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Buprenorphine For A Guinea Pig?

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piglette

piglette

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My little pig, Theo, has two abscesses following a castration 9.5 weeks ago. He is being seen by a cavy-savvy vet.

Theo's had two fine-needle aspirates since the castration, using buprenorphine, topical lignocaine and ongoing metacam for pain relief. Both times he's had a strange reaction in the 48 hours following the aspirate - extremely jittery, disengaged / withdrawn, lethargic, not eating, etc.

I'm wondering whether this could be a result of the buprenorphine, or is it more due to the pain of the aspirate?
Is this a typical response in a guinea pig, or should I be worried that there's more going on with Theo?
Is buprenorphine a standard narcotic analgesic for pigs, or is there an alternative?

I should add that we have the eating issues under control, with round-the-clock hand feeds and lots of TLC.
Other than the abscesses, he's been bright and well and has recovered to his more than his pre-op weight.

Provided he recovers well from this latest aspirate (yesterday), he's going in to have the abscesses surgically drained at the end of the week (one side in particular is quite deep) - wish us luck :S

Many thanks in advance from Theo and I for your help :)
 
Do NOT use lidocaine gel if
  • you are allergic to any ingredient in lidocaine gel or to similar medications (eg, amide-type local anesthetics such as prilocaine)
  • you have an infection (eg, oozing, warmth, pain) or injury at the affected area
 
I will tag @Abi_nurse as she is the most experienced but I have known pigs to be lethargic afterwards, I think it depends on the individual pig though.
 
Thanks - that's very much appreciated.

He's a little more alert tonight, but still totally off his food. Even hand-feeding is a battle, which I haven't found before in this pig.
He's been through a lot in the past ten weeks - I'm beginning to wonder if maybe he's just 'given up', or perhaps gone into shock a bit.
 
Sorry Theo is struggling. I would be suspecting a reaction to meds given the 48 hr delay in reacting? But Abi Nurse will know more.
How was he after the initial castration surgery? Did he recovery from that OK and just go downhill when the abscesses appeared or been ill since the GA?
I am just tagging a friend who has had a lot of post neutered pigs to care for @pig in the city but I am sure Abi nurse will help too when gets chance
 
Thanks lauraboara - I should've made my first post clearer - the 'reaction' happens pretty much immediately after the aspirate, but seems to last for 48 hours or so.

He came out of the GA very poorly - but with some intensive nursing did really well. Had the first aspirate (with a shallow lance), poorly again, then recovered - even with abscesses present. Now the second aspirate, and poorly again. Maybe it is just down to the stress of everything - that is a lot for a little pig to go through in such a short space of time.
 
piglette said:
My little pig, Theo, has two abscesses following a castration 9.5 weeks ago. He is being seen by a cavy-savvy vet.

Theo's had two fine-needle aspirates since the castration, using buprenorphine, topical lignocaine and ongoing metacam for pain relief. Both times he's had a strange reaction in the 48 hours following the aspirate - extremely jittery, disengaged / withdrawn, lethargic, not eating, etc.

I'm wondering whether this could be a result of the buprenorphine, or is it more due to the pain of the aspirate?
Is this a typical response in a guinea pig, or should I be worried that there's more going on with Theo?
Is buprenorphine a standard narcotic analgesic for pigs, or is there an alternative?

I should add that we have the eating issues under control, with round-the-clock hand feeds and lots of TLC.
Other than the abscesses, he's been bright and well and has recovered to his more than his pre-op weight.

Provided he recovers well from this latest aspirate (yesterday), he's going in to have the abscesses surgically drained at the end of the week (one side in particular is quite deep) - wish us luck :S

Many thanks in advance from Theo and I for your help :)
Click to expand...

@Abi_nurse
 
Hi, l am sorry to hear about poor Theo. Was he sedated for the aspirations or done while conscious? I have never seen a reaction like this after an aspiration, l would imagine its the buprenorphine. Poor little piggy, l hope the surgery goes well
 
Thanks, pig in the city - the aspirations were done while conscious, mostly because I was trying to avoid having him put under another GA if at all possible.
Turns our he needs one anyway to have the abscesses drained, which is disappointing.
I'm trying to stay hopeful, fingers crossed for a positive outcome for this poor little guy.
 
Is there any news on poorly Theo? Hope he is doing OK. Is he on an AB to help tackle the abscesses btw?
 
Thanks for your message, I appreciate it :)

Theo's still not too well, unfortunately - still lethargic with reduced appetite - but he seems to be improving a tiny bit each day.
We decided to put off the op to drain the abscesses until Monday, when he'll hopefully be a little stronger.
Yes, he's been on a large dose of Bactrim since the castration at the end of January.

