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Young Sow Cysts

W

WinterAddams

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Jun 15, 2017
Messages
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210
Location
Braga, Portugal
A couple weeks ago I noticed Bubbles had two lumps on each side of her belly, near her legs. I felt Nymeria and kind of felt something too so I assumed it was just normal and it was her organs.
Just a few days ago I found out you can feel ovarian cysts in guinea pigs.
Could it be cysts? I don't feel them bigger and theyre soft. She's only 4 months old and I haven't noticed any change hin her behaviour. She does squeak a lot when she's on someone's lap but I think she's always done that.
I'll take her to the vet next Monday but I'm worried...
 
WinterAddams said:
A couple weeks ago I noticed Bubbles had two lumps on each side of her belly, near her legs. I felt Nymeria and kind of felt something too so I assumed it was just normal and it was her organs.
Just a few days ago I found out you can feel ovarian cysts in guinea pigs.
Could it be cysts? I don't feel them bigger and theyre soft. She's only 4 months old and I haven't noticed any change hin her behaviour. She does squeak a lot when she's on someone's lap but I think she's always done that.
I'll take her to the vet next Monday but I'm worried...
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Your girl is far too young for ovarian cysts. Keep an eye on them in case it is babies. Please never squeeze. How long have you had your girls?
 
Wiebke said:
Your girl is far too young for ovarian cysts. Keep an eye on them in case it is babies. Please never squeeze. How long have you had your girls?
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I've had Bubbles since the 14th of June and Nymeria since the 10th. I'm 100% sure they're both girls but when I got Bubbles there was another piggy with her.
I got her at a petstore because guinea pigs aren't really put up for adoption in Portugal. I am aware petstores can mix up sexes and the lady said it was two girls...
I've only noticed the bumps a few weeks ago though, and Ive had her for two months.
 
Wiebke said:
Your girl is far too young for ovarian cysts. Keep an eye on them in case it is babies. Please never squeeze. How long have you had your girls?
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I'm scared now because Bubbles had a fall a few weeks ago which broke her front teeth... If she is with babies I'm scared they might be harmed...
 
Wiebke said:
Your girl is far too young for ovarian cysts. Keep an eye on them in case it is babies. Please never squeeze. How long have you had your girls?
Click to expand...
I'm scared now because Bubbles had a fall a few weeks ago which broke her front teeth... If she is with babies I'm scared they might be harmed...
 
Wiebke said:
Your girl is far too young for ovarian cysts. Keep an eye on them in case it is babies. Please never squeeze. How long have you had your girls?
Click to expand...
I noticed the lumps the first time when I wad checking if she had harmed herself during the fall.
 
WinterAddams said:
I've had Bubbles since the 14th of June and Nymeria since the 10th. I'm 100% sure they're both girls but when I got Bubbles there was another piggy with her.
I got her at a petstore because guinea pigs aren't really put up for adoption in Portugal. I am aware petstores can mix up sexes and the lady said it was two girls...
I've only noticed the bumps a few weeks ago though, and Ive had her for two months.
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It may be just fat balls, especially if you haven't noticed any changes during the last weeks. A first time guinea pig pregnancy lasts around 10 weeks on average; it can take a week longer at the latest. If you are concerned, please take the time to read our pregnancy guide carefully. We have more information at the top of our pregnancy section; the detailed and practical guides are specifically geared towards new owners with unplanned pregnancies.
Sows don't usually harm their babies; the mothering instinct tends to kick in.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/pregnancy-guide.109375/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/pregnancy-and-nursing-diet.109377/
Hot Weather Management And Heat Strokes
 
So you are sure young sows can't have ovarian cysts? Because I'm still a bit worried.
My boyfriend remarked that she was a bit fatter and had two lumps in her side a month ago actually. I think she has been a bit squeakier lately.
If its 10 to 11 weeks and she is really with babies they should be born in less than a week. Its still possible and it scares me a lot.
 
WinterAddams said:
So you are sure young sows can't have ovarian cysts? Because I'm still a bit worried.
My boyfriend remarked that she was a bit fatter and had two lumps in her side a month ago actually. I think she has been a bit squeakier lately.
If its 10 to 11 weeks and she is really with babies they should be born in less than a week. Its still possible and it scares me a lot.
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Larger ovarian cysts are very common in older sows, but they usually don't start growing (and then are still so small that you cannot feel them) once sows have reached adulthood at about 15 months of age. Yours are most definitely too young!
Fat balls on the sides usually appear first around 8 months onward in sows whose growth rate has slowed down and where extra calories are now going towards fat reserves.

