[Gpdd] HEALTH: lump on cheek

[corrine sakumoto]

We have a four and a half year old female, Twinkle, who was taken to the vet about five months ago because we noticed a lump on her cheek.  Well, we don't have any guinea pig savvy vets here, so we're pretty much on our own and we're not vets.  So we managed to find one who would see us.  She recommended someone else but we said we tried him before and left it at that.  So she agreed to see us and we found out that she's very old fashioned, relying on books because she doesn't trust the internet and all records are handwritten.  Anyway, she stuck a needle into the lump and studied it under the microscope and said it's not the c word.  She thinks that something poked her cheek, it became infected, then all this 'stuff' now surrounds it.  She said that giving antibiotics won't help because they won't be able to reach the 'infection' which is in the middle of the lump.  It's grown a bit, we know it's uncomfortable for her because it sort of 'drags'
 her eyelid down.  But having said that she's a happy little girl, eating okay and output is okay.  The vet said because the lump is on her cheek she's unable to anesthetize her so she said we should put her to sleep.  It took every ounce in my body to not grab my piggie and run out of there with her!  So now, five months later, the lump is still there, we have no guinea pig savvy vets and it's gotten a little bigger.  We want to help her but we know it must be weighing on her.  She eats okay but yes, we think the lump may impede her in some ways.  Occasionally she may breathe a little harder, because we feel it may be weighing her down.  We're always careful to carry her firmly and securely as her head obviously must feel heavier on the lump side.  The vet said the lump is hard not soft.  Does anyone have any suggestions?  Anything we can do?  Please realize that yes, we've tried so hard to find a guinea pig savvy vet and there is none.  We
 feel very helpless.  Thank you for any help.  --Corrine and Michael