It's a huge, constant effort to keep him going, as I'm sure you can relate to!
I'm extremely fortunate that I work (mostly) from home and can give him the time he needs.
I've had sick pigs before, of course - but never for months on end like this!
 
piglette said:
Thanks for your message, I appreciate it :)

Theo's still not too well, unfortunately - still lethargic with reduced appetite - but he seems to be improving a tiny bit each day.
We decided to put off the op to drain the abscesses until Monday, when he'll hopefully be a little stronger.
Yes, he's been on a large dose of Bactrim since the castration at the end of January.

It's a huge, constant effort to keep him going, as I'm sure you can relate to!
I'm extremely fortunate that I work (mostly) from home and can give him the time he needs.
I've had sick pigs before, of course - but never for months on end like this!
Click to expand...
Poor Theo and poor you doing the nursing! Glad there are little bits of improvement. The AB wont help his appetite either though of course but he has to get through that. I think the trade names for the ABs might all be different where you are but in the UK some vets are favouring Zithromax or Marbocyl for abscess treatment - you might have to google what they are over there? If you look at other abscess threads on this forum you will see them mentioned. Maybe worth discussing with your vet an alternative one? Just a thought.
 
Thanks - I did wonder if maybe the antibiotic was taking its toll after all these months... Again, I've never used antibiotics long term - but not much option in this case.
I have seen Zithromax in particular mentioned on the abscess threads (I've read every one I can find!), so I will run this past my vet and see what she says. Thanks again!
 
Nice to meet another Aussie on here, pity it's not under better circumstances! I can't help much as I haven't had a poorly pig for a couple of years (touch wood!) I've come across Zithromax here, but not Marbocyl (Marbofloxacin). Might be worthwhile getting some type of gut stimulant for Theo next time you're visiting the vet.
 
Hi @AlbiePercy - great to meet another Aussie! I love your profile pic!

Thanks for your message; I have Metoclopramide on hand for emergencies (my fridge resembles a pharmacy!), but thankfully Theo seems to be holding his own with hand-feeds for now. Excellent to know that Zithromax is available here, too - I think it'll be the way to go.

Wheeks to your piggies. :)
 
@piglette Slightly apprehensive about asking but how did Theo get on today? Did the abscess draining go OK and did you discuss ABs?
Hope it has gone Ok for you and Theo.
 
Hi @lauraboara - thanks so much for your message.

Theo made it through the anaesthetic and is fighting hard! Still withdrawn, but upright and eating.
Unfortunately, though, the abscesses on both sides are very large, deep (in the spermatic cords, I think) and encapsulated.
Despite flushing, I think one side has already refilled. And the vet wasn't willing to change Abs...

So the long-term outcomes aren't great - I'm just focusing on quality of life now, and enjoying him while I have him.
 
piglette said:
Hi @lauraboara - thanks so much for your message.

Theo made it through the anaesthetic and is fighting hard! Still withdrawn, but upright and eating.
Unfortunately, though, the abscesses on both sides are very large, deep (in the spermatic cords, I think) and encapsulated.
Despite flushing, I think one side has already refilled. And the vet wasn't willing to change Abs...

So the long-term outcomes aren't great - I'm just focusing on quality of life now, and enjoying him while I have him.
Click to expand...
Glad he got through the procedure but disappointed for you re the Abs - what was the reasoning given? Have they left the abscess wounds open enough for you to flush out at home now? Especially since they are refilling so fast. Come on Theo. Sending healing vibes from the UK!
 
The vet was very insistent that Bactrim is the best for Theo; she's had successes with GP abscesses in the past... But I do intend to broach it with her again.

I've seriously thought about getting a second opinion, but there are two problems:

This is the best GP vet in Bne. I've been though them all in the past few years - there aren't many - and I need to keep a good working relationship with this one for the sake of my other pigs (I have 10x boys).

It's also a bit complicated; I'm actually currently caring for this vet's pigs, in exchange for free vet care. I don't have any problems meeting my vet bills :) but the vet needed help for personal reasons and so I ended up with her girls temporarily...

He's doing remarkably well this afternoon - I'm getting glimpses of the old Theo again. I'm still very cautious, but am starting to feel a bit more positive...
 
I understand, well hopefully when she see's the Batrim isn't working she may well consider another antibiotic.

I am however glad Theo is doing well despite his on-going health issues.
 
C'mon Theo! Are there many cavy savys in Brisbane? I'm in Armidale NSW, so Brisbane or Sydney is the same distance for me, just good to know for future reference if I need a proper piggy vet to go north or south!
 
ok, just cuz I'm curious...I've never heard of buprenorphine being used on animals. As far as I know, buprenorphine is a somewhat powerful drug used to assist in detoxification from in humans...is that really safe for guinea pigs?

And lidocaine? That's powerful stuff too...I guess I have a lot to learn...
 
Hi @lauraboara - thanks for your thoughts :)

Theo's still pottering along - not great (i.e. appetite's no good, and an abscess has definitely reformed on one side) but not terrible either.
He's not in pain and has quality of life, so we'll keep fighting. Poor little guy :(
 
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