Lymphoma

[popcornpiggles]

Today I received the horrible news that my 4 year old boy Ziggy likely has lymphoma. He has had severe scabbing and scaling on his skin for a few weeks that had not improved with any parasite, fungal or bacterial treatment. The skin has worsened significantly and almost his whole body, bar his face, belly and legs, is affected. He also has lumps under his chin, and one under his back left leg. He is acting absolutely fine and seems just like his usual self. However, the vet has advised that he is likely in pain as the skin looks very aggressive, and has suggested he is PTS in the next few days.

I am obviously heartbroken by this and perhaps grasping at straws, but I wanted to ask if it is perhaps a good idea to ask my vet for a confirming diagnosis for the lymphoma? I absolutely trust my vet and it was 2 vets I saw today that both had the same advice, but the fact he hasn't had any tests makes me worry about him being PTS when it could be something else that's treatable!

Realistically, I see that this is wishful thinking, I just wanted to see if anyone else thought it could be worth asking my vet about.

I also believe that my vet would have suggested palliative care if she thought he was comfortable/pain-free enough to do so, so the fact she didn't suggest it indicates he would not be a good candidate. It just sucks because his demeanour is as bright and happy as ever, it's throwing me off because he doesn't seem like a pig who needs to be PTS

Sorry if this is sad and rambly- I just want to do the right thing. I will be phoning the vet tomorrow ❤

 

[mordeandrigs]

I am so sorry you’re going through this. This is so hard. I just went through this with one of my piggies. I was the same way, I was not comfortable putting him to sleep until I knew there was nothing else that could be done. After 4 visits with two different vets, I ended up driving him an hour and half to the nearest specialist who confirmed there wasn’t anything they could do for him. I was so devastated but I knew I had to let him go. I think that if you have the means and the resources, ask about the diagnosis, get a second opinion, don’t be afraid to ask your vet hard questions or what they think about your ideas. It is definitely a very hard decision to make so I think it is totally reasonable to want a for sure diagnosis. But remember to be realistic and kind with yourself and your piggie throughout this process. I know it is such a sad and stressful time. Wishing you both the best.

 

[Viennese Furbabies]

I'm very sorry.
This is a UK based forum so it's quite early around here. But the health experts will be along soon.

I have had two guinea pigs with lymphoma and after the first lumps were palpable, the illness progressed quickly. But neither of them had a skin issue nor have I heard about skin issues in other lymphoma patients I've known.
A lymphoma can be diagnosed with a biopsy, but it doesn't always work because it's not so easy to do a biopsy on a guinea pig.

But your vet seems to advice the PTS due to the skin condition if I read your post right. Skin conditions can be quite nasty. I guess the usual reasons for skin issues have been ruled out?

 

[Eriathwen]

One of mine had a big patch of flaky skin once, it didn't behave like any mite of fungal issue I'd had previously although did look fungal. I was given an ointment with a steroid in to try that covered parasites, bacteria and fungus, but if that didn't work I was told it was likely she had cutaneous lymphoma. Luckily the ointment worked and she regrew the hair, but its always in the back of my mind as that wasn't her first "possibly cancer" diagnosis!

I would certainly try for a confirming diagnosis if possible, Delilah is quite a lumpy piggy also, yet neither time (finding the lumps or the skin issue) were cancer, although we did lose her sister to an abdominal tumour.

If your piggies are still well in themselves and you have the means to do so, it certainly wouldn't hurt to pursue more diagnostics.

 

[Claire W]

I have lost two piggies to lymphoma. Ena was diagnosed after a lump removal and Erika was diagnosed after a fine needle biopsy.

My Elizabeth is a lumpy pig (already been tested for cancer and they’re just fatty lipoma's) but once when she had snuffly breathing, I took her to the vet who I completely trust too and all her lymph nodes were swollen. Vet said it was either lymphoma or a viral infection and warned that if it was lymphoma, she would become poorly within 2-3 weeks. Anyway, we came away with antibiotics, pain relief and a decongested fearing the worst but she acted her normal self for the entire 3 weeks. At her follow up, all her lymph nodes had gone down and so had her snuffly breathing so vet concluded it was a viral infection.

If you have the funds, I would definitely push for a firm diagnoses before pts. This can either be done by taking a sample from one of the lumps and sending it off for testing or a blood test

Good luck x

 

[popcornpiggles]

I am so sorry you’re going through this. This is so hard. I just went through this with one of my piggies. I was the same way, I was not comfortable putting him to sleep until I knew there was nothing else that could be done. After 4 visits with two different vets, I ended up driving him an hour and half to the nearest specialist who confirmed there wasn’t anything they could do for him. I was so devastated but I knew I had to let him go. I think that if you have the means and the resources, ask about the diagnosis, get a second opinion, don’t be afraid to ask your vet hard questions or what they think about your ideas. It is definitely a very hard decision to make so I think it is totally reasonable to want a for sure diagnosis. But remember to be realistic and kind with yourself and your piggie throughout this process. I know it is such a sad and stressful time. Wishing you both the best.

Thank you so much ❤ I am seeing the vet in around an hour and we will be discussing options

 

[popcornpiggles]

I'm very sorry.
This is a UK based forum so it's quite early around here. But the health experts will be along soon.

I have had two guinea pigs with lymphoma and after the first lumps were palpable, the illness progressed quickly. But neither of them had a skin issue nor have I heard about skin issues in other lymphoma patients I've known.
A lymphoma can be diagnosed with a biopsy, but it doesn't always work because it's not so easy to do a biopsy on a guinea pig.

But your vet seems to advice the PTS due to the skin condition if I read your post right. Skin conditions can be quite nasty. I guess the usual reasons for skin issues have been ruled out?

