• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Pig that has rapidly lost weight and eats much slower - likely has cancer - advice please

footwo

footwo

New Born Pup
Joined
Jul 6, 2020
Messages
10
Reaction score
6
Points
140
Hello

One of our two boys, Dougie, has lost weight very quickly over the course of a couple weeks despite still eating and drinking normally. He's only coming in at 600 grams.

1631292598902.webp

We took him to the vet who inspected his teeth and gave him an exam, his teeth show no obvious problems but they can palpate a mass that they think is either an enlarged kidney or a tumour. Given the weight loss it's probably likely to be a tumour.

We asked what kind of procedures can be done and the first step would be an ultrasound to identify the mass however he quite candidly told us afterwards that even if the ultrasound does reveal the nature of the problem, there's not a lot that can be done about it. They are good vets and take excellent care of several of our pets but I wanted to get the opinions of regular cavy owners as well.

We think the kindest thing to do is have Dougie put to sleep but I don't want to do this prematurely, he is only 3 years old and his brother would end up being alone. However he has lost weight very quickly and seems more lethargic than he used to be, and I hate the idea that he is suffering in any kind of way. He is still able to move and seems his usual self, just a slower toned down version of it. We have been giving him plenty of treats since the vet's diagnosis yesterday.

Does my reasoning seems sound and is having him put to sleep the best course of action? Obviously we are devastated and do not want to do this at all or end his life prematurely but I am putting his quality of life first and need to make sure we do right by him. Given what the vet has told us about the treatment options and the fact that the ultrasound is a rather expensive procedure that most likely wont result in anything different (we are not financially well off but would spend anything we could to save him) it seems like putting to sleep is the best thing we can do for Dougie.

Any advice would be most appreciated.
 
I am so sorry for the possible diagnosis :( I think it comes down to quality of life rather than quantity. You know your piggy the best. If his quality of life is no longer there and you feel he is suffering then PTS is probably the kindest option sadly. However, if he is still fighting and not suffering, I would go with the ultrasound to find out exactly what you are dealing with. Sorry, I'm not much help x
 
I’m so sorry you are in this situation. I think I’d have the ultrasound to clarify what you are dealing with and then make a decision based on the outcome. Good luck. I hope it’s good news. 🤞
 
So sorry you are being faced with such a difficult decision.
Firstly I would ask how experienced with guinea pigs your vets are?

Dental examinations can be tricky on a conscious guinea pig, and it is very hard to check the back teeth properly except for the most experienced vets.

If it were me personally I think I would want a couple more basic tests done just to confirm the diagnosis.
Guinea pigs can often develop fatty lumps or cysts which are essential harmless even thought they feel alarming.
An x-ray (often cheaper than an ultrasound) could be a good starting point and help to rule out several issues while giving more information on the position of the lump.
Also whilst under anaesthetic a proper dental examination could be carried out to be certain about the back teeth (although forgive me if this has already been done under anaesthetic at the initial appointment).

We have seen several pigs over the years who were misdiagnosed by inexperienced vets and later received a much better prognosis.
However I am sure that whatever you decided will be the right decision - at the end of the day you know your own guinea pig best and clearly have his welfare as your top priority.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys.
Swissgreys said:
Firstly I would ask how experienced with guinea pigs your vets are?
Click to expand...

They aren't an exotic vet specialist but they are very good. We tried to get him seen by an exotic vet but their waiting list was too long and we wanted him to be seen ASAP because we were very worried about how quickly he had lost almost half his body weight. The vet admitted it's difficult to do a complete dental exam on a conscious pig but also said that they checked as thoroughly as they could and didn't see any problems with the visible teeth or gums.

We have always made sure they have a varied diet and have fresh hay and things to chew on constantly. We also gave them their favourite fresh fruit and vegetables a few times a week being mindful to not overload them on Vit C so we don't think a dietary issue has caused this - his brother is completely fine. He does still eat the things we give him but very slowly, and he's still drinking water but he seems to be completely ignoring his nuggets.

Given the very rapid weight loss it seems like cancer is the culprit, and he is seemingly getting weaker every day.

I am torn because we really don't have a lot of money to perform tests and if it was a problem with his teeth it would require constant maintenance and constant expense, putting him through repeated procedures and rounds of anaesthetic. I just don't think I can do that to the wee guy.
 
I have had two piggies with rapid weight loss with in similar situations. The first was Donald who had a stone in his ureter, after surgery he initially improved but his other kidney went downhill a few weeks later. The second was Boris who had an abdominal mass which we believe will have been cancerous. He improved initially on daily pain relief and gained weight. When he lost weight again that's when we decided to call it a day as he was likely suffering.

It's a hard call but I would possibly look at the ultrasound/X ray route to try and rule out something treatable like stones. Pain is often behind weight loss so if your vet hasn't already done so it's worth investigating palliative pain relief to see if he can carry on living a fairly good quality of life for a little while longer
 
Lady Kelly said:
I have had two piggies with rapid weight loss with in similar situations. The first was Donald who had a stone in his ureter, after surgery he initially improved but his other kidney went downhill a few weeks later. The second was Boris who had an abdominal mass which we believe will have been cancerous. He improved initially on daily pain relief and gained weight. When he lost weight again that's when we decided to call it a day as he was likely suffering.

It's a hard call but I would possibly look at the ultrasound/X ray route to try and rule out something treatable like stones. Pain is often behind weight loss so if your vet hasn't already done so it's worth investigating palliative pain relief to see if he can carry on living a fairly good quality of life for a little while longer
Click to expand...
What kind of pain relief did you use? We have some loxicom that's still good (was recently prescribed for our dog who had some dental work and theres a bunch left) and we're thinking about giving him some of that, but we are unsure what dosage to give. He only ways 600 grams currently so we don't want to OD him.
 
