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Bad Tummy

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Guinea Slave

Guinea Slave

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hi guys

Sorry not been on here properly for a while. It's been one thing after another with my piggies. Abscesses, lump removals and it goes on.

The latest thing is poor titch, she was off colour last few data and suddenly lost loads of weight over the weekend... 90g! She is seeing the vet tomorrow. At first she showed no real symptoms, just weightloss. Still ate hungrily and was 'ok'. Today she has taken a turn fir the worse. Loose poops this morning have turned into full on diarrhoea tonight. I took her off all veg this morning, started her on recovery syringe food and she has had 3 ml fibreplex. I will keep syringing her tonight little and often. She is taking cursory nibbles of hay and wheeked fir her dinner tonight. She is v hungry. Someone mention diarolyte for hydration. Any ideas on dosage?

Anything else I can do? I have also given her 0.4ml Zantac twice today. I love this girl to bits, hate seeing her suffer. :-(

EDIT BY SPORT_BILLY - Correcting Zantac Dossage
 
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Oh bless her, I personally would be wary about giving gut stimulant if she has the trots. Diorlayte is ok to give, I mix up half the sachet and give liberally throughout the day. If she is gassy at all then massage therapy may help. Good luck at the vets in the morning.
 
Thank you everyone. She is eating cucumber at the moment, it's the only thing she will eat on her own. I would rather not give her veg but if it keeps her eating I guess it's ok.

She is looking very poorly though. If it was daytime I'd rush her to my vets but the emergency vet around here is terrible so I will have to wait. Going to be a long night :-(
 
Cucumber will keep her hydrated. I agree with Helen in that I would hold off the Zantac. Just keeping her eating is all you can do and it's a good sign she is eating herself. It sounds like an enteritis type thing so hopefully some antibiotics and supportive treatment will help.

Let us know how she gets on at the vets.

x
 
Thanks guys. She is off food totally now so syringing her. Diarrhoea is very bad so just been feeding her and keeping her hydrated. She is still talkative but clearly in a lot of pain. Appointment is 10.15 but going to see if I can get an appointment sooner. At this rate she is going downhill so fast I think every hour will count. 24 hours ago she was wheeking for her breakfast now I wonder if she will even make breakfast :-(
 
Hope you manage to get an appointment first thing. If she has cramps it would be worth asking the vet about Buscopan in addition to any meds they give her.
 
Thanks Helen, I will certainly ask. She came out wheeking for her breakfast this morning until she realised how unwell she was. She tucked into a few springs of dill though and some cucumber but her diarrhoea is very bad now and she looks terrible. Everything is literally going straight through her. She is still fighting the syringe though and wheeking away to me in annoyance as I give her food and water so she has her spirit still. She is terribly fluffed up and hunched though.

Didn't have an earlier appointment but leaving soon anyway. Keep fingers crossed...send lots of healing vibes please ! X
 
Thanks everyone.

We're back now. Vet is convinced it's not an infection and that she has eaten something to cause it. She is not keen on using antibiotics as they can upset the gut further...so it's little and often food, fluid (dioralyte), fibreplex and some metacam for pain relief...oh and Zantac to help reduce the bloat (together with massage). She said emeprid was the gut stimulant and not to use that.. She does seem a bit perkier, we'll see how she goes . She was on flagyl for her abscess so I know she does ok on this if we need to revisit. Let's keep everything crossed.

My vet is very anti antibiotic use unless vital, which used to unnerve me but so far after 4 major ops without any and all successful, I am hoping that she is right! It's takes a lot of courage to not push back but she is good and I do trust her...

Keep sending healing vibes! Xx
 
Not sure what she means about Zantac not being a gut stimulant, it is but it works on a different part of the gut. I have never used it on my own pigs.

I would say massage and fluids plus syringe feeding are what will get her through. Also get her to move about as much as you can as this will also help shift gas.
 
It would do, I have heard it is a good thing to do when they have gas, the vibrations really help.
 
I need to get one of those vibrating pads. Anyone know what to get, which ones work best?!
 
