raising paw

Question
hi my guinea pig has a sweetcorn sized cysty thing on her arm which is loose not attached but under the skin it moves round and has not grown at all in the last 6 weeks what is this and is it harming her.And today she was raising that paw whilst sitting eating ,it is not swollen and she is not limping but could you please tell me what this could be thank you. Rebecca

Answer
Hi Rebecca.  It sounds like some kind of cyst, just like you mentioned.  To be honest I don't know that much about them as far as guinea pigs are concerned.  A lot of times, in humans, they are harmless and just a buildup of calcium or cholesterol depending on location.  It does seem to be hurting her some becuase she sits and eats with that arm in the air.  I would assume that normally she doesn't do that.  You can take her to an exotics vet to have it looked at, but they will most likely want to biopsy it.  Biopsies are not the cheapest procedure to have done, so make sure you get an estimate on the cost before you agree to anything.  If she is acting normally other than the foot in the air you may not need to do anything, it is possible it would go away on its own.  Sorry I can't help you more, haven't had to deal with cysts yet with my guinea pigs.
Let me know if you find anything out.
Anngela