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Vet issue

Mo & Stubbins & Vani

Mo & Stubbins & Vani

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hi!
I haven't posted about Stubbins in a while, but she was recently diagnosed with a "strong" heart murmur at age two. After the initial diagnosis, we came back for x-rays. The vet said that the x-rays showed nothing too concerning but that the heart murmur was still present and strong (the appointments were 4ish weeks apart). We were given a referral to an exotic vet cardiologist and told to schedule an echo of her heart. I called today regarding pricing and was told that the scans cost $655 plus sedation costs. I think that's around 476 British Pounds. I was then told that the price might be more than that but that we would have to come in for a consultation to see. My only concerns are these-
  1. I would be putting Stubbins through an immense amount of stress.
  2. The echo is quite expensive, and one of our other pets recently had to have an unexpected, costly procedure.
  3. She is happy, eats normally, runs around, popcorns, etc.
I would do anything for my girl, but don't know if the procedure is needed.
I feel like a horrible piggy parent because I don't know what to do. On one hand, I want to make sure that she is happy and healthy, but on the other, I just don't know if it is necessary. Does anyone know what I should do? Any advice is much appreciated!
 
I am sorry for the predicament you are in :( There is a member on here who's piggy has a heart murmur too although I'm sorry as I can't remember who it is so can't tag them. I don't think their piggy had a echo but piggy is on medication for the heart murmur. Could you ask your vet to trial meds first and see if that helps? I'm not sure what an echo will do other than confirm it
 
Mo & Stubbins & Vani said:
Hi!
I haven't posted about Stubbins in a while, but she was recently diagnosed with a "strong" heart murmur at age two. After the initial diagnosis, we came back for x-rays. The vet said that the x-rays showed nothing too concerning but that the heart murmur was still present and strong (the appointments were 4ish weeks apart). We were given a referral to an exotic vet cardiologist and told to schedule an echo of her heart. I called today regarding pricing and was told that the scans cost $655 plus sedation costs. I think that's around 476 British Pounds. I was then told that the price might be more than that but that we would have to come in for a consultation to see. My only concerns are these-
  1. I would be putting Stubbins through an immense amount of stress.
  2. The echo is quite expensive, and one of our other pets recently had to have an unexpected, costly procedure.
  3. She is happy, eats normally, runs around, popcorns, etc.
I would do anything for my girl, but don't know if the procedure is needed.
I feel like a horrible piggy parent because I don't know what to do. On one hand, I want to make sure that she is happy and healthy, but on the other, I just don't know if it is necessary. Does anyone know what I should do? Any advice is much appreciated!
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Hi

It is always a problem when you get into the really expensive specialist stuff and you have to ask yourself whether the procedure is really necessary and would actually result in a major change/boost to the heart medication regime your piggy is hopefully on already or whether the potential gain would at the best result in a better understanding of the problem but not exactly in a major change of the daily practical support regime and would not necessarily buy Stubbins significantly more time in the long run.

Please don't feel guilty about questioning further costly investigations. I call it common sense and trying to find a workable balance between the necessary and the affordable. ;)
I am prepared to spend that kind of money where a procedure is life-saving or significantly life-prolonging/life-improving for the longer term but I always ask my vet about the practical benefits and risk/result balance before making any decisions as to taking things into the very expensive 'super-vet' territory (the big bills are largely based on very expensive equipment and stocking small amounts of a larger range of often more expensive medications than a small range of cheap, common, generic meds; some places are also clearly working on profit).
Diagnostics for animals have made huge advances in the last decade in the wake of human advances but medical treatment for guinea pigs is still a lot more limited than for other larger pet species.

Since I have no personal experiences in this area, I cannot advise you on whether treating a piggy with a heart murmur requires different treatment to the normal heart medication but I know of several people looking after piggies with heart problems for several years so it is no longer quite the life-shortening bad news it used to be.

While Stubbins may have drawn one of the shorter straws in the genetic stakes, he can still have a happy and fulfilled piggy life if you concentrate on making every day fun - that is how piggies measure a good life by, not by how long they live. I have found that by going the enrichment route and doing the glass half full, by concentrating on the filling, it doesn't matter whether I have a piggy for just a few weeks, months or a year - they have had the best time I could give them with me and leave me with plenty of precious memories to warm my heart on. :)

All the best. Follow your heart.
 
Thank you all for the overwhelming support and kindness. I am so happy to be a member of this wonderful forum! :)
My vet told me that medication wouldn't be necessary unless I noticed physical changes in Stubbins (if she becomes lethargic, loses weight, etc.) Reading your posts has made me a bit concerned. Should she already be taking medication?
I spoke with a good friend of mine who works with animals. She said that putting Stubbins through all that stress seemed unfair, but I still don't know what to do. :(
I think I am going to call the vet today to ask about whether or not the procedure is necessary, as we were in a bit of a hurry during our last visit.
Have a great day, everyone!
 
