Suspected Ovarian Cysts - Advice Please!

[Rachel116]

Hi All,

My lovely 18 month old sow, Willow is displaying symptoms that make me suspect she may have ovarian cysts. She has always been “opinionated” and “feisty” which makes me think she has always been hormonal however more recently (the past couple of months) I’ve been noticing the following:
- Humping her husboar (she never used to do this).
- Extra big mega tantrums which include spraying her pee at her husboar and me.
- Slightly crusty nipples.
- Thinning hair on her sides and some on belly. The skin looks normal and healthy just bald and I haven’t noticed any unusual or chronic scratching. This only started a couple of weeks ago and was very subtle at first. She is long haired so harder to spot.

So I’m going to get her checked over by a vet to be sure. I’ve been doing some reading on this forum which has been very helpful but I wanted to ask in my own post what others have done with this. I’ve had nearly all boars before now so this is the first time I’m experiencing sow issues. Do I need to get her spayed ASAP or do the symptoms come and go?

 

[fluffysal]

I have no experience with sows but I've heard that hormone treatment is possible. Someone more knowledgeable will be along soon and may (please) correct me if I'm mistaken.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi All,

My lovely 18 month old sow, Willow is displaying symptoms that make me suspect she may have ovarian cysts. She has always been “opinionated” and “feisty” which makes me think she has always been hormonal however more recently (the past couple of months) I’ve been noticing the following:
- Humping her husboar (she never used to do this).
- Extra big mega tantrums which include spraying her pee at her husboar and me.
- Slightly crusty nipples.
- Thinning hair on her sides and some on belly. The skin looks normal and healthy just bald and I haven’t noticed any unusual or chronic scratching. This only started a couple of weeks ago and was very subtle at first. She is long haired so harder to spot.

So I’m going to get her checked over by a vet to be sure. I’ve been doing some reading on this forum which has been very helpful but I wanted to ask in my own post what others have done with this. I’ve had nearly all boars before now so this is the first time I’m experiencing sow issues. Do I need to get her spayed ASAP or do the symptoms come and go?

Hi

Your first step is to have her vet checked for potential ovarian cysts and then take it from there. A scan will usually tell what is exactly going on inside.
It is often the smaller growing cysts that cause the hormone based visible symptoms in some sows; most typically between ages 2-4 years but they can also happen at a younger or older age.
Most ovarian cysts actually grow 'silently' without ever causing symptoms or problems. The vast majority of older sows (an estimated 75-80%) has ovarian cysts; most of them are fluid-filled large ones where it is the size that can cause problems with other internal organs although the vast majority is going unnoticed. Only a small minority of cysts will ever turn cancerous.

There are different operating approaches and treatment methods for cysts that are disruptive for a group/pair although preferences tend to vary between countries. Vets often like to go with what they are more familiar and comfortable with. At this early stage, you will have likely the grace to think things over/can save up for an op if needed and not necessarily be forced to have an immediate emergency spay.

You may find the information in this link here helpful (it will also help people doing their own forum searches):

Thread 'Sow Problems 'Down Below' (Ovarian Cysts, Super-seasons, Womb Infection, Pregnancy & Mammary Tumours)'

Jul 15, 2024

1 Important reproductive information
- Start of making babies - seasons - lack of menopause
- Pregnancy
2 Sows in season
- How a season runs
- Strong seasons (snap seasons; the social role of strong seasons; problem seasons)
3 Health issues of the reproductive tract
- Ovarian cysts (types, symptoms and treatment options)
- Other health...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 2
• Forum: Wiebke's Guides to the Body

The problem is that our domestic guinea pig sows live long past their average (wild) pup bearing life span of about three warm weather seasons of carrying babies in back to back pregnancies with a rest over the colder months. The domesticated piggies (which have been bred out thousands of years ago as a much needed source of easily available protein for both farming and important ritual ceremonies and feasts) no longer have the seasonal tie but they live much longer. Unfortunately, nature hasn't adjusted for this shift and the high hormone output during their ideal breeding period is never slowing down. Sows can get pregnant until very old age; just with increasingly deadly consequences for any pups and them. Boars never stop making babies, either...

Thread 'Guinea Pig Facts - An Overview'

Dec 5, 2013

1 General facts
- Life expectancy
- What are males, females and babies called?
- What is the mass noun for guinea pigs?
2 Origin and history
- Guinea pig relatives and wild guinea pig species
- Domestic guinea pigs
- How have guinea pigs got their name?
- Famous guinea pig owners
3 Important reproductive and biological facts
- Sexual maturity and reproductive...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 4
• Forum: Species Understanding

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PS: I have had several sows of mine successfully spayed over the years, both as emergencies or when ovarian cysts looked/felt like they could go seriously wrong (potentially cancerous) later in life. A good operating vet team is however of importance.