Yes, he has been treated for parasites and all kinds of infection with no improvement, and the vet has said she's never seen any of those behave the way Ziggy's skin is behaving. The scabs are around a centimetre thick in places and even the non scabbed skin is red and swollen.

I found some articles online detailing skin problems caused by lymphoma but it does not seem to be a common presentation.

 

[popcornpiggles]

One of mine had a big patch of flaky skin once, it didn't behave like any mite of fungal issue I'd had previously although did look fungal. I was given an ointment with a steroid in to try that covered parasites, bacteria and fungus, but if that didn't work I was told it was likely she had cutaneous lymphoma. Luckily the ointment worked and she regrew the hair, but its always in the back of my mind as that wasn't her first "possibly cancer" diagnosis!

I would certainly try for a confirming diagnosis if possible, Delilah is quite a lumpy piggy also, yet neither time (finding the lumps or the skin issue) were cancer, although we did lose her sister to an abdominal tumour.

If your piggies are still well in themselves and you have the means to do so, it certainly wouldn't hurt to pursue more diagnostics.

I'm so glad you had a good outcome for your piggy! What a relief ❤

Unfortunately Ziggy has been treated for parasites and infections and has not improved however, I will still be asking my vet about a confirming diagnosis when I bring him in today.

 

[popcornpiggles]

I have lost two piggies to lymphoma. Ena was diagnosed after a lump removal and Erika was diagnosed after a fine needle biopsy.

My Elizabeth is a lumpy pig (already been tested for cancer and they’re just fatty lipoma's) but once when she had snuffly breathing, I took her to the vet who I completely trust too and all her lymph nodes were swollen. Vet said it was either lymphoma or a viral infection and warned that if it was lymphoma, she would become poorly within 2-3 weeks. Anyway, we came away with antibiotics, pain relief and a decongested fearing the worst but she acted her normal self for the entire 3 weeks. At her follow up, all her lymph nodes had gone down and so had her snuffly breathing so vet concluded it was a viral infection.

If you have the funds, I would definitely push for a firm diagnoses before pts. This can either be done by taking a sample from one of the lumps and sending it off for testing or a blood test

Good luck x

Thank you so much ❤ I will definitely ask about a confirming diagnosis today. I am a little concerned about costs as I am not well off and have spent a lot of my vet funds treating him for mites and fungal/bacterial. But if the vet thinks he could have a shot if its not lymphoma I will definitely pursue a diagnosis.

 

[anyar.dris]

When my Vegas was diagnosed with lymphoma, our vet had to do biopsy first to make sure what she had (she took a sample of fluid from the lump). We had to wait for a few days to get the confirmation. Has any of it was done for your piggy?

 

[Claire W]

Thank you so much ❤ I will definitely ask about a confirming diagnosis today. I am a little concerned about costs as I am not well off and have spent a lot of my vet funds treating him for mites and fungal/bacterial. But if the vet thinks he could have a shot if its not lymphoma I will definitely pursue a diagnosis.

It’s so hard especially with mounting vet costs I am wishing you both the very best x

 

[Bertie & Jelly]

One of my piggies was diagnosed with lymphoma after a biopsy on a lump that was removed. As a skinny pig his lumps were very obvious but he didn’t have any skin scabbing or scaling. I hope your vet visit has given you more information to help you with your decision. Thinking of you x

 

[popcornpiggles]

Thank you everyone for your advice, I really appreciate it ❤

Ziggy is no longer with us

At the vets yesterday, I got the opportunity to ask the vet lots of questions and concluded that having him PTS was in fact the best decision for him. I asked about a confirming diagnosis, and the vet said that a biopsy would be possible, but it would mean putting him under anaesthetic, and since he was 4 yrs old, unwell and had lost weight, his chances were not particularly great. I was also told I could refer him to an exotic specialist, but this would mean traveling a few hours there and back, and it seemed like unnecessary stress for him. His case had also apparently been reviewed by an exotic vet that my practice works with, and they agreed that lymphoma was almost certainly the problem. This was due to the severity and rapid progression of the skin problem, the fact it did not improve when treated for common skin conditions, the fact my other pigs have not been affected, and the lumps and swelling in his lymph nodes (under his chin and the pits of his legs). When I asked if there were any other possible diagnoses, the vet told me that with his presentation, they could be sure that it was either lymphoma, or a less known condition that is therefore not treatable. I was also told that I could keep him on strong pain medication, but I would realistically only be buying him a couple of weeks at most, and with his skin in the state it was in, he would likely be in a lot of pain. My partner and I decided that the kindest thing would be to let him go while he was still himself and spare him the pain of deteriorating and having to suffer through the end of his life.

I've included all of this just in case anyone else finds themselves in my position as I have never heard of lymphoma presenting with skin problems before now and have struggled to find info online.

Ziggy was my wee orange boy. He was the teeth-chattering king of carrots, the pea flakes fiend and pig of wisdom. I will love you forever Ziggy Piggy

 

[Viennese Furbabies]

I'm very sorry! I'm sure it was the right decision for your precious boy.
Sleep tight Ziggy!

 

[Bertie & Jelly]

I’m so sorry to hear that you had to make such a difficult decision. Sleep tight little Ziggy

 

[Claire W]

I’m so very sorry that Ziggy has gone to the rainbow bridge take heart that you made the decision out of love and it’s always the hardest yet kindest decision we make as you spared him any suffering (((hugs))) Sleep tight Ziggy x

 

[Hholmes]

So sorry for your loss. Just recently had my boy Marley pts so feel your pain x

 

[VickiA]

I’m so sorry that you’ve had to say goodbye to your beautiful boy. It’s good that you had a chance to ask the vets all your questions and all possible scenarios. That will help you to come to terms with your decision that you made out of love for your little man. Huge hugs.