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Arthritis And Leg Injury

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Thank you for your kind response. The photo of Teddy isn't a current one and his posture is much better but with his sore feet he is in obvious discomfort even on the fleece and vetbed. I only discuss with the vets we see the things I have read, which are usually only from this forum, Guinea Lynx and April Lodge Guinea Pig Sanctury, after giving them the symptoms he has and after they have had a look at him. I have lost confidence in the vets as they don't seem to do a proper examination; checking the ears when I have told them he keeps shaking his head when his ears are touched, checking his teeth. I even have to politely say that the table hasn't been wiped from the previous patient. You shouldn't have to remind them to do the basic things. After several visits with Teddy for the same symptoms (and my dachshund with her problem) I have asked them to do tests eg X-ray when I was hoping they would suggest it themselves. I have been taking Teddy for months now with a suspected systemic infection and although he had his fur pulled out and it tested positive for fungal he was only prescribed an antifungal soak which didn't work as the symptoms persist.
 
Update: I took Teddy back to the vet last Thursday and asked her to look in his ears (I had mentioned on Monday that he kept shaking his head and didn't like them being touched but she didn't check them). She took some black stuff out and looked at it under the microscope but didn't find any mites. She did some test with coloured waters and looked again under the microscope and found two kinds of bacteria. She asked me to look. She has sent off the sample to see what antibiotic to use. I told her that he has had Baytril in the past and another when he was castrated but he reacted badly to the latter. I also mentioned again that I was concerned about the black rim around his ears but she didn't make any comment. I mentioned necrosis and that is why I wondered whether he had circulatory problems. Today I noticed that the edge of one of his ears is breaking away and he still cries when I accidentaly touch them. The cream I was prescribed hasn't made any difference to his sore feet either. I am also waiting for the results of the body brush test taken last Monday to see if he has fungal spores. I also showed Teddy's bald belly and took my ipad up showing a photo taken in November of his belly with a full coat of hair. He loves his food and shouts loudly for anything that he thinks is going. He seems very active for his age despite his arthritis and moves around quite well but I keep thinking there is something that is being missed and I'll find he has died when I get up each morning.
 
Update: I sent a photo by email to my vet because the black rim on Teddy's right ear was breaking away. I had a phone call from one of the vets to let me know that Teddy's ear sample came back normal. I asked had she seen the photo I had sent which she had and said she would refer Teddy to a specialist vet in Auray. We took Teddy yesterday and he was given a thorough examination. We left Teddy there so he could be given an x-ray and some blood tests. When we went back in the afternoon the vet told us Teddy had a massive infection, was very anaemic due to his body trying to fight off the infection and that the x-ray suggests the infection is in his lungs (although there aren't any signs of URI) as they should appear darker on x-ray than they were. He doesn't have diabetes or hyperthyroidism and his liver and kidney function is good.

He prescribed Bactrim for 3 weeks and added Tramadol at a starting dose of 0.02ml once or twice a day for his arthritic knee. The vet was happy for me to give Teddy Feraglobin for his anaemia at a dose of 0.4ml a day and to try Cosequin for his arthritis. He said when the infection starts to clear, Teddy should start eating more and gain weight again. He also said as long as the skin on the red sores on Teddy's feet don't break open he was not too worried at this point but to keep cleaning them daily and putting on the F&M ointment. Regarding his necrotic ears, the vet said this was due to the anaemia and that they should improve once his red blood cells increase back to normal.

I gave him his Tramadol today and he has looked quite tired. He hasn't eaten much so I gave him some Critical Care but he wasn't too happy about it. I am not sure if the Bactrim is making him feel off his food. He is very happy to eat veggies though and has been munching on his Timothy hay and Redigrass. I have to hold him at intervals in the day to take the pressure off his feet so that the blood can circulate in them properly. I am hoping they will get better when his pain is managed better and also his anaemia improves.

Poor Teddy looks decrepid at the moment but hopefully he will get back to normal now I know what is wrong with him.
 
Update: Teddy had gained weight since Monday. He went up to 686g from 659g then lost 1g yesterday but today he has dropped down to 652g. I can't understand how he could have lost so much in one day. I have given him some critical care this morning and weighed him again. He had gone up to 672g.

Can anybody please explain why weight should go up and down so much. Could it be that he has become more active?

Thank you :)
 
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