 

[Georgia's_Guineas]

Hello Rachel,

I’m so sorry to hear about your sow! I’ve had experience with ovarian cysts in two of my girls, and one of my older sows is still dealing with them now.

All of the symptoms you’ve listed are classic signs of ovarian cysts.

When it comes to treatment, I’d always recommend spaying as early as possible. I initially didn’t want to put my girls through surgery, so I went down the injection route instead, but unfortunately, it was unsuccessful. In hindsight, spaying could have saved them a lot of trouble.

My girl Panda was 4 and a half when she passed away following spay surgery. Her cysts had turned cancerous, and she suffered complications that sadly led to significant blood loss. She passed away at home after the surgery. She had lived with the cysts for a couple of years and was receiving Receptal injections, though we had to source them from a cattle vet as they were difficult to obtain.

With my current girl, Ginge, who is 5 and a half, we first noticed hair loss last September. She hasn’t shown any behavioural issues, but she’s had significant weight loss. Given her age and what happened with Panda, we opted for a hormone-blocking implant instead of surgery, hoping it would suppress her sex hormones and stop the cysts from growing. Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked. My vet doesn’t believe injections will be effective for her either. She recently underwent surgery for bladder stones, so we’re giving her time to recover before deciding whether spaying is an option if she’s strong enough.

I think you’re doing the right thing by getting Willow checked over by a vet. If her symptoms are caused by ovarian cysts, I’d personally recommend considering spaying sooner rather than later, as the symptoms usually worsen over time.

I hope this helps a little—sending love to you and Willow!

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

I see you are in Buckinghamshire, so not very far from Northampton. Simon Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic is an amazing guinea pig vet and is very experienced in neutering of guinea pigs (spays as well as castrates). We neuter all boars before rehoming and are now going to start spaying all young guinea pigs, and Simon does all our surgery. It would definitely be worth getting an appointment to see him.

Our Cat & Rabbit Clinic in Northampton | Northlands Vets

 

[Wiebke]

I see you are in Buckinghamshire, so not very far from Northampton. Simon Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic is an amazing guinea pig vet and is very experienced in neutering of guinea pigs (spays as well as castrates). We neuter all boars before rehoming and are now going to start spaying all young guinea pigs, and Simon does all our surgery. It would definitely be worth getting an appointment to see him.

Our Cat & Rabbit Clinic in Northampton | Northlands Vets

I second that.

Same vet as I have used for my own sows - all have made it through their own spays successfully, even with the emergencies.

 

[Rachel116]

Thank you everyone! This has been incredibly helpful and reassuring. I had some very bad luck with piggy health in 2023 and 2024 resulting in losing 3 very sweet boys. So I’m been struggling a lot with pet health anxiety - the articles on here have been helping me greatly with that! So I’ve been trying not to panic and jump to the worst case scenario. I have been questioning my judgement a lot so it’s very reassuring to see your responses match my suspicions.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you everyone! This has been incredibly helpful and reassuring. I had some very bad luck with piggy health in 2023 and 2024 resulting in losing 3 very sweet boys. So I’m been struggling a lot with pet health anxiety - the articles on here have been helping me greatly with that! So I’ve been trying not to panic and jump to the worst case scenario. I have been questioning my judgement a lot so it’s very reassuring to see your responses match my suspicions.

I am glad that you find our information helpful.

Multiple deaths in a short succession are always hard to cope with because each death brings up the other and all the not yet fully processed stuff. It also intensifies any health jitters, which is a very normal reaction. They are worst when you have to make the same decision again (like committing to another operation after losing a piggy in one or the wake of one, or dealing with the same or a very similar health issue).

Have you seen this very practical guide here? I hope that you will find it helpful. We take mutual owner support on this forum seriously; it is part of our friendly and supportive forum ethos.

Thread 'Pet Owners Anxiety - Practical Tips For Sufferers and For Supporters'

Mar 1, 2022

1 What is Pet Owners Anxiety?
2 What can I practically do when I suffer from it?
3 What can I do when dealing with an anxiety sufferer?
4 Conclusion
5 Practical Resources


This article has been written for Guinea Pig Magazine issue 62 in May 2021 and is shared on this forum with the permission of the magazine. The copyright for this article remains with Guinea Pig Magazine.

We are all often in equal measure excited and scared at taking care of a new pet or pet species, and frightened when our beloved guinea pigs are...

• Wiebke
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• Forum: New and Wannabe Owners Corner

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