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Esme isn't well.

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Good luck at the vets! Love to Esme and hugs to you x
 
sport_billy said:
Good luck at the vets! Love to Esme and hugs to you x
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So, I've just got back. Slightly unexpected diagnosis, but I will explain her symptoms.
This morning she wasn't interested in her veg or pellets and was breathing oddly, sucking her sides in.
I gave her a dose of metacam thinking it may have been a pain response and brought her in to syringe feed- she took about 10mls initially and did a couple of poos so I popped out and when I came out I checked her and she still wasn't right so she had some more feed about 8ml with some resistance as well as a piece of melon, a couple of celery leaves and a tiny piece of brocolli. After further refusal to eat and only a very few mishapen, clumped together poos I contacted the vets for advice who said to bring her in.

Thorough exam revealed nothing (stephoscope wise) I don't think but some thickening to her left side. To try and confirm a diagnosis she was xrayed consciously and this is what it showed:
Her lungs should show up black on xray because of the air, however the black space was smaller than expected and her heart appeared to be enlarged. The vet said there is two things it could be- a pneumonia, which may be causing her hard to work harder to remove the fluid on the lungs or a heart problem. ( I assume a congestive problem- due to the fluid?) enlarging the heart and causing fluid to accumulate.
Either way, we are treating with septrin in case of infection and also furosemide to remove the fluid that essentially is causing the problems.
We need to go back either Monday, Tues or this Friday to see how she is getting on- just need to book an appointment around work- not easy as I'm working till 6 each day in a place 40 mins from the vets :/
 
klee said:
So, I've just got back. Slightly unexpected diagnosis, but I will explain her symptoms.
This morning she wasn't interested in her veg or pellets and was breathing oddly, sucking her sides in.
I gave her a dose of metacam thinking it may have been a pain response and brought her in to syringe feed- she took about 10mls initially and did a couple of poos so I popped out and when I came out I checked her and she still wasn't right so she had some more feed about 8ml with some resistance as well as a piece of melon, a couple of celery leaves and a tiny piece of brocolli. After further refusal to eat and only a very few mishapen, clumped together poos I contacted the vets for advice who said to bring her in.

Thorough exam revealed nothing (stephoscope wise) I don't think but some thickening to her left side. To try and confirm a diagnosis she was xrayed consciously and this is what it showed:
Her lungs should show up black on xray because of the air, however the black space was smaller than expected and her heart appeared to be enlarged. The vet said there is two things it could be- a pneumonia, which may be causing her hard to work harder to remove the fluid on the lungs or a heart problem. ( I assume a congestive problem- due to the fluid?) enlarging the heart and causing fluid to accumulate.
Either way, we are treating with septrin in case of infection and also furosemide to remove the fluid that essentially is causing the problems.
We need to go back either Monday, Tues or this Friday to see how she is getting on- just need to book an appointment around work- not easy as I'm working till 6 each day in a place 40 mins from the vets :/
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Oh gosh! That must have been a shock! Fingers and paws firmly crossed that the medications get to work quickly x
 
So sorry to hear this about Esme. While i have not had a piggy with heart problems i have had two over the years with pneumonia, lydia was aged one and had no response to septrin and had turned blue, on xray only 10% of her lungs contained air. simon (the vet) put her onto zithromax and she had a diuretic injection each day for three days. she survived and went on to live to the age of 7, no one at the vets had really expected her to live. She was as far as i can recall the first pig Simon had given zithromax to (although had had been using it on the bunnies with good success)

Then last year my young piggy Starlight had pneumonia. I persueded my vet here to use zithromax, an antibiotic they were not familiar with, and again she also had the diuretic injections. She also made a full recovery despite the vets guarded prognosis.

Oddly both pigs were young and got ill in the summer for no apparant reason.

