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Advice - inner ear infection/anorexia

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chrisrydal

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I was wondering if anyone has any advice. My 18 month old guinea pig, Rusty became very unwell 3 weeks ago - her head was tilted and she stopped eating & running around. I took her to the vets who then prescribed anti-biotics (Baytril). She took this for about a week & in the mean time I was syringe feeding her every 2-3 hours with Oxbow (made up with water) and water/vit c drops. I then supplemented her diet with fresh veggies that I put through my juicer.

She's been back to the vets & I asked them to check her teeth - they decided to sedate her & file them down. But even after having these done she is still not eating for herself and is losing weight on a daily basis. I try to feed her more often with the Oxbow but she's not keen on being fed like this.

Has anyone got any experience of this & what was the outcome (how long did it take for your GP to eat by themselves etc). I really don't want little Rusty to suffer but if there's a chance that she will pull through then I'm prepared to continue with the syringe feeding & TLC.
Thanks for reading :)
 
Sorry, I have never had a problem like that; but hopefully somebody with more experience will come along soon. Protracted weight loss is not uncommon in connection with tooth problems.

Sending your poor piggy my best wishes!
 
The inevitable question is why were her teeth filed down?
She could have had a stroke and/or middle ear infection, or even a parasitic infection, all of which would give rise to the symptoms you have described.
What dose of Baytril was she taking? Has there been any improvement at all in her condition? Can she walk in a straight line? How much weight has she lost?
The list of questions could go one even more but those are enough to go on with for now!
 
alcesterpigs said:
The inevitable question is why were her teeth filed down?
She could have had a stroke and/or middle ear infection, or even a parasitic infection, all of which would give rise to the symptoms you have described.
What dose of Baytril was she taking? Has there been any improvement at all in her condition? Can she walk in a straight line? How much weight has she lost?
The list of questions could go one even more but those are enough to go on with for now!
Click to expand...

Her teeth were filed because she had one longer than the other - I asked the vet if this would cause her to stop eating and their response was possibly. They said they couldn't say if it was her teeth preventing her from eating properly. They found her teeth at the back to be slightly overgrown (and charged me more money than originally quoted!).
They believe sh had a middle ear infection and this is what she was being treated for (due to the head tilt) - she looked lifeless and I thought I was going to lose her (and I know I still might :( )
The baytril prescribed was 2.5% 0.2ml's twice daily for 5 days.
She was also prescibed 0.4ml's twice daily of Metoclopramide syrup to help her appetite (for 2-3 days).
Her weight was 930g and is now down to 796g - the last couple of days were 808g's but today she took another loss.
In the last couple of weeks I have seen her get stronger and running around in her run, something she wasn't doing on the onset of her illness. I've separated her from my other guinea so I can keep an eye on her indoors but when the weather permits I put her outside in her run with the other piggie.

I'm at a loss to know what to do for the best.
 
My guinea pig had an inner ear infection a few months back. She was then on Baytril and an anti-inflammatory and to be honest it did take 2-3 weeks. The anti-inflammatory injection lasted 3 days and I would take her back every 3 days to have another. The vet had practically given up hope of her returning to normal. Buttercup's head seemed to be pulling to the left hand side all the time, especially when resting. Suddenly one night it just righted itself and she was better after that although I lost her last week due to a bladder stone. Buttercup didn't stop eating totally, she was eating a little herself but I was also feeding her Science Recovery mixed with organic vegetable baby food which she loved and would eat off the spoon which helped.

I hope your little pig gets better, don't give up hope, I am glad I didn't, it gave me a few more very precious months with Buttercup.

Joy xx
 
Many thanks for your reply Joy. I am so sorry to hear of your loss :(
I live in hope every day that Rusty will start eating for herself. She too seems to tilt her head sometimes....when I offer her food she kinda bobs it up & down, side to side, occasionally putting her mouth to it, but never actually biting into it. When out in the run she will now drink from the water bottle, something she wasn't doing last week....so things appear to be improving...slightly.
 
I wonder if she has ever been treated with Ivomec and Panacur or Valbazen?
Her continuing weight loss and head tilt could be due to a parasitic infection.
 
alcesterpigs said:
I wonder if she has ever been treated with Ivomec and Panacur or Valbazen?
Her continuing weight loss and head tilt could be due to a parasitic infection.
Click to expand...

