Henry - crusty eyes, lethargic

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somechick

Post   » Tue May 22, 2007 9:12 pm


Okay. I've mentioned that Henry is not eating and she's squeaking when pooping/peeing.

Just now Sanford squeaked 3 times while pooping/peeing and her bowl doesn't look all that touched today either.

Something's going on here. I don't know what this is.

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somechick

Post   » Tue May 22, 2007 10:07 pm


Okay, Sanford just ate 2grams when I refreshed the food bowl. Maybe it's just a slow day around here. But I'm continuing to listen to the squeaking and weigh her bowl. Either to rule out or rule in paranoia.

Just for reference, here is Henry, now 12 days post-op.
Image

And the extreme close up:
Image

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue May 22, 2007 11:11 pm


Henry is looking good (the incision).

I'm sorry you are not finding answers and solutions.

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somechick

Post   » Wed May 23, 2007 8:05 am


Yes, the incision is the one thing I'm pleased with!

Sanford ate 15 grams last night so maybe she's fine. But if she continues to squeak while going to the bathroom I'll go to the vet. I didn't hear much this morning, but it's always loud in the morning.

Henry is the same though.

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somechick

Post   » Fri May 25, 2007 10:56 am


Okay, since I can't catch a break, Sanford was at the vet last night for her crying-while-peeing and it made me think of something.

They took an x-ray to see if it was bladder stones, but they said that her cecum was blocking the view. Then they took another x-ray using something like a tongue depressor to move the cecum and get a clear view. No stones were shown, so they've sent the urine out for analysis to see if it's a UTI.

Red Bank also took an x-ray (and ultrasound) of Henry. They said the bladder was fine. But what if it's not. What if her cecum was in the way on their x-ray also. I don't know if it's possible for the ultrasound to be wrong, but who knows.

This is a long shot, but what if Henry does have stones or a UTI. (Although I guess a UTI isn't possible since she's been on the Bactrim for forever and that should have been cleared up by now.) She's crying while going to the bathroom. Her cecum could have blocked the view. Maybe this is why she's in pain while going potty and I guess it's also possible this is why she's not resuming eating, because she still doesn't feel great.

Again, totally out there as a thought, but who knows. I think that I might make an appointment and tell the doctor to humor me. It might be a waste of time and money, but I'm paying him right?

Also about Dr. Legendre and the teeth: my vet said that his practice consults with some dude in Italy who is also on the board he posts on. That's as far as I got with that.

But what do you guys think about my 'probably not the case, but what's there to lose at this point' thought?

Edit: she still seems incontinent, sort of. She will dribble pee when we're feeding her. Could this be a sign of stones or is she just angry and peeing on us? When she does this it's never normal like she pees and she's done. She peed on us 2 or 3 times this morning and it's never a HUGE amount, it's a smaller puddle.

pinta

Post   » Fri May 25, 2007 4:10 pm


Sometimes a spay affects the muscles or nerves controlling the bladder. It happens in other animals as well, I think. Should go back to normal in time.

Pain while pooping can also be due to back problems like arthritis.

Certainly can't hurt to have another xray but I would have thought between an xray and ultrasound, something would have shown up. Maybe she's developed a secondary infection in the bladder.

Hah - I'll bet the dude in Italy consults with Legendre. Maybe your vets should google Dr. Legendre before they are so quick to dismiss him.

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salana
GL is Just Peachy

Post   » Fri May 25, 2007 4:29 pm


Although I guess a UTI isn't possible since she's been on the Bactrim for forever and that should have been cleared up by now.

Not necessarily true--it could be resistant to Bactrim. Bactrim knocks out most UTIs really well, but there's always a possibility of some different bug.

Josephine
Little Jo Wheek

Post   » Fri May 25, 2007 5:16 pm


There is some really knowledgeable Italian vet who wrote a few articles for ExoticDVM, a book on exotic mammal dentistry, and does a lot of lectures. I'll bet it's Dr. Vittorio Capello. I would trust his advice. I'm sure Dr. Legendre knows him as well.

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somechick

Post   » Fri May 25, 2007 5:42 pm


Bah. Yeah I thought I might have been on to something, but I also kind of knew it was a long shot. If we think the incontinence still happening even 2 weeks post op is normal, then that isn't a concern. We had her urine cultured before the spay and nothing showed up then. I guess I was hoping that something could have been missed, but it seems unlikely. I'm also only basing this on her squeaking while going potty.

I don't know the Italian vet's name, but my vet said that he wrote The Book on guinea pig teeth, so that might be him, Josephine.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Fri May 25, 2007 7:25 pm


"Certainly can't hurt to have another xray ..."

Ditto, if you want to rule out everything.

I can't speak to cecums blocking bladders on views but *every* *single* *x-ray* I have *ever* had done on our pigs has been reviewed with the comments "huge amount of ingesta, can't see for ingesta, lots of gas", yada yada yada.

I am coming to the conclusion that only GL members feed their pigs correctly, the rest of them out there are about starved, and the vets don't know what a properly fed guinea pig's innards look like. If they can gently move her cecum to see the bladder, and if you're willing to pay for it, it would help you rule out (or find) one more potential disorder.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri May 25, 2007 7:52 pm


Ditto on the comments about gas. I've been told that repeatedly, too.

pinta

Post   » Sat May 26, 2007 4:28 am


So did they consult with the Italian dude? Send him the dental xrays?

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