Neutering/Spaying Looking for vet/benefits

[KyKyMarie77]

Hello! I am looking for a vet in Indiana to spay my female guinea pig. I've done some research, but I want to know other peoples personal experience with Guinea Pig Vets in Indiana. I was also searching for a forum on here that went over the benefits of spaying, but couldn't find one. I currently only have one female guinea pig, and am in the process of expanding her herd, but they will only be females. If its only females is she required to be spayed? I know with other animals it can sometimes help them physically as well, and was wondering if thats the case with piggies as well.

 

[WhyzPiggies2021]

As ChicoAndAmigo stated, surgery is riskier for a guinea pig compared with a cat and a dog. This is a complicated and controversial issue...

Some info for you:
1. Having a male guinea pig neutered is a much safer procedure compared with having a female spayed because it is a less invasive procedure.
2. Spaying is recommended because female guinea pigs are prone to female reproductive issues - ovarian cysts and uterine tumors. Those health issues are more prevalent in middle-aged and 'senior' guinea pigs.

I believe that it is recommended to have a female guinea pig spayed between the ages of 4 to 12 months.
I had my female guinea pig spayed because she displayed dominant behavior. She drove her sister crazy constantly mounting her...

There are many options to consider. For example, you could pair a female with a male. Would you consider getting a male and neutering him instead? Do you intend to spay 2 female guinea pigs?

For humans and guinea pigs, any surgery is a big decision and risky...

Wendy

 

[WhyzPiggies2021]

I don't know how accurate this source is but since you asked about "benefits", this is what I found:

[url]https://www.vetexotic.theclinics.com/article/S1094-9194(13)00085-6/pdf#:~:text=Ovarian%20cysts%20are%20nonfunctional%2C%20fluid,%2C%20hair%20loss%2C%20and%20infertility.[/URL]

"Ovarian serous cystadenoma or, more specifically, cystic rete ovarii is a commonlyseen medical condition of guinea pigs. Reports in the literature have described from66% to 75% of sows between 3 months and 5 years of age can be affected. 1,2 Onestudy identified cystic ovaries in 54 of 71 (76%) female guinea pigs aged 18 to60 months at necropsy. 3 Sows aged 2 to 4 years are the most commonly affectedand serous cysts can spontaneously develop throughout the estrus cycle"

 

[bpatters]

I had nothing but sows, and I only had one with ovarian cysts. I chose not to spay even her -- we treated her with hormones.

 

[Soecara]

I have had many sows over the years, none were spayed, none developed ovarian cysts. On the other hand I have also had no stones in any of my guinea pigs.

I do think there is a large genetic component as with many other diseases so I have no doubt the rate of disease could be much higher in some areas depending on the genes of the local population of guinea pigs.

 

[KyKyMarie77]

I had nothing but sows, and I only had one with ovarian cysts. I chose not to spay even her -- we treated her with hormones.

I was nervous about the whole surgery aspect of spaying her, but since I'm only going to keep her with females, and she will never be around males, i've decided not to do it. How many sows have you had? for the ratio of the one piggy who had an OC to the ones that didn't.

 

[KyKyMarie77]

I have had many sows over the years, none were spayed, none developed ovarian cysts. On the other hand I have also had no stones in any of my guinea pigs.

I do think there is a large genetic component as with many other diseases so I have no doubt the rate of disease could be much higher in some areas depending on the genes of the local population of guinea pigs.

I personally only plan on keeping sows, while boars are cute, I don't want to deal with the amount of different cages because they fight more, as well as the scariness(is that even a word) of having to neuter the whole herd and having them under anesthesia. My girl seems to be in amazing health, she wheeked all around her area when I first got her and even on the first day was popcorning. her spirit as well as her overall health seems to be pretty good, and she's on a really good diet as well. I've decided against spaying since I will only have females, so hopefully she won't get any sorts or cysts or anything like that. i'm still in search of a good vet to do wellness checks on her though.

 

[bpatters]

I had seven over a period of about eight years.

 

[SardonicSmile]

I’ve had females mostly, one had ovarian cysts, and one might have had pyometra. I still will not spay unless there are issues that require it.

But... some vets here remove ovaries through incisions on the flanks of the piggies, up top near where the ovaries are. This way they only have two small incisions, one on each flank, and their bowels do not get manhandled the way they are with the usual spay procedure, making this flank procedure a bit safer than going in through the belly.
This does not prevent problems with the uterus of course, but it might be an option when ovarian cysts are an issue.