Bonnie - ovarian cyst w/ no symptoms

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puffin

Post   » Tue Nov 09, 2021 9:22 am


Hello! I have three pigs (I posted about one of my other sows Louise on another thread). Bonnie is ~3.5 to 4 years old and in good shape for the most part. On a prior physical exam with an experienced exotics vet, the vet noted an ovarian cyst she could feel and advised just monitoring her since she wasn't having symptoms. She did not advise any surgery due to the risk/reward calculus and I was okay with that more conservative approach.

Yesterday, I took all three pigs in to a different exotics vet for a few concerns (we have had to alternate due long to lead appointment availability, which isn't optimal). Bonnie has had some weight loss and squishy droppings. I suspect she has been getting too many greens and the weight loss may be partially due to reducing pellet intake over the past year and her getting more exercise. She had blood work (normal) and I requested a fecal test for the squishy droppings since the problem has been on and off over the past two months. I am waiting the results of that.

This vet did an ultrasound to confirm the cyst since she could not feel it and did see it was there. She suggested that since Bonnie was relatively healthy and not symptomatic [no hair loss, crusty nipples, hormonal behavior], she was a good candidate for spay surgery. She gave her one hormone shot and she would get a second one in two weeks. We have not booked any surgery and I am unsure about going this route based on what the other experienced vet said.

I understand both vets' rationale but am unsure how to proceed. I would welcome any sage advice! Thanks!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Nov 09, 2021 11:32 am


Hard to know. There are risks to every surgery. If you were very proactive and your vet could give solid feedback on how many spays done and what the recovery rate has been, it might be worthwhile. Unsure if I would have a spay but certainly other people might choose to do so.

Note also whether or not her body shape has changed, with a shifting of weight to the abdomen and weight loss in other areas.

How does her coat look? Any coarseness or hair loss on the sides?

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Catie Cavy
Supporter 2011-2020

Post   » Tue Nov 09, 2021 1:53 pm


My personal history is that I’ve had very bad outcomes with spay surgeries. I think many vets are over confident with their surgery skills. I personally wouldn’t do a spay surgery on a middle aged guinea pig who wasn’t having symptoms. Apparently the cyst was so small, the second vet couldn’t even feel it. If the cysts ever start to bother her (and they might not), there are other less invasion options, like the hormone shots mentioned.

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puffin

Post   » Tue Nov 09, 2021 2:30 pm


Thank you both for your replies! Bonnie has lost weight (she was too fat to begin with when we brought her home from the rescue) but I would not say she is overly rounded on the abdomen relative to the other parts of her body. Her coat is shiny and lustrous - no hair loss.

I am leaning towards watching and waiting and staying away from an invasive procedure. The first vet (who recommended against surgery) is more experienced and seemed to feel like the outcome may not be good. The second seemed more confident, but asking about some data and experience would be useful.

I will continue to educate myself on symptoms of cysts and things to watch out for. I think the hardest part is just wondering if they are suffering since they hide pain so well. I do not want to miss something critical and have her needlessly suffer.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Tue Nov 09, 2021 3:30 pm


Enormous ditto to Catie Cavy. My experience with spay surgery with an otherwise healthy female and an overconfident vet was an agonizing death. I will not have another female spayed.

At our house we've had good success with hormone treatments. They're not permanent and may need to be repeated, but they have worked well.

In my experience ovarian cysts, unlike in the human female, don't much hurt unless they get very large. We had at least one girl whose cyst would fill, then drain on its own.

You write as an alert, caring and savvy owner. Monitor her behavior, and I think you'll be able to tell if she's uncomfortable. Good luck!

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puffin

Post   » Wed Nov 10, 2021 9:44 am


I so appreciate your insight on the surgery and hormone treatments. It has been so useful to get others thoughts and just to have a place to bounce ideas and concerns around.

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puffin

Post   » Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:21 am


I guess I should have made my Bonnie thread more generic, because I'm having a non-cyst issue with her and I'd like to get a sanity check on!

Bonnie has been having loose droppings and some weight loss. She was ~980 g in August and is now ~900 g (depends on the time of day I weigh her but that seems to be an average). The vet wasn't concerned about the weight loss because she did comment Bonnie was too fat on previous visits. As I mentioned above, some weight loss I think is attributed to less pellets and more exercise.

