Cyst Growing mammary mass in boar - surgery advice

[guineapigtoes]

Hello, I'm looking for some advice on whether to proceed with surgery to remove a mammary mass from my boar, Graham. I'm getting mixed feedback from family, and I'm hoping to get perspective from folks who may have been through this with their pigs.

The Background:

In November, I noticed one of my male boars, Graham (4.5 years old), had clear liquid leaking from one of his nipples and a small, smooth, round lump nearby and under the skin, closer to his belly. It felt deeper than sebaceous cysts my other boy and previous pigs have had, and I couldn't actually see the lump even if I parted his fur, I only knew it was there by touching around the area.

I took him for regular vet visits over the next two months, and in summary the mass didn't respond to antibiotics and had appeared to be a cyst. During this time the mass didn't change in shape or size, so we discussed surgery but decided that we would leave it be for now unless anything changed.

In the last two weeks the mass has grown, changed shape, and gotten a bumpy texture. It was round and perhaps 0.25cm across, now it's an oval shape with a bumpy texture and roughly 1.0cm long, 0.5cm wide. The secretions were mixed with blood a few times this week. Poor Graham has gotten more uncomfortable around the area too.

The Current Situation:

At this point the vet and I are considering surgery to remove the mass, waiting on bloodwork results now. They will remove the mass if it's safe to do so, but one of the vet's concerns was that it may be connected to other structures in Graham's body, like muscle or his internal reproductive system. After the surgery they will also send the mass off to confirm what exactly it is -- a previous tissue sample appeared to be cyst material, but the increasing size has more worried it could be something else.

After more thought, I'm on the fence. I'm considering surgery because the changes to the mass are worrying, especially the rapid (relative to a few months ago) growth and bleeding, and I'd rather it be removed while it's relatively small and Graham is in otherwise good health and spirits. He's older for a pig, but he's active and energetic and with the mass removed he'd have comfortable years ahead of him. If Graham was two years older or slowing down, I'd be much more reluctant.

But five years ago I had a younger pig pass during a neuter surgery -- he just stopped breathing under anesthetic. I didn't take the risks seriously enough back then, and I'm worried that I'm being too quick to decide on surgery this time too.

Has anyone had to choose whether to have this kind of surgery for a older pig before? What were the risks you had in mind when you made that decision? I would greatly appreciate any feedback, I'm hoping to learn about others' experiences and viewpoints before I make this decision for Graham.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

I have almost always opted to have surgeries done. I had an older pig, Sly, who dealt with severe malocclusion. Over the last two years of his life, starting when he was 5 years old, he had increasingly frequent dental surgeries. We ended up losing him, when he developed congestive heart failure. It got to the point where he had to choose between breathing and eating. He was too weak for another dental surgery, and the only option left was to send him across the Rainbow Bridge.

While the risks for pigs and anesthesia are there, Its not a death sentence by any stretch. Graham is still fairly young, and should (Repeat, SHOULD) do just fine. But the risk is always there. Cost aside, I would always opt to do the surgery if the odds of success are high. If they find that the mass is connected to other symptoms, and you can discuss this with the vet prior to surgery, and if the prognosis is poor at that point its heartbreaking but you can choose to let him go at that point, and not wake him up. I don't make that statement lightly, believe me.

 

[bpatters]

Surgery for removal of a mammary mass isn't usually too hard for guinea pigs. I'd opt to have it done IF the surgeon is competent with guinea pigs and has done quite a number of these surgeries before. If not, I'd hunt another surgeon.