I have no idea what Ivomec, Panacur or valbazen. As far as I am aware it was only Baytril that she was given.
Her head is upright most of the time - it's just at feed time she sort of bobs up & down & tilts it. On the onset of the 'illness' the vets said the prognosis wasn't good - but I've surprised them with each visit with an almost 'normal' guinea pig who has become perkier by the week...but there still is the weight loss/not eating problem. I just wish I could encourage her to eat by herself!
 
chrisrydal said:
I have no idea what Ivomec, Panacur or valbazen. As far as I am aware it was only Baytril that she was given.
Her head is upright most of the time - it's just at feed time she sort of bobs up & down & tilts it. On the onset of the 'illness' the vets said the prognosis wasn't good - but I've surprised them with each visit with an almost 'normal' guinea pig who has become perkier by the week...but there still is the weight loss/not eating problem. I just wish I could encourage her to eat by herself!
Click to expand...

Ivomec is for mites and I'm quite sure Panacur and Valbazen are similar to ivomec,mits can cause major health issues if not treated so i would be treat her right away xxxxx
 
Just to but in here sorry --

I've just looked and Panacur (if your gonna use that) will not affect your guineas appetite :)
 
Thanks Pipxxxx - I didn't make myself clear in my last post rolleyes sorry - what I meant was would the mites stop her eating...could this be why she has no appetite?
I believe she did have a middle ear infection which was cleared up by the Baytril but now she has been left with no appetite at all. I put her fave foods in her cage and she does not touch them. I'm worried if that she doesn't start to eat for herself soon then she will waste away so-to-speak. :(

I just don't know how to make her eat :(
 
Thanks KingBoris - I did mean the mites, sorry for being unclear.
I will treat her for mites and hope that she picks up!
 
chrisrydal said:
Thanks Pipxxxx - I didn't make myself clear in my last post rolleyes sorry - what I meant was would the mites stop her eating...could this be why she has no appetite?
I believe she did have a middle ear infection which was cleared up by the Baytril but now she has been left with no appetite at all. I put her fave foods in her cage and she does not touch them. I'm worried if that she doesn't start to eat for herself soon then she will waste away so-to-speak. :(

I just don't know how to make her eat :(
Click to expand...

have you tried syringing her critical care?and syringing food just to give her a kickstart with eating?
that would be the most effective way to keep her food up and if she isnt drinking enough i would syringe her water too,many foods can be pureed and pureed herbs and corn seem to be a fave with most piggies.
Try the stickys in the food section too so you can find more variety,if you offer her new and interesting foods she might be tempted to eat xxxxxxxxxxxx
 
KingBoris&HisFollowers said:
have you tried syringing her critical care?and syringing food just to give her a kickstart with eating?
that would be the most effective way to keep her food up and if she isnt drinking enough i would syringe her water too,many foods can be pureed and pureed herbs and corn seem to be a fave with most piggies.
Try the stickys in the food section too so you can find more variety,if you offer her new and interesting foods she might be tempted to eat xxxxxxxxxxxx
Click to expand...

Critical care is the thing keeping her alive at the moment (see my first post). I'm about to syringe feed her now. I'm also juicing her fresh veggies.

Thanks everyone for your advice & concern ~ much appreciated.
 
Hi, I have a bit of experience with my pig that stopped eating, thought it may help.My pig Ozzy would try to eat things but they would fall out of his mouth. Due to this the vet anesthetized him and filed his teeth, however there wasn't much improvement. Any food that wasn't syringed to him, (he could manage slivers of grass/carrot) - seemed to be gathering in his mouth. The vet was syringing green goop from the back of his mouth. Unfortunately the filing didn't seemed to have helped and he passed away :(, never discovered the source of the problem. don't let our outcome discourage you though, Rusty sounds quite perky which is a good sign.

is she trying to eat, and unable to, or is she uninterested in food altogether?
Like you I syringed Ozzy critical care and plenty of water to avoid dehydration, and also juiced veggies. I also got him to eat small dandelion leaves, strands of grass, sage leaves, and slivers of cucumber - all easy but tasty things to tempt him. although I would definately check he is swallowing if you do this, it wasn't very nice when I realised all the food I'd lovingly coaxed into Ozzy wasn't actually going anywhere! rolleyes

i really hope things improve soon, will be thinking of Rusty :) xx
 
Many thanks for sharing your experience with me ~ I'm sorry to hear Ozzy didn't make it :(
Rusty won't eat anything for herself, no matter what I put in front of her. I've tried giving slivers of her fave food to no avail :( Today she sat with a strand of hay in her mouth for ages, her bottom jaw was moving from side to side but she didn't actually eat it. I know the critical care is going in and being digested because she is pooping! :) I'm just not sure how much longer it's going to take for her health to improve....if it ever will :(
 
Panacur will not directly deal with the not eating, but since it deals with problems that can affect the appetite, it can and often does help indirectly.

