Guinea pig had part of stomach removed to treat gastric tumor

Abstract

CASE DESCRIPTION A 4-year-old sexually intact male pet guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) was evaluated for a routine wellness examination. CLINICAL FINDINGS During physical examination, a small mass was palpated in the cranial aspect of the abdomen. Abdominal radiographic and ultrasonographic findings were suggestive of a gastric mass. Cytologic evaluation of a fine-needle aspirate of the mass was indicative of spindle cell proliferation most consistent with a sarcoma. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME The patient was anesthetized, and an exploratory laparotomy and partial gastrectomy were performed to resect the gastric mass. Histologic and immunohistochemical examinations of the mass revealed that it was a gastric leiomyoma. The patient recovered from surgery without complications. No evidence of mass recurrence was observed during an abdominal ultrasonographic examination performed approximately 19 months after surgery. CLINICAL RELEVANCE To our knowledge, this was the first report of the clinical diagnosis and successful surgical treatment of a gastric neoplasm in a guinea pig. Gastric leiomyomas are not uncommon in guinea pigs, and although benign, they can cause clinical signs if they become large enough to impair gastric function. Gastrointestinal surgery should be considered as a treatment option for guinea pigs with similar gastric neoplasms.