Henry - crusty eyes, lethargic

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Mon Nov 05, 2007 8:25 pm


Wow, I had never heard of having acupuncture done on a guinea pig until this thread.

Would acupressure be just as effective?

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somechick

Post   » Tue Nov 06, 2007 12:00 pm


The homeopathic vet does acupuncture and has a laser as well. But Henry was having none of it!

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salana
GL is Just Peachy

Post   » Thu Nov 08, 2007 5:59 pm


chii had acupuncture on Miss Pea.

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somechick

Post   » Fri Feb 01, 2008 7:45 am


Hi again. For the past few months things have been good. Appetite is up, no more crying or bleeding. All is well.

Then two week ago (right when we were going for a well visit for a change) there was a spot of blood in the cage. It was Henry of course. So we just started her on a course of Bactrim again since the only way we've been able to diagnose stuff is through invasive procedures. I'm generally okay with a spot of blood now and then if nothing else is different.

However, all this week Henry has been getting more and more aggressive with her cagemate Dudley. Henry used to be scared of her own shadow and so is Dudley so together they were best friends. Now all of a sudden Henry is seeking Dudley out, burring, nipping, and chasing. And today it's at it's worst. It's constant. Dudley is crying and no matter where she goes - or if she defends herself - Henry is ready to start again.

I want to assume it's not hormonal because Henry's been spayed. Henry is the instigator here, not Dudley. The only things that have been different since this fighting started are:

1) They were at the vet
2) Henry was on Bactrim
3) Dudley got some Baytril ear drops because there was lots of junk in there and we wanted to prevent ear infection. I originally thought Dudley was deaf, so I don't know if this has any bearing on D or H
4) I found something that looked like dead half-cricket in their hay (definitely from the hay and not my house)

Any ideas why the sudden aggression? Anything I can do to stop it? It's constant and Henry is acting quite nuts. Should I re buddy bath? Treat for mites? Send Henry to an exorcist?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Feb 01, 2008 8:44 am


In rare cases, a spay does not remove all the reproductive parts and it can still be hormonal. Aggression IMO may also be a sign of pain.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri Feb 01, 2008 8:56 am


Yikes, sorry SC.

Is Henry urinating normally?

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somechick

Post   » Fri Feb 01, 2008 8:57 am


Right, I'm *hoping* they got all the parts, after all that drama, I can't even imagine. Would an x-ray show leftover parts or would an ultrasound be needed?

If Henry isn't feeling right, or in pain - given her history on this thread and knowing she has bladder issues - what would my next step be at the vet? We really don't want to do anything invasive like we have been, but nothing else has shown us anything.

As far as I can tell, she's urinating normally. She's peeing all over the cage though, which is unlike her, but I can't find anything odd about the pee itself. I took them out for floor time this week and there was nothing remarkable about the color / smell / amount.

Oh and they're both around 2 years old.

Tracis
Let Sleeping Pigs Lie

Post   » Fri Feb 01, 2008 8:04 pm


Sending good thoughts for Henry.

If she is chasing Dudley around, that may be the reason you are seeing her pee all over the cage.

Do you have pain medication on hand?

Edited to add: I *think* an ultrasound would give a better view of any reproductive organs, but, if you are just looking to see if anything was left behind, than an x-ray might do it (if the person reading the x-ray is experienced, that is).

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salana
GL is Just Peachy

Post   » Fri Feb 01, 2008 8:43 pm


An ultrasound would show if remaining parts are getting cysty (Suzi had ovary fragment cysts in both sides, and uterine stump cysts) but they would be too small otherwise.

I would wonder about diabetes, though. Being mean and peeing everywhere could point to diabetes.

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somechick

Post   » Sat Feb 02, 2008 2:02 pm


Well - before spending another few hundred dollars, last night I cleaned the entire cage and gave baths. Just thought that maybe someone smelled funny from the vet, or the ear drops, or Bactrim. And Dudley needed a bath anyway since she seems to stain herself with veggies. Maybe that's why Henry was chasing her - she smelled like a giant leaf of lettuce. I did give Henry a dose of Metacam just in case and let them be.

They've actually seemed just fine since then. They have seemed to stay away from each other a bit more, eating at different times and not sharing the hayloft today, but there hasn't been any fights.

Maybe they just needed a time out and I thought there was more behind it. Still keeping my eye on them though.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sat Feb 02, 2008 8:32 pm


she smelled like a giant leaf of lettuce.
ROFL. I have visions of the Seinfeld episode, where Kramer "basted" himself with butter.

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somechick

Post   » Tue Sep 16, 2008 9:30 am


I'm back. For the past few months, Henry's crying has returned. It seems like the Bactrim isn't doing much anymore. We've put her on D-mannose since she was last present with E.Coli and it's sticking to her bladder walls and that's what D-mannose is for. Lots of folks have had great success with this and saw a difference almost immediately (in their cats). With me, nothing.

I've already stopped giving her anything exciting for veggie time that might aggravate her. Only red/green leaf lettuce. Carrot. Sometimes tomato. That's pretty much it.

My vet and I are mostly at a loss. What else can we do for her to get her to stop crying. She's normal otherwise, but I feel terrible having her cry all the time. She can't live like that forever, I'd imagine :(.

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