Penny's Med Thread

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon May 31, 2021 9:22 pm


The board software sizes the photos so you can see them fine.

Are they tender? Is there any crustiness? You might want to read over:
https://www.guinealynx.info/ovarian_cysts.html

Unless you see any other signs of illness, I would tend to just be observant for now.

Annapox

Post   » Tue Jun 01, 2021 10:18 am


No crustiness or tenderness. But upon reading the article on ovarian cysts I realized Penny has had some weight redistribution; I don't know why it didn't occur to me that that might be a symptom of something. Her butt has gotten bony, and her belly is more round, but her weight is stable.

Annapox

Post   » Mon Jun 07, 2021 1:08 pm


My mom took Penny to the vet today (I am working on a take-home exam, so I phoned in to the appointment so that I could work while we waited for the vet to come in). Penny's belly "has a distended feel to it," according to the vet, but other than that and the enlarged nipples, he couldn't find anything wrong with her. The ultrasound showed nothing. The vet says this is most likely either a fluke or the very beginning of something like ovarian cysts, so I am to bring Penny back to the vet in a month and keep a close eye on her in the meantime.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Jun 08, 2021 12:16 am


Sounds like a plan. I hope nothing serious develops.

Annapox

Post   » Tue Jul 06, 2021 10:39 am


Penny's vet follow-up was today. Her belly is still very round and still feels distended, and her nipples are still big but not nearly as big as in the photo. (They'd already decreased in size somewhat by the time her first vet appointment came around.) The vet said that since there are no additional or worsening symptoms and Penny isn't showing signs of distress, this is probably just her new normal. She said that the distended feeling of her belly might just be from a layer of fat and that Penny might need to lose a little bit of weight, but when I told her how much of everything I give Penny and asked where I should cut back, she said that all sounded fine and that some pigs are just chunky.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Jul 06, 2021 10:26 pm


I trust this is not extra gas/bloat? I just posted this link on another topic. You might want to look it over if you have not.
https://www.guinealynx.info/emergency.html#bloat

Annapox

Post   » Wed Jul 07, 2021 11:13 am


Well, the vet (whom I trust) felt her belly and said she couldn't feel any problems, and I don't hear a hollow sound when I tap her belly like it says in the link you posted. She's showing no signs of pain or stress. Her weight is stable, and she's still eating, drinking, and pooping normally. A digestive issue would result in a change in appetite or something, wouldn't it? I also get the impression that bloat comes on suddenly and is an urgent issue, but Penny's belly got rounder very gradually and has been round for over a month at this point. (This is not me trying to argue; I just want to make sure I understand, and I have a very direct way of communicating because I'm autistic.)

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Jul 07, 2021 11:15 am


Your explanation is very good. Agree it does not seem like bloat (we can't see the guinea pig, only you can!).

Annapox

Post   » Sat Sep 04, 2021 10:00 am


The pigs went in for their annual well visits yesterday, and Penny now has an ovarian cyst. She does appear to be experiencing some discomfort: I thought she might have been making slightly constipated sounds (even though she still eats and poops normally), but the vet said the sounds might be because of discomfort with the cyst. No other symptoms, though; her weight is stable, and overall she seems happy.

Also, when I said I thought Penny's weight had redistributed because I could feel her hip bone, I was wrong: She has a cyst on her hip as well. I feel terrible for not noticing it, but at least it doesn't seem to be sensitive to touch or anything.

I also learned that, at some point, Penny had a broken leg. It showed up on the X-ray when the vet was looking to see whether Penny had a cyst or a bladder stone or a tumor. I forgot to ask which leg because I was preoccupied by stress about the cyst, but it's healed beautifully, and the vet says it probably happened before I adopted Penny because I would have noticed if she'd broken it while I had her.

Anyway, Penny has to be spayed, so I'll have to call and schedule that appointment on Tuesday. The vet said that during the spay procedure, she would poke the cyst on Penny's hip to see what was going on there. Regarding the spay procedure, I have some options to consider: I can have the procedure done with a scalpel or with a laser; the vet tech gave me a non-answer when I asked whether one was significantly safer than the other, but she did say that the laser method results in less bleeding because it cauterizes the wound as it cuts. There is also an optional post-op laser to stimulate the skin cells so that the wound heals faster. Is anyone familiar with these methods? When I had Rosie, one of my previous pigs, spayed, it was at a different vet (my regular vet had no openings soon enough), and they didn't say anything about lasers.

I also have the option of getting Penny tattooed so that if she has to be re-homed for any reason, future vets will know that she's spayed. I'm inclined to skip that since Penny will be 5 on September 8, my parents have said there's really no situation in which they can't help me take care of Penny (they're supporting me financially right now because I currently have no income), and I wonder if a tattoo doesn't carry a risk of complications (I know human tattoos can get infected, for example). Does anyone have any guidance on whether or not to do the tattoo?

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Sep 04, 2021 9:31 pm


I'm not familiar with laser surgery being used for a spay but it sounds interesting. What does she mean about poking the cyst on her hip to see what is going on? Does she plan to do a wedge biopsy or something to get a real idea what is going on?

I think you can likely do without a tattoo.

p.s. you may want to reread this page:
https://www.guinealynx.info/postop.html

Annapox

Post   » Sat Sep 04, 2021 10:53 pm


I don't remember whether she told me in scientific terms what she was going to do, but she talked about finding out what was inside the lump, so I think she must have been talking about a biopsy or something similar.

Thank you for confirming that it's probably okay to skip the tattoo and for sharing the very helpful link!

Annapox

Post   » Tue Sep 07, 2021 12:02 pm


Penny's surgery is scheduled for September 22; that was the earliest opening the vet had.

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