Whimsy
Bronze Member
Posts: 400
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Post by Whimsy on Nov 22, 2015 17:06:34 GMT
Melvin has been losing weight lately and I've noticed his poops have been kind of mushy. Sometimes there's a big clump of poo stuck together. I took him to the vet on Thursday and the vet found a fairly big lump (maybe the size of a pea) kind of under his chin or chest area. She did a test and said she thought there were some cells that look suspicious, so now they are sending in the sample to somewhere and hopefully I will get the results tomorrow. I'm very worried about him. He eats well and acts normal, but he is getting pretty skinny, so obviously something is wrong. She mentioned it could be a thyroid problem or possibly lymphoma. I'm hoping for the best...that it's a benign tumor. If that's the case I probably need to get x-rays and blood work done to find the reason for his weight loss. Poor little guy
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Post by jolovespiggies on Nov 22, 2015 21:03:55 GMT
Oh sweetheart, I really hope you get some good news. Everything crossed here and lots of loving vibes are on their way. Please keep us posted.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by Bean on Nov 23, 2015 10:34:42 GMT
I'm really sorry to hear that, but it sounds like he is in good hands at your vets and they'll be thorough about getting to the bottom of what's causing his mushy poops, weight loss and what the lump is/ if it's all related.
Fingers are crossed for Melvin. xx
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 23, 2015 21:08:40 GMT
All digits crossed for Melvin I have a piggy with a tumor, losing weight, so I know how you feel. Lots of hug to both of you
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Whimsy
Bronze Member
Posts: 400
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Post by Whimsy on Nov 24, 2015 14:37:08 GMT
The vet called last night, but I still don't know what is wrong with Melvin. She is trying to get a hold of the pathologist to clarify some things about the cyst. Of course the pathologist is off for a week, but since this is really important, she will keep trying to get some answers. it might be a thyroid tumor that's pushing on his wind pipe, which explains his weird breathing from time to time. She says it's a complicated surgery. I honestly don't know what to do. I still have to wait for the specific answer to the pathology test, but I have to start thinking about my options. If it's a dangerous operation, do I risk that and put him through it? Do I try to keep him comfortable for as long as possible? Cost is obviously also a factor. I want to do what's best for Melvin, but we also all know how expensive surgery is....and if it's really risky...I just don't know. The cyst/tumor is deep, which makes it complicated to remove.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Nov 24, 2015 20:43:04 GMT
Oh sweetheart I am so sorry to hear this and I wish I could advise. Cost would be a serious factor with me also whilst I would still want to do the right thing and the very best for piggy. Please let us know what you decide and thank you for keeping us posted. Lots of loving and healing vibes are on their way.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by Bean on Nov 25, 2015 9:30:15 GMT
I'm sorry you don't have any answers yet, it must be hard not knowing.
A lot of it for me in these situations, depends on quality of life. If the operation is straight forward, almost guaranteed to sort all the related problems and leave them in good health, it's something worth considering, even in an older pig.
If they're not sure it will cure the pig of whatever ailments they're suffering, may cause other problems, risk their life in surgery (more than the usual amount) or will mean a slow recovery with a lot to endure, then I'd think very carefully about whether it's in their interests to be put through it.
Of course cost does come into it too and if it's an expensive operation then you need to think carefully about what the odds are of it helping and whether you can afford to spend that amount of money. But I think if he's not himself and the surgery is considered very risky with a low chance of success (in terms of restoring full health), Id be thinking hard about whether it was fair to put them through it all.
I had a pig with tumours in her older years - some were easily removed (which we only did when they started bothering her) so she had the surgeries and she bounced back well every time. But in the end she got one on her face/ neck that was deep, grew really quickly and was attached to major blood vessels. Even in analysing it, it bled a lot and they said surgery would be too risky (and the vet I had at the time was brilliant with pigs, so it wasn't a matter of inexperience). She was otherwise in good health (no weight loss and eating/ acting fine) so we enjoyed out last months with her and when the tumour started bothering her, we had her put to sleep. Sad but she had a long happy life with us and I felt better for her not having had to endure illness at the end.
