Worst Guinea Pig carer in the world or the unluckiest?

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rjespicer

Post   » Tue Sep 04, 2018 1:15 am


I was able to get her to eat a bit of Chard, Cherry tomato and a little bit of green pepper this evening but only managed to get about 13ml of Critical Care in to her (about 1/3rd of a tablespoon of powder) She is still eating lots of hay and some wheatgrass and her poops look bigger but still light brown instead of dark.

She didnt want to take antibiotics this evening but I managed to wear her down and finally managed to get the syringe in after 20-25mins of trying. She didnt want to take the bene-bac either which she usually gobbles down but she eventually took it. I think she may just be sick of syringes. I know I am.

She is still breathing heavily but has settled down to sleep now.

Hoping the vet calls me tomorrow AM.

Thanks for your help and support.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Sep 04, 2018 8:13 am


I think I've posted the heart page, no? Unsure if it applies but the breathing heavily can be a sign.
www.guinealynx.info/heart.html

rjespicer

Post   » Tue Sep 04, 2018 3:59 pm


Still waiting for the vet to call about the dosage as she doesn't get in till the afternoon.

They did offer to have me bring her in so they could look at her breathing but dont have transport today but that was without them being able to talk to the vet who has been treating her so far. The wife was also saying that every time we take her in at the moment she seems to get worse.

I am still concerned that the dose seems higher than even the 0.5mg/Kg figure and am wondering what the effects of too high a dose might be.

She has been taking Peppers and chard when I hand feed her them, along with a few pellets, and still eating lots of hay but she is still quiet and sleeping a lot.

However when I got up at 4 am this morning and decided to check on her she was out by herself in the pen but I don't know if she had been eating anything and her poop appears to be larger and darker than it was but she is not taking much critical care so far today.

rjespicer

Post   » Tue Sep 04, 2018 5:18 pm


Vet wants me to take her in so they can keep her overnight and keep her under observation and get plenty of critical care in to her.

They were also talking about about taking X-rays

She said the dose was fine, she always does twice daily and she bumped the dose up a bit to try and help with any pain.

Working out whether to take her in today or tomorrow

The wife isn't happy and said Nala will be sad without us and better to keep her at home and just see how she does.

rjespicer

Post   » Tue Sep 04, 2018 7:39 pm


I just took Nala in to the vet and they will keep her overnight and keep her under observation. They will also feed her critical care.

I also took in her meds as she is due her second dose around 6pm and I also took in some Chard, Dandelion, Wheatgrass, Peppers and tomato as I know she will eat those if they are put in front of her.

The vet said it is good that she is eating hay as that is more important than the rest of the other foods.

I weighed her before putting her in the carrier and her weight was up slightly on yesterday, 763g, and has actually gained about 9g since Sunday which I am hoping is a good sign. OK not much of a gain but it is better than her losing weight, which would be a real worry.

They will do some X-Rays tomorrow and hopefully that will let us know if there are any other problems.

We miss her already. Fingers crossed tomorrow brings good news.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Sep 04, 2018 10:46 pm


It is hard when they aren't home. I hope the vet techs are able to get a good amount of food into her.

rjespicer

Post   » Wed Sep 05, 2018 1:26 am


Have been racking my brains for anything else that changed and the only thing I can think of that coincides with when she took a turn for the worst was I started a new tube of Bene-Bac. It is with in date (2020) but it felt oily when I took it out of the blister pack. I rinsed it off but is it possible that it was contaminated in some way or had been kept too hot and gone bad?

Clutching at straws I know but I started it at roughly the same time she started having problems.

Been a very subdued evening here. The pen looks empty without her and the other two seem to be looking for her and go and sit under the blanket in the corner where she had been siting these last few days. They are very quiet as well but seem otherwise fit and healthy. Siouxsie has put on 45g since Sunday.

Fingers crossed for good news tomorrow. Looking forward to getting her back safe and sound but going to be nerve wracking until we get news. Have asked the vet receptionist to let me know in the morning that she is ok. Feel bad for leaving her there overnight but hoping it was the right thing to do.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Sep 05, 2018 9:49 am


You could contact the manufacturers of the Bene-Bac and ask them about the oiliness and separation. I think this would not be likely to cause her issues but it could be the beneficial bacteria are lacking.

rjespicer

Post   » Wed Sep 05, 2018 2:32 pm


I already have some more on order which should turn up this week, hopefully in the next day or two.

The Vet called this morning to say that she is doing well an eating well and actually coming out of the hidey they have to eat. The vet says so far she hasnt seen anything of concern in her behaviour. When I asked about the heavy breathing she said they hadnt seen that but will keep an eye out for it.

They got a bunch of Critical Care in to her but she lost a little bit of weight when they weighed her at 8am this morning but I usually weigh her in the evening.

They will be dong the X-Rays later today. The Vet also decided to take her off of the Meloxicam/Metacam.

Hopefully she should be home later today, which is a relief. It was a rough night last night without her.

rjespicer

Post   » Wed Sep 05, 2018 3:50 pm


In fact it turned up today. I opened the blister pack first to check it and it seems fine. I threw the other one out.

rjespicer

Post   » Wed Sep 05, 2018 5:32 pm


Vet called. The X-rays show that she very definitely has chest issues but she says it is difficult to tell what is causing it without further tests.

She said it could be heart disease, Lung consolidation (although she said she could hear no signs of this in a physical examination), or could even be cancer. In fact she said Nala didn't seem to be exhibiting any physical symptoms that she would expect to see from the X-Rays.

She suggested a bunch of test such as an aspiration to remove some of the liquid, which has risks, an utrasound which could be done at the same time as the aspiration she also suggested we give her Lasix to see if that shifts the fluid.

On the plus side she did say there were no visible tooth issues on the head xray. However she said there is still a tiny bit of the abscess there but that she wouldn't consider trying to remove it until the other issues are resolved.

She said that they could keep her another night just boarding rather than hospitalization to make sure she gets more Critical care but not sure what to do.

The Wife is off for 4 days so I will be looking after by myself with some help from the daughter if she is available.

rjespicer

Post   » Wed Sep 05, 2018 8:01 pm


By off I mean off on a business trip

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