Clifford is puffed up.

[Sappyshelly]

Hey everyone! Clifford was diagnosed with severe arthritis in both of his back knees. He also has lice but is going in for his second round of treatment soon. He is also currently separated from his cage mate with a divider. Today I notice whenever he lays down and eats he tends to puff up. Is this a sign of pain? He doesn’t stay and the corner and moves around and eats, but I don’t understand why he’s puffing. Clifford is on a good amount of metacam, as prescribed by out exotic vet daily. Could it just be he’s in a bit more pain today, kind of like we get? Thank you!

 

[GPTV]

I'd mention to your vet that he puffs up, it may be the Metacam needs an increase in the dosage.
Does he have it split into 2 reasonably equal doses?

If he only has one dose a day it may be wearing off due to their high metabolism.

My Ellie used to puff up with her favourite foods when she got older. She had me quite worried with it& the vet couldn't find anything wrong.
But keep an eye on him & check his input and output!
Topping up his food if necessary.

Make sure he's not getting cold or in a draught making him puff up too.

Ring the vet for advice tomorrow if they're open. Pain/illness usually contributes to puffing up.

Fingers crossed its just an excited favourite food habit.

Good luck & let us know how you get on xx

 

[Sappyshelly]

I'd mention to your vet that he puffs up, it may be the Metacam needs an increase in the dosage.
Does he have it split into 2 reasonably equal doses?

If he only has one dose a day it may be wearing off due to their high metabolism.

My Ellie used to puff up with her favourite foods when she got older. She had me quite worried with it& the vet couldn't find anything wrong.
But keep an eye on him & check his input and output!
Topping up his food if necessary.

Make sure he's not getting cold or in a draught making him puff up too.

Ring the vet for advice tomorrow if they're open. Pain/illness usually contributes to puffing up.

Fingers crossed its just an excited favourite food habit.

Good luck & let us know how you get on xx

Ok thank you. It has been a bit cold today. I gave him his metacam today but I’ll split it up tomorrow!

 

[GPTV]

Try & give it in evenly spaced intervals if you can, so that it's at its most effective,eg. 8am & 8pm.

Please mention to your vet the dosage splitting too, they don't normally mind as the daily dose is the same but its always best to check (sometimes a general vet doesn't think about the fast metabolism & that the medications wear off quicker).

Hopefully he will improve with this change, but discuss with your vet an increase in dosage if it doesn't improve.

Fingers & paws crossed here for him xx

 

[Sappyshelly]

Try & give it in evenly spaced intervals if you can, so that it's at its most effective,eg. 8am & 8pm.

Please mention to your vet the dosage splitting too, they don't normally mind as the daily dose is the same but its always best to check (sometimes a general vet doesn't think about the fast metabolism & that the medications wear off quicker).

Hopefully he will improve with this change, but discuss with your vet an increase in dosage if it doesn't improve.

Fingers & paws crossed here for him xx

Thank you so much! Will call tomorrow. Also added a hearter near the room (not in the room) so it shouldn’t be so cold

 

[Sappyshelly]

Hey guys. Cliffy just seems off. He is really old, but he is a bit delayed. Usually when I go in the room he’s so happy and at the bars, but now he’s in his house, and takes a little bit to come over. I understand he can’t run, but he doesn’t seem that motivated. I also think he may be puffy because he can’t scratch his lice because of his back legs so he’s uncomfortable.

 

[Gem789]

Hey guys. Cliffy just seems off. He is really old, but he is a bit delayed. Usually when I go in the room he’s so happy and at the bars, but now he’s in his house, and takes a little bit to come over. I understand he can’t run, but he doesn’t seem that motivated. I also think he may be puffy because he can’t scratch his lice because of his back legs so he’s uncomfortable.

Bless him, I hope he's feeling better soon x

 

[Sappyshelly]

Bless him, I hope he's feeling better soon x

Thank you.

 

[Sappyshelly]

I was going to try to put them back together, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. Only problem is that I have to take both pigs to the vet and only have one carrier. I can’t throw them in the carrier together since they haven’t been properly reintroduced.

 

[GPTV]

Think I'd make an appointment for him to see the vet tomorrow, when is he due his next dose of lice treatment?

If it's Ivermectin/Xeno it's usually about 12-14 days for the second dose & about the same gap again from the second to third dose.

Is your other Guinea with lice/mites too?

Get the vet to give him a thorough check up, teeth, skin, heart, lungs & maybe get a urine test dip strip done too.

