Mocha's medical thread
Mocha and I were at the vet around 2pm today when I noticed she was bunny hopping with her back legs a couple times. The vet found that she has spondylosis in the tail end of her spine, and decided to start on a two week trial of Metacam (0.2mls once a day). I'm to call back after the two weeks with a progress report on her.
I gave her the first dose around 10pm. Are there any side effects I should be looking for? (So far, I saw her bunny hop once about half an hour after the dose, but other than that, she hasn't been acting any different. Not sure when the drug would take effect.)
In the meantime, the vet suggested that I make sure she doesn't do any strenuous activity, like climb ramps or stairs. Mocha lives in a one level cage (2x5 C&C), but right now I have a little 1-2 inch divider in between the dining area and living area of the cage.
Would this be too much work for her to get across? I guess it's kind of like climbing a couple of steps, but I wanted to make sure first that it would be actually be a problem, before joining the two bases together (the entire coroplast base is actually a 2x4 and a 1x2 joined together with binder clips) or making a new one. :O
I gave her the first dose around 10pm. Are there any side effects I should be looking for? (So far, I saw her bunny hop once about half an hour after the dose, but other than that, she hasn't been acting any different. Not sure when the drug would take effect.)
In the meantime, the vet suggested that I make sure she doesn't do any strenuous activity, like climb ramps or stairs. Mocha lives in a one level cage (2x5 C&C), but right now I have a little 1-2 inch divider in between the dining area and living area of the cage.
Would this be too much work for her to get across? I guess it's kind of like climbing a couple of steps, but I wanted to make sure first that it would be actually be a problem, before joining the two bases together (the entire coroplast base is actually a 2x4 and a 1x2 joined together with binder clips) or making a new one. :O
-
Lynx
- Celebrate!!!
I didn't know what spondylosis was. Found this (more definitions on that page):
spondylosis
ankylosis of a vertebral joint; also, a general term for degenerative changes in the spine. Commonly seen in dogs. In aged bulls spondylosis can cause pain in the back. There is difficulty rising, weakness, unsteadiness, knuckling and toe-dragging with the hind hooves.
spondylosis deformans
a chronic disease of the vertebrae, especially in the lumbar area, in old bulls, especially those in artificial insemination centers, and old dogs. There is degenerative arthropathy at the articular processes and osteophyte development along the ventral edge of the vertebrae. The lesions are visible radiographically but there may be no clinical signs unless the new bone is injured. When this happens the affected animals are reluctant to rise or move their backs because of the pain that movement causes.
Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary, 3 ed. © 2007 Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved
spon·dy·lo·sis (spndl-ss)
n.
1. Ankylosis of the vertebral bones.
2. A degenerative disease of the spinal column, especially one leading to fusion and immobilization of the vertebral bones.
The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictio ... pondylosis
I don't know if this will cause her problems. Can you set up a small area to test? I would also think fleece might be easier than loose bedding.
spondylosis
ankylosis of a vertebral joint; also, a general term for degenerative changes in the spine. Commonly seen in dogs. In aged bulls spondylosis can cause pain in the back. There is difficulty rising, weakness, unsteadiness, knuckling and toe-dragging with the hind hooves.
spondylosis deformans
a chronic disease of the vertebrae, especially in the lumbar area, in old bulls, especially those in artificial insemination centers, and old dogs. There is degenerative arthropathy at the articular processes and osteophyte development along the ventral edge of the vertebrae. The lesions are visible radiographically but there may be no clinical signs unless the new bone is injured. When this happens the affected animals are reluctant to rise or move their backs because of the pain that movement causes.
Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary, 3 ed. © 2007 Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved
spon·dy·lo·sis (spndl-ss)
n.
1. Ankylosis of the vertebral bones.
2. A degenerative disease of the spinal column, especially one leading to fusion and immobilization of the vertebral bones.
The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictio ... pondylosis
I don't know if this will cause her problems. Can you set up a small area to test? I would also think fleece might be easier than loose bedding.
-
Josephine
- Little Jo Wheek
If she has spondylosis and is 8 years old, I would get rid of any barriers. YES, I think the inch or two of movement for her spine will be painful.
