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My Recent Posts · 06/24/09

Hi Folks,

I took my baby (Duke aka Munch) to the vet because he started wheezing last night. But (as usual) the wheezing stopped by the time we got to the vet. He did a thorough exam, however, and found a humongous mass in Munch's abdomen. Pic here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UfBVcrGocH_giqJoPDMJrg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ3unc6Ht6qbPw&feat=directlink

So, basically the entire abdominal cavity should be clear...but as you can see in the photos...it's totally filled. They don't know what it is. He didn't want to just poke it to get a sample because he didn't know if it would rupture...he hardly wanted to squeeze it.

So, I have some options. And I wanted some advice from you guys. I can get an ultra sound. The ultra sound would hopefully tell us what it's attached to and if it's operable at all. The nurse, however, said that the mass was so large that it was likely his organs were displaced (the wheezing they think is caused by his lungs being pressured)...so they probably won't see anything in the ultrasound.

The next option is just to move forward with the surgery and if they can't get it out, then they put them to sleep immediately. If they can get it out, they will.

I guess my question is have you all experienced surgery with older guinea pigs? He doesn't seem to be in pain. He's eating...he's squealy as usual. He's active.

I just don't know what to do. And my family is basically saying he's old anyway...why put him through this?

Anything?

My Recent Posts · 06/24/09

I see you've posted on GL, and you're likely to get your best medical advice from there.

I had a pig with wheezing symptoms, because of a mass in her chest. The mass in his stomach would certainly cause symptoms in the lungs.

I'm not sure if an ultrasound would tell you anything useful.

I put an almost 5 year old pig through surgery, and she made it through the anesthesia fine (but the spay was really rough on her, and in the end she didn't make it).

Unfortunately, its your call. You run the risk of having something wrong with the surgery, and not making it through it (especially if the mass is so large). If its successful, you may have him for a while yet. If he's otherwise healthy, you could opt not to, and enjoy what time you have left, realizing that the mass could cause anything to happen unexpectedly.

I have not had any pig make it longer than 6 years. Because of this, and my history with pigs and surgery, I would probably opt not to do the surgery. But this is my own personal opinion, based on my own limited experience with surgery (and masses).

Good luck, whatever your decision.

My Recent Posts · 06/24/09

Thanks for the advice. My dad is pretty much saying the same thing.

He's saying that if they go in and find something wrong, they could put him down this week. But if I just left him alone he could live for months. If he's not in pain, he thinks I should just let him live out his last months in peace.

And I think he's right. But that doesn't make the decision any easier. :(

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shadowylady	Help! 5.5 Year Old Male - Large Mass in abdomen		Lead	[-]
Posts: 5 06/24/09 11:45 AM	Tags : abdomen, tumor, mass Hi Folks, I took my baby (Duke aka Munch) to the vet because he started wheezing last night. But (as usual) the wheezing stopped by the time we got to the vet. He did a thorough exam, however, and found a humongous mass in Munch's abdomen. Pic here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UfBVcrGocH_giqJoPDMJrg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ3unc6Ht6qbPw&feat=directlink So, basically the entire abdominal cavity should be clear...but as you can see in the photos...it's totally filled. They don't know what it is. He didn't want to just poke it to get a sample because he didn't know if it would rupture...he hardly wanted to squeeze it. So, I have some options. And I wanted some advice from you guys. I can get an ultra sound. The ultra sound would hopefully tell us what it's attached to and if it's operable at all. The nurse, however, said that the mass was so large that it was likely his organs were displaced (the wheezing they think is caused by his lungs being pressured)...so they probably won't see anything in the ultrasound. The next option is just to move forward with the surgery and if they can't get it out, then they put them to sleep immediately. If they can get it out, they will. I guess my question is have you all experienced surgery with older guinea pigs? He doesn't seem to be in pain. He's eating...he's squealy as usual. He's active. I just don't know what to do. And my family is basically saying he's old anyway...why put him through this? Anything?
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PooksiedAnimals		#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 4114 06/24/09 01:30 PM Moderator	I see you've posted on GL, and you're likely to get your best medical advice from there. I had a pig with wheezing symptoms, because of a mass in her chest. The mass in his stomach would certainly cause symptoms in the lungs. I'm not sure if an ultrasound would tell you anything useful. I put an almost 5 year old pig through surgery, and she made it through the anesthesia fine (but the spay was really rough on her, and in the end she didn't make it). Unfortunately, its your call. You run the risk of having something wrong with the surgery, and not making it through it (especially if the mass is so large). If its successful, you may have him for a while yet. If he's otherwise healthy, you could opt not to, and enjoy what time you have left, realizing that the mass could cause anything to happen unexpectedly. I have not had any pig make it longer than 6 years. Because of this, and my history with pigs and surgery, I would probably opt not to do the surgery. But this is my own personal opinion, based on my own limited experience with surgery (and masses). Good luck, whatever your decision.
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shadowylady		#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 5 06/24/09 02:58 PM	Thanks for the advice. My dad is pretty much saying the same thing. He's saying that if they go in and find something wrong, they could put him down this week. But if I just left him alone he could live for months. If he's not in pain, he thinks I should just let him live out his last months in peace. And I think he's right. But that doesn't make the decision any easier. :(
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Help! 5.5 Year Old Male - Large Mass in abdomen

Help! 5.5 Year Old Male - Large Mass in abdomen

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