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Ear Infection

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Neve38

Hi,

Came home from work this evening and went straight to see my lovely pets. Little Buttercup was leaning to one side and then she run off quite straight to her water and then kept falling to the left side but was trying to correct herself constantly. Seen this in my first guinea pig so rushed her off to the emergency vet who has given her two jabs and some Baytril to put in her water tomorrow. My first guinea pig recovered almost immediately but how long can it take? If she gets worse then I need to take her back tomorrow but otherwise I will take her back in a couple of days. Any advice anyone? She was still trying to eat like mad even though she cant' stand straight and was licking my hand like mad too. Please send healing vibes, I so want her to get better.

Joy xx:(
 
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I'm sorry Buttercup is ill, Joy. It does sound like an ear infection, though other causes are possible. Treating for an infection is the best first step.

Dont put medications in the water at all, this is horrendous advice which seems to continue circulating with many vets. It defies all logic and makes no sense whatsoever, as well as being a potentially neglectful recommendation. Syringe the dose directly into the mouth, it is the *only* way she will get the correct dose to treat the problem. Most infections need at least 7-10 days of treatment, so a checkup after a week would be ideal. She may need another course of antibiotics to ensure the infection has cleared.
 
Thanks for that advice, I will try syringing her some Baytril. Not a lot of change with her today, no worse though. She is drinking ok, not eating loads so have syringed her some organic vegetable baby food. She has been eating some hay as well and a few leaves. She has another appointment at the vets tomorrow but I can't have another day off work, mum and dad will be at home with her so she is not alone. I so hope she picks up soon, she looks a sad state.

Joy xx
 
Keep in mind the possibility of a stroke. If it is, hopefully, an ear infection the antibiotics will have a fairly quick effect. A stroke usually causes weakness on the affected side.
 
Buttercup has been back to the vet this afternoon. I asked about whether it could be a stroke but the vet said no, there is no weakness in her legs, it is just the head really that goes to the left. When she is running around she is nearly normal but when she stops that when her head tends to turn to the left. She has had another Rimadyl injection which will last two days and I have Baytril to give her daily which I will now be giving orally rather than mixed in water. The vet said that after a week if she hasn't improved then it isn't worth giving her more medication if it isn't going to work. She was really nice, she wasn't talking about putting Buttercup to sleep or anything because she is quite active. However when she is sitting in her igloo her head goes to the left and she looks so sad. She isn't eating as much as she used to. I will give Buttercup every possible opportunity, have even made an appointment to take her back Saturday for another Rimadyl injection in case that helps. If not and she starts to lose more weight I cannot let her suffer, it would absolutely be the last thing I do, any sign of improvement would really be appreciated at the moment. I am praying that she starts to show signs of getting a little better. I won't give up on her easily, bless her.

Does anyone else have experience of this? My previous guinea pig recovered very quickly from an ear infection but Buttercup seems to have a much worse infection.

Joy xx
 
Another possibility...a pulled muscle. The majority of conditions, even if not curable, can be controlled and the pig carries on to live a normal life span.
I often feel that too many gps are killed unnecessarily to prevent the OWNER from further suffering. Death has one major problem.....it is irreversible!
Don't give up too soon.
 
Ear infection update

Good news, Buttercup seems to be getting a lot better. Yesterday and today she has been out of her igloo a lot and running around, her head isn't pulling to the left. She went back to the vets for a check up today and they gave her another Rimadyl injection and 4 more days antibiotics to make sure that she continues to improve. If she is still better then she doesn't need to go back unless she gets worse again. Fingers crossed. I have been feeding her some organic vegetable baby food with Science Recovery mixed in and she is eating it off the spoon. She is also beginning to eat more of her usual vegetables and plenty of hay. I must say I was really worried and thinking she wasn't going to pick up but bless her she has tried really hard. She is getting lots of love and cuddles I can tell you and I am always telling her she is mummy's big girl. She's happily eating hay as we talk and pulling leaves from her food bowl.

Just wanted to update you all.

Thanks for your advice everyone.

Joy xx

PS. By the way Buttercup is the little piggy in my avatar picture.
 
Really good to hear that she is improving. I can only imagine how worrying it must be to have a pig who can't hold their head up straight. Buttercup is adorable. :)
 
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