Help! I found a lump on my Guinea Pig!

12-01-2005, 04:56 AM

Please help.
Yesterday, while holding my guinea pig, I felt a lump. I was scared. Today I played with her, and handled her carefully. The lump is still there. It definitely moves. It was sort of on her underbelly - below the chin area, but now it moved all the way down.. I am afraid to hold her. i wonder if it hurts her. I am terrified she could have cancer. I never heard of guinea pigs getting cancer - maybe I am just really ignorant about them. Can anyone give me some advice? *Do* they get cancer and what sort of lumps does that cause? What should I be watching for? I can't afford to just take her to a vet unless it's really necessary. I hope someone else can help. I apologize if this is a topic that's already been covered.

Thank you.

weesiepoo · 12-01-2005, 06:10 AM

i have a pinpin that has a lump and the vet said it is a fatty tissue lump and not to worry. it looks yucky ad feels scarey, but it is nothing big. and it is kind of freemoving to an extent and in the fatty skin etc layer.

however, for goodness sake, take her to a vet. and if you can not, watch it for growth and see if its jellyish. it could be an abcess, a pocket of infection that could really make your pig super sick. let us know how it all goes.

Amethystbelle · 12-01-2005, 11:03 AM

Piggies can get cancer and they also can get fatty tissue lumps that feel like they are floating and not attached to anything. Cancerous lumps tend to start of squishy and tend to grow as they feed on the hosts blood supply but they can vary depending on type. Personally i think you need to take her to a vet as we can all say it might be this or it might be that but at the end of the day it could be any one of a few things and the only sure fire way to find how what exactly is wrong with her is to get your vet to take a look at her and give you a true answer and that way you can treat her in the appropiate manner. I know its sometimes hard to afford vet visits but most vets can offer you a payment plan so you can afford it by paying a little each week to help the cost. Please keep us informed of how she is

12-01-2005, 05:20 PM

Thank you for the advice. I made an appointment to have her checked out with my vet so I will let you know what happens. The lump definitely moves. I am really worried about her. How can a being so small and precious get cancer? I can't even imagine. I went out last night and splurged a little for her, to make her feel better just in case she is in any discomfort. I can't see how having a lump can be comfortable. If I try to touch it, she tries to bite me and squirm away. Whis odd, since she never bites. So I went out and bought her something called a Living World Large Nest. A big ball with a few openings, made out of hemp, hay, I don't know what.. well! she has been so happy it's awesome! When I put that in front of her she went nuts. Popping up and down, weeking loudly. She doesn't go inside it though. She did peek her head through the holes but that's as far as she'll go. The idea of it being a nest doesn't appear to occur to her. LOL. She just wants to chew it. She seems to be in Piggie heaven.

Brandy · 12-01-2005, 05:29 PM

I hope its nothing serious,,let us know what the vet says

12-03-2005, 03:44 AM

Thank goodness, she seems okay! We went to the vet today. The vet took a needle and took a sample from the lump. And did some tests. The vet says it is lipoma, a harmless fatty deposit. Said to keep an eye on it, if it gets bigger, or if more appear, but otherwise it doesn't seem to hurt my guinea pig so the vet said to let it be. *what a relief*

The only thing is, when we got back home I noticed something VERY scary. My guinea pig was peeing Blood!! So I called the vet and explained this, and apparently it could be caused by the stress. My poor little guinea pig was terrified when she had to be held down and they put the needle in - she let out an awful squeal. She was nervous to start with, it was her 1st vet visit. I knew she wasn't feeling good because she wouldn't touch the grapes that I placed in the carrier for her. There were a lot of other animals at the vet too and I think she was scared by all the new smells and noises. I only noticed the blood when I was home and took her out of her carrier. She had left bloody puddles in it. I wanted to make sure that's what it was so I watched her for a while in a shoebox. Sure enough, she did it again. It was bright red. That really scared me. Once I put her safely back in her cage with new shavings and fresh hay, she peed blood again. The vet told me to keep an eye on her and bring her in again tomorrow if it doesn't get better.

Anyone have this happen before? Can guinea pigs pee blood if they are under a lot of stress, if they are scared?? The vet suggested she probably broke a blood vessel or something like that while she was there.

12-03-2005, 09:36 AM

She could have a UTI, bladder sludge or stones.

Amethystbelle · 12-05-2005, 06:34 AM

I'm so glad the lump turned out to be nothing, with lumps its better to be safe than sorry and i'm so gald she is ok for you

As for the blood in her urine i have never heard of that happening before, was she ok before you went to the vets? As if so then the vet is probably right it has been caused by stress, if it doesn't improve then i'd definately get her checked out as the vet might be able to solve it. I hope she is back to normal in no time and has many happy piggie years left with you

Mollymitten · 12-16-2005, 09:02 PM

Gpiglover, how is your piggie today?