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A Confusing Set Of Circumstances..

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LeahsPiggies

LeahsPiggies

Teenage Guinea Pig
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So..

We have taken our 3 guinea pigs to the vet again today due to being inactive, breathing heavy, squinting and squeaking whilst toileting. My initial thought was UTI but it seems like I am wrong!

They went to the vet a few weeks ago and were prescribed a 10 day course of septrin - 0.5ml twice daily, which were proven ineffective. They have also been on Baytril!

We took them back today, and the vet gave them a real thorough check.. their mouths, eyes, noses, listened to their chest/heart/respiratory system, gave their stomach a good feel etc. She is as baffled as me because she says they are in perfect condition. Their coats are nice and shiny, they're a good weight, haven't lost their appetite and their poo's look good too.

She sent us home with a painkiller (metacam) just as a trial run to see if they're in pain, and it would help them.. but it hasn't.. so I am very confused. She also told me to put white kitchen roll in their cage to monitor their urine colour etc, it's only Porche that has wee'd on it so far but her wee is a normal yellow colour.

What else could this possibly be? They are spot cleaned daily, on the pets at home nuggets, unlimited hay.. they get veggies etc.

They have been scratching a bit so the only thing I can now think of is maybe mites.. but if not then I really don't know. Any suggestions? Could it be the weather maybe?

Even more confusing that Porche doesn't even live with the other two yet they all have it!

Sorry for the long post and thank you in advance.
 
worms ? allergy ? do you checking clearness of noses of water bottles inside ?We got soft dropping for one of our sows.I paid for full analysis at serious laboratory.They found abit high from normal value some bacteria and we was subscribed some kind of special antibiotic which kills it.2 weeks and 4.5 years sow became like young.Good luck!
 
kotov said:
worms ? allergy ? do you checking clearness of noses of water bottles inside ?We got soft dropping for one of our sows.I paid for full analysis at serious laboratory.They found abit high from normal value some bacteria and we was subscribed some kind of special antibiotic which kills it.2 weeks and 4.5 years sow became like young.Good luck!
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Worms is an idea, but surely the vet would of noticed it in their poo or would of felt abnormalities by feeling round their stomachs..

Their water bottles are always clean. They've never had a high build up of algae although I probably should clean them more often than I do.

The shed in which they live had the biggest clean out ever the other week so is clean and hygenic.. it just doesn't make sense!
 
It really is a mystery.

Worms are rare in guinea pigs but I guess it could be a possibility although I would assume you would have seen something suspicious in their poo by now but maybe it is worth mentioning to your vet?

Some people routinely worm their guinea pigs with pencur and such like so worming your pigs to see if there is any improvement wouldn't harm them.

Please note that worms doesn't indicate that you do not practise good hygiene (you obviously do) the parasite can be found on unwashed vegetables, hay, grass anywhere.

I hope that you get some answers soon x
 
Quite possibly could be worms. I have to admit I don't wash their veggies which I should do. I may have a look up of the symptoms online!
 
Thank you, Claire..

Although they don't have any of those symptoms.. Their weights are the same as last time and Porche has even put some on.. They aren't bloated and haven't lost their appetite. It's all so confusing :(

Could it be the weather possibly? Mites? They are scratching quite a lot but I doubt mites would make them less active and sit there squinting and breathing heavily.. Weird how the vet said their chest sounds perfect!
 
Hey, i'm not an expert on guinea pig health by any means but with Amanda1801 asking if anything has changed in their environment and you saying that their shed had a huge clean out the other week I wondered if their symptoms occured around a similar time? Did you use any different cleaning products that they may have reacted to?
 
Mites could make them quieter saw that in one of my boys who got mites, he was sleeping a lot and he would breathe heavier around the time of a scratching bout
 
Thank you both, these symptoms were actually present before I gave the shed a big clean. . In fact, the reason I cleaned it is because I thought it may make them improve but unfortunately not. Also, I did highly think that with the mites but would that make them squeak whilst weeing? The vet said if they had a UTI their stomachs would be tense, and you'd be able to feel any abnormalities but she said they felt perfect and their poo's looked fine too, and that they aren't struggling to pass them.

