• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Emergency Please Advise

Status
Not open for further replies.
G

Grace

New Born Pup
Joined
Apr 12, 2014
Messages
27
Reaction score
2
Points
130
Location
Sunnyvale, CA
I am very scared. I bought by two new baby Guinea pigs to the vet before I brought them home and he said they have a upper respetory infection and conjunctivitis. He gave eye drops and Amoxicillin. It is so late at night here and I just decided to google as my piggies are still weak and not acting normal ---- and I read the this antibiotic is fatal to guinea pigs. The vet said he sees guinea, his profile said he has done surgery and treateed guineas. It is 11:30 at night here. But they have been having this twice a day since Saturday-- that is four days now. they are eating, more active than before at least, and drinking. But they are still so still and unresponsive 98% of the time. I feel so guilty and panicky. I wil call him first thing in the morning. Any other advice please?
 
furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary said:
Was the antibiotic given by injection or orally? Although not good, I believe it is less dangerous to give by injection although not an appropriate antibiotic for guinea pigs.
Click to expand...
On Saturday he gave an injection and then that night I gave them orally. Orally twice a day for four days now. They were so tired and still but obediently drank it in my arms from the syringe every time.
 
According to guinea lynx a guinea pig who has received this medication orally requires medical intervention. I would stop giving it them & seek another vet ASAP. No penicillin based drugs or their derivitaves should be given to piggies. Both my boys have been on various anti-biotics for upper respiratory & urinary tract infections, none ever penicillin based.
 
do not feel guilty honey, you were just following the advice of the vet - you weren't to know any different. Hope the babies are ok, get them seen by another vet and let us know what they say.
 
It sounds like the medication may be slowly working. Big hugs and best wishes to them xx
 
Yes, that is the weird thing. They were so still and almost dead, after the antibiotic they were "better"--as in instead of staying still 100% of the time, they stay still 95 %. All this time I thought they were seeking cozy corners and staying frozen because they were shy and it was a new environment. But it was because they are cold and probably in pain inside. I just put a fleece blankie on both of them--still and quiet snuggled in their pigaloo, they did not move at all. Their poo looks fine and they are eating pellets and drinking, so I still have a little hope. It is going to be a long night.
 
Maybe warming them like you said, might help; please tell us how they go
 
Don't blame yourself but please get them to a different vets as soon as you can and tell them exactly what they have been given. Cannot believe there are still vets giving this stuff to pigs.
 
I am so sorry that you have been given the wrong antibiotic. Please do not blame yourself as you trusted your vet but please see another vet as a matter of urgency and take the medication with you so that the vet can see exactly what has been given x
 
In the UK, Baytril is the antibiotic recommended for guinea pigs so please ask your vet for this or a US equivalent. Septrin is also used a lot too. Essential thing is to stop the current meds & get to a different vet as soon as possible.
 
Omg how could a vet let this happen? That is completely unacceptable. I really hope your pigs are going to be ok, and please let us know how everything is going! Also that vet needs to be under some serious scrutiny. i noticed you are located in California. This is the California Veterinary Board website; it might be a good idea to look into options, so this won't happen to someone else! http://www.vmb.ca.gov/
 
Okay, here is the update. First thing, I called three vets specializing in Guinea pigs and made an appointment with one nearby. They all told me they would not prescribe Clovamox as it is amoxicillin plus another antibiotic. Then I called Untiversity of California Vetinary School ( rated in the top ten by US News and World Report). I was surprise when the vet in their small animal clinic told me they prescribe it to Guinea pigs all the time. My vet, who prescribed the antibiotic, said the Guineas are babies, and weigh so little that he had to weigh giving Baytril or even Bactrim as they are sulfer based and can deform bone growth. He said the dose he gave was super low and the combination would kill a broad range of bacteria. He did say since they are having soft stools, to stop the med and since they are slightly more perky, the infection may be resolved. He said to bring them in tomorrow.

In the mean time I took them to a different vet, with their medication. He said that the amoxicillin probably did kill all the infections and they did get over the hump as they are breathing, have clear lungs and eyes. They are eating and drinking more so I do have to say that the med must have helped. They are just so still all the time and not reactive. He also noticed that and said they were not acting normal--- they did not scurry when he picked them up, sat completely still on the scale and in the box etc.

Basically, both vets said lets wait a while, since physically they seem okay. The infection, if there is a tiny bit of it left, will go away. My vet who prescribed the medication, said he has treated guineas for 14 years and not to worry. He did get them to start eating and drinking.

Well, at this point I am just keeping them comfy and clean and well fed. Hopefully, they just need to feel safe and less traumatized.

Thank you THANK YOU ALL for caring,replying and giving support and advice. I will keep you posted.
 
Oh you poor thing what a dreadful thing to go through, thanks for the update x
 
Best of luck that they are picking up!

Are they eating normally? Please weigh them daily to make sure that they are getting enough food.
A good diet consists of up to 80% hay, unlimited pellets for youngsters up to 4 months and ca. 50g of mixed veg with one high vitamin C veg mixed in like a slice of pepper of any colour, a floret or chunk of stalk of broccoli or a sprig of fresh cilantro/coriander, parsley, dill, basil or mint. Fresh water without additives daily.