Bonnie had bloodwork and it was normal. A fecal test showed no parasites. The squishy droppings seem to be correlated to more greens (I'm not sure why this a problem now because she's been a voracious greens eater with no problems). When I eliminate greens, her droppings get more normal looking, so this seems like the issue. I have not been great about eliminating them for more than 24 hours because of the weight loss concerns. But I think I need to do so just to get her droppings regulated.

She is a good hay eater and has unlimited hay access. I change the three hay boxes they have (the cavy kitchen from Guinea Pig Cages Store) every day. I have been offering a critical care slurry, which she laps up happily, just to give some extra sustenance, when she is not having greens. I'm also trying Bene-Bac for small animals.

Is there anything else I should have checked for the weight loss? Is some loss expected on a primarily hay diet?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:44 pm


Possibly. Is she otherwise perky and happy? Putting on any muscle? There are some guidelines provided by a vet on the weight page to help you evaluate her weight. Perhaps about midway down:
https://www.guinealynx.info/weigh.html

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Fri Nov 19, 2021 12:01 am


I think the extra Critical Care is a good idea since it provides nutrients and fiber. There are also some Oxbow Timothy treats that may add a few extra calories. And the Benebac should be helpful.

I would reduce the greens and maybe try some other veggie. I notice leaf lettuce and dandelion greens cause a little softer droppings. I feed corn husks and don’t notice any change, probably because they have more fiber.

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puffin

Post   » Sun Nov 21, 2021 5:34 pm


Despite Bonnie's incessant screams for greens, I have not relented for three days (it has been horrible to deny her wheeks) and her droppings are finally looking and staying normal. Day two of no greens was challenging - her droppings didn't seem to be getting better at all, but then in the evening, she left a few normal looking "gifts" (as we call them!).

She was down to 860 grams this morning, which is concerning. I weighed her in the afternoon and she was 875. She has a good appetite for her hay, and I am offering her some pellets (Oxbow garden, which she loves). She has been taking critical care, although I haven't been forcing it. I am not sure if I should but may give it another day to see how her weight is. Since she takes it willingly when she is hungry, I hesitate to put her through forced feedings lest she became wary of me coming at her with the syringe that she does now enjoy. I have the Vitamin C biscuits that I have been offering her and ordered the Oxbow digestive support ones.

I was thinking of giving maybe another 3 days or so without salad just to make sure she is back to normal. She loves corn husk, so I may try that first as a litmus test. It is so perplexing because I vary her greens and it doesn't seem correlated to one thing in particular. The only constant is red pepper, so I am wondering if that is what is causing it.

She is perky and happy and has been more active once some of the chub came off. Last week, she was even doing zoomies which I have never seen her do before. I think it is just distressing because her weight was so constant for so long and now it has been going down. I am hopeful that if we can get her digestive system back to normal, she will regain some weight.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Nov 21, 2021 11:12 pm


Have you ever tried moistening some critical care into a soft mush and putting some pinches/balls of it on a plate? Some guinea pigs will eat it that way, meaning you don't need to hand feed.

Once her poops completely stabilize (hopefully), you can try slow introductions of a single vegetable/green (only one for a few days) to see if any particular vegs cause the soft poops. It can be difficult to find correlations. Perhaps a longer testing period might help. I can say a handful of guinea pigs have issues with peppers, though I think they are a wonderful food (and generally have lots of vitamin C).

Happy to hear she is perky and active. I do hope she stabilizes.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Fri Nov 26, 2021 1:52 pm


Good to hear she’s active and eating. I agree with Lynx, try a little Critical Care mush on a plate and see if she eats it that way. The package also has instructions that you can let the leftover dry and serve as a wafer treat. If she is struggling to maintain weight this is a good supplement.

I feed corn husk as well, and found that to be a lifesaver, literally, when my previous guinea pig was ill from Baytril. Small amounts will perk up her appetite and the fiber should keep her digestion moving. Just limit the amount so she doesn’t go off her hay in favor of corn husk.

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