To be honest if this procedure isn’t going to change the heart problem and Stubbins is happy and eating and living the best of lives then I would be inclined not to bother. I sometimes think vets think we have a never ending supply of money 💰
 
For me personally I would be looking at another discussion with the vet, either with your current vet or maybe a consultation with the specialist if your vet doesn't feel able to deal with the issue.
I go on best and worst case scenario, the "if money were no object and piggy was guaranteed to survive any tests/operations" what would be the outcome of the tests and what would be done for piggy going forward and also the worst case scenario for this. Sometimes vets do these things to know for certain what's going on and prescribe treatment when needed but that begs the question if the tests are necessary as they can prescribe the treatment as needed anyway. I find vets sometimes fail to go in to enough detail for us to understand the whys of it all, maybe they experience some pet owners that don't feel the need to know why, that's not the case for me though. Don't be afraid to ask as many questions as you need to be confident that the decision you make is what is best for you and Stubbins
 
Swissgreys said:
I am fairly sure that @Hannah_xx has a heart piggy.
I know she sees an experienced guinea pig vet so maybe she can offer advice?
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Thank you for tagging me :)

Yes I also have a piggie with a heart murmur which has recently progressed from only very slight to now quite significant. I’m very lucky that I have a brilliant vet who is very knowledgeable. While Olive is still happy, healthy and showing no signs of her heart problem. We have decided to put her on Benazepril. This daily, on-going medication will slow her blood pressure which in return prevent her little heart having to work so hard. Therefore hopefully reducing the risk of a sudden heart problem and also hopefully prolonging her life. This medication may be something you can research yourself and then discuss with your vet.
Olive will now be having twice yearly checkups. One day she will have to go on something stronger. But for now this medication will massively help her.
Good luck!
 
Hannah_xx said:
Thank you for tagging me :)

Yes I also have a piggie with a heart murmur which has recently progressed from only very slight to now quite significant. I’m very lucky that I have a brilliant vet who is very knowledgeable. While Olive is still happy, healthy and showing no signs of her heart problem. We have decided to put her on Benazepril. This daily, on-going medication will slow her blood pressure which in return prevent her little heart having to work so hard. Therefore hopefully reducing the risk of a sudden heart problem and also hopefully prolonging her life. This medication may be something you can research yourself and then discuss with your vet.
Olive will now be having twice yearly checkups. One day she will have to go on something stronger. But for now this medication will massively help her.
Good luck!
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Thank you so much! :)
 
Hi, everyone!
Here is an update of Stubbins-
I decided to take her in for the echo. They didn't find any structural issues with her heart but did notice that it was slightly enlarged. She has a follow-up appointment/scan scheduled for a few months from now. She is a very happy piggy and is currently snuggled up on a freshly washed fleece blanket. Last night, I was super worried about her after seeing that she had a small bloody nose (just a bit of blood inside her nostril and on her fur). I have closely monitored her behavior, and she is acting normal (popcorning, eating, drinking, etc.), but I am still super worried and think I will phone the vet when they open. Does anybody have experience with piggy nose bleeds? Any advice is very much appreciated! Thank you so much for all of your help and support! ❤️Stubbins.webp
 
Mo & Stubbins & Vani said:
Hi, everyone!
Here is an update of Stubbins-
I decided to take her in for the echo. They didn't find any structural issues with her heart but did notice that it was slightly enlarged. She has a follow-up appointment/scan scheduled for a few months from now. She is a very happy piggy and is currently snuggled up on a freshly washed fleece blanket. Last night, I was super worried about her after seeing that she had a small bloody nose (just a bit of blood inside her nostril and on her fur). I have closely monitored her behavior, and she is acting normal (popcorning, eating, drinking, etc.), but I am still super worried and think I will phone the vet when they open. Does anybody have experience with piggy nose bleeds? Any advice is very much appreciated! Thank you so much for all of your help and support! ❤️View attachment 187801
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First off, she's lovely!

I used to have a pig who got nosebleeds, but they were real gushers... not just a little bit of blood in her nostril. We saw a vet, who thought it could have been anything from a nasal polyp to a malignancy. We opted against further imaging because we were told there was really no treatment options regardless so we thought it would have just stressed her out and cost a lot for no real benefit. At any rate, she had intermittent nosebleeds for about nine months before passing away for seemingly unrelated reasons (she was about 6.5 years old at the time, so a decent enough age for a piggie.) I would just keep an eye peeled for if it recurs... a one-time minor nosebleed could be as simple as a hay poke in the nostril and may never even recur again.
 
Freela said:
First off, she's lovely!

I used to have a pig who got nosebleeds, but they were real gushers... not just a little bit of blood in her nostril. We saw a vet, who thought it could have been anything from a nasal polyp to a malignancy. We opted against further imaging because we were told there was really no treatment options regardless so we thought it would have just stressed her out and cost a lot for no real benefit. At any rate, she had intermittent nosebleeds for about nine months before passing away for seemingly unrelated reasons (she was about 6.5 years old at the time, so a decent enough age for a piggie.) I would just keep an eye peeled for if it recurs... a one-time minor nosebleed could be as simple as a hay poke in the nostril and may never even recur again.
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Thank you so much for your help! 💕
I'm so sorry for your loss. :(
 
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