Should I board my pig with UTI??

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JamD

Post   » Fri Jun 22, 2018 5:41 pm


Our 4.5 year old female guinea pig had blood in her urine last Monday. We took her to vet and started antibiotics, and got urinalysis done this week. I just heard back that she has a "major UTI."

Unfortunately we all have to go out of town Sunday through late Tuesday. We have someone who was going to care for her in our home, but I don't think he'd be able to give the medications - it's tricky!

We could board her with the vet during this time. We'd have to drop her off on Saturday morning before they close. I'm leaning toward this choice - I'm worried about her condition getting worse even if we could find someone else who might be able to give the med. That way she'd be under medical supervision.

But I can imagine it might be stressful for her to be away from home, too. Any input on the better option / your past experiences?

Thank you!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Jun 22, 2018 11:12 pm


Is someone available around the clock at the vet's office? Are there any established rescues nearby who board guinea pigs and would have experience medicating them? Could you ask your vet if any of the vet techs might care for her in their home?

JamD

Post   » Sat Jun 30, 2018 2:50 pm


Thank you! We did board her. We stopped the Baytril today for her UTI.

I'm still worried about her intake. She did lose 150 grams over the past 2 weeks. The vet said that she was not worried because the weight has stabilized. It has been stable for the past 3 - 4 days. (In fact, she went up a little.) BUT - she is eating very little - less than a quarter of her usual intake. Still pooping, but poops are smaller and narrower than usual. (Could this also be a side effect of the Baytril or would that be just from food intake?) The vet says says to just keep watching her. She seems to particularly be willing to eat kale, so we've been giving her extra servings of that. She'll eat a couple of bites of hay and pellets, sometimes a carrot slice or two. Still seems to be drinking well.

Vet is now closed until Monday, and I don't think we need to go to emergency vet at this point. But I wanted input:
1) She was prescribed a probiotic to give every other day while on the antibiotic. Today is an off day, but we also stopped the antibiotic today. Should we start giving the probiotic every day? There are about 8 doses left.

2) We have some Critical Care from our other piggie, but it expired in 2016. (!) Should we consider a syringe feed to supplement her? I just want to make sure her gut keeps moving!!

Thank you!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Jun 30, 2018 7:34 pm


I am closing the other thread you started. This is the only thread you should be posting on concerning her issues.

Do not start any more medical threads on this guinea pig.


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bpatters
Post » 6/30/2018, 3:32 pm

It could definitely be the side effect of the antibiotic.

Probiotics should be given 60-90 minutes after every dose of antibiotic, and I'd give it for a couple of days after the antibiotic has finished.

If she's not eating her normal amount, I'd definitely supplement with CC or a pellet slurry. The expired CC is probably OK -- the vitamins and minerals may not be as effective as when it was fresh, but it'll do to fill her tummy up.

Lynx
Post » 6/30/2018, 7:32 pm

Weigh daily so you know how much food you must hand feed if she is not maintaining her weight.
www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html

JamD

Post   » Tue Jul 03, 2018 12:12 pm


Got it on the other thread - sorry for the error.

Our girl got her last antibiotic dose (Baytril) on Friday night. Her appetite still seems down. She runs out excited when we bring her veggies, but then mostly just sniffs through them, or nibbles a few then walks away - even with her favorites. I thinK I read somewhere that it can take up to a week for appetite to return after Baytril - does that sound possible?

Any suggestions for getting her re-interested in food?

(She is still eating some hay, and weight is stable / VERY slowly increasing, after some loss when she first got the UTI. Behavior is normal except for minimal eating. Poops were oddly narrow while she was on the antibiotic, but seem to be looking more normal.)

Thanks!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Jul 03, 2018 1:42 pm


I think appetite returns more quickly. Be on the lookout for malocclusion.
www.guinealynx.info/malocclusion.html

It sounds like you are still weighing daily and hand feeding if needed.

JamD

Post   » Fri Jul 06, 2018 3:03 pm


Ugh.
So she has continued to eat and slowly gain weight, but still eating less than usual.

Took urine sample to the vet today - they said it looked good, no UTI.

BUT - we asked about her appetite, and he looked again at the X-ray from 2.5 weeks ago. Apparently there were signs of stasis on the X-ray back then, but he thought it was because of the UTI. Now that she's still not eating he prescribed:
Cisapride every 12 hours X 5-7 days
Metaclopramide every 12 hours X 14 days

The problem is that we are leaving town in 4 days for 15 days of travel. We have a piggie lover watching her, but I'm not sure how experienced and comfortable they are about giving meds.

I really wish they'd told us this when we called to ask about her food intake 6 days ago! We could have started the meds then! Now I'm not sure what to do. Worried about leaving her, but have no choice. Could consider boarding at the vet, but I'd rather leave her with someone who loves her. It's also super expensive to board at the vet, especially for so long. I'm just not sure what to do. :-(

I'm interested in input and experience on how soon the meds might help?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Jul 06, 2018 8:35 pm


Sometimes there is a vet tech who has guinea pigs and is willing and skilled enough to hand feed and notice if there are any problems. Maybe you can call that clinic and see if there might be boarding alternatives available to you?

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