Lump on scruff of neck

[Penguin2809]

Hi, I need some advice on what to do. My 2yr and 3 months old guinea pig has a lump the size of a bean on his scruff of his neck. He has had it for about 6-9 months and has grown slightly since noticing it. It is a hard and the vets said she can not move it as it's attached under the jump. They have recommended removal of the lump but I'm absolutely terrified of losing him to the procedure. He is my whole world and I'll be devastated but on the other hand, if it's cancer and it spreads for him to be in pain etc I'll be just as devastated. The vet is an exotic vet only with apparently high success rate. What do I do? Is there any other tests they can do to confirm cancer or puss etc I can not lose him

 

[Wiebke]

Hi, I need some advice on what to do. My 2yr and 3 months old guinea pig has a lump the size of a bean on his scruff of his neck. He has had it for about 6-9 months and has grown slightly since noticing it. It is a hard and the vets said she can not move it as it's attached under the jump. They have recommended removal of the lump but I'm absolutely terrified of losing him to the procedure. He is my whole world and I'll be devastated but on the other hand, if it's cancer and it spreads for him to be in pain etc I'll be just as devastated. The vet is an exotic vet only with apparently high success rate. What do I do? Is there any other tests they can do to confirm cancer or puss etc I can not lose him

Hi

HUGS

I am not a vet nor do I have any medical training but I suspect that your vet's concerns are to a good degree about the very sensitive location of the growing lump and the major damage it can do if it grows larger. Nor do I have hands-on access or enough information to comment.

But you are always within your rights to ask for a talk with your vet about the reasons for their recommendation to operate and what they think is going on and what will happen if the lump is left. No vet would like to operate there without a very, very reason and after careful weighing up the pros and cons about what happens if nothing is done instead. They would always opt for a medical solution before an invasive one if there was one.

If you do talk to your vet, please write down your own questions and concerns beforehand, so you can tick them off. Also have somebody with you to listen in so they can repeat points back at you if you suffer from anxiety and your mind goes on overload or gets stuck on a trigger point and the rest passes you by.

Thread 'Pet Owners Anxiety - Practical Tips For Sufferers and For Supporters'

Mar 1, 2022

1 What is Pet Owners Anxiety?
2 What can I practically do when I suffer from it?
3 What can I do when dealing with an anxiety sufferer?
4 Conclusion
5 Practical Resources


This article has been written for Guinea Pig Magazine issue 62 in May 2021 and is shared on this forum with the permission of the magazine. The copyright for this article remains with Guinea Pig Magazine.

We are all often in equal measure excited and scared at taking care of a new pet or pet species, and frightened when our beloved guinea pigs are...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 3
• Forum: New and Wannabe Guinea Pig Owners Corner

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[VickiA]

I agree completely with Wiebke - if you have doubts/questions then the vet is the best person to answer those for you. If it’s easier you could set it all out in writing in an email and then perhaps book a telephone consultation to discuss it further. Having someone else with you is always a good idea because they can take notes and remember the things that you might forget or may not focus on at the time. Like many others on this forum I have had guinea pigs with lumps. After careful examination by the vets some lumps have been left (the vet has been satisfied that it is a harmless fatty lump or a sebaceous cyst) and others have required removal because the vets have been concerned about them being sinister or causing problems to the guinea pig later on. I am sure your Vet will be happy to explain to you why they feel this one should be removed as opposed to doing other tests.

 

[Penguin2809]

I agree completely with Wiebke - if you have doubts/questions then the vet is the best person to answer those for you. If it’s easier you could set it all out in writing in an email and then perhaps book a telephone consultation to discuss it further. Having someone else with you is always a good idea because they can take notes and remember the things that you might forget or may not focus on at the time. Like many others on this forum I have had guinea pigs with lumps. After careful examination by the vets some lumps have been left (the vet has been satisfied that it is a harmless fatty lump or a sebaceous cyst) and others have required removal because the vets have been concerned about them being sinister or causing problems to the guinea pig later on. I am sure your Vet will be happy to explain to you why they feel this one should be removed as opposed to doing other tests

I agree completely with Wiebke - if you have doubts/questions then the vet is the best person to answer those for you. If it’s easier you could set it all out in writing in an email and then perhaps book a telephone consultation to discuss it further. Having someone else with you is always a good idea because they can take notes and remember the things that you might forget or may not focus on at the time. Like many others on this forum I have had guinea pigs with lumps. After careful examination by the vets some lumps have been left (the vet has been satisfied that it is a harmless fatty lump or a sebaceous cyst) and others have required removal because the vets have been concerned about them being sinister or causing problems to the guinea pig later on. I am sure your Vet will be happy to explain to you why they feel this one should be removed as opposed to doing other tests.

Honestly not sure I want the answer but the ones you had surgery for, did they pull through ok? And yes I will get a chance to talk to the vet on the day of the operation before the surgery and I can walk away if I want to

 

[VickiA]

Honestly not sure I want the answer but the ones you had surgery for, did they pull through ok? And yes I will get a chance to talk to the vet on the day of the operation before the surgery and I can walk away if I want to

I’ve not lost a pig to surgery from lump excision. In the right hands - a competent vet and team - surgery is quite safe.

 

[Wiebke]

Honestly not sure I want the answer but the ones you had surgery for, did they pull through ok? And yes I will get a chance to talk to the vet on the day of the operation before the surgery and I can walk away if I want to

I only lost one piggy to an emergency operation for a blood filled runaway mammary tumour that had come up very suddenly. Unfortunately, she was found to a very irregular heartbeat in the pre-op assessment, which made the op a very high risk make or break op. The tumour did come out fully (it had gone as far as her groin over the weekend) but her heart sadly gave out right at the end - which is not a complication you are facing.
All my other piggies' lump operations (about nearly 10 lump removals in all, more if you count in all the spaying ops for ovarian cysts) have come off successfully, including the ones in my oldies. My oldest lump removal was in a sow just short of her 7th birthday.

You are always within your rights to book a phone consultation with your vet or send them an email before you commit, so you can ask them all the questions and concerns you have. Be aware that a vet or humans doctor needs to make you aware of all possible risks; that is part of their duty. What you can ask them is how high they value the individual risks personally and how confident they are feeling about the operation. Those are things nobody else can answer. Your vet can also not make the decision for you but they can clarify if you feel that it helps.

 

[Merab]

You are in a difficult place but you will make the right choice because you love your boy and you are thinking things through carefully.
Holding you in my heart