I do think alcesterpigs could be on the right track with this. "Worming" your pigs (treating/preventing intestinal parasites and worms) with Ivomec and Panacur/Valbazen may help with one or other (or both) of the problems. You can worm the piggies yourself, the products are available without prescription online. Most vets are not aware how useful such treatment can be in many situations.

I wonder if you have a rodentologist near you...it may be worth contacting Vedra at the Cambridge Cavy Trust (CCT) to find out if there is someone local to you who can help further. The CCT number is 07721 026401 - she will have a list of rodentologists across the UK so should hopefully be able to advise you of one in your area. I think it may be worth seeking a specialised opinion from a rodentologist since the vet seems to be at a loss.
 
Thanks for the info CCC4 ~ I will give Vedra a call today :)

On a positive note ~ Rusty didn't lose any weight today :)
 
How is Rusty doing today?
We had a similiar problem with our pig Fuzzy. He stopped eating very suddenly one evening. We kept an eye on him for a day or so and he looked like he wanted to eat when food was put in front of him, but something was stopping him. He also stopped drinking out of his water bottle too.
We took him to our normal vet who kept him in. Despite running a lot of tests on him they couldn't find out what was wrong with him.
Everytime we called to see how he was, we'd be told he was still lively and alert but not eating. After a week and a half of being at the vets, they decided to refer him to a specialist.
The specialist also ran some tests and diagnosed an ear infection, he also had a build up of fluids in his throat which may or may not have contributed to him not eating.
The specialist then tried Fuzzy on various different medications, to try a find the right combination to combat the infection.
Another week later, we rang up as normal to see how Fuzzy had got on through the night to be told that he had started eating by himself again.
He carried on eating and putting weight on so eventually 3 and a half weeks after first going to the vet we were allowed to bring him home.
When we bought him home he weighed approx 900g which was the heaviest he had been whilst at the vets. Since then, he's gone from strength to strength. He is the heaviest of all 4 of our pigs and doesn't stop eating!

It took a long while for the vets to give Fuzzy the right combination of medication to help him get over the infection.

Maybe you should seek a second opinion? If we hadn't taken Fuzz to the specialist I doubt he'd be with us today.
Hope Rusty is soon back to normal. Please let us know how she is doing.
 
I have had experience of many pigs that have stopped eating. In most cases there is no obvious cause for the problem. Many would be more than content to be syringe-fed but would refuse to eat "proper" food.
It is bad practice but I would often resort, and still do, to trying various drugs or combinations of drugs, "just in case something worked".
Some would die, some would recover, there was/is no logical explanation for the outcome. One pig was syringe fed for almost a year when, almost overnight, he started to eat by himself without assistance.
I think the lesson to be learned from cases like this is never give up.
 
Thank you Roo3 & alcesterpigs for the words of encourgement and hope!
I've tried to get hold of Vedra as suggested by ccc4 to find a local Rodentoligist, unfortunately I am just getting a message that the phone is switched off. I will keep on trying tomorrow.
I've searched the internet for a local specialist but cannot find one. I really don't want to give up. My vet has basically told me there is no hope for her :( but I'm not listening to them - after reading all your stories I'm filled with hope...I'm keeping everything crossed for my little piggie!
I thought I'd better introduce you to my little Rusty & her friend Pickle....(pic taken a while back when she loved her food!)
PICT0040-1.jpg
 
I only managed to get hold of Vedra mid-afternoon - I *think* she usually has her phone off when she's in surgery. She may have had a busy day, hopefully you'll be able to get through to her tomorrow.

Good on you for fighting for him. I really hope the outcome is positive and Rusty's problem is soon resolved. Both pigs are gorgeous. :)
 
I've been checking around the boards for more details on the Panacur & Ivomec - I shall order some later tonight. I didn't realise they need these things every 12 weeks as a routine - I've learnt a lot in the past couple of days by reading stuff here :)

Thanks everyone :)
 
It's not essential by any means, but I do particularly recommend it for pigs who go out on grass or eat unwashed vegetables. Mine do neither but I still dose them, as I have had a few cases of "unexplained weight loss" which was solved by just one dose of Panacur. It's such a small amount only four times a year, but there is a herbal alternative for those who don't like the idea of treating with the Ivomec and Panacur. Ivomec and Panacur are good for active problems, while these and the herbal one are useful for routine treatment/prevention.
 
Sorry to be a pain - but I've been searching around the boards for more details on the best place to buy Panacur & Ivomec.
I think I've found the panacur at Chemistdirect here ~ can someone please confirm this is correct & where is the best place for the Ivomec? Another question is quantaties...Rusty is now weighing around the 800gm mark.
I've called Vedra about 15 times today, but unfortunately I cannot get hold of her...I will keep trying!
Rusty is still not eating for herself :(
 
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