Three Cavies in a Boat
Your boys (and the fosters) are so adorable, and you take great pictures of them! You should totally have your own thread in the Cavy Chronicles; I would love to see/read more about your herd whenever you feel like updating, if you have the time.
I'm sorry to say that my beloved Bobcio is not doing well. In fact, he is very sick, and I think his condition is terminal.
As you know, he is almost eight years old, but up until now, he was healthy. In summer he started having problems with his genitals - tiny abscesses on his prepuce. They were flushed and treated with antibiotics, and it seemed that everything was okay.
I spent August and part of September in Canada, and my piggies were "at the spa" :), boarded with several other guinea pigs at my friend's place. They had a ball, being able to stay outside long hours and grazing in the garden, which was a rare treat for them, since I live in an apartment building.
They came home like kids, returning from a summer camp - dirty and happy!
However, soon after, Bobcio's health problems returned, and this time with vengeance. He began loosing weight rapidly and one day I found a lump in his groin area. The vet said that it might have been related to the other one which Bobcio had on his side for some time. Surgery was possible, but before that, it was necessary to do blood tests. Unfortunately, the results showed that my Bobcio's liver was in very bad shape. His liver enzymes, AsPAT were very elevated: 1562.5 U/l, while the norm was 27 - 68.
That suggested that his liver was almost destroyed, and the cause was probably a cancer. Metastases were not excluded. Of course, any surgery is out of question, Bobcio is too weak.
He was treated first with L-ornitine L-aspartate and phosphatidylcholines, which help with liver repair, with aim to improve his liver functions, but Bobcio's condition still worsened. Now he has problems with breathing, slight discharge from nostrils and murmurs above his bronchia. He has been treated aggressively as if he were a patient with pneumonia, with gentamycin injections twice a day, since yesterday. If it helps him, he is to be started also on a steroid, because it is the only thing that my vet thinks can help Bobcio. However, it seems now that this hope is very thin. He gets also Duphalyte and probiotics, and I'm feeding him HerbiCare, a powdered feed similar to Critical Care.
This is Bobcio a few days before:
Today he looks worse. Sometimes I worry that he is already dead, but he only sleeps. He lies so limp...
I am devastated.
As you know, he is almost eight years old, but up until now, he was healthy. In summer he started having problems with his genitals - tiny abscesses on his prepuce. They were flushed and treated with antibiotics, and it seemed that everything was okay.
I spent August and part of September in Canada, and my piggies were "at the spa" :), boarded with several other guinea pigs at my friend's place. They had a ball, being able to stay outside long hours and grazing in the garden, which was a rare treat for them, since I live in an apartment building.
They came home like kids, returning from a summer camp - dirty and happy!
However, soon after, Bobcio's health problems returned, and this time with vengeance. He began loosing weight rapidly and one day I found a lump in his groin area. The vet said that it might have been related to the other one which Bobcio had on his side for some time. Surgery was possible, but before that, it was necessary to do blood tests. Unfortunately, the results showed that my Bobcio's liver was in very bad shape. His liver enzymes, AsPAT were very elevated: 1562.5 U/l, while the norm was 27 - 68.
That suggested that his liver was almost destroyed, and the cause was probably a cancer. Metastases were not excluded. Of course, any surgery is out of question, Bobcio is too weak.
He was treated first with L-ornitine L-aspartate and phosphatidylcholines, which help with liver repair, with aim to improve his liver functions, but Bobcio's condition still worsened. Now he has problems with breathing, slight discharge from nostrils and murmurs above his bronchia. He has been treated aggressively as if he were a patient with pneumonia, with gentamycin injections twice a day, since yesterday. If it helps him, he is to be started also on a steroid, because it is the only thing that my vet thinks can help Bobcio. However, it seems now that this hope is very thin. He gets also Duphalyte and probiotics, and I'm feeding him HerbiCare, a powdered feed similar to Critical Care.
This is Bobcio a few days before:
Today he looks worse. Sometimes I worry that he is already dead, but he only sleeps. He lies so limp...
I am devastated.
I'm sorry to hear Bobcio is doing poorly. I agree, it is very hard to watch our much-loved pets decline.
- GP_mum
- Supporter in '13
Sorry to read that Bobcio is not well and that things are so serious. However, glad that he's home with his family and being closely watched. It's never easy to see our special pigs go into decline, especially due to illness. Best wishes to you and that he continues to be comfortable.