If it is just the pain of arthritis causing him upset, ask the vet if you can maximise the metacam dose, or try a different type of painkiller?
I know there's some members use Tramadol & laser therapy for their Guineas.

(my dog also has both for her arthritis & she's improved significantly, but with the laser treatment it's difficult to find a practice with the equipment to do it)

Do you have a sturdy cardboard box you could take one in if you don't want them together yet?

Good luck xx

 

[Sappyshelly]

Think I'd make an appointment for him to see the vet tomorrow, when is he due his next dose of lice treatment?

If it's Ivermectin/Xeno it's usually about 12-14 days for the second dose & about the same gap again from the second to third dose.

Is your other Guinea with lice/mites too?

Get the vet to give him a thorough check up, teeth, skin, heart, lungs & maybe get a urine test dip strip done too.

If it is just the pain of arthritis causing him upset, ask the vet if you can maximise the metacam dose, or try a different type of painkiller?
I know there's some members use Tramadol & laser therapy for their Guineas.

(my dog also has both for her arthritis & she's improved significantly, but with the laser treatment it's difficult to find a practice with the equipment to do it)

Do you have a sturdy cardboard box you could take one in if you don't want them together yet?

Good luck xx

Yeah my other pig has lice. My exotic vet recommended a high dosage than what the regular vet recommended, and since I’m going to the other vet to get the second treatment I don’t really trust them. I can call up the exotics vet. Clifford used to drag his back legs but he doesn’t anymore but there still not 100%. I feel so bad. This is costing so much money to

 

[GPTV]

Can you do a payment plan with your vet to spread the cost? Or if you claim certain benefits you may get some help from the PDSA charity /their veterinary practices?

Was there a health/bullying reason why they were separated or just it's easier to keep an eye on him?
If he's lonely, it may be he's missing his companion & the competition to eat a little too?

Its good that he's moving his legs more now, that's all positive & in his favour
The painkillers must be working OK
Do you have to massage his legs/muscles to keep them moving?

Think I'd go to the most experienced & knowledgeable vet, that you feel most comfortable with their competence.
Xx

 

[Sappyshelly]

Is there anyway to cure the lice at home? It would be so much easier since Clifford gets over stressed at the vets

 

[Sappyshelly]

Can you do a payment plan with your vet to spread the cost? Or if you claim certain benefits you may get some help from the PDSA charity /their veterinary practices?

Was there a health/bullying reason why they were separated or just it's easier to keep an eye on him?
If he's lonely, it may be he's missing his companion & the competition to eat a little too?

Its good that he's moving his legs more now, that's all positive & in his favour
The painkillers must be working OK
Do you have to massage his legs/muscles to keep them moving?

Think I'd go to the most experienced & knowledgeable vet, that you feel most comfortable with their competence.
Xx

He wasn’t originally separated because of the lice, but Leo ended up getting it to. It’s easier to keep an eye on him, but the boys are great together. They still interact through the bars though .

 

[Sappyshelly]

He was

He wasn’t originally separated because of the lice, but Leo ended up getting it to. It’s easier to keep an eye on him, but the boys are great together. They still interact through the bars though .

he was*

 

[Sappyshelly]

Clifford is currently being treated with Revolution for his lice. Does anyone know if I can treat lice at home since Clifford gets overly stressed at the vets?

 

[GPTV]

I'm not sure what the active ingredients of Revolution are.

I usually use Xeno 450 for lice, mites & mange mites which is Ivermectin.

Although a lot of other over the counter treatments aren't strong enough to be of much use.

I've found that Xeno is far cheaper from petdrugsonline
Pet Drugs Online - Search Results for Xeno

than most vets (£19+p&p instead of £30+ from the vets for the same product).
The weight of the Guineas defines whether you need the Xeno 450 or Xeno 50. Check the weight of your Guinea first.

***But seeing as Clifford has started on Revolution, you would need to check with the vet that the medications wouldn't conflict with each other, cause a reaction or at best just render the other medication useless.
It might be better to finish the course of Revolution on this occasion... Please discuss with your vet first-sometimes a vet can write out a prescription for a small fee & it's still cheaper to buy off of the Internet than off of your vet! Ask your vet about prices if it's the cost that's worrying you?

I know you've already had Clifford diagnosed with lice, but as a general note & for other members... if it was a fresh case I'd always get the vets diagnosis first as, mites, lice, fungal & general skin issues can be similar in symptoms to start off with & home treatments can cause an incorrect diagnosis for a first visit to the vet with the symptoms being shown.

