tumor on guinea pig

Question
I have a guinea pig 6 years old. everything appears normal with her.  eating,drinking,active, etc. I noticed blood in her cage. I picked her up and she has a growth looks like a large cist down by the bottom of her belly. I took her to the vets and she said it was cancer. I just don't know what to do so I am asking you for a second opinion because this looks like a a big cist that has ruptured. I don't want to have her euthenized if this is curable.CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME? thank you

Answer
Hello Louise,

Did the vet run any tests or do a biopsy or was the exam pretty much just a visual exam? If it was just visual and no tests were run, I'd take her to a different vet for a second opinion. It very well could be a cyst or an abscess. Sometimes very bad abscesses can get diagnoised as cancer by mistake. While not exactly a good thing, abscesses can be deadly, they are treatable and with alot of patience and work, she could recover. If you can't get her to another vet, I would go back to the previous one and ask her to treat her for an abscess. If it is cancer, she could possibly have the tumor removed but at her age, surgery is a great risk. Treating for an abscess, to me, would be the best option. Cancer will most likely kill her, no options, but an abscess will kill her if not treated, options. If you treat for an abscess and it is an abscess, you can save her. If it's not and you treat her, you'll still lose her, but you would have anyway and at least you'll know you tried. That's what I would do if it were me and one of my girls. The best idea would be to get her to another vet for a second opinion. I advise requesting a biopsy. Good luck. I hope your little girl makes it. She's very lucky to have an owner who cares so much.

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs