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Infection Neck lump in elderly guinea pig

  • Thread starter SachaAndNatasha
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SachaAndNatasha

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Our Guinea pig Sascha is 7 years 3 months old. His sister died very abruptly about 3 months ago. He lives alone now in a large C&C cage with a fleece liner, multiple houses, and access to abundant hay, pellets, vitamin C each day and lots of fresh produce. They were rescues and have lived a long and happy life together.

A few days ago I noticed some swelling in his neck and thought he had just put on some weight. It's grown a lot over night and I discovered he now has a lump larger than an egg in his neck. It's free floating and doesn't seem to hurt him when I handle it.

I am reading that if it's an infection it requires surgery to correct and many sites say it would be too much at his age. He's still happy and eating but isn't making as much noise as usual.

What to do? I am heartbroken. Do I still take him to the vet given his age and current comfort level? The other thread here I read went to the vet and it was recommended to put the guinea pig to sleep on the spot. I need help knowing what to do. 😭
 

spy9doc

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It's free floating and doesn't seem to hurt him when I handle it.

Whoa! Don't be so quick to think that Sacha is terminally ill when in fact it may be a lipoma which is usually benign. Your description that I quoted would lead one to think that. I suggest that you look on Guinea Lynx at https://www.guinealynx.com/lipoma.html

You won't find a lot of info there, but just doing a search on "lipomas" in general will bring up a lot of information that is primarily about humans, but still a lipoma is a lipoma no matter what creature it resides on. Definitely take him to a good cavy-savvy Vet (or two) to have the growth biopsied. It's often good to get a second opinion whether it is for yourself or for Sacha.


 

Guinea Pig Papa

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Could it possibly be a cyst? She DID say it grew a lot overnight, and only noticed it a few days ago. Do lipomas grow that quickly?
 

bpatters

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It could be cyst or lipoma, and I'd think a cyst could grow more quickly. It would take a biopsy to be certain.

But cyst removal isn't too bad a surgery. There are no abdominal muscles involved, so that makes it easier to recover from.

Depending on the kind of cyst, they might be able to just drain it. But it's far more common for a cyst to be encapsulated, so they have to remove the sac to keep it from recurring.

I wouldn't be too sure he's too old for the surgery. The condition of the pig is more important than the age. I'd find a good exotic vet with experience in that kind of surgery, and have him examine the pig before I made any decisions about what to do.
 

spy9doc

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Do lipomas grow that quickly?

Probably not........I must have missed that aspect. It absolutely could be either.....or neither one.

Thank you, @bpatters for the excellent explanation that I didn't have time to write. I'm deep in a project that I have to report on tomorrow and just didn't have time to go into details. Plus the fact that I respect your opinion and experience.
 

SachaAndNatasha

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Thanks all - I will call our specialty vet in the morning and take next steps. I appreciate all your advice. I was discouraged by what I read online. I will come back and update.
 

SachaAndNatasha

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So we went to his vet today. They used a large needle and tested for pus in 7 locations in his lump and found nothing. It's very solid. They sent me home with 10 days of antibiotics to test if it is an infection elsewhere causing his right neck lymph nodes to be so distended. The lump is probably as big as two chicken eggs after about 4 days. It didn't seem to hurt him. Cost for vet trip, antibiotics and biopsy slide prep $348.

Any thoughts what this means for Sacha?
 

bpatters

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I don't know what it is, but here are a few thoughts.

First, cysts and tumors don't usually grow that fast. That suggests that it's an infection, which should be treatable. Nothing, however, is 100% guaranteed, so that may not be the case.

Second, do you know if they actually took a biopsy of the nodes, or were they just trying to withdraw pus? A biopsy could probably define it with a high degree of certainty.

Third, give him a probiotic with that antibiotic, 60-90 minutes after every dose. Bene-Bac is good, poop soup from a healthy pig is good. And watch him like a hawk for loss of appetite. If he just doesn't eat as much, be prepared to hand feed him with Critical Care or a pellet slurry. But if he develops diarrhea from the antibiotic, you may have to take him off of it.

Good luck, and keep us posted.
 
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