Mass on rump, Vet wants to do surgery, advice needed

[josqvin]

A few months ago one of my pigs (~2.75 years, female) developed a lump on the rump. We took to the vet and she lanced the lump and said things would be fine. For a while after that there was no visible lumps, but I did not check the area under the fur too closely (very bad by me). Recently the lump returned (see photos) and looked terrible so we took her back to the vet. Vet prodded around inside with a q-tip said it is probaby trichoepithelioma and recommended surgery (it would involve fll anaesthesia). She said it didn't appear infected or smell bad. I am very wary of subjected a pig to full anaethesia so I haven't scheduled a surgery yet. However, I have been cleaning the surface with antiseptic scrub and it does seem to have gotten smellier and perhaps a little bigger. She hasn't lost any weight and seems to be eating well and interacting with the other pigs just fine.

Can anyone help me decide whether or not the risks of surgery are worth it here?

 

[josqvin]

Here are the photos!

 

[Swissgreys]

If your vet is experienced and your girl is in otherwise good health then I would say go for it.
It's a 'good' place to manage a wound, and will hopefully heal well and not return.

 

[Eriathwen]

If you're confident with your vets surgery experience I'd say go for it. One of my 5 year old girls had a lump removed this year in a similar place and did extremely well, even though the incision was quite a large one.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

Lumpectomy well away from any crucial organs and delicate locations is generally an operation with a very high success rate. Several of my piggies needed it; including some older piggies. All have made a full recovery.

The oldest piggy of mine needing an operation was my Hafren after a sizeable lump under observation put on a sudden massive growth spurt and promptly burst while my experienced vets were on summer holiday. She eventually had her lump removal one month short of her 7th birthday and made a full recovery and lived to see the next year in.
Here she is on the day after the operation.


Here are our practical tips and advice for post-op care: Tips For Post-operative Care


I hope that this helps you!

 

[Freela]

One of my past pigs had a large cyst on her rump that burst and then wouldn't heal properly on her lower rump... she had it excised under general anesthesia and did really well. She was gone a few hours, we picked her up again, she just went back to her daily life and she never had an issue with a cyst again (she had the cyst removed around age 2 and lived to be about 6.5.) It's always stressful making the decision to do general anesthesia and surgery, but there's also risk leaving an open wound/mass that may worsen and end up being a bigger problem later on.

Here's Linney a couple of days post surgery, already outside eating the grass like nothing ever happened!