Hi all. I have a three year old male, Teddy. On Wed he was diagnosed with a URI. Vet prescribed .45 baytril and 0.05 doxycycline twice a day... baytril for 7 days the other for 10. As well as benebac.
He received all doses on Wed. Gave him the morning doses on Thursday...and by the afternoon his appetite had decreased greatly... which I know is a side effect to the ABs. I didn't give him any meds that night or on Friday. His breathing was better.
I called the vet and they prescribed oxbow critical care... I syringe fed him about 7cc last night. He perked back up and started eating again.
So this morning I started him back on the meds but only gave him .2 of the baytril, waited about 2 hours before giving the benebac.
While I was giving the benebac he had diarrhea. Now he did eat some spinach, hay and pellets after this and the diarrhea has since stopped and he seems to okay.
So my questions are.
Is the sudden bout of diarrhea stress related or too much probiotics in his system?
Do I continue the ABs over the weekend if he is over stressed or stop until I can get a hold of the vet on Monday?
There are no vets able to see him until then...at least not the one I originally took him to and I don't want to stress him anymore.
Any advice you all could give would be great. Thank you in advance. Babs
Advice on stress and diarrhea
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bpatters
- And got the T-shirt
The diarrhea is probably unrelated to the probiotics or to stress. It's much more likely to be due to the antibiotics, particularly the Baytril. Which probiotic did you use?
Don't stop and start the meds. All that does is contribute to the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. If his GI issues are too serious to continue with the ABs, just stop them altogether. Otherwise, if you can treat him and keep the diarrhea under control and keep going, do so.
The rule of thumb for feeding guinea pigs is that a pig that's eating nothing else needs 100+ cc's of Critical Care or pellet slurry per kilogram of weight per day, split into 6-8 feedings around the clock. You adjust that up or down according to weight, and down according to how much of his regular food he's eating. I usually aim for 20 cc's per feeding, and am happy with 15.
Don't stop and start the meds. All that does is contribute to the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. If his GI issues are too serious to continue with the ABs, just stop them altogether. Otherwise, if you can treat him and keep the diarrhea under control and keep going, do so.
The rule of thumb for feeding guinea pigs is that a pig that's eating nothing else needs 100+ cc's of Critical Care or pellet slurry per kilogram of weight per day, split into 6-8 feedings around the clock. You adjust that up or down according to weight, and down according to how much of his regular food he's eating. I usually aim for 20 cc's per feeding, and am happy with 15.
Last night noticed Teddy not doing so well. Fed him 15 cc of critical care and some water. Poop was small but not loose. He didn't perk up like he did on Friday after the feeding. This morning I gave him 6 more ccs and took him to the vet.
The diarrhea is stress related as he started having a bout at the vets. This is a different vet from the one I saw on Wed. Anyway, he said stop all ABs until Teddy starts eat on his own....which he hasn't had any since yesterday morning, call the original vet tomorrow and let them know everything that has been going on over the weekend. He also gave me a list of veggies high in vitamin c... which most I already know.
Just tried cilantro...he ate one piece. So now I am to critical care syringe feeding again. The vet today did give me some hope and said he isn't that bad off and his hydration is up so that's good.
Question I forgot to ask, does anyone know how long it takes for antibiotics to leave the cavy's system? Just wondering if the puffing up and lack of appetite are still related to that or the URI which hasn't gotten better or worse... thankfully...since starting all this on Wed. Thanks.
The diarrhea is stress related as he started having a bout at the vets. This is a different vet from the one I saw on Wed. Anyway, he said stop all ABs until Teddy starts eat on his own....which he hasn't had any since yesterday morning, call the original vet tomorrow and let them know everything that has been going on over the weekend. He also gave me a list of veggies high in vitamin c... which most I already know.
Just tried cilantro...he ate one piece. So now I am to critical care syringe feeding again. The vet today did give me some hope and said he isn't that bad off and his hydration is up so that's good.
Question I forgot to ask, does anyone know how long it takes for antibiotics to leave the cavy's system? Just wondering if the puffing up and lack of appetite are still related to that or the URI which hasn't gotten better or worse... thankfully...since starting all this on Wed. Thanks.
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