If your vet thinks Esme has a lung infection and pneumonia I would strongly reccomend they prescribe zithromax :)
 
Sorry to read this :( Poor Esme, I am keeping everything crossed for her x x
 
Sheila our girl suffered with her chest and our Exotic vet put her onto Marbocyl, Bisolvon and Metacam which worked wonders for her :)
Good that she's on diuretics and hope Esme will be feeling better very soon x>>
 
Just updated from my other thread incase anyone misses it.
Something is definitely starting to work in her guts, lots of poo if a littlle soft and unformed. She is just eating hay on my knee so touchwood this starts to firm her up. She hasn't had much of a syringe feed this evening yet, but going to see if she wants some banana as that is quite good for soft poops isn't it?* Going to limit veg right down to maybe a tiny piece of lettuce as encouragement to take the syringe feed.I don't know how much she ate with the others so don't want to overload her, particularly as she seems to be doing pretty well with eating-well better than yesterday so I'm happier.

I will ask about zithromax if indeed it turns out to be an infection.

Guinea pig slave, we have had marbocyl before for a uti but at a different vets than where.we are now- it was pretty good.
 
So pleased she seems to be picking up. Lots of love to her x
 
We have another appointment for her to be checked again on Tuesday morning. Just got to keep up the syringe feeding etc.
Just wondering whether there is anything I could give her to help her digestion. I don't really have anything in; she has had some probiotic water but everything else I will have to order- Is fibreplex any good?
 
klee said:
We have another appointment for her to be checked again on Tuesday morning. Just got to keep up the syringe feeding etc.
Just wondering whether there is anything I could give her to help her digestion. I don't really have anything in; she has had some probiotic water but everything else I will have to order- Is fibreplex any good?
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Fibreplex would help firm the poo's up she sounds to be heading in the right direction. IS she eating hay? Maybe speak to the vet regarding Emeprid and Zantac when you see them, they would keep things ticking through her system when she is not eating much - But from the sound of it her tummy is getting better as you are getting more poo's abd she is eating. Often when Treacles guts started up again after she had bloaty periods we would get wet poo's at first, they would then firm up over a period of 48 hours.

Always worth having fibreplex in on hand. x
 
I have been following this thread closely, fingers crossed she gets back to normal soon! Sorry, I don't have any advice just adding my wishes :)
 
sport_billy said:
Fibreplex would help firm the poo's up she sounds to be heading in the right direction. IS she eating hay? Maybe speak to the vet regarding Emeprid and Zantac when you see them, they would keep things ticking through her system when she is not eating much - But from the sound of it her tummy is getting better as you are getting more poo's abd she is eating. Often when Treacles guts started up again after she had bloaty periods we would get wet poo's at first, they would then firm up over a period of 48 hours.

Always worth having fibreplex in on hand. x
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Right, shall order some fibreplex- hopefully if I order now I may have it by Friday. She isn't bloated- just not used to the food being there. Yeah she has had some hay - I stuck a pile of it on my knee earlier and she really tucked in. Now that she has a bit of a squishy bottom, she is missing out on exploring- she loved it this morning up and down the living room. I was crawling along next to her and she kept following me- and if I shouting come on then! she came running back. Too cute :)
 
Fibreplex is brilliant - our Bruce often gets soft poo's (he's an older boy) and find a 1ml dose twice a day does the trick every time :)
Ranitidine is also fab for getting their gut moving quickly.
So pleased Esme is doing ok, well done :) :)
 
Esme says 'Thank you for all the well wishes'



Here she is snuggling into her favourite blanket, she likes hiding under it when she isn't running around exploring.

Just ordered the fibreplex :)
 
Wasn't going to update until I had some news- but as the case is I definitely have some.
My Dad has just been out to feed his fish and shouted/ whistled to the girls, you can probably guess who was first out........... Yes you guessed it- Miss Esme!
Ran straight out and sat waiting by the bars, He gave her some dandelion leaves and she snatched them from him and kept coming back for more, even climbing up thebars.
If that isn't an improvement I don't know what is.
 
klee said:
Wasn't going to update until I had some news- but as the case is I definitely have some.
My Dad has just been out to feed his fish and shouted/ whistled to the girls, you can probably guess who was first out........... Yes you guessed it- Miss Esme!
Ran straight out and sat waiting by the bars, He gave her some dandelion leaves and she snatched them from him and kept coming back for more, even climbing up thebars.
If that isn't an improvement I don't know what is.
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Fantastic news! Keep it up Esme!
 