Ps it might be better to keep all the info on Clifford's other thread, to save any confusion for any of the health experts who read them separately, I'll see if I can get an admin to merge them for you

Fingers crossed for Clifford's speedy recovery xx

 

[Sappyshelly]

Thank you! I’ll keep that in mind for the future. Maybe I’ll call the vet to see if I can get the revolution myself. Clifford is worst than a dog when it comes to the vet. He absolutely hates it.

 

[AutumnThePig]

My piggies recently got diagnosed and treated for lice this past weekend. The vet used Revolution on them, the kitten and puppy dose because it's for animals 5lbs and under. The vet did weigh them before applying the cream. If you plan on buying it yourself because your piggie gets stressed at the vets, just be aware that it costs a lot more to buy it then to have the vet treat them. It costed me $10 per pig to apply the cream, when it would have costed me $50 to buy the cream online. You also need a prescription to buy Revolution.

 

[Sappyshelly]

My piggies recently got diagnosed and treated for lice this past weekend. The vet used Revolution on them, the kitten and puppy dose because it's for animals 5lbs and under. The vet did weigh them before applying the cream. If you plan on buying it yourself because your piggie gets stressed at the vets, just be aware that it costs a lot more to buy it then to have the vet treat them. It costed me $10 per pig to apply the cream, when it would have costed me $50 to buy the cream online. You also need a prescription to buy Revolution.

Ok thank you. I’ll call my vet soon and have it for the future.

 

[AutumnThePig]

Ok thank you. I’ll call my vet soon and have it for the future.

Also, if one of your piggies have lice, I would get the other one checked just in case. Both of my pigs had it because they were in contact with each other. Hope your piggy feels better!

 

[Wiebke]

I'm not sure what the active ingredients of Revolution are.

I usually use Xeno 450 for lice, mites & mange mites which is Ivermectin.

Although a lot of other over the counter treatments aren't strong enough to be of much use.

I've found that Xeno is far cheaper from petdrugsonline
Pet Drugs Online - Search Results for Xeno

than most vets (£19+p&p instead of £30+ from the vets for the same product).
The weight of the Guineas defines whether you need the Xeno 450 or Xeno 50. Check the weight of your Guinea first.

***But seeing as Clifford has started on Revolution, you would need to check with the vet that the medications wouldn't conflict with each other, cause a reaction or at best just render the other medication useless.
It might be better to finish the course of Revolution on this occasion... Please discuss with your vet first-sometimes a vet can write out a prescription for a small fee & it's still cheaper to buy off of the Internet than off of your vet! Ask your vet about prices if it's the cost that's worrying you?

I know you've already had Clifford diagnosed with lice, but as a general note & for other members... if it was a fresh case I'd always get the vets diagnosis first as, mites, lice, fungal & general skin issues can be similar in symptoms to start off with & home treatments can cause an incorrect diagnosis for a first visit to the vet with the symptoms being shown.

Ps it might be better to keep all the info on Clifford's other thread, to save any confusion for any of the health experts who read them separately, I'll see if I can get an admin to merge them for you

Fingers crossed for Clifford's speedy recovery xx

Xeno (UK) and Ivermectin (US) have ivermectin as their active ingredient.
Revolution and Stronghold (UK brand) are based on selamectin as the active ingredient.

All these brands are safe for guinea pigs. Selamectin can be more efficient with hay mites and lice while ivermectin is preferred with mange mites, but they can be all used for any guinea pig skin parasites and should hopefully do the trick.

 

[GPTV]

Xeno (UK) and Ivermectin (US) have ivermectin as their active ingredient.
Revolution and Stronghold (UK brand) are based on selamectin as the active ingredient.

All these brands are safe for guinea pigs. Selamectin can be more efficient with hay mites and lice while ivermectin is preferred with mange mites, but they can be all used for any guinea pig skin parasites and should hopefully do the trick.

Oh thank you, That's interesting to know
I didn't want Clifford to get a mix of medications part way through his course without checking with the vet first. x

 

[Sappyshelly]

Hey guys! My vet approved of the prescription for revolution so I can use it at home on both the pigs. Just gotta call her up and give her there weights before I use it since it’s coming in the mail

 

[Sappyshelly]

Hey everyone! Putting the two boys back together finally. It’s an interesting introduction. A lot of Chin raising and rumble strutting. Clifford can’t use his back legs to hump because of his arthritis and Leo doesn’t know how to. Not much going on as they are eating hay next to each other and only had one small scuffle which ended in Leo having submissive squeaks. I could tell they missed each other.