((HUGS))... I really feel for you. One of my pigs, Leela, also has an enlarged kidney... in her case they are probably polycystic, as even the kidney that isn't enlarged feels 'rough' or irregular to the vet. But a kidney tumor was also on the differential. We also opted not to ultrasound, as it would have cost about 800 dollars and there was no available treatment even with a confirmed diagnosis of either a tumor or polycystic kidneys. We are just letting her live out her days as long as possible, provided she is comfortable and happy. I know it's not the same situation, I'm just letting you know that others have also said no to expensive diagnostics that would not change the prognosis. If there was a potential treatment I would pursue the diagnostics and treatment, but just to nail down a diagnosis that is going to be untreatable either way doesn't feel worth it to me.

The most important thing with any illness is quality of life... you want him to be comfortable. As long as he is doing normal guinea pig things (interacting with his buddy, eating and drinking even if he doesn't gain weight) I would let him be, even knowing it might not be for a long time. Personally I feel like I know when it's time... when they don't enjoy anything anymore, won't eat or drink, withdraw from human and pig companions, sit hunched up with fur ruffled, etc. Until then, I would just give him the best days possible for as long as you can.

I would ask the vet about pain control... they are good at hiding pain and you do want to make sure he's comfortable. Hopefully someone can help you with metacam dosing.

I'm sorry for the poor diagnosis and I hope you can enjoy as much time as is possible with him. ((HUGS)) to you.
 
My vets always prescribe cat metacam now as they misunderstand the licencing rules. Beforehand it was always dog loxicom. So Boris had cat metacam. I can't help with dosage sadly. I would call your vets in the morning and let them know that you have this leftover and would like to give some to see if the weight loss is a pain response. I would imagine most vets would be open to exploring this and keeping him as comfortable as possible while you continue investigations or while you make your decision on how best to proceed for you and your pet
 
footwo said:
For reference, its 1.5mg/ml that we have
Click to expand...
This is an effective painkiller for guinea pigs which I get from my vets and if it turns out that it is a cancer I'm sure he'd appreciate something for pain. We can't 'prescribe' but I can say there have been a lot of discussions on the forum about the varying doses vets offer for piggies of different weights. Your vet should be happy for you to have a try with this as, lets face it, what harm can it do. You could mail them tonight and hope for a reply in the morning? Some vets only offer a once-a-day dose but I would push for twice a day (every 12 hours) as it is thought that piggies fast metabolism burns through it more quickly than Rover's. I can tell you that when I was raising the dose for a little sow (on vet advice) and ended up giving her too much she looked rough but was much better within about 6-8 hours rather than about 24 so it did wear off quickly. And it didn't put her off it - they generally like the sweet taste!
You perhaps can't 'save' him but you can make him more comfortable and you might find that his eating speed improves. Have you thought about supplementing his diet with a recovery food slurry? He might not need syringe feeding - he might be happy to slurp it up himself. I'll be praying for your comfort Dougie x
 
Looks like he's on the way out. We're giving him pain medication prescribed by the vets now but he's hardly eating and when he does he eats so slowly. 5 minutes to eat one basil leaf :(

The vet said 0.2 mls once a day but I'm going to take your advice and up it to twice a day.

If he makes it through the weekend we'll be taking him to the vet on Monday for the big sleep.
 
I’m in exactly the same situation as you, so I completely understand. Until yesterday Maud (who is 5) was happy, eating but had dropped down to 750gms from 900 over a few weeks. Yesterday I took her to the vets and she was diagnosed with either a kidney or adrenal tumour. She has Loxicom 0.3ml bd but today she seems quieter and less herself so I’m actually wondering if the Loxicom is actually helping. It’s almost as if she was listening and now she knows she is ill. I will keep her going while she is happy and herself but I am sad how quickly she has gone downhill. My thoughts are with you please keep us posted
 
I’m so sorry Dougie is poorly sending you big hugs at this sad time.
Our piggie Ted was found to have an enlarged Kidney found in a routine examination after he had suffered a supposed UTI by another vet. Ted’s vet who is excellent said there was little point in going down the diagnosis route as the kidney enlargement was a tumour or large stone, both inoperable. He sadly became ill and in pain within a week of the diagnosis so he was PTS, we were hoping that we could have managed the condition for a while longer but it was not to be. Ted never lost weight and was given 0.5mg twice a day of Loxicom but weighed around 1200 g when diagnosed if that helps with pain relief dosage
Hoping you get plenty of time with your little man x
 
Hi all

Just to update, Dougie died today at 17:30 after we took him to the vet. He was very weak and we didn't want him to suffer any longer. We have brought the body back to let his brother Cooper say goodbye and to bury him in the wee pet cemetery we have in the garden. He will be sorely missed.

We're going to monitor Cooper over the next few days to see how he is coping and give him lots of special treats and affection.

Thanks for all your advice and kind words.

R.I.P Dougie Jones, the greatest set of eyebrows in all of Scotland 😪

EZq6yFvX0AIi6QS
 
I’m so sorry for your loss. Popcorn pain free Dougie Jones. You were a beauty. ❤️
 
Oh Dougie, you will be missed. Sleep peacefully little fellow, and love to Cooper while he adjusts to this change 💕
 
I’m so sorry for your loss. He’s a stunning piggie. Rip sweet boy. Xx
 
I'm so sorry for your loss of gorgeous Dougie. He was clearly very loved and had an amazing life.
Sleep tight gorgeous boy 💕🌈
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top