Glad she's perked up a little. Keeping my fingers crossed for you both for a speedy recovery.

Both emiprid (metoclopramide) and Zantac (ranitidine) are gut stimulants.

We are also anti antibiotics as much as we can be. Doctors are way overusing antibiotics and as vets etc we're trying not to overuse and cause the outbreaks of more 'superbugs' (MRSA etc).

Thinking of you both.

x
 
Abi_nurse said:
Glad she's perked up a little. Keeping my fingers crossed for you both for a speedy recovery.

Both emiprid (metoclopramide) and Zantac (ranitidine) are gut stimulants.

We are also anti antibiotics as much as we can be. Doctors are way overusing antibiotics and as vets etc we're trying not to overuse and cause the outbreaks of more 'superbugs' (MRSA etc).

Thinking of you both.

x
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Thanks Abi! The first time the vet did an op and said no antibiotics I freaked completely! That was when Lacey had her eye removed. But we had no issues and I swear she started eating sooner without them. It is unnerving tho! With the Zantac, why do you think she prescribed it? You got me worried now ;-)
 
Zantac is an antacid and a gut stimulant. I should think thats it's been given to help aid the movement of gas through the guts. Don't worry.

x.

Ps. Routine surgery shouldn't need antibiotics. We never prescribe them for routines apart from piggie castrates which seem to get a higher incidence of infection but this is probably due to the wound being close to their urine and faeces.
 
Sending lots of healing vibes, please keep us updated x
 
I have heard good things about Questran too. I know my friend Karen has dealt with vets who have used it.
 
If she does not pick up soon then I will speak to the vet and suggest this. THANK YOU Both x
 
Another one here whose vets hold off prescribing antibiotics until swabs/culture/sensitivity tests are in - be it URI, UTI or Gut.

They treat diarrhoea with zantac and cisapride,....(Although they are termed gut stimulants the aim is to re-establish normal peristaltic gut movement - rhythmical muscle contractions in front and behind each bolus of food - that is lost during diarrhoea and help clear any gas) Faecal samples are always now taken for testing and only if pathogens show up are abx given.

Like Helen, I give diarolyte (or bio-lapis) to help keep fluids up and fibreplex to help firm things up.....absolutely no fresh veggies but do feed dried herbal forage (as this doesn't seem to exacerbate the gut) along with readigrass, timothy and other hays.
 
Abi_nurse said:
Zantac is an antacid and a gut stimulant. I should think thats it's been given to help aid the movement of gas through the guts. Don't worry.

x.

Ps. Routine surgery shouldn't need antibiotics. We never prescribe them for routines apart from piggie castrates which seem to get a higher incidence of infection but this is probably due to the wound being close to their urine and faeces.
Click to expand...

I had one vet who would prescribe antibiotics for everything! Even a few days before a routine op to ensure it was 'in their system'! I guess vets are a lot more aware of super bigs etc now maybe? They do all differ so much in their views tho.

Btw, I have some gripe water (woodwards) would you advise me use some of that too or am I over medicating at that point?!
 
Pebble said:
Another one here whose vets hold off prescribing antibiotics until swabs/culture/sensitivity tests are in - be it URI, UTI or Gut.

They treat diarrhoea with zantac and cisapride,....(Although they are termed gut stimulants the aim is to re-establish normal peristaltic gut movement - rhythmical muscle contractions in front and behind each bolus of food - that is lost during diarrhoea and help clear any gas) Faecal samples are always now taken for testing and only if pathogens show up are abx given.

Like Helen, I give diarolyte (or bio-lapis) to help keep fluids up and fibreplex to help firm things up.....absolutely no fresh veggies but do feed dried herbal forage (as this doesn't seem to exacerbate the gut) along with readigrass, timothy and other hays.
Click to expand...

Thanks pebble! That's really interesting and helps me understand more. Sounds like we are doing all the right things then. She won't touch hay at the moment but I am syringing her every 2-3 hours. Hopefully time will be a healer. I can see me being up at 3am to feed her tonight, thank goodness I am on holiday.
 
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