Eye Discharge, Localized Hair Loss, and Antibiotic Treatment

Becky · Post » Thu Apr 21, 2005 10:29 pm

Cotton's skin didn't thicken, and in fact, seemed to be thinner, especially on her belly. Also, her hair loss began on her back, then her rump and progressed up her belly.

Here are a couple of pictures. Hopefully they're not too big so Lynx doesn't hit me or something.

Post » Thu Apr 21, 2005 10:43 pm

"...so Lynx doesn't hit me or something..."
Becky, Becky, Becky. No hitting. Hey, your pictures are a good size and if they weren't I never resort to violence. More like deprivation, incarceration, humiliation and other handy -ations.

Your pics are great. I copied them to the board. Let me know if you will punish me for presuming it will be fine with you.

Ketus15 · Post » Fri Apr 22, 2005 1:21 am

That hairloss on her rump looks exactly like Deuce's. He's also lost hair under his chin and now on the sides of his neck.

It just seems to get thinner, and thinner, and then all of a sudden he has bald pink skin. Its like it happens over night.

Thank you very much for sharing your pictures. Hopefully our vets can put their heads together and get these guinea pigs sorted out!

I think that Deuce likely has a number of issues.

Becky · Post » Fri Apr 22, 2005 9:24 pm

Yes, on the thinner and thinner part. The last place Cotton lost hair was under her chin.

Another thing I noticed was that her skin color/pigment changed during this whole thing. It was all quite pink, but now has dark spots. A ferret vet here said that's not unusual for adrenal tumors.

Actually, Cotton's hair is all growing back. (Also not unusual.) Our next step is to spay her, since with fluxuating hormones, she's bound to have reproductive-type problems. We'll also know for sure if there are adrenal tumors at that time.

I'll keep you posted, and I do hope the vets can talk.

Ketus15 · Post » Fri Apr 22, 2005 11:09 pm

Deuce's skin has always been dark. He's starting to get white and pink flecks.

I'm waiting for the vet to call back.

He's not eating his veggies right now. My Fiance said he ate this morning, but slowly. I just checked his poop and it is small and stuck together in strings.

He hasn't lost any weight but his gut is gurgling and he isn't moving very much. I'm starting a pellet mash and I'm going to syringe him fluids. I just asked the vet Wednesday about critical care, and he said not to worry because Deuce was still eating. I should have pushed.

Ketus15 · Post » Fri Apr 22, 2005 11:27 pm

Damnit, there is no on-call vet. They refer me to the emergency hospital. I don't even know if they know how to treat guinea pigs.

Post » Fri Apr 22, 2005 11:38 pm

If you hand feed and give fluids (you mentioned you were doing that), it will help.

Ketus15 · Post » Fri Apr 22, 2005 11:50 pm

I just fed him 5cc of pellet mash, and 4cc of water. He just refused to take more.

I have Metacam. Should I guess he's in pain and give him a dose?

He's now 1150, down from 1229. But the weight difference came on Wednesday when we increased his Lasix dose. He's weight has held steady since then.

What's the proper dosage for an 1150g pig, but some of that weight could still be edema.

Ketus15 · Post » Sat Apr 23, 2005 12:58 pm

Well, the hand feeding and fluids seemed to perk him up. By 4 am he was eating cucumber, but very slowly. He still hasn't drank a noticably amount of water on his own, but he was out of his hut and begging for food at 9am this morning.

I did not give him the lasix dose last night, and I asked my fiance to call the vet and ask about the dehydration and lack of appetite.

Becky · Post » Sat Apr 23, 2005 5:31 pm

Have you checked his teeth?

Ketus15 · Post » Sat Apr 23, 2005 6:06 pm

His teeth were check while he was asleep for the bloodwork. Everything looked good. However, I understand from reading here that they can grow up in a couple of weeks? I haven't seen him eating much hay, but he has been eating pellets.

We did not have dental x-rays taken, however nothing looked abnormal with his roots on the regular x-ray. Is this sensitive enough to be sure?

I just got the report from home. He's eaten a couple of lettuce pieces and more cucumber. The vet advised discontinuing Lasix for the rest of today and syringing him fluid every three hours as much as he will take. If he starts drinking on his own, we can return to Lasix tomorrow at the original, lower, dose.

Post » Sat Apr 23, 2005 6:52 pm

See the teeth page and the xray of Pinta's pig with elongated teeth. It is fairly clear. A good dental xray can show other things too. If the teeth are suspect, it's a good idea. Teeth can grow significantly in 2 weeks. Note the growth of Pinta's broken toothed pig on that page.

www.guinealynx.info/teeth.html