Ovarian cysts, is a preanesthetic profile necessary?

[Pohtaytur]

My female pig Henry started having signs of hair loss, so I took her to the vet was soon as I could. As suspected, the vet confirmed they were signs of an ovarian cyst after feeling her inner part of her abdomen, and recommended surgery to remove the full reproductive system.

I figured that it would be best to have spay surgery since it's still in the early stages and she's still very healthy otherwise. She's very active and has a healthy appetite as usual. Her weight is stable as well. Still, I'm worried since she is a 7 year old pig based on her adoption files and risk due to anesthesia can still happen.

This vet clinic specializes in exotics so I'm sure they can handle it well, though this is my first pet surgery so I'm a little nervous. They were helpful in providing the names of the drugs for the surgery: isoflurane 99.9%, onsior and tramadol. There is also mention of abaxis for a preanesthetic profile and laser treatment for recovery. Should I do a preanesthetic? Does it normally make a difference for guinea pigs?

Her surgery is happening on the 17 so I'm preparing for post surgery care as of currently. On a more positive note, I've noticed that her skin colour matches her patches of fur and I think it's very cute.

 

[Truffolo]

I can't offer advice, but sending support, shed is a very cute lady piggy with a sweet face

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome

That is a very difficult question.

Is there a real pointer that one of these cysts is a hard one that is going to turn cancerous?
Fact is that the vast majority of older sows (an estimated 70-80%) have ovarian cysts, only that the majority of cysts never causes symptoms/problems and therefore goes unnoticed.

I have had several 5 year olds successfully emergency spayed (two of them lived to 8 years after and because of that) but while I have had older sows successfully operated for rogue cysts in very awkward places (one just short of her 7th birthday) - a considerably less invasive operation - I would personally think twice or even three times about putting a sow at the upper end of the average life span through such a major operation even though I am lucky to have access to one of the best piggy operating vets in the country.
My older sows after 5 years took noticeably longer to recover from similar operations compared to my younger piggies because of the gradual slowing down of the metabolic rate as a piggy ages.

I made the decision to not having my Cerian spayed for her going active with a hormonal cyst just short of 6 years since she was already pretty arthritic and on daily painkillers by then and had refused any new companionship after the sudden death of her very closely bonded companion and kept on feuding through the bars with any of her neighbours.
For me the balance between operation risks and gain of quality of life was not present in her case - the op would not have reduced her chronic and in gradually increasing pain or brought back her beloved Breila.

Thread 'Sow Problems 'Down Below' (Ovarian Cysts, Super-seasons, Womb Infection, Pregnancy & Mammary Tumours)'

Jul 15, 2024

Overview
1 Important reproductive information
- Start of making babies - seasons - lack of menopause
- Pregnancy
2 Sows in season
- How a season runs
- Strong seasons (snap seasons; the social role of strong seasons; problem seasons)
3 Health issues of the reproductive tract
- Ovarian cysts (types, symptoms and treatment options)
- Other health issues...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 2
• Forum: Wiebke's Home Care Support Guides

 

[Pohtaytur]

Thanks for the response Wiebke! Sorry to hear about your experience with Cerian.

I'm not sure if there are any signs of that since the main symptom I've noticed is her alopecia and a change in her nipples. I mainly recall the vet having to squeeze Henry's abdomen and saying she can feel the cystic tissue. Her cyst may be an active hormonal cyst since it lines up with the symptoms in the guide you provided.

What's made me lean more towards doing surgery is because Henry hasn't had any pre-existing medical issues other than one time when she had diarrhea from a strawberry. I'm also wondering if the adoption papers were inaccurate on her actual age since it was an approximation and that she might actually be younger, meaning the risk would be lower. The vet is also specialized in exotics so they're experienced in doing surgery.

Surgery is always scary and it doesn't help that I'm a nervous owner. Still, maybe it's better to do it now while the odds are still decent before they get any bigger and she's still healthy? She's had significant hair loss in just a month from just a few spots to patches of it and I'm worried it'll just keep going from there.

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for the response Wiebke! Sorry to hear about your experience with Cerian.

I'm not sure if there are any signs of that since the main symptom I've noticed is her alopecia and a change in her nipples. I mainly recall the vet having to squeeze Henry's abdomen and saying she can feel the cystic tissue. Her cyst may be an active hormonal cyst since it lines up with the symptoms in the guide you provided.

What's made me lean more towards doing surgery is because Henry hasn't had any pre-existing medical issues other than one time when she had diarrhea from a strawberry. I'm also wondering if the adoption papers were inaccurate on her actual age since it was an approximation and that she might actually be younger, meaning the risk would be lower. The vet is also specialized in exotics so they're experienced in doing surgery.

Surgery is always scary and it doesn't help that I'm a nervous owner. Still, maybe it's better to do it now while the odds are still decent before they get any bigger and she's still healthy? She's had significant hair loss in just a month from just a few spots to patches of it and I'm worried it'll just keep going from there.

If Henry is otherwise fit, looking younger than you'd expect a 7 year old to be and you trust your vet, then go for it.

It does indeed sound like an active hormonal cyst; the hair loss will continue until it reaches the shoulders and back with a bare belly. It is less common but active hormonal cysts can happen from teenage until old age since the hormone output in sows never stops although there is a distinct peak around 2-4 years of age.

Sows were not expected to survive too many births (the average life span in wild guinea pig species is around 3 years) although their wild ancestors did have a distinct breeding season over the warmer half of the year and time for the body to recover over the winter. Rare sows growing older would be mainly infertile ones. So there was no biological need for a menopause. And of course with domestication and frequent human intervention, they started making babies whenever they could, basically; but there was enough rich food around in a farm yard to have babies all year round.

All the best!

Thread 'Tips For Post-operative Care'

Feb 7, 2016

Overview
1 Preparing for an operation
2 Care tips for freshly operated guinea pigs
- General advice
- Supportive home care and syringe feeding
- Pain relief, gut stimulants and when to see a vet as an emergency
3 Recovery
4 Companionship
- The importance of company
- Tips for medically separated piggies


Ideally, your guinea pig...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 2
• Forum: Wiebke's Home Care Support Guides

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[Pohtaytur]

Thanks Wiebke, that does give me some comfort to know. It's hard to trust my own judgement when I lack experience. I don't think I'll stop worrying until Henry is back home and is well, haha!

I'll for sure give an update when the day comes.

 

[Pohtaytur]

Brought her in for surgery and the surgeon called me in to talk further about the surgery and recommended against it because of her age and asked if the previous vet explained all the risks at the time. Honestly, she didn't, just said the options were to either monitor or spay. The surgeon asked who it was. I think that vet might be in trouble.

He explained that she's still healthy and more likely than not if the cyst bursts then the fluid gets reabsorbed. We left without doing surgery. I don't know whether I did the right thing to forgo the surgery, but the surgeon was very upfront about it and was happy to refund my deposit.

In a way I'm glad the vet recommended against it since I've been scared to go through with it even though I've been told cysts can be fatal.