Worst Guinea Pig carer in the world or the unluckiest?

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Mon Jul 09, 2018 11:11 am


Some vets don't believe in probiotics. Others do. Most of us with experience in giving them to guinea pigs swear by them.

Since my gastroenterologist recommended probiotics for me when we could't clear up a weeks-long bout of diarrhea that caused me to lose 40 pounds, and it worked within just a day or two, I'm a big proponent of them.

rjespicer

Post   » Mon Jul 09, 2018 12:29 pm


I hadn't been weighing her but just did. Our scales say 667g but we know they are 17g low compared to the vets scales (we need scales you can calibrate if anyone has any recommendations) so that would put her at 684g and she weighed 690g when she was at the emergency vet 10 days ago but their scale only has a resolution of 10g not 1g. So it doesn't look like there is much change but will keep monitoring it.
Maybe she is eating just not when I am there.

I will keep monitoring.
Last edited by rjespicer on Mon Jul 09, 2018 12:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

rjespicer

Post   » Mon Jul 09, 2018 12:30 pm


FYI I have call in with the vet and may take her in later today for a check up.

I had also stopped Nalas Meloxicam after Friday as the 7 days was up, I don't know if that would also have an effect.

rjespicer

Post   » Mon Jul 09, 2018 4:57 pm


Vet wasn't available today so have an appointment at 4:15 tomorrow. She seems to be breathing ok but there is a slight pop each time she does.

Appart from just being quiet and not coming out she is still taking critical care when ever I offer it. About 30-40 ml so far today. She will take so much then stop. So I give it an hour or two and try again.

rjespicer

Post   » Mon Jul 09, 2018 8:00 pm


I gave Nala some BeneBac again around 1pm when the vet called. They said it shouldn't be a problem just that they didn't carry it.

4 hours later and she has been munching through some Kale and Endives I put in front of her. Will keep topping her up with Critical care as well. Will give her more BeneBac about 60-90 mins after her evening meds.

rjespicer

Post   » Mon Jul 09, 2018 11:05 pm


Interesting developments, not sure what it means but I am pleased with the results.

I picked up a couple of trays of wheatgrass at the supermarket.

I put one in near Nala was she perked up right away and worked her way through about half of it in a matter of minutes.

I then did her medication and she was reluctant to finish the Doxycycline so I picked her up to make sure she did (Usually her and Chunky will take their meds without needing to be picked up) and she was quite quiet. When I finished her meds I decided to weigh her again and her weight had gone up from 667 to 711 since this morning so either it was the critical care, hay and veggies I had been feeding her or she had been out eating when I wasn't looking. She seems much perkier and was out eating hay a little earlier. Lets hope she keeps it up.

What was also interesting is that I had put a little bit of BeneBac in with Siouxsie's critical care yesterday evening, as she wouldn't take it from the syringe. She has been underweight since we got her (She was 355g originally just after we got her) She has been on Simethicone for an issue with gas and we have been feeding her Critical care on a regular basis for weeks to try and get her weight up. Usually her weight fluctuates a few gras either way but in general tends to go up steadily, it has gone up about 30g from the start of the month but today she seemed to be eating like a champ and her weight is up 19g from yesterday to 555g.I hope she keeps that up between now and her vet visit on Saturday (Nalas visit is tomorrow.) but maybe that little bit of BeneBac was the kick start she needed. Will see what her weight is like tomorrow.

Its a real learning experience with these girls.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Mon Jul 09, 2018 11:49 pm


Bear in mind that a teaspoon of water weighs five grams, so it doesn't take much food or water going in, or not going out, to look like a weight gain. What a pig gains in one day doesn't mean much -- what you're looking for is an upward trend.

On the other hand, a pig can lose significant weight in a day, particularly if it has diarrhea or is urinating excessively.

rjespicer

Post   » Tue Jul 10, 2018 5:23 pm


Understood.

Siouxsie is the only one I have been weighing on a daily basis because of her GI Issues and low weight and she has put on about 200g since she was first weighed at the vet 11 weeks ago.

The others weren't very cooperative about being picked up to be weighed and would dash off or jump out of the scales.

I am also concerned that the scales I have are not that accurate and register 17g lower than the vet scale. It is a Escali 157dp.

