[Gpdd] HEALTH Guiny's ovaries, Chico's nose

[Penny Charlesworth]

Hello Mieke,

You don't sound like an inexperienced slave!! Just one who wants to know what is best for her piggies. It is always good to discuss options.

Years ago, one of my sows, Posy, had ovarian cysts. I did not want to run the risk of having her spayed as finding a good cavy vet in England was well nigh impossible. She had to be separated from her group as she was for ever mounting her friends and annoying them. There was no treatment available at that time but Posy lived to be a very old lady.

Currently my Lavender has an ovarian cyst. With softer cysts, our Rodentologist is able to disperse them manually but Lavender's feels leathery so she is having hormone treatment for it. She had one HCG injection in December and has recently had her second. It takes quite a while for the cyst to shrink so I do not yet know how effective this is going to be. Since she had the first one, she has definitely been less dominant over her group so that's a good outcome even if the cyst does not shrink.

Under no circumstance would I ever have a sow spayed. I do not have a vet that I would trust in our area and any operation carries its risks. I never have my boars neutered for the same reason.

If you did decide to have Guiny spayed, she could certainly live safely with a single boar. Putting her with Chico and Toby would be asking for trouble as they would be fighting over her as well as with each other. It is such a shame that they do not get on that well but I am pleased that they have not gone back to the shelter.

As for Chico's nose, cleaning it up with a Q-tip would be the best thing to do. You could apply some antiseptic cream to the wound to stop any infection. A blob of Vaseline or Savlon is fine. I don't know what products you have in the Netherlands but I'm sure that you have something similar.

Penny and the Piggyfriends.