Possible Pyometra (Uterine infection)

I have a four year old female who has major weight loss over the past three weeks, and slightly swollen fingers and toes. We originally thought that the weight decrease was our successful attempt at weight loss. (My other gliders are still very fat.) As soon as I saw her toes, we took her in to the vet. She did x-rays. Apparently there is a stomach mass, though it is somewhat "squishy" and the vet believes it to be pyometra, an infection of the uterus common in cats and dogs. She can only find one mention of this, where it was an incedental find in a sugar glider spay. If it isn't pyometra, it would be cancer.

The vet wants to do exploratory surgery, which from my research I gather to be less than a 10% survival rate. Would you guys agree with that assessment?

She is my favorite. I really want to spend the $900 just to have the slight chance that she will make it, even though that is a lot of money to us. Her human dad says that the surgery would be traumatic and miserable for her anyway. He says let her finish out her time naturally, but I imagine it to be a painful death with either diagnosis. I don't know what to do.

I do plan to have a necropsy done.

First, let me say thank you for planning on the necropsy. They really do help all future gliders. I hope you will either go through the SUGAR Group for it or share the results with the SUGAR Group.

Second, yes, abdominal surgery in gliders has a very low survival rate. The reports on it are confusing because vets often report survival, but then we find that after 2-3 days at home the gliders pass away and the owners are not reporting this to their vet. So, it remains, at least through our research thus far, that there is a very low survival rate with abdominal surgeries in gliders.

Have you considered a biopsy? That can certainly be done and tested without issue. I have had several biopsies of abdominal masses completed. It could be that it is a cyst as well. We do see abdominal cysts in gliders (here is one such thread: https://thesweetspot.forumotion.net/t1652-fatal-multi-cystic-disease ) So, it is worth trying to get an aspirate sample to test before considering surgery IMO.

Well if it was a cyst, wouldn't it still need to be removed? Meaning surgery anyway? The xray does look similar to the cyst xray, though less spread to the sides and more spread lower into her body. Right now it looks like no matter what it is, that she will need some sort of surgery. Which she probably won't survive. So it really boils down to putting her through the trauma of that for a (as I understand it) very tiny chance that she will survive the surgery.

And yes, I will be getting with the Sugar Group. Not sure of the cost around here, but we will figure it out here or sending her there, one. That is the one comforting thing, that it might help someone down the road.

I am such a wreck with this. :/

Not necessarily. Cysts can be drained without being removed. We have several community members who have gliders that they take in from time to time to have a cyst drained. I would continue diagnostic testing before settling on the worst case scenario.  

The vet is saying that if it is a cyst, (which is possible, but she is still leaning toward the pyometra, because of urine odor,)  if a cyst is filled with infection, it can still burst into her abdominal cavity upon biopsy and kill her. And this is assuming she has done the ultrasound to see that it isn't pyometra. And from my understanding she can't tell what the fluid is from the ultrasound, so she might end up killing her if infection gets into her abdomen. So it would be anesthesia, ultrasound, biopsy, sending for labs, and get it back next week. Lots of risk.

The tests, killing her or not, will cost about the same as the surgery. With the tiny chance of it being a drainable cyst and not killing her, I am still torn. It is a lot of money, but that doesn't matter as much as the fact that I could possibly have another month or two with her if we just leave her alone. She is alert and friendly, showing no signs of pain. I am just very worried that I will be spending a lot just to kill her asap.

Do you know of anyone that has had abdominal cysts drained? I will see if I can upload her xrays in a sec.
Edit: can barely see the xrays in the weird way it was emailed to me, and doesn't really want to upload anyway.

I am sorry for your sweet girls illness. It is very stressful on everyone.

Can you send Val the X-ray in an email?

I am not sure why your vet can not do a fine needle aspirate of the cyst?

Know we are all thinking of your baby ((Hugs))

BCChins wrote:

I am sorry for your sweet girls illness. It is very stressful on everyone.

Can you send Val the X-ray in an email?

I am not sure why your vet can not do a fine needle aspirate of the cyst?

Know we are all thinking of your baby ((Hugs))

Well, there is an ultrasound to be done first, and then IF it turns out to be a cyst, I think she is worried about it draining into her abdominal cavity anyway. I am just concerned with trusting this woman, because she is a surgery resident. She is consulting with the only other specialist available this week in Tampa, who has a few more letters after her name, but some of the things she has said concern me about her glider knowledge level. I just left a message asking for further clarification, since I was so upset earlier.

I could email the xrays, but it looks as if they just scanned them on a scanner, they are so dark. Hard to see much. Where might I find her email?

Thanks so much for the kind words.

If you are are not sure of your vet you can look up one of the vet's listed on here for Florida. The ones listed in the vet section here come from knowledgable glider owners.
https://thesweetspot.forumotion.net/t207-florida