Young pig with lump on his belly.

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Azver

Post   » Mon Jul 25, 2022 1:39 pm


Hi,

My male, teddy guinea pig called Moziko, has a lump on his belly. This is a very recent development. He is not even a year old, so it is a bit strange that something like this cropped up. He is his normal self. Popcorning and not showing any signs of illness yet.

Please advise what can this be and what to ask vet to check. How urgently do I need to get him to the vet? Do I need to keep him in a different room to my other healthy pigs?

The lump doesn’t look like an abscess because there is no sign of bite or any other injury. No discharge, just odd round bump on his belly.

Pig is leaving in a cage alone. Two other 2 pigs live in a different cage near by. He is way too dominant to bond with them, hence why he is being kept separately.

Will try to make an appointment tomorrow with the CJ Hall Veterinary Surgeons. Not sure if there are other good pig clinics in London.

I had guinea pigs for many years and thought I saw everything. Well I was wrong 😑 Now there is a lump to deal with.

Image

Image

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Mon Jul 25, 2022 9:19 pm


It's a little hard to tell from the photo for sure, but that looks fairly large. I would most definitely get it checked out.

Hopefully others will chime in with an opinion on it. In the meantime, there may be something helpful here:
https://www.guinealynx.info/lumps.html

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Mon Jul 25, 2022 11:48 pm


It definitely needs to be checked, but I'm guessing it's not an emergency. In other words, you have time to get an appointment with a good vet.

This may or may not help any anxiety you might have, but the general rule of thumb about lumps is if they're soft, squishy and moveable, they're not usually serious. If they're hard and fixed, there's more cause for concern.

Azver

Post   » Tue Jul 26, 2022 7:39 am


Thanks both. He is booked for an appointment with pig savvy vet this Saturday.

I had a good read through the lumps post on this forum before submitting my post. The list of causes is quite long and anxiety provoking.

Today the lump is the same as yesterday. Pig is active. I would not call the lump hard, feels more like a blister. But not easily movable. No discharge or bleeding.

Will keep monitoring the pig. Hopefully this is nothing serious. Will know more on Saturday.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:03 am


Hoping for the best possible outcome for your little guy. He's very cute. Please keep us posted.

Azver

Post   » Thu Jul 28, 2022 7:31 am


A couple images from today. The lump is definitely growing. :( Our vet appointment is on Saturday morning.

This does not look positive. Clearly pig is scratching the lump hence why it is a bit more pink than before and some fluff came out.

With this progression does this look like one of familiar scenarios?

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Poor Moziko. Also got turned upside down for the photo of lump. It was just for a few seconds. He is back in the cage and eating.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Thu Jul 28, 2022 4:34 pm


Hard to tell the location from the photos, but is it one of his nipples? If so, it could be a mammary tumor.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Thu Jul 28, 2022 10:38 pm


It looks like there’s a spot in the middle, almost like an insect bite. Good thing he has an appointment coming up.

Azver

Post   » Fri Jul 29, 2022 4:08 am


The pig is being his normal self :) still popcornig and begging for treats.

Agree that photos are not the best. It is so hard to keep him still. He is not beg fun of being on his back. The lump is not on his nipple, it is much higher. More like mid body.

Azver

Post   » Sat Jul 30, 2022 5:47 am


Moziko was seen by vet. This is possibly an abscess, so we were given antibiotics. The lump was drained from some liquids. Cultures sent for test. Fingers crossed that antibiotics do the trick for him and the lump will not reappear. If lump does not go away we will need to come back for further treatment that may require an operation.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Jul 30, 2022 7:59 am


I'm glad they drained the lump and cultured it. Should help a great deal in dealing with it. It would appear it is an abscess. Sometimes they develop a thick pus that requires removal along with surgical removal of the abscess wall. Your seeing a vet will have made a big difference in a positive outcome.

Let me know if you'd like a few of your photos added permanently to your topic for future readers.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Sat Jul 30, 2022 2:13 pm


Oh I hope the antibiotics do the trick. Good that you had a vet appointment and will get a culture.

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