• 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

Surgery decision

Pigglemama

Pigglemama

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Nov 1, 2021
Messages
137
Reaction score
131
Points
300
Location
Uk
Hi all. I know that ultimately the decision lies with me but I wanted to gather some different points of view. My 3.5 year old boar Percy has had a swelling in the right hand side of his mouth for a year and a half. I have taken him to our fab exotic vets about it and initially his mouth was scraped and debris was taken from his cheek. The lump went down but it has reappeared. The vet said it looked like mushed up food.
The vet has suggested an anaesthetic for a proper investigation which may or may not lead to surgery. He doesn’t think it is cancer but it could well be an infection of the muscle in the cheek.
So here’s my question- Percy is the happiest piggy , like a little ray of sunshine, eats like a horse and doesn’t seem in pain. I’ve attached a pic of him. Would you put him through this? It’s not a question of money ( I’m not flush but I would pay it for him) but I am genuinely so torn!

Thank you all
 

Attachments

  • IMG_9246.webp
    IMG_9246.webp
    24.5 KB · Views: 2
I am so sorry for the dilemma you find yourself in. It can be difficult to make a decision to proceed with an exploratory procedure when you do not see that your piggy is suffering.

However, if it is an infection in the muscle, then this will need treating as it will get worse over time, or if there is something else going on it would be good to know what it was so that you can make a decision to ensure that your young man does not suffer in future. I think this is something you really do need to talk through with your Vet.. Explain your concerns and ask whether there any other options. I know from my own experience that guinea pigs are excellent at masking problems until they can no longer cope so it may be that. although he seems perfectly fine this could blow into something nasty in a short space of time. Definitely something to talk to your Vet about.

Whatever you decide, we are here to support you and your lovely Percy.
 
VickiA said:
I am so sorry for the dilemma you find yourself in. It can be difficult to make a decision to proceed with an exploratory procedure when you do not see that your piggy is suffering.

However, if it is an infection in the muscle, then this will need treating as it will get worse over time, or if there is something else going on it would be good to know what it was so that you can make a decision to ensure that your young man does not suffer in future. I think this is something you really do need to talk through with your Vet.. Explain your concerns and ask whether there any other options. I know from my own experience that guinea pigs are excellent at masking problems until they can no longer cope so it may be that. although he seems perfectly fine this could blow into something nasty in a short space of time. Definitely something to talk to your Vet about.

Whatever you decide, we are here to support you and your lovely Percy.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your kind message. I agree that we could be facing a worse situation if left. I think I will prob go down the surgery route with him as I am lucky to have an exotic vet that I trust and who has operated on one of my piggies before. X
 
I find that making a decision and living with it for a while helps. If it feels right then I go with it.
If it feels uncomfortable then I make a different decision.
You will know, deep down, the right decision as you know and love Percy.
Holding you in my heart ♥️
 
With a cheek lump, I would wonder about an abscess... I've had both a piggie and a hamster with a cheek lump and in both cases they had an abscess that needed draining. Personally I think I would err on the side of having it investigated under anesthesia at the very least because addressing it now could save you a much more invasive procedure in the future. Anesthesia is always scary, but truthfully I've had small animals put under aneshesia many times and only once had a complication (a hamster who had a seizure) and even in that case she woke up fine and there were no lasting effects. That's my two cents, though of course it's your call!
 
I agree with others that are in favour of investigation. At least that way you'll be more informed and can then make the decision as to how to proceed. All we can do is hope for the best and deal with things as the arise. If Percy is doing well otherwise, having the anaesthetic and exploratory by your vet should hopefully give you answers.
Whatever you decide, I wish you and your lovely Percy the very best x
 
Thank you all so much you’ve been super supportive as always! Nice to hear from people who understand they’re not ‘just guinea pigs’. I am going to have a think about it for a bit and not rush into hasty decisions. I think further investigation is definitely the best plan at the moment. Just fed him this morning and he was air pedalling for his food! He really is the sweetest. 😍
 

Attachments

  • IMG_9236.webp
    IMG_9236.webp
    47.6 KB · Views: 1
Pigglemama said:
Thank you all so much you’ve been super supportive as always! Nice to hear from people who understand they’re not ‘just guinea pigs’. I am going to have a think about it for a bit and not rush into hasty decisions. I think further investigation is definitely the best plan at the moment. Just fed him this morning and he was air pedalling for his food! He really is the sweetest. 😍
Click to expand...
Awww what beauties.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top