I could really do with more accurate scales preferably that can be calibrated as well if anyone has any recommendations

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Tue Jul 10, 2018 5:58 pm


Seventeen grams isn't anything to worry about. As long as your scale is consistent, it should be fine. My own scale weighs about 30 grams different than the one at the vet's office.

rjespicer

Post   » Thu Jul 12, 2018 12:57 pm


Just to keep anyone following the thread up to date

Nalas visit to the vet went well, she had lost a little bit of weight but the vet said it was not a worry and to be expected a little due to the antibiotics and illness. She also had a slight temperature but it was a hot day and a hot car ride so she wasn't too worried about that either. Anyway the good news is she said that Nala had clear lung sounds, she could not hear any noise at all. However Nala sneezed while she was being examined (and coughed on the way home) so the Vet suggested I keep up with the antibiotics for both her and Chunky until any sneezing, coughing or other odd breathing noise had subsided and not been apparent for a few days, so that means continuing her meds (that should have finished on Monday) until tomorrow AM or possibly the weekend or even to Thursday next week depending on whether we notice any noises. The good news is they do seem to be subsiding, especially since Nala had been a pretty consistent sneezer since we got her but the vet had not detected any breathing issues on a previous exam only when we took her in for the coughing.

The Benebac seems to have helped Nala perk up and eat more, that and the trays of wheat grass, so many thanks for that tip. Chunky will take it straight from the syringe but I have to mix Nalas in a bit of Critical Care.

While I was at the vet she also said they had taken a closer look at Siouxsies X-Rays from before and seemed to think that there were signs of scarring on her lungs and some thickening of the bone on the part of her skull that was in shot which might indicate a previous infection that she had been treated for before we got her so said we should consider a full X-Ray with anesthesia so they can get a better shot but didn't seem to think it was an urgent requirement as long as Siouxsie seemed to be doing well but it might help them work out why she is a bit "Wonky". So far , touch wood, she hasn't shown any signs of breathing issues and is pretty active but not as interested in Critical care as she used to be but does seem to be eating a lot more hay and veggies so maybe she is just full. Weight is still up and down but the overall trend still seems to be up 551g yesterday when I got home from work.

She has a vet appointment on Saturday so hopefully that will go well too.


Also just for anyone doing any research before getting a Guinea Pig (which I wish the wife had done before turning up with them) I estimate the total cost of vets and meds for the 3-4 weeks with all 3 girls being ill was $1,300 - $1,500 (so roughly $500 each). It all went on my card so I have some time try and deal with it. It is a lot of money, and I am not counting, or regretting, the cost, but I didn't feel I could do anything else other than what was needed to get them better, even if I end up having to spend months/years paying it off. That isn't even counting the loss of sleep, the worry and time taken for trips to the vet/emergency vet.
If you cant afford that sort of expense and commitment, should it crop up, then please dont get a Guinea Pig, they are relying on you for their health, happiness and life.

TheCageCleaner

Post   » Thu Jul 12, 2018 1:55 pm


Buy a postage scale on Amazon--we use this setup with a large plastic mixing bowl and a small fleece pad in the bowl. The sides are high enough to prevent jumping out and the rubber bottom prevents the bowl from slipping on the scale.

You need to weigh all of your pigs daily while they are ill (and preferably weekly when they are better) and record that information somewhere so that you can see the trend over time. We've used both notebooks and spreadsheets on the computer. Hope your pigs are on the mend!

rjespicer

Post   » Wed Jul 18, 2018 5:08 pm


Quick update

Starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel .

Siouxsie's vet visit went well. Her weight is increasing steadily (563g yesterday) and she is pooping well. Still no signs of any breathing issues so far so the Vet thinks she should be clear. Have been starting to scale back her critical care but she is still eating plenty of hay, pellets and Veggies.

Chunkita and Nala still seem to be doing well. Still the odd sneeze but nothing drastic that I have noticed. Nala finishes her meds Friday PM and Chunky on Monday AM. Both eating well, thanks yet again for the Benebac tip. So fingers crossed that they should all be fit and healthy and off meds by Tuesday.

FYI I found a tip online that seems to have helped me calibrate our scales so they now match the vets. Just in case anyone is interested it is :-

Get 5 new (ish) US nickels
Switch the scales on
Place them on a flat level surface
Set to measure in grams
Put the nickels on the scale
Press "Tare"
Remove the Nickels
Press "Tare" again
Put the nickels back on the scale and it should read 25g

Seemed to work for me but probably not much use if you are outside the US and dont have nickels unless you have a test weight or someone who can send you some nickels. Not sure on UK coin weights but there may be an equivalent.

Thanks again for the advice, help and support.

Post Reply