[Gpdd] Health: Cyst, Tumor - operation??

[Carla Martinez]

Hi all. Many heads are better than one, right? I hope you can give me some advice. My silkie pig Snickers has a cyst on his right shoulder. In June the vet looked at it and said let's wait and see because it is benign. It was about the size of a marble, but only half the marble. She thought fluid would come out of the cyst but it wasn't an abcess. She said it is other stuff, more solid. She said it came out of a hair follicle, and called it a hair matrix cyst. I thought it was the kind of sebaceous cyst that Peter Gurney talks about, but she said no it is not.

Since then the cyst has grown some (about the size of a whole marble) and I have another appointment with the vet on Monday. She is going to operate on it that day if we decide that is the best thing, like if there is a danger of it hindering him or exploding. She said she would not put him on a course of antibiotics afterwards.

Just wonder if you have any experience with this kind of cyst and if it is good to operate or not. Is it risky? How risky? He would have anaesthesia, which I know is risky. Also is it good to give antibiiotics or not. I believe the vet is a good one but of course I don't want to do this unless necessary. I'm trying to understand what caused it and if there are any alternatives like natural remedies. I asked the vet if I gave him baths would it help keep his follicles clear so this wouldn't happen, but she said no it's hereditary. Are there other answers? Snickers and I hope to hear from you soon. Many Thanks for sharing your experience!

Carla, Snickers and Snowball