Mammary tumour

[Dedeandedie]

Hello,

Our Edie who is 5 has just come back from the vets after struggling to poop and having a lump on the lowest right nipple. They have said they are not worried about her not pooing as she is still eating and looks healthy But have said the lump is a linked to a mammary tumour. We tried to get the sample but they couldn’t get one as kept bleeding. It is only about 1 inch at the moment and we have walked away with no answers.

Our little Edie lost her sister Dede in January and we have been so focused on her and keeping her happy that we are worried about putting her through the op for it to fail or come back more aggressive. Edie has always been the one that would get bad eyes, clumsy and the odd wee infection, I would say we are very overprotective too which hasn’t helped her track record.

Any advise or experience Would help greatly…. She is 5, fur and skin all good, eyes and ears good, the lump isn’t causing pain and she is still eating like a no other, the pooing is slow only about 25 in 24 hours, but she is still weeing (she doesn’t drink, she gets her hydration from her food). Her routine hasn’t changed and she is still wanting snuggles. The vet said she isn’t dehydrated and she isn’t bloated and does not feel blocked at all. She has lost a little weight but not much and we kept her off veg for a two meals due to not pooing So that might be why too.

Thank you in advance! L&R and our lovely babe Edie xx

 

[Bill & Ted]

I am so sorry Edie is poorly, it’s a stressful time for you, sending hugs

My old boy Bill had a mammary tumour removed and had no further problems at all. We took him to our vet for a regular dental burr on his incisors and I mentioned I had found a small lump (less than pea sized) just by the side of his nipple. Simon immediately whipped him in for its removal he was under anaesthetic within the hour and we picked him up later that day, he was eating and absolutely fine

I think the main thing is to find a really good guinea pig savy vet if you are not fully confident in yours and get it removed as soon as you can. Some types can grow very quickly, ulcerate and start to bleed

Wishing Edie well

here is a photo of Bill’s wound a day after his op

 

[Wiebke]

Hello,

Our Edie who is 5 has just come back from the vets after struggling to poop and having a lump on the lowest right nipple. They have said they are not worried about her not pooing as she is still eating and looks healthy But have said the lump is a linked to a mammary tumour. We tried to get the sample but they couldn’t get one as kept bleeding. It is only about 1 inch at the moment and we have walked away with no answers.

Our little Edie lost her sister Dede in January and we have been so focused on her and keeping her happy that we are worried about putting her through the op for it to fail or come back more aggressive. Edie has always been the one that would get bad eyes, clumsy and the odd wee infection, I would say we are very overprotective too which hasn’t helped her track record.

Any advise or experience Would help greatly…. She is 5, fur and skin all good, eyes and ears good, the lump isn’t causing pain and she is still eating like a no other, the pooing is slow only about 25 in 24 hours, but she is still weeing (she doesn’t drink, she gets her hydration from her food). Her routine hasn’t changed and she is still wanting snuggles. The vet said she isn’t dehydrated and she isn’t bloated and does not feel blocked at all. She has lost a little weight but not much and we kept her off veg for a two meals due to not pooing So that might be why too.

Thank you in advance! L&R and our lovely babe Edie xx

Hi and welcome

I am very sorry. Older piggies

Unfortunately, mammary tumours just keep on growing; unlike other lumps, they never stop. They always need to be removed; ideally before they grow too big. If left, they can grow so big that a piggy is unable to stand on all four legs; I have seen pictures of rescue surrenders with those. At the moment, your lump is frankly still too small to cause any real issues with the gut.

The good news is that the operation is actually usually one of the less risky operations since it doesn't go deep inside the body and in the earlier stages is generally pretty easy to remove unlike for instance an emergency ovarian cyst removal for a sow of that age when the really large fluid cysts usually come into their own (I have had several of them plus emergency lump removals in sow of up to just short of their 7th birthdays; all successful). And that you do not have to worry about whether the cancer is benign (more commonly) or malign; you however have to worry about the risk of blood filled tumours going septic at some point.
Ideally, you want to find a vet who is confident wither operating on an older piggy if your current vet is not. Guinea pigs are classed as exotics (i.e. being neither a working or meat animal) even though they are a common pet. This means that they do not feature much on a general vet's curriculum. In this case you can ask for a referral to an exotics vet clinic.

I feel for you, it is always a tough decision not long after another loss.

Guinea Lynx :: Mammary Tumor

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All the best!