Ferdinand

Question
QUESTION: Hi Kat,
  Ferdinand is my 3 yr. old male Teddy-coat-type piggie. He lives right next to his male buddy, Petrie, but they are separated by a metal grid to prevent territorial scuffles.
  Ferdinand has been quite healthy for most of his life except that this past winter both boys had to be treated with ivermectin for mites because I picked Petrie up from an unfortunate pet shop environment. In between trips to the vet for dosages, the two of them developed sniffles and runny eyes and had to be taken to the emergency vet one evening to make sure the illness could not progress. This all cleared up pretty fast and they have been healthy and happy for a couple of months now. The only thing I can blame their sniffles on would be that the room may have become a bit drafty this winter, although in past years, Ferdinand and a different piggie I had named Boo Radley had done just fine.
   Over the past year, Ferdinand has become less fleshy across his rear and the skin under his little chin has started to hang a little. Originally I thought this might just be normal for mature male pigs, as he has seemed healthy and active anyway. He also developed a little puffy pink swelling under one of his bottom eyelids, which I have been told is just "fatty eye" and not a sign of any problems.
  Anyway, this evening I returned home from visiting my mother, who is very ill in the hospital, to find that Ferdinand's little chin/neck was a little swollen looking. Upon closer examination, the soft hangy skin under his chin has developed a large lump of some kind. I am concerned that this may be a very bad sign and am hoping that it is just a swollen gland of some kind and not a kind of cancer. I also noticed the same type of thing right in front of one of his back legs, along the edge of his tummy.
   Although I do plan on contacting the vet as soon as possible, I was wondering if you had any idea what might be going on with him. I noticed that earlier today he seemed a little tired, but I hadn't noticed any of this going on a couple of days ago, when I had him out for cuddles. I am sure I would've noticed "lumps". In your experience, have you ever seen a male guinea pig with temporarily swollen glands that looked and felt this way?
         Thank you so much,
         April

ANSWER: Hello April,

It sounds like he may be retaining fluid. Fluid retention and pea eye can be a sign of heart disease. Fluid retention is caused by poor circulation. This sounds much more likely than cancer. Lasix is a possible treatment and your vet may have other options for you as well. I'm going to give you a link to a page about heart issues in Guinea Pigs that may be helpful.

http://www.guinealynx.com/heart.html

-kkat
http://www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi again Kat!
    I have been concerned multiple times in the past that my piggy might have a heart condition because of his fatty eye. However, the vet seems unconcerned with that possibility. She said he has Cervical Lymphadenitis, which would require operation. I am horrified at the thought of putting Ferdinand under anesthesia. What if he doesn't handle it well? I have heard of a lot of small animals who never came back from surgery. In your opinion, is the risk reasonable? And it is it worth it?
    Also, I have been all over the web looking for potential causes or nutritional deficiencies that could make a pig susceptible to these kinds of infections. Do you have any suspicions?
         Thank you so much,
         April

Answer
Hello April,

If your vet is good with piggies and you trust her, surgery should be ok. Most problems occur when vets who don't know piggies well try to operate. They aren't just tiny dogs or cats and most vets tend to treat them like they are. A good piggy vet though, will know how much anesthesia to use and what to look for and what to do if there is a problem. Several of mine have undergone surgery with a trusted vet and they recovered well. It really depends alot on your vet's capabilities and you will be a better judge of that than me. If your vet is experienced and good, the risk is reasonable and worth it. This does need to be treated though so if you don't trust your vet it may be good to find one you can trust. If you mean the Cervical Lymphadenitis, the cause is a bacterial infection that has little to do with nutritional deficiencies. The believed transmission method is abrasions in the mouth or possibly even on the skin. Here is a page about Cervical Lymphadenitis that give various treament options that may help you feel a bit better about the surgery.

http://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewtopic.php?p=160439#160439

-kkat
http://www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs