Lump on R's neck
I haven't posted in this thread in a while, mostly because there hasn't been much change. Which is a good thing!
She's now officially 8, and still doing well. (We got her in early January 2013 when she was a baby, but don't know her exact age.) She lost a little weight after my last post, so we did end up starting her on daily metacam. Ever since then, her weight has remained stable and she seems to have plenty of energy.
She just had a checkup, and the vet thinks the lump has only grown by 30% in the last 6 months. The vet considers that pretty slow growth, so hopefully we'll still have a little bit longer with her. Our goal at this point is just to make sure she stays happy and comfortable for as long as that's possible.
She's now officially 8, and still doing well. (We got her in early January 2013 when she was a baby, but don't know her exact age.) She lost a little weight after my last post, so we did end up starting her on daily metacam. Ever since then, her weight has remained stable and she seems to have plenty of energy.
She just had a checkup, and the vet thinks the lump has only grown by 30% in the last 6 months. The vet considers that pretty slow growth, so hopefully we'll still have a little bit longer with her. Our goal at this point is just to make sure she stays happy and comfortable for as long as that's possible.
It's hard to get a picture because the lump doesn't seem to be on the surface. Since it's deeper, it just makes her neck look floofier on the left side. (It doesn't help that every time she sees the phone she just moves forward to sniff it...not the best subject!) I emailed two from last month for reference. I don't have a very good picture from when we first noticed it in July; it was hard to see it unless she moved just so.
- Lynx
- Celebrate!!!
Here you go. It it is possible this is Cervical Lymphadenitis (CL) or "Lumps".
https://www.guinealynx.info/lumps.html
https://www.guinealynx.info/lumps.html
Thanks for the info. That certainly sounds like a possibility. The vet did say she didn't want to prescribe antibiotics based on the biopsy back in July, but I don't know if she had the lab culture the fluid or just look at it under a microscope. I didn't push back or think to ask about a culture at the time, and I don't want her to go through another biopsy after her bad reaction last time.
- Lynx
- Celebrate!!!
This is also reminding me of another poster whose guinea pig had a large slow growing lump who did not get it treated. It eventually interfered with the ability of her guinea pig to walk and she regretted not treating it. I think in her case it was fluid filled and was drained periodically. It was a different location, I believe. I can't remember much more than that though. :-(
It sounds like we're on a similar path to the other poster you mentioned...the last few days R has started to have trouble walking. She mostly just sits in her pigloo, and when she does walk, she moves awkwardly. She scrambles a lot, and sometimes her leg seems to give out. She's still very present and eager to eat when we put hay/pellets/veggies in front of the pigloo, but has lost 2 ounces over the last few days. It's sad to watch, because her little personality is still there and she seems frustrated she can't move the way she wants to.
Upon the vet's advice, we've added twice-daily gabapentin to the metacam to keep her comfortable. As long as she still seems like herself and is interested in eating, we're going to keep supporting her. But my guess is she won't have too much longer. I still don't regret not treating the lump further, though, because I don't think she would have tolerated it.
No matter what, I really hope that when it's time she will go quickly on her own. Frustratingly, humans are still not allowed inside the vet for any reason. So our options for putting her down are not great.
Upon the vet's advice, we've added twice-daily gabapentin to the metacam to keep her comfortable. As long as she still seems like herself and is interested in eating, we're going to keep supporting her. But my guess is she won't have too much longer. I still don't regret not treating the lump further, though, because I don't think she would have tolerated it.
No matter what, I really hope that when it's time she will go quickly on her own. Frustratingly, humans are still not allowed inside the vet for any reason. So our options for putting her down are not great.
- Lynx
- Celebrate!!!
I found the topic I was looking for, it was Tracy and her then almost 6 year old guinea pig. These lumps may have been mammary tumors and were in a different location. They seemed much slower growing as the topic spans almost 3 years.
https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... =2&t=48409
She did not have them surgically removed, feeling her guinea pig was old and would not do well. Removing mammary tumors is not particularly invasive and generally has a good outcome. I wish she had done so early on. In retrospect, I think she would have agreed.
https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... =2&t=48409
She did not have them surgically removed, feeling her guinea pig was old and would not do well. Removing mammary tumors is not particularly invasive and generally has a good outcome. I wish she had done so early on. In retrospect, I think she would have agreed.
Thanks for that post. It's a good reference. Sorry for the delayed reply - I didn't see that the topic had moved on to a second page.
I honestly thought R wouldn't hang on this long. But up until the last day or so, she has still been interested in us and in eating so we've continued putting food/water within her reach, giving her meds, and keeping her clean. But now, even her eating has slowed down a lot. It's time.
Even though we aren't allowed inside our vet's office, we did find out they are doing house calls. So one of the vets is coming tomorrow afternoon to put her to sleep. I'm glad we'll get one last day to say goodbye and fill her up with her favorite treats, and that we'll be able to keep her at home and in peace. 8 years and 3+ months is a good, long run for a guinea pig. I hope we've managed to do right by her.
I honestly thought R wouldn't hang on this long. But up until the last day or so, she has still been interested in us and in eating so we've continued putting food/water within her reach, giving her meds, and keeping her clean. But now, even her eating has slowed down a lot. It's time.
Even though we aren't allowed inside our vet's office, we did find out they are doing house calls. So one of the vets is coming tomorrow afternoon to put her to sleep. I'm glad we'll get one last day to say goodbye and fill her up with her favorite treats, and that we'll be able to keep her at home and in peace. 8 years and 3+ months is a good, long run for a guinea pig. I hope we've managed to do right by her.