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Ovarian cysts - what to do?

Katinka

Katinka

New Born Pup
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My 2½ year old piggie, Baby, has been diagnosed with ovarian cysts and I find myself unsure what to do next...
Baby started losing her fur (sides, stomach and back) in the beginning of February. I also noticed her nipples were crusty. I took her to the vet who confirmed that she had ovarian cysts. The vet told me that cysts were common and that there was a chance the condition would get better once we enter spring/summer time (something with hormones//seasonal changes?) The vet said that the only treatment for this illness would be surgery to remove the ovaries- but since surgery is risky, it would be better to do nothing for now and just wait and see if the condition gets better once we enter summertime.
It is now May and Baby is not better (as in, her fur is still missing and her nipples have crusts on them). Baby is happy, active and has a VERY good appetite- but I am super worried and not sure what to do? Research online tells me that it can actually be very dangerous to leave cysts untreated- so any advice would be greatly appreciated as I am awfully worried about my little piggie... :(

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Ovarian cysts won't get better on their own. Betsy had to have an emergency spay at the beginning of Lockdown 1 last year. She was 4 then and recovered well. Her cysts were very large and she was very uncomfortable with them. She was also a moody old cow and how her husboar Dennis (RIP) to put up with her I really don't know. It must have been true love.
 
Sikke en skam you were misinformed by your vet. Yes, surgery is risky but that’s true for anything. She is displaying symptoms so it does need dealing with. Is there another vet you could see? Held og Lykke, I hope she gets what she needs soon.
 
All surgery carries risk, even in humans, this is minimised with a skilled surgeon and good team giving aftercare.
In the last 2 years I've had to have 7 of my girls spayed, the last one was pretty high risk too but all are doing well now.
 
I have recently had two sows spayed and one had nearly all her fur missing - she looked terrible and whilst not losing weight, she was much skinnier than my other sows. She has made a full recovery since and her fur is growing back nicely. It is lovely to see her furry again as she was almost bald by the time she was spayed. I would go ahead and have her done, yes it’s risky but any surgery is - she will be so much better once it’s done.
 
KathT said:
I have recently had two sows spayed and one had nearly all her fur missing - she looked terrible and whilst not losing weight, she was much skinnier than my other sows. She has made a full recovery since and her fur is growing back nicely. It is lovely to see her furry again as she was almost bald by the time she was spayed. I would go ahead and have her done, yes it’s risky but any surgery is - she will be so much better once it’s done.
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This was how Betsy was. She was almost a skinny pig. She has the most luxurious fur too.
 
@Betsy Thank you for your reply and advice (Betsy sounds like a fierce little lady btw!)

@Siikibam Thank you! I will try a different clinic and see if they can help. I'm glad tho to have found out that this problem won't fix itself... Surgery is scary tho, specially when it's a tiny little piggie like Baby (she is sooo small- hence her name)..

@Eriathwen Thank you for your advice. Out of curiousity- can I ask you the reason why you have had 7 of your girls spayed? Is it to avoid cysts?

@KathT Thank you for your reply! The fur will actually grow back once the piggie has been spayed?
 
Yes, definitely. Both my sows had fur loss and they are now back to being fully furred! Seeing Mya with fur makes me smile as she was so bald, almost like a skinny pig with a fluffy head!
 
The hair loss is down to the hormones. Once spayed and the cysts are gone then the hair grows back. Good luck and I hope you get her sorted soon.
 
I’ve just had my girl Priscilla spayed because of ovarian cysts. She’s absolutely fine now.
She’s the third of my sows to be spayed and all were fine.
It was ovarian cysts in each case.
 
No, I had very bad luck where all 7 developed cysts, with 20 pigs the odds are not in my favour to avoid them 😅 although in a perfect world the surgery would be safe enough to spay before cysts became a problem but thats probably a long way off yet. Hopefully I don't have any more to deal with for a long while now!
 
Katinka said:
@Betsy Thank you for your reply and advice (Betsy sounds like a fierce little lady btw!)
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Betsy is a lovely lady most of the time. She does have her moments. She hates her nails being clipped. They are all twisted because of her age so they are difficult to do and she is very generous with her teeth!
 
UPDATE::: I just talked to the animal clinic and Baby will be going there on Tuesday next week for surgery.

Thanks to everybody for your advice and for sharing your experiences- I really appreciate it! ❤ ❤ ❤
 
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