I have a feeling that lip is to keep the shavings in? Maybe if you do a little more fleece at that area, the shavings will stick to it? Shavings and fleece are messy in general.
I have a feeling that lip is to keep the shavings in? Maybe if you do a little more fleece at that area, the shavings will stick to it? Shavings and fleece are messy in general.
Maybe switching to all fleece would be better for her. I know I layer towels and then fleece so that my girls have cushioned support. I don't have any experience with spondylosis but anything that have to do with bones I would think would be painful, and given the age of your piggie I would imagine having soft bedding like fleece would aid in her comfort. In fact I think most vets will use this type of bedding or they use Vetbed as it is great for those animals that are old, frail, and recovering from illness or surgery.
Thanks everyone!
I actually tried an all fleece cage before, but I wound up having to wash the 1x2 fleece pads used in the dining area about every day, which the parents didn't like (more using the washing machine).
I guess I could try something different like ordering more fleece pads? Or maybe using some kind of flat disposable bedding like puppy pads. I'll look around the forum and Guinea Pig Cages for ideas. For now, I've moved her hay and pellet in the fleeced area of the cage.
Either way, gives me an excuse to redo the cage. MWAHAHAHA!!
I actually tried an all fleece cage before, but I wound up having to wash the 1x2 fleece pads used in the dining area about every day, which the parents didn't like (more using the washing machine).
I guess I could try something different like ordering more fleece pads? Or maybe using some kind of flat disposable bedding like puppy pads. I'll look around the forum and Guinea Pig Cages for ideas. For now, I've moved her hay and pellet in the fleeced area of the cage.
Either way, gives me an excuse to redo the cage. MWAHAHAHA!!
Forgot to add: I was looking up spondylosis on the forums, and I think Salana's Jackie was diagnosed with it (or some version of it).
viewtopic.php?p=1783409#1783409
viewtopic.php?p=1783409#1783409
Ah ok. Thanks for the explanation, Josephine!
So it looks like I will be going for an all fleece cage again. My parents were rather supportive of it, to my surprise, just as long as I'm not washing it every day with a half empty load. My dad suggested I buy several yards of fleece, enough to last a week or through half the week at least.
In medical news, Mocha has been acting a bit lazier when I got up this morning. As in, instead of staring at me to death for her veggies, she was casually lounging in her dining area, wide awake. It was also pretty hot at that time (80F), so I THINK it might have been more the heat making her lethargic than the Metacam. No laziness after that, but she got an icepack in the cage soon after, just in case of the heat.
So it looks like I will be going for an all fleece cage again. My parents were rather supportive of it, to my surprise, just as long as I'm not washing it every day with a half empty load. My dad suggested I buy several yards of fleece, enough to last a week or through half the week at least.
In medical news, Mocha has been acting a bit lazier when I got up this morning. As in, instead of staring at me to death for her veggies, she was casually lounging in her dining area, wide awake. It was also pretty hot at that time (80F), so I THINK it might have been more the heat making her lethargic than the Metacam. No laziness after that, but she got an icepack in the cage soon after, just in case of the heat.
Is it normal for them to get softer poops while on Metacam?
I was redoing the cage when I saw this:
I'm used to seeing about one or two of the soft poops, which leads me to withdraw the veggies for a while until they firm up and give an acidophilus pill. They never get worse.
I just gave her an acidophilus pill. She's stuffing her face with hay right now. I finished the revamp a little while ago, so now she has an all fleece cage with no hurdles to clear, so hopefully, that will inspire her to eat more hay.
(The little air bubbles in the poop is a bit strange to me as well...)
I was redoing the cage when I saw this:
I'm used to seeing about one or two of the soft poops, which leads me to withdraw the veggies for a while until they firm up and give an acidophilus pill. They never get worse.
I just gave her an acidophilus pill. She's stuffing her face with hay right now. I finished the revamp a little while ago, so now she has an all fleece cage with no hurdles to clear, so hopefully, that will inspire her to eat more hay.
(The little air bubbles in the poop is a bit strange to me as well...)
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