Strange 'Balls' on my Guinea Pig
Hi everyone,
My five year old guinea pig, Phoebe, has several strange 'balls' the size of large peas on her underside--under her left armpit, two mid belly, one on her right side, and most recently, one near her right nipple, where her fur is now missing. (Otherwise no fur is missing.) Could they be fatty deposits or swollen lymph nodes? They are hard, but do not seem to cause discomfort or pain. They seem to be under her skin. They do not pus and are not from wounds, as she lives alone and hasn't had any injures. The first of these 'balls' appeared over a year ago, and lately more have appeared. I am wondering if I should bring her to the vet, or if its possible that I can work on treatment at home? I am not sure if maybe she just needs more exercise as she gets older. She shows no signs of being ill, beyond these strange 'balls'. I have always taken good care of her--I feed her organic pellets and give her fresh vegetables every day, as well has unlimited hay and water--so I am sad and surprised to see her not be healthy...:(
Any advice is welcome!
My five year old guinea pig, Phoebe, has several strange 'balls' the size of large peas on her underside--under her left armpit, two mid belly, one on her right side, and most recently, one near her right nipple, where her fur is now missing. (Otherwise no fur is missing.) Could they be fatty deposits or swollen lymph nodes? They are hard, but do not seem to cause discomfort or pain. They seem to be under her skin. They do not pus and are not from wounds, as she lives alone and hasn't had any injures. The first of these 'balls' appeared over a year ago, and lately more have appeared. I am wondering if I should bring her to the vet, or if its possible that I can work on treatment at home? I am not sure if maybe she just needs more exercise as she gets older. She shows no signs of being ill, beyond these strange 'balls'. I have always taken good care of her--I feed her organic pellets and give her fresh vegetables every day, as well has unlimited hay and water--so I am sad and surprised to see her not be healthy...:(
Any advice is welcome!
Phoebe has mammary cancer. The bumps are tumours. The vet said that surgery isn’t the best option, because of her age. He said that she will deteriorate from now until she dies...
I am so upset! I wish more could be done for her! I thought if I took excellent care of her, she wouldn’t get sick.:(
Does anyone know of anything I can do?
I am so upset! I wish more could be done for her! I thought if I took excellent care of her, she wouldn’t get sick.:(
Does anyone know of anything I can do?
- pigjes
- Cavy Comic
I'm so sorry!
Aiko was like that, and we found only one tiny lump at the regular manual exams we did at home. X-rays showed it was aggressive, and had already spread everywhere. As it was clear she also had minor pain, we decided to let her go before awful pain kicked in, which would have been days in her case.
Aiko was like that, and we found only one tiny lump at the regular manual exams we did at home. X-rays showed it was aggressive, and had already spread everywhere. As it was clear she also had minor pain, we decided to let her go before awful pain kicked in, which would have been days in her case.
- ItsaZoo
- Supporter in 2023
So sorry about Phoebe’s diagnosis. I had a dog with bladder cancer and know how difficult some days can be. Just love her and make each day special. I would also supplement with vitamin C just because there is so much research out there about how it seems to slow tumor growth and improves quality of life in cancer patients.