Hope the results come through soon and you don't feel overwhelmed by the options - you know where we are if you need to mull them over. x
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 25, 2015 13:16:00 GMT
I agree with Bean about quality of life being the main issue, and that also includes financial considerations. If you have to wait to save up for the surgery, the surgery might not be sucessful, or he might die from complications, you really have to consider that spending money you don't have might only leave you poor with no piggy. I've had that situation too many times, where just about the time the pig seemed to be rallying and getting better, she died. Yet I've also had surgery on a piggy girl that gave her many more years of no uterine cysts or surgeries. The hysterectomy was her third surgery in as many years. She wasn't young, but at that rate, she wasn't ever going to get old, either. I hope you get sufficient information to be able to make a good decision. There's nothing worse than wondering if we could have done more. My experience, though, tells me just endlessly throwing money at the problems doesn't change the outcome. Lots of hugs
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Whimsy
Bronze Member
Posts: 400
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Post by Whimsy on Nov 25, 2015 14:40:51 GMT
Thanks for all your advice. I appreciate it. I haven't heard back from the vet yet, so I can't make any decisions. Melvin is acting normal, except for a little bit of weird breathing sometimes, which clears up when he coughs. He eats well and seems happy. I've started feeding him some critical care as well as his normal food, so hopefully I can get his weight stabilized a bit. I'll keep you posted on the progress as soon as I hear from the vet.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Nov 25, 2015 20:42:22 GMT
Lots of loving and healing vibes are on their way hunni and thank you for keeping us posted.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 26, 2015 15:29:28 GMT
A dear Facebook friend from the UK just lost a baby piggy girl she and her hubby had been syringe feeding since birth. The little girl only lived for 11 days, but she, her hubby and their guinea girls gave that baby girl all the love she could ever have wanted or needed. Anita wrote a beautiful eulogy for her, on Facebook, basically saying her life may have been short, but it couldn't have been any better. Sometimes that's all we can give the animals in our care; love, snuggles, companionship and care; an incredible sense of being part of a family that loves them, even if it's not for very long.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Nov 26, 2015 20:53:05 GMT
That is lovely Piggles hunni and so very true. having just lost a piggy I really sympathise even though Mr Darcy had a long life.
Hugs Jo xx
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Whimsy
Bronze Member
Posts: 400
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Post by Whimsy on Nov 26, 2015 22:26:58 GMT
That's true! It is often a struggle to know what to do because you want the best for them, but the best might not be to put them through surgery etc. You really just want them to feel loved for however long their life is. I still haven't heard from the vet, so I can't make any decisions, but I'm leaning towards no surgery. I want to give him the best life possible and love him as much as possible while I have him. Our responsibility as pet owners is to make sure the animals don't suffer and I will do what I can to keep Melvin happy for as long as possible.
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Post by bazookagoof on Nov 27, 2015 2:07:16 GMT
That's true! It is often a struggle to know what to do because you want the best for them, but the best might not be to put them through surgery etc. You really just want them to feel loved for however long their life is. I still haven't heard from the vet, so I can't make any decisions, but I'm leaning towards no surgery. I want to give him the best life possible and love him as much as possible while I have him. Our responsibility as pet owners is to make sure the animals don't suffer and I will do what I can to keep Melvin happy for as long as possible. You just do the best you can do, and the rest just falls into place. I just lost a piggy of my own after rescuing him five months earlier. Here's hoping for the best, though. (I used to have a dog who I lost to cancer- the vet said surgery was an option, but the dog might not survive and if he did, he's live for only another six months at most AND have to adjust with missing part of his face! I said forget it, when the quality of his life deteriorates, it's time to put him down- which is what the vet strongly recommended after all.) We do our part in caring for our animals, let's let them keep their dignity in the end.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Nov 27, 2015 19:32:33 GMT
Oh yes to all of the above.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 27, 2015 19:39:59 GMT
We lost a dog to cancer, and we had the operation, and it didn't help. The wound wouldn't heal, and the cancer returned. We held on to him way longer than it was fair to do, but making that decision can be so hard. Lots of hugs.
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Post by bazookagoof on Nov 28, 2015 2:50:23 GMT
We lost a dog to cancer, and we had the operation, and it didn't help. The wound wouldn't heal, and the cancer returned. We held on to him way longer than it was fair to do, but making that decision can be so hard. Lots of hugs. It's hard. It's really hard to make that decision. When I knew it was coming, I cried for almost the entire last month every night. By the time that day happened, I was so emotionally drained that I felt like a hollow shell. The fact that you're doing the right thing for your pet never makes it any easier.
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 28, 2015 13:17:35 GMT
I wimped out and made hubby take him to the vet. I just couldn't deal with it, and hubby isn't an animal lover, so it was easier for him.
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Post by bazookagoof on Nov 30, 2015 3:13:35 GMT
I wimped out and made hubby take him to the vet. I just couldn't deal with it, and hubby isn't an animal lover, so it was easier for him. What happened with us is that since our dog Roscoe was the family dog, we thought we would all go to say goodbye, but my younger brother couldn't go through with it. He stayed home. I have an older brother, but he's an even bigger animal lover than I am, so we simply didn't tell him Roscoe was put down- we told him he died in his sleep that morning. My dad got as far as the lobby, and couldn't go any further- it was down to my mother and myself to be there with him for his final moments. I have to stop here- writing this is bringing back some awful memories.
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 30, 2015 14:25:41 GMT
I had to have my mother's dog put to sleep. My sister was staying at their house while they were on vacation, when the dog got really sick, and she wouldn't deal with it, so I had to. Better, actually, because the dog and I always got along great, and had a long history together. She never liked my sister. Still, my sister just didn't want to be the one to have to decide to have our mother's dog put to sleep without her permission(sailing out of phone range), so she dumped the responsibility on me. At least I got to spend Freya's last minutes with her, get her to the vet without driving like a maniac at her expense, etc. I think that decision was a bit easier, when the vet explained how much pain she was having. She had decided to give up, herself. Our dog still bounced around when we came home, wanted his dinner, etc., there just wasn't any way to keep the wound closed, and he was constantly rubbing it open, so it was really bothering him. I think we did the right thing, and probably should have done it sooner, but being best for him didn't make it any easier to actually do.
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