Cancer?

[MissyWooWoo]

Fr a couple months now a large bump has been growing on my year old guinea pig. She is showing no signs of heavy breathing or pain and seems to be eating just fine. I’ve heard this thing that if is smells rotten it could be cancer. I went down stairs and I don’t know if it’s rotten exactly but I know that it smells really bad.
We are calling a vet, but vets where I live don’t do guinea pigs and it would cost a lot...
I really don’t want to loose my precious zoey so if you know anything about this please reply and help us!

[bpatters]

An odor is NOT usually a sign of cancer, but of infection.

Where exactly is the lump? Does it appear to be painful if you touch it or push on it?

We need to see a picture. Can you take one with a cell phone and post it? The third icon from the right on these reply boxes is how you insert a picture.

[MissyWooWoo]

The lump is on her bum.
We also suspect that there is another bump slowly growing on her nose.
It does not seem that she is in any pain. I have touched and pushed it and she remained happy.

[MissyWooWoo]

[Smileandnod]

As far as the bump on the bum (its kind of hard to see clearly)...but one of my girls had a similar looking thing (it was on her side and smaller).

It was an infected cyst. The cavy vet prescribed her oral antibiotics and I had to clean it daily with a solution given to me by the vet using an angled tip syringe. Under the blackish scab was thick puss. It has since healed up nicely.

Definitely get her to a cavy vet. If it is an infection it can be treated and if it is not treated it will get worse.

Also, Guinea pigs are prey animals so they are good at hiding pain.

[bpatters]

I agree that she needs to see the vet, but both those conditions are treatable, and it would be a shame to allow them to get worse because of the difficulties of a vet visit. Where are you? City/state, not your address. We might be able to help you find a vet.

[rosspiggys]

As far as the bump on the bum (its kind of hard to see clearly)...but one of my girls had a similar looking thing (it was on her side and smaller).

It was an infected cyst. The cavy vet prescribed her oral antibiotics and I had to clean it daily with a solution given to me by the vet using an angled tip syringe. Under the blackish scab was thick puss. It has since healed up nicely.

Definitely get her to a cavy vet. If it is an infection it can be treated and if it is not treated it will get worse.

Also, Guinea pigs are prey animals so they are good at hiding pain.

I second the cyst possibility. My pig years ago had one. Took him to the vet he lanced it. Lots of stuff drained out. Not to mention quite a few piggy "gifts" where left behind. Definitely get to a vet, cysts are no big deal easily treated. According to my vet at the time they are very common in piggys.

[MissyWooWoo]

I’m so happy to hear it is just a cyst. We are calling a vet today with our fingers Crossed that they will take care of it. How long did it take to heal? And by any chance do you know what is on her nose?

I live in in the Okanagan

thank you you all for replying and helping us out!

[bpatters]

If you google "exotic pets okanagan" without the quotes, you'll get several hits on clinics with exotic vets in your area.

Don't bother with a small animal vet -- that means dogs and cats, not pocket pets, and there's a good chance you'll just be wasting your money.

[MissyWooWoo]

We made an appointment at a exotic veterinary hospital. Is the spot in her nose going to grow into a cyst too? Will the cysts keep coming back?
If so my parents are considering to get her euthanized. I would really hate for that to happen and wish I could pay for it myself. But my parents explained to me why that would have to happen.

Have the cysts ever came back for you?

[Smileandnod]

Good for you getting an appointment at an exotics vet hospital with hopefully a cavy savvy vet.

If it is indeed a cyst, there is absolutely no reason to consider euthanasia. That is just silly.

If it's about the money, in my area it would cost far more for euthanasia (because of mandatory disposal/cremation costs) than it would for an appointment and antibiotics.

Taking care of a cyst is a simple matter of a trip to a cavy vet, getting antibiotics and directions in how to thoroughly clean the area ....the rest is about TIME you will have to commit to taking care of it daily while it heals. That is responsible pet ownership.

For my girl, it was healed in just over a week. Simple. It cost less than $50.

If it is let go for too long, it will take more work on your part and longer to heal. The longer you wait, the more costly it could become.

The nose thing looks different, like possible fungal (?) I am really not sure. But fungal is treated with a cream and VERY good, very frequent cleaning of their cage and stuff in the cage. Again...TIME and consistency on your part.

The cavy vet will be able to diagnose both issues for you.

[MissyWooWoo]

Thank you for your reply’s. I can’t begin to say how helpful this forum was for me and zoey. I hope my piggie is just as lucky as your little one was!
I will keep you posted about her cyst after her vet visit.

Can I treat her nose at home. I heard of athlete foot cream and using dog fungal infection or dandruff shampoo. Am I right? Does this go for any fungal infection?

[bpatters]

See http://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html for the creams that are safe to use. Apply sparingly with a q-tip and rub it in well so she doesn't lick any off her nose. If it doesn't improve within a few days, post back here and we'll try something else.

[MissyWooWoo]

Zoey just went to the vet yesterday. Was not too expensive. Basically zoey has a abscess or a cyst. The treatment is the same. We are giving her antibiotics and cleaning out the “hole” (or I don’t know what else to call it) with a special medicine. He also recommended that we separate her from the other guinea pigs incase they touch or bother it.

if she is prone to cyst and the “cheesy” stuff keeps coming out then we would have to get it surgically removed and we cannot afford that ($500 or so).

If if it is a abscess it will go away.

But this doesn’t not make it any less confusing/frustrating! ��

my mom told me that the vet thinks it is an abscess but now she is telling me that it is a cyst based on her research and videos online. It’s like the vet didn’t really give me enough answers

inside was was a bunch of beige “cheesy” like stuff if it helps.

[bpatters]

That cheesy stuff is guinea pig pus. They lack an enzyme that humans have that make human pus more runny.

You should be able to find a vet to remove the sac for less than $500.

[Smileandnod]

Zoey just went to the vet yesterday. Was not too expensive. Basically zoey has a abscess or a cyst. The treatment is the same. We are giving her antibiotics and cleaning out the “hole” (or I don’t know what else to call it) with a special medicine. He also recommended that we separate her from the other guinea pigs incase they touch or bother it.

if she is prone to cyst and the “cheesy” stuff keeps coming out then we would have to get it surgically removed and we cannot afford that ($500 or so).

If if it is a abscess it will go away.

But this doesn’t not make it any less confusing/frustrating! ��

my mom told me that the vet thinks it is an abscess but now she is telling me that it is a cyst based on her research and videos online. It’s like the vet didn’t really give me enough answers

inside was was a bunch of beige “cheesy” like stuff if it helps.

Thank you for the update!

Just make sure you consistently flush it out.

It has to heal from the inside before you let it close up on the outside. Just because it scabs over on the outside does not mean you are done, especially if there is still cheesy puss behind the scab inside.

Using a curved tipped syringe helps to access inside the hole and makes it easier to direct the flushing.

Good luck. You can do this!