You also may want to add some probiotic to their veg to help get the gut flora going again.
 
I'm so glad you contacted other vets for input.

Injections of penicillin-based drugs (inc amoxicillin) are, as a last resort, OK for piggies. Oral admin by drops etc is a NO-NO!

It is tempting to use these drugs because they ARE very effective against all bugs..but side effects in piggies preclude their use.

I'm even more relieved that the current amoxicillin meds have NOT caused your piggies further problems. Believe me, you are one very lucky piggiy slave.

All fingers and paws now crossed for a complete recovery.

x
 
Cleopatra died in my hands. We came home and she was cuddled against her tunnel. I picked her up and held her and then felt something wet. It was a little bloody poop and a white discharge that looked like fish eggs. She was barely breathing. She tried so hard to lift her head and eat pellets. Then she put her head inside my hand and stopped breathing. I wasn't sure, I moved her her leg in and out, eventually it became stiff and we knew for sure. My kids cried so much at the loss. I don't know how Zilly is going to deal with it. She is looking everywhere in the cage for her friend. I am heartbroken, but tomorrow we will search for her companion.
 
What sad news! I hope it wasn't the meds & that Zilly will succumb as well. How is Zilly? Apart from the grieving for Cleo that is.
 
I am all confused. Yesterday she was a little happy (def not normal, but still) during floor time. What was the white bubbly stuff she pooped? Also her tummy had always been big-- not bloat, soft and full and she was pooping okay, just soft. I am wondering if she was pregnant. Also I had bed giving them half a baby carrot, a super thin slice of apple and three sprigs of cilantro. Yesterday I gave romaine lettuce. The dark leafy one . . . Could this have pushed . . . The vet said she was over the worst . . . Her poop was soft but formed.
Should I wait a few days before getting a companion for Zilly? What if she has a similar infection or disease? Cleopatra used to eat a lot more and drink a lot more . . .
 
I don't see anything wrong with the vegies you fed - standard piggy veg fare. As to Cleopatra's symptoms I have no clue & possibly only a vet could tell you what killed her. I would definitely wait a few days to ensure Zilly is well.
 
i am so sorry for your loss, vets are useless, septrin, and baytril are the best antibiotics for guinea pigs, always use probiotics, pro-c or avipro from the vets. hope zilly will be ok, please keep us informed, I have to say, one of my vets overdosed one of my piggies on antibiotics, he was ok after a few weeks but i now have trust issues when it comes to vets, i now use a proper guinea pig vet called glenn, at apex vets in denny, scotland, I went to a vet because my piggie caramel, stopped eating started losing his hair, and lost so much weight, the vet, said it was root disease and it would be expensive to fix (this was from a supposed to be expert in exotic pets), i decided to move him to glenn, he then diagnosed him with kidney failure, he died, last july, the same with seth who was 9 at the time, he stopped eating, the vet again said it was root disease he had, again I moved him to glenn, turned out he had a heart murmur, that was giving him grief, he died aged 10 years old in April. what exactly are vets getting taught, they nearly overdosed my cat, when she needed antibiotics, now your poor baby has died because again vets do not know what they are doing.

please let us know how zilly is, love from donna, candy (cat), piggies: luke, mica, ruby (mum), cooky, gizzie, hammy, sammy, biscuit, wally, tazzles, callum, auggie, rocky, harry, tod, spike, ben, jerry, alvin, benji, ted (dad), buddy, roddy and rebel. we all send healing vibes to you and zilly.
sorry for the rant.
 
there is a condition if they are pregnant, called toxaemia, this is deadly to piggies, the white substance i do not know sorry what this is, please wait for a little while, to ensure zilly is well then you could get her alittle friend.
 
I am very sorry that you lost Cleopatra :( I agree that May be waiting a few days before finding Zilly a friend would be best.

Please do not make assumptions that it was definitely the antibiotic that killed her.

I'm afraid I have no ideas how she might have died, others may be able to offer advise but as already mentioned, only a vet can tell you for definite and that may involve needing a post mortem which I'm not sure you could deal with right now.

I really am so sorry for your loss xx
 
Hi. I'm really really sorry for the loss of your little piggy. I hope zilly is ok on her own ( for now). Make sure you cleaned zilly cage out because Cleo could have had a disease or infection that zilly hadn't caught. You can use a pet safe disinfectant ( I'm posting a thread on disinfectant in a moment) or you can use a vinegar and water solution ( this is 2 parts water, 1 part vinegar)
Make sure u do small health checks with zilly incase she starts going down hill too. ( check her eyes for any crusty stuff, see if her nose is running, check her eyes for crust, lice, ,mites, check her coat to make sure there are no lumps or bumps and that her coat is shiny, then check her poops to make sure they are getting harder each day. You can also make sure that her wee is clear, that she is eating a good amount if food and drinking a lot but most importantly u need to weigh her each day to make sure she isn't loosing weight)! Sorry this is soo long and again I'm sorry about the loss of your little Cleo x
 
I would go back to your vet to see exactly what killed Cleopatra.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top