Ovarian cysts in an older piggy - spay, implant or pain management?

[Sasco]

Nellie had an abdominal ultrasound today to look at why she keeps having blood in her urine - her urinary system was all entirely normal but the can confirmed that both her ovaries are cystic (the vet already suspected one was, but she has been asymptomatic) and now very enlarged. Her uterus is now also thickened. Nellie is 5 years old, lively and generally healthy although on regular pain meds for arthritic lower spine and hips. I now need to decide on treatment options for her. The logical option in terms of a 'fix' is that she has a full spay, but her age worries me with the anaesthetic and recovery. The vet is extremely experienced and says given how good her health is, she could easily have another 2 or more years left in her. Another option is to try a hormone implant. Iain (specialist vet) has used these in guinea pigs but says they often find the site very irritating and the implant generally fails within 12 months. Because she is already on regular pain meds he also feels pain isn't an issue for her at the moment, so just continuing as we are is also an option, but if she does have several more years of life in her this doesn't seem like such a fair option. Does anyone have any experience with spay in an older guinea pig (my Ethel did amazingly after hers but was 18 months younger when she had the op), or have a piggy that has had the implant put in and either done really well or really struggled with it?

 

[Lady Kelly]

I'm sure my late bumble was around 5 when she had her spay and she recovered well. That said she didn't have any other health conditions at the time that we were aware of. I know some members have had cysts treated with injections which might be an alternative to the implant though I know it depends on the type of cyst. It's always a tough call when there are several "good" options. Don't be afraid to ask your vet lots of questions on what they think the chances of success and comfort are with the different options, I know they can't give a firm answer with what the future holds but it might just steer you one way or the other

 

[Merab]

I know that @GPTV had injections for one of her girls.
I had 3piggies spayed for ovarian cysts and all bounced back well but they were all younger.

@Lady Kelly is right in advising you to ask questions and discuss with your vet.

Hope you do find a way forward that is right for you.

 

[Wiebke]

About three of my own sows have been 5 years old when they have been spayed for ovarian cysts and have made a full recovery. My Mererid has sadly just passed away this week within days of her 8th birthday but her sister Morwenna is still going and will hopefully be able to celebrate her birthday; they are two of those sows. Mererid needed an emergency spay when her fluid filled cysts started picking up speed and were growing very large very quickly. Morwenna had a hard ovarian cyst that would have very likely turned cancerous within a year or two had it not been removed.

It is worth discussing with your vet the various pros and cons. My own vet is very good at operating so I trust him fully on doing a full spay; The nature of the cysts, your piggy's health and age and also your vet's confidence in operating (whether that is just the removal of the ovaries (ovarectomy) from the back or a full removal of the whole reproductive tract, i.e. a spay) are all factors that you want to discuss with them when working out which is the best way forward for your girl.
At least we now have alternatives available!

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

 

[GPTV]

My RB Ellie had 2x 2 injections of HCG Chorulon injections, she was 6yrs old for the first 2,then had her second batch of 2 at 7yrs old.

My vet said she wasn't confident enough to operate on Ellie at her age (hers was a walnut sized ovarian cyst-diagnosed with an ultrasound, after continuous uti's & very heavy genital bleeding).
My vets is not an exotics vet & they didn't seem to see loads of guinea pigs, so I think the vet was playing it safe.

However as the others have said, they have had their guineas go through full spays & some others have had partial spays (ovarectomies? Just removing the ovaries I think but I'm not sure? ) they generally seem to have more successful spays now than in the past-although there is an element of risk with any surgery/anaesthesia.
But spaying would prevent any further reproductive type issues.

If Nellie is generally healthy otherwise I would consider a spay, but have a full & Frank discussion with your vet on their ability, experience, success rate & post op treatment.

Generally speaking I couldn't find any information on negative side effects from the HCG injections, it seemed to be a case of they either worked or they didn't. It's something to do with the type of ovarian cyst.

They worked wonders with Ellie, she only had one bad bleed a few days after the first injection & never again

If you would like some more information, I'll find out my old threads for you
The HCG injections range between £20-£70 per Injection, so ask your vet for an estimate too.

The HCG Chorulon injections are normally used in cattle & the dosage has to be reduced down for guineas, its a prescription only medicine but it may be cheaper to pay for a prescription & get the vials online, then delivered to your vets. The vet should be able to advise if this is the correct product

Ive used Viovet for meds before & they're reliable, HCG possibly currently out of stock
Chorulon
But this evet site seems to have it in stock & cheaper
Chorulon 1500IU Powder & Solvent (5 x 5ml) From £48.20

Good luck with your vet decision & healing vibes being sent for a speedy recovery to Nellie xx

 

[Sasco]

Thank you both, that's really helpful. The vet they see is a very experienced exotic vet who routinely spays guinea pigs and takes referrals from around the region for other complex surgeries. He successfully completed a full spay on my Ethel when she was 4 despite the fact she had been unwell for months and months (local vets didnt spot that she had cysts so by the time Iain saw her her uterus had adhered to her bladder and her ovaries were awful). Ethel got another 18 months of happy life after her surgery and only passed away a couple of months ago after developing cancer. Her sister Mabel was also spayed but developed a lot of post operative complications and died a few weeks later, so I saw both outcomes in very quick succession. I will definitely have a chat with Iain about exactly which approach he would be wanting to take - I suspect it would be the full spay as he mentioned Nellie's uterus is looking thickened. Meanwhile Peggy, who is only 16 months old also has cystic ovaries and is in a lot of pain currently, so he is wanting to do an ovariectomy on her fairly quickly. Really hoping none of the rest of them decide they want to develop them too!

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you both, that's really helpful. The vet they see is a very experienced exotic vet who routinely spays guinea pigs and takes referrals from around the region for other complex surgeries. He successfully completed a full spay on my Ethel when she was 4 despite the fact she had been unwell for months and months (local vets didnt spot that she had cysts so by the time Iain saw her her uterus had adhered to her bladder and her ovaries were awful). Ethel got another 18 months of happy life after her surgery and only passed away a couple of months ago after developing cancer. Her sister Mabel was also spayed but developed a lot of post operative complications and died a few weeks later, so I saw both outcomes in very quick succession. I will definitely have a chat with Iain about exactly which approach he would be wanting to take - I suspect it would be the full spay as he mentioned Nellie's uterus is looking thickened. Meanwhile Peggy, who is only 16 months old also has cystic ovaries and is in a lot of pain currently, so he is wanting to do an ovariectomy on her fairly quickly. Really hoping none of the rest of them decide they want to develop them too!

If the uterus is not looking quite right, then a full spay is by far the best option to buy a longer life.

I needed to have my my Cariad emergency spayed in 2013 because her womb was going badly wrong but the vet also found a some rather nasty looking ovarian cysts, so it was definitely the correct decision.

 

[Merab]

Holding you in my thoughts as you decide the best way forward.