All you can do at this stage sit it out until your girls are 75 days post sale. Make sure that they are on a good diet but that you do not overfeed. The first is vital for the general health and survival rates of mum and pups and the second prevents too big babies getting stuck during birth, which is the most frequent birthing complication. Please take your time reading the guides.
 
Thank you for the the information. I will read the guides and not feed them too much. I think I might have been giving them too much pellets because they didn't have hay for two days as it ended and we couldn't get it since we're on holidays.
I'll only give them some more hay before I go to bed and pellets in the morning, as well as their veggies.
Wiebke said:
Larger ovarian cysts are very common in older sows, but they usually don't start growing (and then are still so small that you cannot feel them) once sows have reached adulthood at about 15 months of age. Yours are most definitely too young!
Fat balls on the sides usually appear first around 8 months onward in sows whose growth rate has slowed down and where extra calories are now going towards fat reserves.

All you can do at this stage sit it out until your girls are 75 days post sale. Make sure that they are on a good diet but that you do not overfeed. The first is vital for the general health and survival rates of mum and pups and the second prevents too big babies getting stuck during birth, which is the most frequent birthing complication. Please take your time reading the guides.
Click to expand...
 
Wiebke said:
Larger ovarian cysts are very common in older sows, but they usually don't start growing (and then are still so small that you cannot feel them) once sows have reached adulthood at about 15 months of age. Yours are most definitely too young!
Fat balls on the sides usually appear first around 8 months onward in sows whose growth rate has slowed down and where extra calories are now going towards fat reserves.

All you can do at this stage sit it out until your girls are 75 days post sale. Make sure that they are on a good diet but that you do not overfeed. The first is vital for the general health and survival rates of mum and pups and the second prevents too big babies getting stuck during birth, which is the most frequent birthing complication. Please take your time reading the guides.
Click to expand...
We are currently on holidays in the south of the country. We're going back home on a 5 hour car ride during the night so it's not very hot. Can my piggy be in the little carrier with Nymeria? We brought them here like that two weeks ago and they were both fine.
I'm just scared she'll be stressed. If they get mad or something I'll pick nymeria up and put her on my lap.
 
Wiebke said:
Larger ovarian cysts are very common in older sows, but they usually don't start growing (and then are still so small that you cannot feel them) once sows have reached adulthood at about 15 months of age. Yours are most definitely too young!
Fat balls on the sides usually appear first around 8 months onward in sows whose growth rate has slowed down and where extra calories are now going towards fat reserves.

All you can do at this stage sit it out until your girls are 75 days post sale. Make sure that they are on a good diet but that you do not overfeed. The first is vital for the general health and survival rates of mum and pups and the second prevents too big babies getting stuck during birth, which is the most frequent birthing complication. Please take your time reading the guides.
Click to expand...
Something I've noticed Bubbles do a lot lately is purring when she hears a loud noise or if something disturbs her.
She seems to be a bit irritated whenever I touch her belly gently.
It can't be ovarian cancer either can it?
The lumps seem to be soft and regular.
 
WinterAddams said:
Something I've noticed Bubbles do a lot lately is purring when she hears a loud noise or if something disturbs her.
She seems to be a bit irritated whenever I touch her belly gently.
It can't be ovarian cancer either can it?
The lumps seem to be soft and regular.
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It is large ovarian cysts that can very occasionally become cancerous in the long run, but your guinea pig is years away from that and her risk of developing it is slim!

Please read the pregnancy guides. And see a vet for a scan if you are worried and want clarity on that score. By now any baby skeleta have developed and are unmistakeable.
 
PS: The girls can travel together.
Here are our tips for travelling in hot weather; if you have a car with air con, then it is generally not a problem except during stopovers where you have to make sure that they are not left in a stationary car.
Travelling with guinea pigs
 
Wiebke said:
PS: The girls can travel together.
Here are our tips for travelling in hot weather; if you have a car with air con, then it is generally not a problem except during stopovers where you have to make sure that they are not left in a stationary car.
Travelling with guinea pigs
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Thank you for the travelling tips. I've read the pregnancy guides already. The thing is that the lumps seem to be quite small and soft. I dont really know what a baby feels like inside a piggy but I would a assume it to be different from what i feel and a bit bigger.
She has been different towards food for a bit now. When I put it in front of her she'll take a bit of time deciding if she wants it or not and then eats everything.
She also squeaks when I touch her belly. Does that happen with pregnant piggies?
We're going to the vet on monday, I hope it's nothing serious.
 
