My guinea pig has a cheek lump, eye discharge, and is sneezing. Is it serious?

I can see that Lilo has a swelling over her jaw, which may be a sign of a tooth root abscess. This can result in discomfort and difficulty eating. I recommend having this evaluated by a vet as soon as possible, as she may need to have teeth extracted or dental x-rays. In rare cases, this can also be caused by a growth on the bone, either due to a tumor or inappropriate nutrition. In the meantime, you should ensure that Lilo has a well balanced diet and keep an eye on her for issues eating, weight loss, or any nasal discharge. I hope all is well and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Your guinea pig may have an upper respiratory infection or a tooth abscess. You should take it to a veterinarian familiar with guinea pigs for a check up of his teeth (guinea pigs often have malocclusions and teeth that are too long). If there is an upper respiratory infection your cavy needs to be treated with injectable antibiotics. Guinea pigs cannot take antibiotics by mouth as it kills their intestinal flora and can indeed kill the guinea pig. Should the crusts go away and your guinea pig eats and drinks well and is happy, then this might have been caused by a draft and it will not need a vet visit.

This could be potentially rubbing against cornea and in the long term cause both chronic irritation/inflammation (the cornea can get darker than normal) and possibly corneal ulceration. This lump/growth should be ideally examined by your veterinarian to have a definitive diagnosis. Your vet will examine it and possibly perform with an FNA (fine needle aspiration) or a biopsy. Differentials would include skin cyst, infections or benign or malignant type of tumors. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

The two most common causes of facial swelling in guinea pigs are abscesses in the jaw or a dental problem. Check your guinea pig's chin and mouth area. If she is drooling or the fur is wet, those are both signs of a dental problem. If a tooth is abscessed or growing abnormally into the area behind the eye, there can also be a discharge from one or both eyes, so check for that as well. Abscesses or tumors in the nasal cavity can also cause swelling like this to happen. All of these conditions must be treated by a vet. I suggest you find an exotic vet in your area to check him out.

Thank you for your question about Pickles. There are a couple of things that the lumps could be. You are correct that they could be abscesses, as these don't occur uncommonly in guinea pigs. Another potential is a type of tumor called a trichofolliculoma. This is a special tumor that occurs in guinea pigs, and typically occurs around their rear ends/hip/back region. It would be a bit strange to have multiples of them, but it can happen. I would recommend taking Pickles to the veterinarian. Depending on your area, the exam fee may range from $50-80 typically. After a thorough examination, your veterinarian can perform a fine needle aspirate and cytology of the masses. This means that they put a needle into the mass and extract some cells. They put these cells on a slide and look at them under the microscope. If they see bacteria, it is likely to be an abscess. If they see other cells, then it would be something else (such as the trichofolliculoma). A fine needle aspirate and cytology can vary in price, anywhere from $30-60 depending on the practice. After that, depending on what is found, the veterinarian may make further diagnostic recommendations, such as a culture if the masses are abscesses, or surgery if they are tumors. Thankfully, if it is a trichofolliculoma, surgery is curative. They may also have treatment recommendations, including pain medications and antibiotics. Please don't give Pickles any human medications, as many of them are harmful to our furry friends. If you are unsure about what veterinarians are comfortable seeing guinea pigs in your area, you can look at the Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians website. They have some resources on finding a vet in your area. I hope that gives you a place to start, and I wish you the best of luck!

Thanks for reaching out about your guinea pig. Common ear masses are abscesses (infections) and benign wart-like growths. Due to the nature of guinea pig pus and its thickness, both these conditions probably will require some surgical intervention. Seeking a veterinarian and having the mass lances with a surgical blade will help diagnose the problem but also possible remove it. Good luck.

Abscess means infection. Clover needs antibiotics and that is not something you can do at home. The longer you leave an infection in the body the worse it becomes. You need to what is best for him. If you cannot afford a vet it is best to surrender him so he can get the proper care. You can also try to see if any of these organizations can help but they are mostly for dogs and cats. ( https://www.dogingtonpost.com/need-help-with-vet-bills-or-pet-food-there-are-resources-available/ )