Worst Guinea Pig carer in the world or the unluckiest?

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rjespicer

Post   » Sat Aug 25, 2018 4:16 pm


No but when she went in the Vet flushed and examined her mouth and said that her teeth all looked fine and that there was no laceration. Also that the position of the swelling was between the front and back teeth so she didn't think it was a tooth related issue.

Someone, maybe you , suggested a bug bite so maybe that is it. I ended up with a nasty abscess on my leg from what i think was a spider bite when I was back in the UK.

I emailed the Vet last night and sent some pictures and I got a message back that the culture results (if there are any) should be in on Tuesday and to call Tuesday afternoon to discuss what to do next.

rjespicer

Post   » Sat Aug 25, 2018 4:25 pm


A couple more photos. You can see the swelling a bit but it doesn't seem as bad. You can see though that her right cheek is not the same as her left. When I run my finger along it it is not smooth like her left cheek and I can feel a pellet sized hard lump.

It does seem to be smaller but that may be as a result of the vet lancing it but it doesn't seem to be getting any bigger and Nala seems happier. She was up on her hind legs begging for critical care today which she hasn't done since last Sunday and had two 5ml syringes, so about 16g of mix.

They also seem to put on more weight at the weekend so we will see what the scales say later today.


She was being difficult about meds again and I tried that technique you lined to but a) it says about putting vice like pressure in the jaw which is right where the swelling is and b) she worked out that if she scooches down in to a ball she can break free. Someone can make a lot of money if they come up with a foolproof Guinea Pig Vice ;)

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rjespicer

Post   » Sat Aug 25, 2018 10:19 pm


She is up to 837g today. She will take the Meloxicam no problem but really doesn't seem keen on the Sulfatrim it is a lower concentration then she was on before so the dose is larger and I suspect it may be a different flavor.

rjespicer

Post   » Sat Aug 25, 2018 10:33 pm


Incidentally the new scale we got that seems to be working quite well for us is a My Weigh KD8000. I also got a 100g test weight as well. I dont know if there is anywhere to put recommendations for things like that. I couldn't find any thing on a quick search

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Aug 25, 2018 10:52 pm


You are right - the vice method is tough in her particular case!

For what it's worth, if you see things worsening, I would recommend a dental xray by someone who can read it properly.

rjespicer

Post   » Sun Aug 26, 2018 1:41 am


Will bear it in mind, Thanks. According to the recommendation on this site our regular vet is pretty good on dental stuff Bay Area Bird Hospital SF

rjespicer

Post   » Thu Aug 30, 2018 5:02 pm


Tried both the Apple juice and Carrot Baby food and she wasn't interested in either even without the meds mixed in. Thanks for the tips though.

I have the new bottle of Sulfatrim at the higher concentration/lower dose size with apple flavor and she is a little more cooperative taking it but still takes some persuading. She still has no problems with the Meloxicam and gulps that down and chews on the syringe for more.

Can still feel a bit of a hard lump on her cheek but she is still eating and active and although her weight is fluctuating it is still staying above 810, currently down to 817 from 832 yesterday.

Vet wants to keep her on Antibiotics for another week and then see her to check on progress.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Aug 30, 2018 7:53 pm


So the size of the lump in her cheek is receding? If so, that is great!

rjespicer

Post   » Sat Sep 01, 2018 2:20 pm


Yes but I spoke too soon on the weight. She dropped down to 779g yesterday and although she is eating hay and wheat grass she doesn't seem to be eating veggies and pellets and has lost interest in Critical care as well. She still seems to be pooping OK though.

I took her to the vet who suggested we take her off Sulfatrim for two days but then start her on chloro palmitate on Monday. She confirmed the lump had gone down but that there was still some there so she lanced it again and managed to get most of it out.

It looks like I am going to have to force feed her critical care if she wont take it willingly.

rjespicer

Post   » Sat Sep 01, 2018 6:22 pm


Vet has said if she doesn't respond to the new meds she may have to do an x-ray to check her head and teeth.

rjespicer

Post   » Sun Sep 02, 2018 3:32 pm


Second day of Nalas break from meds and she is still not eating well.. She will eat hay, and Wheatgrass when I hand feed her, but other than a bit of green pepper doest seem interested in any other veggies.

She will take a few pellets when I hand feed her but I am having a really hard time getting her to take critical care. I have tried numerous different methods but cant seem to get her to stop wriggling so I can get the syringe in her mouth. I have tried the method the vet showed me, the one Lynx linked to and the Burrito method but she always manages to get free or scooch down in to a ball.

I was able to get her to take about 5ml this morning, but that was with her cooperation I just offered up the syringe and she took it, she had about 16ml yesterday . She is still pooping but they are smaller and light brown instead of dark.

She is hunched up and breathing heavy (I can see her stomach move with each breath) although she doesn't seem to have any difficult breathing. I am guessing this is pain related but the vet told me to keep her off of the Meloxicam until tomorrow morning. She does come out sometimes, to eat hay, but not as much as usual.

I am at my wits end on how to get more critical care in to her and worried if I dont she is going to have problems.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Sep 02, 2018 5:36 pm


I think you are right about the difficult breathing potentially being a sign of pain.

There is another method that involves covering the eyes. I think having your guinea pig on the counter, in the crook of your arm and covering the eyes with that hand, try talking gently and feeding with the other (I will search around and see if I can find better directions).

Ah, I found it. It is for giving medications but it might work for you for hand feeding:
https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... =3&t=10267

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