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Possible cancer 😢

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MichP82

New Born Pup
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Hi everyone. We have had our little Wiggles and Nugget for just over 2 weeks, ages 6/7months. We noticed a lump on Wiggles neck so he had been to the vet this morning. They removed some cells which confirmed it was not an abscess but likely to be cancer 😢 we are waiting for them to send a quote through for diagnosis but the vet advised if it is cancer he probably won’t live long. He isn’t in any pain thankfully and is still loving his food! Just wondered if anyone else has experience of this and what to expect? Thanks x
 
I’m so sorry to hear this. I’ve lost piggies to all manner of conditions including lymphoma over the years and in my experience the best thing to focus on is their quality of life. If he’s not in pain, and eating well, that’s great. Just take it day by day and enjoy making more happy memories. The anticipatory grief we experience knowing the diagnosis is thankfully not experienced by the piggies who just carry on regardless. We are here to support you as you navigate whatever comes your way.
 
MichP82 said:
Thanks for your message ❤️Sorry you have gone through this. Can I just ask, in your experience, how long have your guinea pigs lived after diagnosis? Feel so sorry for him, he’s only a baby. Also concerned at how much the tests will cost but also think we need to know for definite either way x
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Unfortunately with a cancer diagnosis it's very dependent on the piggy, the type of cancer, and to be honest there's no real rulebook, I've had ones who live a long time, one went over a year past his lymphoma diagnosis to the point I'd actually forgotten about it until we lost him suddenly to a bladder tumour, but then last year I had one pass just 2 days after her diagnosis.

The best thing now is to focus on the quality of "todays" rather than how many, I find it helps to keep a little bucket list of things you'd like to do, a video of their voice, pictures, special treats and activities (grass time for example) etc, I do this for all my OAPs as a "just in case" but once they recieve bad news it becomes reassuring that they got the most out of their last few days. I hope you still have lots of good quality time with your little man.
 
I'm so sorry, he's so young to have lymphoma! That's tragic! Have they ruled out everything else, like a lymph node that is enlarged because of a low-grade infection or anything like that?

The best thing you can do is just focus on quality of life... the fact that he's eating and happy in himself means he's loving life right now, and that's the most important thing.

((HUGS)) to you and hoping he has many happy days still.
 
Thank you. We are waiting to hear from the vet to look into sending his sample off to a specialist but they just said the cells that they could see they were concerned about and to be prepared. There is still a chance that is isn’t cancer but we will need to wait and see. He is so young bless him and is the much livelier out of the two of them - first out when food is on the way! 🥰
 
Just can’t believe it when we’ve only had him 2 weeks and he’s so young! The vet extracted some cells which they examined and said it wasn't an abscess or cyst and they were concerned about it. Said to be prepared and that he may not live for very long. We could get official diagnosis but it is expensive. Not sure if we should just keep an eye on him for symptoms and treat them as and when they happen?
 

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MichP82 said:
Just can’t believe it when we’ve only had him 2 weeks and he’s so young! The vet extracted some cells which they examined and said it wasn't an abscess or cyst and they were concerned about it. Said to be prepared and that he may not live for very long. We could get official diagnosis but it is expensive. Not sure if we should just keep an eye on him for symptoms and treat them as and when they happen?
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Awww, what a little handsome guy he is! What is involved with getting a formal diagnosis? If it's not invasive for him, it might be worth it just to know. Does he just have the one enlarged lymph node at this point or does are there multiple nodes in multiple areas? I'm just thinking it might be worthwhile to rule out infection as a cause because that's the less-alarming differential for a swollen lymph node, especially if his appetite and behavior are all normal, his coat and skin are good, and the only real clinical sign is the single enlarged node.
 
Poor you and poor Wiggles... I've got everything crossed for a good outcome. Perhaps if it hasn't spread, removal might be possible? My bunny Miley has a thymoma (a tumour in her chest) but it is benign and very slow growing... I hope for something similar for Wiggles! 🤞🙏
 
I am so sorry that you’ve had this diagnosis.
It feels as if the bottom has fallen out of the world when we get news like that.
I’ve usually opted to give mine as many happy todays as possible, lots of treats and made lots of good memories.
Your piggy doesn’t know he’s so ill and as long as he’s pain free, eating well he will be happy.
Remember you have started grieving already so look after yourself.
Hugs 🤗
 
Freela said:
Awww, what a little handsome guy he is! What is involved with getting a formal diagnosis? If it's not invasive for him, it might be worth it just to know. Does he just have the one enlarged lymph node at this point or does are there multiple nodes in multiple areas? I'm just thinking it might be worthwhile to rule out infection as a cause because that's the less-alarming differential for a swollen lymph node, especially if his appetite and behavior are all normal, his coat and skin are good, and the only real clinical sign is the single enlarged node.
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Yes, he doesn’t have any other symptoms! He’s greedy if anything 🤭 They can just use the sample they took on Tuesday, it just needs sent off to a specialist. Hopefully won’t take long to hear back then like you say, at least we know either way.
 
MichP82 said:
Yes, he doesn’t have any other symptoms! He’s greedy if anything 🤭 They can just use the sample they took on Tuesday, it just needs sent off to a specialist. Hopefully won’t take long to hear back then like you say, at least we know either way.
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Good luck! Fingers crossed for your little guy!
 
This is awful news. I’m so sorry about your little one. I know how you feel. Best of luck to you and your baby and I hope you get the result soon 🤞🏻
 
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