Soft droppings

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Yuugi

Post   » Sat Nov 21, 2009 2:28 am


If bacteria is present then i should take a urine sample as well?

She's only smelly if she has these sludge episodes, though. And they seem to come and go.
She's perfectly fine for a few weeks, then she starts getting worse when she is coming into heat (i feel worse with my I.C when i'm about to have my menstrual cycle as well).

This time because of the cysts she has been in heat for almost a month, so the sludge episodes are lasting long.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Nov 21, 2009 9:32 am


If you have a urine sample done, it will likely show an infection. This would confirm that your pig requires antibiotics.

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Yuugi

Post   » Mon Dec 14, 2009 1:57 pm


It took awhile for the vet to get the HCG injections. While we were waiting, Momo's nipples started getting smaller again but she was still rumbling a bit.

The vet couldn't feel her cysts anymore by the time we went for the HCG injections, but she got 2 rounds anyway.
The rumbling stopped after the first injections and her nipples returned to normal. I can say that so far it has been a sucess.

Her crying while pooping or peeing seems to have gotten better as well. She's doing it maybe once or twice a day, some days not at all.
Since she seems to have a bad phase and then other times where she's totally fine, i am fairly sure she has I.C.

However, just to be on the safe side, i'll be taking another x-ray to check for bladder stones and discussing putting her on a round of bactrim with the vet.

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Yuugi

Post   » Thu Jan 14, 2010 8:54 am


I took Momo to the vet to take another x-ray to make sure there were no bladder stones. Thankfuly there weren't any and it was quite a relief.

The vet believes Momo is a sludgy pig, so i have to continue giving her extra fluids and vegetables low on calcium.
I'm also thinking about lowering her vegetable intake. She was getting quite a bit more than a cup a day, and i noticed she got worse on those days.

The vet suggested a 15 day course of Bactrim to clear out any possible UTI's. She's been on it for 3 days now and i've noticed she lost 30 grams since then.
She's on a 30ml solution, half a cc twice a day. I have been giving her probiotics and extra vitamin C.

Her poops look normal, but today i have noticed she is more lethargic and puffed up, sometimes squinting and closing her eyes.
She did stop crying wile peeing or pooing though.

I'm about to call the vet because it seems to me she might be intolerant to the bactrim. What should i do next? Ask for another antibiotic, lower the dose or stop the treatment all together?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Jan 14, 2010 9:16 am


I am sorry she is doing poorly. Not sure she would be intolerant to Bactrim. Might be more likely she is in pain. I wish I had helpful advice for you!

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Yuugi

Post   » Thu Jan 14, 2010 10:21 am


But she doesn't have any stones, neither does she cry when she pees or poops since i started on the fluids and the antibiotic.

And the lethargy and being more "puffed up" seems to only have started 3 days after the start of the Bactrim.

She has lost around 70 grams all together since we moved to this new apartment, around a week and a half ago. I am wondering if the stress from the moving is contributing to the weight loss, since Mimi, her cagemate, lost quite a bit of weight after the move as well.
She was stable on 1.120gr for a few days until i started her on the Bactrim. Then she was 1.090gr this morning.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Jan 14, 2010 5:51 pm


I see. I know you will try to manage things as best you can. It is possible the move stressed them. But they're in the same cages, no?

I am hoping for the best.

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Yuugi

Post   » Fri Jan 15, 2010 6:12 pm


Good news from my part. Momo perked up considerably last night and this morning she had gained 20 grams. Then she spent the whole day alot more active, eating, drinking, shoving Mimi out of cozy sacks and gained 40 grams by the evening.

The Bactrim also seems to be doing the trick since she no longer cries at all.
I will continue to monitor daily though.

Tracis
Let Sleeping Pigs Lie

Post   » Sat Jan 16, 2010 2:56 am


I'm sending good thoughts, and I hope Momo continues to feel better.

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Yuugi

Post   » Sat Jan 30, 2010 8:23 am


Momo stopped crying while peeing or pooping while on the first week of Bactrim. Then on the last 5 days of the antibiotic i noticed she was crying a bit again and there was sludge in the vetbed as well.
I finished the antibiotic on Tuesday and she cried quite alot that day. I thought i'd ring the vet if she wasn't better by the next day.

Since that day until today, there has been maybe 1 to two times crying, and a bit of sludge. Since her suspected diagnosis is bladder sludge, i don't think more Bactrim will help.

While on the ABs i had been weighing her every day. She was gaining weight steadily so i decided i'd start weighing her weekly again. She was 1150 grams on Tuesday.

Today my jaw dropped when i noticed she was down to 1070grams. I rushed her into the emergency vet.
I asked them to check her teeth and she has overgrown molars with some sharp edges going over the tongue *sighs*.

The vets of that clinic aren't specialized in small animals and they will only trim the front teeth because they don't have the right tools to do the back molars.

There is a vet specialized in small animals in this town but i didn't have very good experiences there. I will, however, ask if they are experienced in doing teeth trims to cavies, and if they aren't where can i go for her teeth to be filed?

I am currently going to start handfeeding to help maintain her weight, while i wait until i can get her teeth trimmed.
I'm really worried due to the lack of knowledgeable vets in this area.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:05 am


I am sorry it is such a challenge to get good care for your guinea pig :-(

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demoness

Post   » Sun Jan 31, 2010 9:57 am


Good luck in finding a knowledgeable vet! It's a challenge almost anywhere in Finland. Have you checked the vets listed here: http://www.marsut.net/keskustelut/index.php?topic=186.0 ?(It's a Finnish guinea pig forum's list of vets that guinea pig owners have had good experience with.)

In my experience guinea pigs often get overgrown molars if they've not eaten enough on their own because of being ill. The molars should be fairly easy to trim. (That is, of course, if you find the vet who can do it.)

I wish Momo a quick recovery!

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