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Can Baytril effect appetite?

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KimberleysWheekers

KimberleysWheekers

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After a nightmare-ish visit to the vets on Thursday to have Henry's urine retested for blood (it was still there) he is now on Baytril but yesterday didn't eat very much at all 8...

My vet is on paternity leave, so we saw another vet who is ok. She agreed to give Septrin when I asked her, 0.3ml once a day for 5 days. I made an appointment to see the same vet for the retest and to get more Septrin at a higher dose as I knew the blood was still present because he was squeaking when I collected the second sample.

When I got to the vets, all ready with Henry and his sample, the receptionist went on to tell me that the vet wasn't in at all that week! Silly receptionist from the day before was looking at the wrong week of the month when she booked me in grrrr But she booked me in with another vet and we waited our turn.

The vet we saw clearly wasn't a guinea piggie person :( Although he seemed to know his stuff, he was quite rough with Henry feeling his bladder etc. He said that they options were xray ("most likely with GA" - vet said this) or different medicine. I tried to ask if we could continue the Septrin at a higher dose for a longer period, but he said no.

So I came away with Baytril, 0.4ml once a day for 10 days. Henry had his first dose on Friday evening, and then another yesterday.

He has barely eaten anything 8... He ate the cucumber and a nibble of the pepper, one piece of carrot. Hay rack is still pretty full, dry food still there. He has probiotic in his water.

Would the baytril have put him off his food?
 
I'm sorry you had such a disappointing vet visit.

It sounds like he's really struggling with the Baytril, some pigs can't tolerate it at all while others have no issues. When it does affect them, it tends to be loss of appetite, weight loss and sometimes diarrhoea too - it just seems to be harsher on the guts than other meds.

Is the good guinea vet in this coming week? I can't tell you to stop the meds, but I will tell you what I would do if this were my pig - I would stop the Baytril altogether. If it's a case of pig suffering cystitis and having meds that may be helping the cystitis but causing more medical problems, or suffering cystitis and on no meds for a few days but no additional medical problems, I much prefer the latter. I would be inclined to syringe-feed to make sure he is getting food in him, adding probiotic to each of his feeds. Syringe some water into him too. Then back to the good vet as soon as possible for a repeat prescription of Septrin.

I hope things pick up soon. xx
 
Yep baytril can do that and if it carries on take him back. It may come back in a day or so but no more than that kim. You maybe should syringe him for now? X x
 
I have no idea about the medical side of it. My boar had baytrill following complications from his 'little op' and he was off his food. Almost the only thing I could get him to eat was grass and dandelions. I cut them with scissors from the garden and washed it for him that way he took in some water too. Maybe try a little grass?
 
Thanks everyone :) I've got a pouch of Critical Care (the bronzey one - fine grind maybe?)

I think Craig might be back, or due back this week. Paternity is only 2 weeks normally isn't it?
 
Yep, the bronze Critical Care is the Fine Grind. No need to modify the syringe to feed that one. :)

Weigh daily too - or just before each feed if you want to see if he is holding his own weight between feeds (by eating by himself).
 
He really needs food by the sounds of it. Now you are syringing him I am sure he will start to poop again. How does he seem in himself?

x
 
Lisajazz said:
He really needs food by the sounds of it. Now you are syringing him I am sure he will start to poop again. How does he seem in himself?

x
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Lisa, she needs help with syringing. Something showing how to do it. I have been looking everywere for her but can't find a link do you know were one is?
 
Thank you for the replies.

I put him back with his veggies, he's had a small nibble of cucumber. Then I got him a little grass washed off in water and he had a little nibble of that.

I just made him jump out of his crash pad and he had a bit of poop left on the fleece where he landed. Not really runny, but not formed and mushy. But poop none the less.

Going to give him a bit longer with the veggies then try syringing again, I def want to see him have some water. He took maybe about 1.5-2ml critical care earlier. I know it's barely anything :(

Calling the vets first thing in the morning.
 
Poop is a good sign hopefully. You're doing a fab job for your boy. Hope the vet visit goes well tomorrrow. Big hugs for you and Henry. x
 
flintstones said:
Hi Kimberley,

How is Henry this morning?
Click to expand...

He's still moving about quite actively, will run from me in the cage, but feels quite warm today. He looks to have not eaten any more during the night himself. I did see him at the water bottle as I went to bed but it looks as though that was the only time as not much as gone from it. There is a tiny bit more poo but its not overly formed and you can tell from the look of it that then whenever he did it, it would have been rather mushy.

Another thing I have noticed, his coat looks different, as though he has been nibbling it maybe? It looks different lengths where as it was pretty much all the same (apart from his rear which I cut after the wet bum problem). I've called my manager to say I'm not going to be in first thing. Need to wait another 10mins before I can call the vets for an appointment. I'm worried.
 
Good luck kimberley, We're thinking about you. Please keep us updated!

Wishing Henry a speedy recovery! xx
 
caviaporcellus said:
How did it go at the vets?
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Thank you for asking.

He was given 2 injections, Metacam and Vantac. She has given me a sachet of the other syringe food to try incase he likes that one better and has said syringe feed him until he is a bit better. If he doesn't get better, he'll have to go back and most likely stay in. Once his gut is moving again, we can then tackle the UTI. Craig (the guinea pig vet) is back on Thursday.
 
Hopefully the injections will help him perk up a bit and get things on the move again. Sending healing vibes to your boy. x
 
I am glad you have more things to help him. I can email you a syringe-feeding factsheet if you like - let me know. If you were nearer I'd offer to show you syringe-feeding in person - it is hard at first but with practice, you get a feel for it. First time I had to syringe-feed a piggie, learning by myself from the snippets on Guinea Lynx, with a very stubborn piggie with pneumonia, it took me an hour to give 3-5ml.

Lack of poops most often points to lack of food so the more he starts eating the better. It may take a day for the poops to start coming out more routinely and when they do, they will likely be very small at first. With regular feeds that will get back to normal. :)
 
A little update...

I think we are getting there, we've had a bit more eating of veg and Orchard Grass this afternoon and some poop shaped poops, although you can tell from looking at them that they aren't solid still, but at least they are formed.

I think he has eaten a little dry food too, but I can't tell for definate by eye. I'm going to put fresh in but weigh it first. He's also been drinking his water with probiotic in.

Thanks for all your advice and support. I'm really hoping that it was just the Baytril and that it is pretty much out of his system now. I'm off from work all day tomorrow so he'll be kept a close eye on!
 
Super news!:) I am sure that piggies must wonder why these huge creatures are so excessively interested in their poops!:))
 
We've had a little foot spa bonding this morning, clean those tootsies up for the little man. Clean cage, bit of popcorning, 20g of dry food, fresh orchard grass. I hope he's feeling better today.
 
flips said:
Popcorning is encouraging. :)
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I sat by his cage with the door open very very still. He started munch down on his dry food - Yaaaaay! - with a puzzled expression as if to say, why so interested slave? Hehe

Only 4 or 5 poops in the cage so far since the clean this morning, but now he's had some dry I think he'll become more regular :) I've seen him drink too. Because he's pretty much only had veggies and a small small bit of syringe food for a few days I think that might be why he was loose. I'll leave him a bit with the dry and then weigh it.
 
Best of luck with a full recovery - you will get there!
 
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