Hilda has a tumour :'(

[Orlaith]

As you might have read, our lovely Hilda wasn't well for the last two weeks (thread here) but had perked right up and was eating well on her own, so we thought she was well on the way to recovery.

Unfortunately last night we noticed that she was drooling a lot and not able to eat by herself, but her teeth had just been filed so we knew that wasn't the cause of it. It seemed like there was something stuck in her mouth and she wasn't able to get it out. I syringe-fed her last night and this morning to make sure she got some food into her belly.

This morning we took her to the vet and he discovered a lump in her chin/throat area that wasn't there last week. Though he was reluctant, he agreed that there was no option but to sedate her and try to lance it. However, when he tried to drain it there was nothing inside, so it looks like Hildie has a tumour. And because of where it is, it's inoperable. There's too much going on in the area in the way of important blood vessels and nerves to risk the surgery.

So, she has gotten some anti-inflammatories and we have to still syringe-feed her and now we just have to wait and see if she comes around.

I'm feeling a bit sad though, because the vet said "at least we know we've done absolutely everything we can for her", which is the first time he's ever not been confident that she'll pull through. Meep!

[Kayleigh]

Oh im sorry to hear this. Its horrible when we do all we can and its still not always the outcome we want. Im sure you will make the best decision for Hilda.

Shes a lovely pig!

Kayleigh

[Orlaith]

Thanks :-)

Yeah we've to ring the vet on Monday to talk about her progress. We've already discussed our options and agreed we won't allow her to suffer and if she doesn't improve or regain the ability to eat soon we'll have to let her go. There have been a lot of tears this evening, but it would be cruel to force her to go on if she's in pain :'-(

[dkwannabe]

So sorry to hear about Hilda! I'm sure you will do all you can for her.

[Alice Rose]

Thats awful news =( I hope things do get better for her =(

[sugar10381]

So sorry to hear this. All you can do now is what's best for her.

[madmommy]

Hugs!

[Orlaith]

Thanks for the good wishes, everyone!

After a very up-and-down weekend, Hilda has perked up immensely. She hasn't had any drooling problems since getting the anti-inflammatory injection and she's improving a little every day. I'm syringe feeding her every 3-4 hours and she's slowly putting on the weight she lost. Her eyes are nice and bright and her demeanour has improved no end. She's also eating more independently with each day that passes.

I realise that this is only a temporary reprieve, and that when the tumour starts growing again we'll have to face a tough decision, but I'm so grateful to have this bonus time with her and that she's feeling better.

[dkwannabe]

I'm glad that she is doing better, for now!

[Kayleigh]

Im glad she is doing better! Shes a fighter!!

Kayleigh

[Orlaith]

Thank you! She really is trying her best :-)

Just an update, she still hasn't had any drooling problems, which is a good sign, but she is still having to be syringe fed. She's making good efforts to eat her veg and a bit of hay and has even munched in some pellets, but not enough to keep herself going. We've tried slowly weaning her off the syringe feeds to encourage her to eat on her own (which worked the last time), but this time if we go below a certain amount, her weight starts to drop quite dramatically, so we have to continue feeding her.

For now I'm happy to continue feeding her, but I keep hoping she'll start munching on her own. I've managed to cut out her night feed anyway, by giving her extra last thing at night and first thing in the morning and she seems okay with that, so at least I'm getting to sleep now :-D

[Orlaith]

Just an update on this. We had Hilda at the vet on Saturday for a check-up and the lump is almost gone! It's amazing! So, it may not have been a tumour after all, but some sort of really hard fibrous cyst or abscess and the anti-inflammatories and antibiotics seem to have helped a lot. Yay!

She's still being syringe-fed. I know at this stage she's just being lazy and spoilt, but her weight dropped below a kilo for the first time in three years last week, so the vet has advised we pump her full of as much food for the next three weeks or so and then wean her, so that she has more weight to lose.

Her feet are also improving and the vet is pleased with their progress. I'll take more pics and post them in the other thread this week.