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Possible Cancer

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Nicnoc41

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Hi,
Been on this forum for a while but this is my first post......so here goes.

I have two piggies, both boars, Eric and Donald,who are 20 months old.

When doing their " bum bath" on Sunday, I noticed that Eric had a hard irregular lump on his abdomen.
Alarm bells started ringing and he visited the vet today.
He is 99% sure it is cancer, as his lymph nodes are enlarged. To say I'm gutted is an understatement, they are my babies.
I'm not really after medical opinion, I leave that to the experts.
I guess what my question is, has anyone had experience of this.
I told the vet I needed to go hope and weigh up the options. My thoughts are all over the place.
If we do nothing, will he suffer? If I agree to surgery, and he doesn't survive the anaesthetic, I will never forgive myself.
Thanks guys x
 
Choosing surgery you will always face the worry of the anaesthetic. This never goes away no matter how many times you have been through it.

What does the vet think the prognosis is? Both with and without the surgery? Generally I let the vet guide me as to whether surgery is likely to be successful and whether it's worthwhile in terms of the piggies life and quality of life.

With the anaesthetic, the risks are greatly minimised by age, health and vet experience. With a cavy savvy vet, a younger pig who is otherwise in good health you minimise the risk of him not waking up.

I'm so sorry for your news and understand how worrying this must be for you. Whatever decision you make, if made with the piggys wellbeing in mind, will never be the wrong decision
 
So sorry that you are in this situation.
You are wise to take time to consider the best choice for Eric.
I find with a difficult decision that the best way is to make a decision. Live with it for a while and if it feels right then go with it. If I don’t feel comfortable after a few days then I make a different choice.

We’re here to support you whatever you decide.
 
Hi Lay Kelly
The vet said he can take a biopsy and then he can be certain what he is dealing with.

Reading between the lines, it almost certainly is lymphosarcoma of which the prognosis isn't favourable.

Due to covid we are limited with regards to travel. Our nearest exotic vet is out of the county.
I think I will contact this vet tomorrow and get the best opinion from a cavvy savvy vet.
It's not that I dispute the word of our local vet, its just I need an opinion from an expert on cavvies.
Thanks for the advice x
 
Nicnoc41 said:
Hi Lay Kelly
The vet said he can take a biopsy and then he can be certain what he is dealing with.

Reading between the lines, it almost certainly is lymphosarcoma of which the prognosis isn't favourable.

Due to covid we are limited with regards to travel. Our nearest exotic vet is out of the county.
I think I will contact this vet tomorrow and get the best opinion from a cavvy savvy vet.
It's not that I dispute the word of our local vet, its just I need an opinion from an expert on cavvies.
Thanks for the advice x
Click to expand...

It's definitely worth either speaking to your vet or the specialist, even if just by phone initially. They may be able to get a copy of the history from your vet to give their initial thoughts. I know some cancers can be at risk of spreading fast if they are opened up so this is something worth asking about as well. If the specialist feels the same as your vet I would possibly go for the biopsy before thinking about next steps but that's me
 
I’m so sorry for the news :( Lymphoma is the worst type of cancer as it is a blood cancer and I have lost two piggies to it now :(

The first, Ena we opted for surgery to remove the biggest tumour and sent it away for testing. Sadly, the wound didn’t heal due to the cancer and we had to have her pts. The second, Erika, we had a fine needle lump biopsy taken on one of the tumours (all four lymph nodes were inflamed) and sent away which came back as lymphoma. We had to have her pts two weeks post diagnosis as she developed large tumours in her dewlap which eventually restricted her ability to breath.

If I were you, I would opt for a fine needle biopsy so you know what you’re dealing with but the choice is yours and we’re all here to support you with whatever decision you make x
 
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