I guess I’m searching for happy stories where this isn’t something sinister. I’m telling myself it’s a lymph node cos of teeth cos I can’t lose him. I’ve lost my 14 year old rabbit, 15 year old childhood dog and recently my tortoise in quick succession. Steve is so special to me but he is also my last part of ‘them’.

Thank you,

One heart broken pigmum.

Hi

I am very sorry. An abscess usually starts as a small hard lump; it only gets softer once it gets really going fills quite quickely with infectious fluid and blows up. Dental/jaw abscesses can cause pain up to several weeks before they become noticeable and then it usually takes a bit of time for them to come up enough for lancing.

As usual, the timing could not be more unfortunate but at least you have a little leeway if I go with my own experience with Dylan and his own hard lump in the run up to Christmas 2019. Please note that abscesses are only one of several possibilities of lumps in the neck.
My Hywel developed an incisor root abscess aged 6 and needed eventually two operations due to clashes with my husband being in and out of hospital with several ops and procedures in parallel so I was not always able to get Hywel to the Cat&Rabbit quickly enough. It is not exactly a time I remember with great joy. Nevertheless, Hywel lived for nearly another year until two weeks short of his 7th birthday if that helps you.

All the best!

 

[Jesse's pigs]

Hi

I am very sorry. An abscess usually starts as a small hard lump; it only gets softer once it gets really going fills quite quickely with infectious fluid and blows up. Dental/jaw abscesses can cause pain up to several weeks before they become noticeable and then it usually takes a bit of time for them to come up enough for lancing.

As usual, the timing could not be more unfortunate but at least you have a little leeway if I go with my own experience with Dylan and his own hard lump in the run up to Christmas 2019. Please note that abscesses are only one of several possibilities of lumps in the neck.
My Hywel developed an incisor root abscess aged 6 and needed eventually two operations due to clashes with my husband being in and out of hospital with several ops and procedures in parallel so I was not always able to get Hywel to the Cat&Rabbit quickly enough. It is not exactly a time I remember with great joy. Nevertheless, Hywel lived for nearly another year until two weeks short of his 7th birthday if that helps you.

All the best!

Thank you this gives me a bit of hope.

I don’t have much luck with poorly piggies usually I get My hopes up and they’re quickly crashed at the vets. I won’t put him through anything massive because it’s not fair and it would be me being selfish but if it is fixable and he’s willing to fight I will do all I can to fix him. My vets next steps are to sedate to examine further (this was before I found lump) and I’m hesitant about doing this hence me wanting to go to the cat/rabbit clinic as I know they do so much more consciously. Steve is bomb proof thankfully and not much deters him so I don’t think he’ll care about the journey/whatever it is they want to do.

I’m sorry to hear that. They certainly do not come at the right time. Especially when I’m a few weeks we’re going away on holiday to celebrate my mums 50th and Steve is coming with me as I’m so nervous now about leaving him when I go. He came on holiday with me last year too yes I got a 140cm cage into my fiat 500 and sacrificed luggage for him too.

He has had several episodes of bloat in the past and has intermittent urine problems. He keeps fighting and going to I’m hoping beyond hopes he can pull through whatever this is. He doesn’t deserve to suffer bless him.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you this gives me a bit of hope.

I don’t have much luck with poorly piggies usually I get My hopes up and they’re quickly crashed at the vets. I won’t put him through anything massive because it’s not fair and it would be me being selfish but if it is fixable and he’s willing to fight I will do all I can to fix him. My vets next steps are to sedate to examine further (this was before I found lump) and I’m hesitant about doing this hence me wanting to go to the cat/rabbit clinic as I know they do so much more consciously. Steve is bomb proof thankfully and not much deters him so I don’t think he’ll care about the journey/whatever it is they want to do.

I’m sorry to hear that. They certainly do not come at the right time. Especially when I’m a few weeks we’re going away on holiday to celebrate my mums 50th and Steve is coming with me as I’m so nervous now about leaving him when I go. He came on holiday with me last year too yes I got a 140cm cage into my fiat 500 and sacrificed luggage for him too.

He has had several episodes of bloat in the past and has intermittent urine problems. He keeps fighting and going to I’m hoping beyond hopes he can pull through whatever this is. He doesn’t deserve to suffer bless him.

Hywel had his dental abscesses in parallel with my hub being seriously ill and my then 7 years old Nerys suddenly losing control of her back legs and her appetite and teetering very much on the edge for several days but she made it through the crisis and wobbled on to celebrate her 8th birthday.

Gethin developed his proto-abscess while we were booked for a family Christmas abroad... Gethin's could be medically solved, much to Kim's surprise - a full month of zithromax and maxed out metacam did the trick although it was only meant to get Dylan through the holidays and then to allow the abscess to come up properly. It totally wiped his appetite for a number of weeks (thankfully just after we had returned again) but he lived for another two years until 6 years without the lump ever making an appearance again. In most cases the medication on its own won't be enough to stop an abscess, though. I had a very lucky escape there, especially in view that his happened just as the pandemic got underway!

That's about the two extremes at a guess...

Old piggies are unfortunately often expensive...
All the best! I hope that Steven can be sorted in time.

 

[weepweeps]

I’m sorry Steve is poorly.

I’ve had experience of a tooth root abscess. It was a harm lump to start with. Peppers lump then blew up to 4 cm and became softer.

Good luck at the vets. I hope it’s nothing too serious.

 

[Jesse's pigs]

I’m sorry Steve is poorly.

I’ve had experience of a tooth root abscess. It was a harm lump to start with. Peppers lump then blew up to 4 cm and became softer.

Good luck at the vets. I hope it’s nothing too serious.

And @Wiebke would you guys recommend the cat and rabbit clinic?

I have referred a few small furries from my practice to there after reading about it on here. I read on their website that they’re good with dentals/conscious etc so in my head that’s the best place. My practice see small pets but they don’t claim to be the most experienced.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

TEAS would not exist without Simon and Kim Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic! They’re amazing vets!

 

[weepweeps]

And @Wiebke would you guys recommend the cat and rabbit clinic?

I have referred a few small furries from my practice to there after reading about it on here. I read on their website that they’re good with dentals/conscious etc so in my head that’s the best place. My practice see small pets but they don’t claim to be the most experienced.

100%. Both Simon and Kim are amazing guinea pig vets. I live 2 hours away from them but I will never go to any other vets for teeth issues or operations ever again.

 

[Wiebke]

And @Wiebke would you guys recommend the cat and rabbit clinic?

I have referred a few small furries from my practice to there after reading about it on here. I read on their website that they’re good with dentals/conscious etc so in my head that’s the best place. My practice see small pets but they don’t claim to be the most experienced.

Yes, I would recommend them anytime. My local general vets will deal with overgrown incisors but for anything further or any specialist things or operations, it is the Cat&Rabbit for me.
Hywel would have never had that extra year of his life without the C&R and without furryfriends' short-term help with looking after Hywel's abscess care after his second operation when things got temporarily too much for me between hub's post-op complications and Nerys's crisis and Hywel's hole closing up too quickly again.

I don't know whether you still need a vet referral as a new clinic because they are quite oversubscribed? @furryfriends (TEAS) should know.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

I don't think you need a referral now, but it would be worth giving them a ring just to check.