WinterAddams said:
Thank you for the travelling tips. I've read the pregnancy guides already. The thing is that the lumps seem to be quite small and soft. I dont really know what a baby feels like inside a piggy but I would a assume it to be different from what i feel and a bit bigger.
She has been different towards food for a bit now. When I put it in front of her she'll take a bit of time deciding if she wants it or not and then eats everything.
She also squeaks when I touch her belly. Does that happen with pregnant piggies?
We're going to the vet on monday, I hope it's nothing serious.
Click to expand...

I am very sorry, but I cannot answer these questions for you without a hand-on examination. Something is going on, but it is not for me to make any wild guesses. Only a vet is able and qualified to find out what is going on. Until then, all you can do it is wait and see. If you are worried about her health, please switch to weighing daily at the same time; especially as you cannot control the hay intake, which sould make around 80% or more of the daily feed.

How hot is it where you are? A pregnant sow should be hungry, especially in the latest stages of a pregnancy, but heat can influence the appetite.
 
Wiebke said:
I am very sorry, but I cannot answer these questions for you without a hand-on examination. Something is going on, but it is not for me to make any wild guesses. Only a vet is able and qualified to find out what is going on. Until then, all you can do it is wait and see. If you are worried about her health, please switch to weighing daily at the same time; especially as you cannot control the hay intake, which sould make around 80% or more of the daily feed.

How hot is it where you are? A pregnant sow should be hungry, especially in the latest stages of a pregnancy, but heat can influence the appetite.
Click to expand...
Where they're being kept isn't too hot. Today will be around 23°C when we leave.
Its around 28°C inside right now.
 
WinterAddams said:
Where they're being kept isn't too hot. Today will be around 23°C when we leave.
Its around 28°C inside right now.
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That is rather hot for guinea pigs. Please provide some respite as soon as temperatures climb over 25 C!
 
In my experience piggies hate their belly touched and will always protest when you do so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

Have you got hay now? They need a constant supply and less pellets.

I would say take them to the vets if there's any change in behaviour and you're concerned they may be poorly.
 
Wiebke said:
That is rather hot for guinea pigs. Please provide some respite as soon as temperatures climb over 25 C!
Click to expand...
Oh. Actually no, it wasn't that hot in there. It was just regular temperature of a normal house. They never got to 28°C. I'm not very good with temperature guessing.
 
Cavy Kung-Fu said:
In my experience piggies hate their belly touched and will always protest when you do so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

Have you got hay now? They need a constant supply and less pellets.

I would say take them to the vets if there's any change in behaviour and you're concerned they may be poorly.
Click to expand...
They always have hay available yes.
The thing is that Bubbles never squeaked like she does now when I touch her belly. Nymeria doesn't do any noise even though she doesn't like it at all.
 
WinterAddams said:
They always have hay available yes.
The thing is that Bubbles never squeaked like she does now when I touch her belly. Nymeria doesn't do any noise even though she doesn't like it at all.
Click to expand...

Well I would have them seen by a cavy savvy vet in that case, make sure they're good with "exotic" animals though as dog & cat vets aren't very good with pigs.

Good luck :)
 
Cavy Kung-Fu said:
Well I would have them seen by a cavy savvy vet in that case, make sure they're good with "exotic" animals though as dog & cat vets aren't very good with pigs.

Good luck :)
Click to expand...
Honestly guinea pigs are hilarious. I took her to the vet today and the vet told me she was too young for cysts but felt her belly and said she was most likely with babies.
So she did an ultrasound to make sure she was and to see if they were fine.
Turns out it was only poop.
 
WinterAddams said:
Honestly guinea pigs are hilarious. I took her to the vet today and the vet told me she was too young for cysts but felt her belly and said she was most likely with babies.
So she did an ultrasound to make sure she was and to see if they were fine.
Turns out it was only poop.
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Omg! They are amazing ridiculous creatures. I hope the poop build up isn't a problem though?
 
Kate187 said:
Omg! They are amazing ridiculous creatures. I hope the poop build up isn't a problem though?
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I mean she is a bit sassy and some times doesn't want to eat from my hand but a couple minutes after she's eating just fine. She also wheeks for food at anyone who opens the fridge.
 
WinterAddams said:
I don't think so, at least the vet didn't say anything.
I mean she poops just fine as eats the same as my other piggy. She also drinks enough water.
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The soft balls I felt on her sides were nothing, maybe some fat. The poop the vet felt was when she was feeling the piggy around for normal baby structures and since their poop is hard she mistook it for that. It isn't like those balls on her side were poop, in fact they're kind of soft, like regular fat and muscle tissue.
 
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