[Gpdd] HEALTH Spaying and Ovarian cysts

[Penny Charlesworth]

Well done Chris for giving this little piggy a loving home.

Before you spend any cash on what might be an unnecessary operation, may I ask you this - how good is your vet with piggies? Is the V-shaped patch in the centre of your piggy's back.

If a piggy with a bare V-shaped patch on its back were to arrive here today, I would immediately suspect parasites, not ovarian cysts. With these cysts the bare patches are generally bilateral - large patches of thinning hair either side. The V-shaped patch is indicative of the piggy scratching to relieve the itch, resulting in the V, which is as far as its little claws will reach up its back on either side. It is not always possible to see the mites with a skin scraping as the little devils burrow into the skin and they can be missed or your little piggy may have parasites in her coat ( these are very tiny and you need good eyesight to see them ).

I would give her a dose of Ivermectin straight away in case she has mites. This will do no harm and will prevent further infestations for 3 months. I would also bath her in an anti-parasite shampoo. I am guessing from the temperature in your friend's garage that you are in the US so would one of our American members please give you the information on where to acquire these items and the Ivermectin dose that you use. Here, in England, I can just buy them from my Rodentologist. The Ivermectin comes in a dropper bottle and it is just a matter of putting 2 drops into the piggy's mouth but these bottles do not seem, from previous discussions on this subject, to be available in outher countries.

A lipoma is just a fatty lump, not uncommon in piggies and if your vet's diagnosis is correct, I would leave it alone. It could be removed during the spay but I hope that it will not come to this as any operation carries risks. It could also be removed at a later date, should it become too large for comfort.

If her eyes are still poorly you could try a twice daily drop of Optrex ( the same as for humans ). The one with added Chloramphenicol is best, if this is available from your pharmacy. Sometimes, with crusty eyes, there is a build up of crystals at the corner of the eye and these can both burn the skin and cause some hair loss at the site. If this happens a dab of cocoa butter will dissolve the crystals.

If she has not had hay before, she may have developed tooth trouble as, I am sure you know, munching hay is necessary both for digestion and for keeping the teeth from overgrowing. Just something to watch out for.

Sorry that this post is a bit of an information overload but I wanted to send as much as possible before I go to work.

Please try the anti-parasite treatment before considering the spay. It would be awful to spend all that money as a result of an incorrect diagnosis, not to mention the stress and pain for your piggy. If it turns out that she does have ovarian cysts, there is plenty of time to consider the options - there are other methods of treating these that are far less drastic. More on this if it becomes necessary. 

Lastly, welcome Mimi. Enjoy your new home and new friend. You are a very lucky piggy.

Best wishes from Penny and the Piggyfriends ( piggy rescue and sanctuary in England ).