Sometimes they will squeak and other times they won't. It's very confusing, the vet said they were bright and alert.. their coats and weights were great and if they were in pain they wouldn't eat. Hmmmmm
 
Mites wouldn't but cystitis would which my vet said is common in piggies these days stress of mites could actually bring it on. Try treating them for mites and go from there as not going to harm if they are scratching and a good to rule it out, if still the same go back to your vets and ask for a course of treatment for cystitis for whichever one is squeaking. Never stopped mine eating neither mites nor cystitis but both make them quieter. Its obviously nothing major if eating and got to be something connected to affect them all.
 
degu_rock said:
Mites wouldn't but cystitis would which my vet said is common in piggies these days stress of mites could actually bring it on. Try treating them for mites and go from there as not going to harm if they are scratching and a good to rule it out, if still the same go back to your vets and ask for a course of treatment for cystitis for whichever one is squeaking. Never stopped mine eating neither mites nor cystitis but both make them quieter. Its obviously nothing major if eating and got to be something connected to affect them all.
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Ok thank you. All 3 are squeaking so surely that's unlikely, they had a 10 day course of septrin which didn't even make them improve. Will definitely treat them for mites and see what difference that makes - if not then I haven't a clue what to do. We've been back and to to the vets so so many times over the past couple of months and one of our bunnies wiped us out of £170 for a dental and xray! :(
 
Rule out one thing at a time, the likely hood of them all having bladder problems is low. Treat them for mites which rules them out. Also look at diet are they having anything different?
 
Nothing changed in the diet, they are on pets at home nuggets (high fibre, no alfalfa, healthy ingredients) .. the piggies love them. Unlimited fresh hay and water obviously and veggies. We changed them from country value fruity nuggets onto the PAH around 2 weeks ago and these symptoms have been going on since way before Christmas. Porche is on gerty guinea pig as she doesn't like pellets

I will be treating for mites! Just wish I knew what was causing the squeaking and sticky bum..
 
I'm not so sure if the squeaking is when toileting now.. I am confused..

Obviously I've just noticed Pringles with a sticky bum - But could that just be co-incidental? As I did hear her squeaking but she wasn't toileting, just eating her hay like normal! Could it possibly be mites that are irritating all 3? Hmmmm. My bunnies are scratching a bit too, so I will treat all 5 of them..
 
I thought my pig was coming down with something as she was lethargic and grumpy but I noticed she was scratching so used pets at home spot on with Ivermectin and now she seems fine. Parasites are horrible things and spread so easily :td: I hope your piggies feel better soon xx
 
I'd rather avoid anything relayed to PAH.I really doubt if they able to produce good quality food.There is also another BIG problem they sell guinea pigs obviously like most animal traders without proper attention to details.
 
*Gem* said:
I thought my pig was coming down with something as she was lethargic and grumpy but I noticed she was scratching so used pets at home spot on with Ivermectin and now she seems fine. Parasites are horrible things and spread so easily :td: I hope your piggies feel better soon xx
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Oh that's a great heads up, thank you. Will order 3 boxes of the beaphar anti parasite spot on and treat all 3 piggies and both the rabbits. Fingers crossed it will clear up the problem, or at least make things a lot better..
 
kotov said:
I'd rather avoid anything relayed to PAH.I really doubt if they able to produce good quality food.There is also another BIG problem they sell guinea pigs obviously like most animal traders without proper attention to details.
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I don't like the way they look after their animals but the products they sell are always really good quality, along with their food etc. I've heard many good reviews on the pets at home nuggets - Although they sound cheap and nasty they're one of the best so I've heard! Buying products from them does not go back into them taking in more pets :)
 
LeahsPiggies said:
Oh that's a great heads up, thank you. Will order 3 boxes of the beaphar anti parasite spot on and treat all 3 piggies and both the rabbits. Fingers crossed it will clear up the problem, or at least make things a lot better..
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I heard that product is useless. It is best first to get a diagnosis to find out the type of mites as they are all treated differently.
 
Ivermectin in a bottle is better the tubes like beaphar and kills all mites and cheaper then beaphar. Regards the pellets they are no worse for calcium levels then burgess and science selective. I don't feed many pellets these days due to this.
 
The beaphar cleared up my piggies mange last year, but I'll keep an eye out for some ivermectin. I can't keep taking them back and to to the vets like this, it wouldn't of been so much of an issue if I hadn't of already visited the vets around 20 times since January! I would rather treat them at home to rule anything out.
 
I agree mites can be treated at home. Rule things out like the vets would. If not mites after treatment then look at what else it could be. I know how you feel I live at vets some months
 
degu_rock said:
I agree mites can be treated at home. Rule things out like the vets would. If not mites after treatment then look at what else it could be. I know how you feel I live at vets some months
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Thank you :) we've just spent £200 all together for dentals, xrays, consultations abd recovery food for one of our bunnies and we've been back and to with all 3 piggies so many times. It all seems to come at once!

I am just taking it one step at a time at the moment. Are there any mite treatments you recommend and where can I buy them?
 
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