Del Boy's Med Thread - Heart
Weighing - we use a smaller rubbermaid box with cloth diaper inside (diaper makes them feel more comfortable as they are used to blankets under feet). The scale sits on the floor and is first calibrated to the weight of the box/blanket. The box then is only inches from the floor, but the sides of box are high enough to hold them back from attempting the jump, esp now that they are used to this process. If you are worried about yours jumping from a similar situation, you might roll a thick blanket and place around the perimeter of the scale allowing a small opening to be able to see weight reading.
Echoing GrannyJu...use your own sense for Bam Bam with decisions for him. You're in my prayers as well for his comfort and for direction for his care.
Echoing GrannyJu...use your own sense for Bam Bam with decisions for him. You're in my prayers as well for his comfort and for direction for his care.
Thank you all for your good wishes and advice.
Del Boy and Rodney were see by the vet yesterday. Rodney has lost a bit of weight but nothing of too much significance. His chest remains clear, although his breathing, like Del Boy's, is a little odd. As he is also itchy were are treating him for mite and fungal infections as well.
The good news is that the vet was happier with Del Boy. His chest, although not right, has improved and there is finally some air entry in his left lung, whereas previously there was none. He has gained a little weight and she agreed he seems brighter. He is to continue on Baytril and furosemide(at a reduced dosage as she was concerned the previous dose was a little high) as well as the oral itrafungol and topical Ivermectin. The sore on his back has almost cleared up which is also a good sign. Both piggies are for review in two weeks, by which time I hope things will have improved even more.
Thanks again for all the support, which I'm sure is helping!
Del Boy and Rodney were see by the vet yesterday. Rodney has lost a bit of weight but nothing of too much significance. His chest remains clear, although his breathing, like Del Boy's, is a little odd. As he is also itchy were are treating him for mite and fungal infections as well.
The good news is that the vet was happier with Del Boy. His chest, although not right, has improved and there is finally some air entry in his left lung, whereas previously there was none. He has gained a little weight and she agreed he seems brighter. He is to continue on Baytril and furosemide(at a reduced dosage as she was concerned the previous dose was a little high) as well as the oral itrafungol and topical Ivermectin. The sore on his back has almost cleared up which is also a good sign. Both piggies are for review in two weeks, by which time I hope things will have improved even more.
Thanks again for all the support, which I'm sure is helping!
Finally, an update on Del Boy.
Having shown some improvement on the furosemide and after a course of itrafungol, the vet was keen to reduce the dose of furosemide, if possible, as she felt it was a relatively high dose, so we halved it. He seemed to tolerate the lower dose for a while, but then deteriorated further.
Feeling we were getting nowhere, he was reviewed on 16th August. After much discussion the vet agreed to try Septrin, but did not want to give Vetmedin unless there was clear evidence of heart disease. She suggested that it might be possible for a vet who specialises in ultrasounds, albeit in cats and dogs to carry one out, in consultation with another vet with more experience in guinea pigs. This was arranged for last night. I had a phone call from the vet to say the scan, which had been carried out whilst he was awake, had been done and although the results were not ready, I could pick him up and bring him home. She would ring me later with the results and a treatment plan.
When I arrived to collect him, the vet met me at the door with the sad news that Del Boy had just passed away. CPR had been performed for 3 minutes, but to no avail. She said initial results of the scan showed dilated cardiomyopathy, so the outlook was grim and in that case there was a high risk of sudden death. The vet rang me later that evening to let me know the final results of the scan indicated the pneumonia had caused such damage to his lungs that it had subsequently affected his heart and little could have been done in the long term.
BamBam and I are obviously very distressed by the sudden loss of this piggy, who had not been with us for long, but in whom we had invested a lot of time and effort in trying to get an accurate diagnosis. He was a real character, with a strong personality. We are consoled by the fact that he died whilst eating a piece of apple, which was his favourite.
As an aside, the vet also mentioned that his molars were completely flat, to his tongue, which she said is highly indicative of chronic Vit C deficiency. I know that since he has been fostered, he has had a very good diet, high in Vit C, so this must pre-date his arrival with me. Has anyone else heard of this theory?
Apologies for the length of this post, I felt it necessary not only to update things and to get more information about the link between dental issues and Vit C deficiency, but also to honour his life.
Bless you and Godspeed little pig.
Having shown some improvement on the furosemide and after a course of itrafungol, the vet was keen to reduce the dose of furosemide, if possible, as she felt it was a relatively high dose, so we halved it. He seemed to tolerate the lower dose for a while, but then deteriorated further.
Feeling we were getting nowhere, he was reviewed on 16th August. After much discussion the vet agreed to try Septrin, but did not want to give Vetmedin unless there was clear evidence of heart disease. She suggested that it might be possible for a vet who specialises in ultrasounds, albeit in cats and dogs to carry one out, in consultation with another vet with more experience in guinea pigs. This was arranged for last night. I had a phone call from the vet to say the scan, which had been carried out whilst he was awake, had been done and although the results were not ready, I could pick him up and bring him home. She would ring me later with the results and a treatment plan.
When I arrived to collect him, the vet met me at the door with the sad news that Del Boy had just passed away. CPR had been performed for 3 minutes, but to no avail. She said initial results of the scan showed dilated cardiomyopathy, so the outlook was grim and in that case there was a high risk of sudden death. The vet rang me later that evening to let me know the final results of the scan indicated the pneumonia had caused such damage to his lungs that it had subsequently affected his heart and little could have been done in the long term.
BamBam and I are obviously very distressed by the sudden loss of this piggy, who had not been with us for long, but in whom we had invested a lot of time and effort in trying to get an accurate diagnosis. He was a real character, with a strong personality. We are consoled by the fact that he died whilst eating a piece of apple, which was his favourite.
As an aside, the vet also mentioned that his molars were completely flat, to his tongue, which she said is highly indicative of chronic Vit C deficiency. I know that since he has been fostered, he has had a very good diet, high in Vit C, so this must pre-date his arrival with me. Has anyone else heard of this theory?
Apologies for the length of this post, I felt it necessary not only to update things and to get more information about the link between dental issues and Vit C deficiency, but also to honour his life.
Bless you and Godspeed little pig.
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