Small Lump On Piggys Mouth

[Aleisha]

*Sorry for the poor picture quality!*

Around 4 months ago I found a very small lump on the side of my piggys mouth. I didn't think anything of it until a month ago as the lump has stayed the same size and isn't to concerning. A trip to the vets could cost a fair amount of money and they say they can't do anything about it unless it's gotten bigger or infected. My piggy has been acting the same - eating, drinking and enjoys having her chin rubbed and hasn't been acting like she's in pain or anything so I don't know what to do at this stage. I have circled on the pictures attached where the lump is on my piggys mouth, and as you can see it's very small. Advice would be very much appreciated!

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

It's difficult to tell from the picture, does your piggy get a lot of acidic food like tomatoes, apples or those sorts of things? Sometimes too much acidic foods can give them mouth sores.

Otherwise it could be an abscess or something more sinister. I definitely recommend going to the vets so they can diagnose it properly, a piggy savvy vet will be able to do something about it so I'd definitely find one of those. Cat & dog vets aren't that experienced with piggies so that would be a waste of money, need to find someone with real knowledge

 

[Aleisha]

It's difficult to tell from the picture, does your piggy get a lot of acidic food like tomatoes, apples or those sorts of things? Sometimes too much acidic foods can give them mouth sores.

Otherwise it could be an abscess or something more sinister. I definitely recommend going to the vets so they can diagnose it properly, a piggy savvy vet will be able to do something about it so I'd definitely find one of those. Cat & dog vets aren't that experienced with piggies so that would be a waste of money, need to find someone with real knowledge

Thank you for your advice! My piggy is very picky when it comes to veggies and doesn't like acidic foods like tomatoes and apples, so it's probably not because of that. I have been to various vets over the past few years, none of they specialising in piggys and I haven't found any in the local area that do so. At this point I'm not too worried about the lump as it's stayed the same size and she has been acting like she normally does, but advice on here is very helpful. Thank you anyway

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for your advice! My piggy is very picky when it comes to veggies and doesn't like acidic foods like tomatoes and apples, so it's probably not because of that. I have been to various vets over the past few years, none of they specialising in piggys and I haven't found any in the local area that do so. At this point I'm not too worried about the lump as it's stayed the same size and she has been acting like she normally does, but advice on here is very helpful. Thank you anyway

It doesn't look like cheilitis (lip infection caused by the acidity in fruit and tomatoes). At this stage, unless it is growing or causing issues the best way is what you have been told - just keep an eye on it.

Here is our list of vets we know are piggy savvy. It is of course not complete, but that would surpass by far our means and capacities. As you have found out, the spread of vets experienced in small furries is also not even throughout the UK. However, it may perheps still be useful for you? Guinea Pig Vet Locator

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

Thank you for your advice! My piggy is very picky when it comes to veggies and doesn't like acidic foods like tomatoes and apples, so it's probably not because of that. I have been to various vets over the past few years, none of they specialising in piggys and I haven't found any in the local area that do so. At this point I'm not too worried about the lump as it's stayed the same size and she has been acting like she normally does, but advice on here is very helpful. Thank you anyway

Yes I hear you, it's so difficult finding a vet. I spent a lot of time and money until I found my current vet. Are there any on the vet locator close to you?

 

[Aleisha]

It doesn't look like cheilitis (lip infection caused by the acidity in fruit and tomatoes). At this stage, unless it is growing or causing issues the best way is what you have been told - just keep an eye on it.

Here is our list of vets we know are piggy savvy. It is of course not complete, but that would surpass by far our means and capacities. As you have found out, the spread of vets experienced in small furries is also not even throughout the UK. However, it may perheps still be useful for you? Guinea Pig Vet Locator

Thank you for your reply! Just checked out the Piggy Vet Locator and sadly the nearest one is over an hour away. My piggy isn't the best with travelling and I feel like going this far for an appointment will put her under too much stress and finding the time will also prove difficult. At this moment of time, I feel like the best thing to do is keep an eye on her mouth and make sure she isn't in pain and/or not eating. Thank you so much though!

 

[Jess565]

My Ted has a lump that looks similar on his lower lip and inside of his mouth. Our vet thinks they are warts and are not painful for him so they don't want to intervene at the moment as he has heart problems, but I keep a very close eye on them. Shame it's spoils their beautiful piggy lips

 

[Jess565]

You can see Ted's lump on his lower lip, it's quite big but he's had it since November and he has another I think on his cheek on the inside. The worry is if he bites it but we will cross that bridge if we get there. Ted's a walking vet bill