Great news indeed! It is really tough having to pull through an illness, but it is ever so worth it when they come out the other end! Please keep a good eye on her until her digestion has fully settled and introduce fresh veg gradually.
 
So pleased! Have been thinking lots about one of my favorite Ginger Sausages. Love to Esme x
 
Thought you would like an update. Esme has gone off syringe feeding but has been helping herself to pellets, hay and grass. I still offer her some syringe food but she just doesn't want it.
On the other hand she loves coming inside and exploring- the furosemide must be working as she is so much more active and run around everywhere.
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She has found a liking for newspaper and has been ripping chunks off it.

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The fibreplex came today, I don't think she likes it haha

I know she is eating and is pooing to an extent, but whenever she is out she doesn't seem to like to poo so I'm not really able to monitor her output. I just hope it can kick start her system into proper poos, I only gave about 0.5ml .

She is still happily running around and eating I just don't think her guts are quite right yet.
 
Putt hated the dreaded fibreplex :)) A tip to administer it is to put a 1ml syringe in the end of the fibreplex syringe, adjust the fibreplex syringe to dispense 1ml and then push the plunger on it while pulling the 1ml syringe plunger. This then allows you to feed the fibreplex from the 1ml syringe which is easier to use. Love to Esme x
 
Definitely getting somewhere today :)

Although it's not much Esme has taken about 12ml of syringe feed, is eating solids on her own and hay. I am only offering syringe feed as extra to her normal eating, I still don't think she is having quite enough to keep her guts moving.
She has had some fibreplex, and a tummy rub as she was feeling a bit gassy and was hiding under her blanker and produced lots of 'better' formed pellets.

She is back to her usual tricks of exploring everything and also weed all over my top whilst giving her a rub.
 
A little update.

Esme is still doing reasonably well, she is still not quite right though.
She comes in, every morning for her septrin and furosemide which she hates, but she gets to wander round which she loves .
She also comes in in the evening with Rosie for her second dose of furosemide and Rosie's metacam, where they have a pile of hay to eat and they can wander as they wish.
Esme has a bit of a thing about feet at the moment and will sniff and sniff any feet she can get to, and can get a bit nibbly- I often walk outside bare foot so I think she can smell grass. haha.
Although she is eating, pooing and wandering round quite happily she is still getting a bit gassy at times, I have been trying to limit her veg by only letting her have a small amount of grass when she comes in and I have been feeding the others their veg whilst she has her morning veg so she doesn't wolf it all down- instead just having their leftovers which is more than enough.
I wonder if the gassiness is due to her heart, I read that abdominal bloating can be common with heart pigs.
She is still very occasionally doing her funny breathing, I may ring the vets in the next few days and see whether they think I could increase the furosemide dose as it was previously working- I am very limited about when I can get to the vets at the moment as by the time i get home from work ,pick up the pigs and get to the vets I can barely make the final appointment time. If it gets any worse I will just have to see whether i can finish work a little earlier. We do have another appointment in a week/few weeks time for a check up when my regular vet is back from holidays.
 
Back at the vets on Monday for a check up and possibly more medication.
She had a funny turn on wednesday evening, and was doing her breathing with her sides pulled in, so rang the oncall vet who got me to check her membranes in her mouth which were nice and pink and her breathing was average rate for a piggy. He advised to give her a half dose of furosemide if she was no better after an hour or so of the initial dose, which I did and she quickly improved.

It was very humid on wed evening- so i think this may have been the cause of the problem- does anyone know how heart pigs are affected by the heat?
She has been okay since on her normal furosemide dose, from my video you can see she is positively racing around like a nutter!
 
Heat is definitely not good for heart pigs so it's worth doing whatever you can - ice pods, fans etc - to help keep her cool.
 
Poor Esme, it seems like two steps forward, one step back! But she certainly looked lively enough in your video.
 
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