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Floppy guinea pig

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oh bless. I am so sorry your piggie is going through this. It must be so upsetting for her and for you and your family. One thing is for certain everyone is racking their brains for ideas. She is beautiful, little trooper......I have turned the vibe machine up to top gear for her...x
 
sharonS said:
If your vet is at a lost as to what it is, could he contact Simon Maddox and get his opinion, maybe even show him the video too. She is bright enough in herself and is eating, such a shame to see her like this. Hope your vet visit goes well tomorrow and something can be sorted out for her.
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Thank you, my vet said if the antibiotics dont help her after 3/4 days then it more likely to be a brain thing :(
 
Poppy'sMum said:
Ok, it's just that in the video she doesn't appear to be moving her left legs much at all?

You could make up a little sling from fleece & then suspend it slightly so she has her legs on the ground sort of thing, just to support her body weight & it would prevent pressure sores. Something like this but with support around the chest as well:
http://www.handicappedpets.com/index.php/k9-belly-slings-.html
I don't think she prefers to lie on her left side, her lack of strength/ability to stand on all 4 legs is causing her to flop, bless her. I would definitely contact Simon & ask his advice though.
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Thank you, i did think about a sling myself. When Ilay her on her right side she scrambles to flip herself back on to her left......... I have been exercising her legs by moving them in a circular motion incase they ahve seized up a little. Sometimes when I look in her eyes its as though shes not there if youknow what I mean, and I have seen her roll her eyes a little. She seems to be moving her jaws alot, I'm not sure if shes munching, or grinding her teeth. I'm just hoping shes in no pain x I thought about sending the video to simon maddox, would you think thats worth a go?
 
Aww sorry theres no improvement, I cant bring myself to watch the video as I will get upset just reading what everyone else is saying, I sooo hope she improves soon, the poor baby shes such a fighter, keeping everything crossed for you and your gorgeous girl.
 
I think ringing simon and sending the video to him would be a great idea, i have heard only good things about him, do hope your ok hun, wish there was something more we could do to help, your doing a great job in caring for brownie, your doing all you can :)
 
It could still be an abcess/infection, don't give up on on her while she's eating and pooing etc it may be more comfortable for her to lie on her left, if it's pressing inwards on something then lying towards it my ease the inward pressure. I think the main thing is to keep her comfortable and happy, there's not much else you can do right now so keep her happy and comfy if she's still willing to fight. Crossing everything for her. x
 
AndreaJane said:
It could still be an abcess/infection, don't give up on on her while she's eating and pooing etc it may be more comfortable for her to lie on her left, if it's pressing inwards on something then lying towards it my ease the inward pressure. I think the main thing is to keep her comfortable and happy, there's not much else you can do right now so keep her happy and comfy if she's still willing to fight. Crossing everything for her. x
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I'm certainly hoping its nothing more sinister........I dont intend giving up on her while she is eating and pooing........ keep exercising her little legs, and now her feet are warmer since shes been led on a hot water bottle, I'm hoping that may get some circulation going for her.....
 
Ok, preparing to get shot down for this, but what the heck

The fact she has gone downhill rapidly overnight and is now refusing her favourite foods is not a good sign.

If she worsens any more, do the decent thing and get her to a vet to be PTS.

Would you want to be left to die in pain? No. Is it worth the stress to take her to Northampton to the vet? No

I have done this, this is exactly how my beautiful baby girl Whisks left us last October (24th, 8.45am, will never forget it). My vet, who does know a lot about guineas, talked it over with me and we decided that it wasn't worth her struggling on for days/weeks etc in this unfair quality of life. She fell asleep peacefully and I carried her home in my arms.

When we take on an animal we sign an invisible contract to do the best we can for this animal, and to have the guts to make the hard decisions when the time comes. It is incredibly hard to know when to say goodbye, but at the end of the day, you have to listen to what your animal is telling you, not your own emotions of 'oh but I could hold her one more time' etc - it just isn't fair.

I am a lot harder than this than many on here, maybe because of my own experiences, but as I say I have been through the exact same and made that decision and I know in my heart my girl went before it got too painful for her. I personally could never hang on to an animal if I knew it was in that much stress.
 
Doeylicious said:
Ok, preparing to get shot down for this, but what the heck

The fact she has gone downhill rapidly overnight and is now refusing her favourite foods is not a good sign.

If she worsens any more, do the decent thing and get her to a vet to be PTS.

Would you want to be left to die in pain? No. Is it worth the stress to take her to Northampton to the vet? No

I have done this, this is exactly how my beautiful baby girl Whisks left us last October (24th, 8.45am, will never forget it). My vet, who does know a lot about guineas, talked it over with me and we decided that it wasn't worth her struggling on for days/weeks etc in this unfair quality of life. She fell asleep peacefully and I carried her home in my arms.

When we take on an animal we sign an invisible contract to do the best we can for this animal, and to have the guts to make the hard decisions when the time comes. It is incredibly hard to know when to say goodbye, but at the end of the day, you have to listen to what your animal is telling you, not your own emotions of 'oh but I could hold her one more time' etc - it just isn't fair.

I am a lot harder than this than many on here, maybe because of my own experiences, but as I say I have been through the exact same and made that decision and I know in my heart my girl went before it got too painful for her. I personally could never hang on to an animal if I knew it was in that much stress.
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You're not the only one who's been through this and had to make these decisions, MOST of us have.
But if the vet thinks it's worth giving her a chance for the antibiotics to work then surely it's worth a try?
This is not about 'oh but I could hold her one more time' it's about giving her the best shot before giving up.
 
pippinskyblue said:
Thank you, i did think about a sling myself. When Ilay her on her right side she scrambles to flip herself back on to her left......... I have been exercising her legs by moving them in a circular motion incase they ahve seized up a little. Sometimes when I look in her eyes its as though shes not there if youknow what I mean, and I have seen her roll her eyes a little. She seems to be moving her jaws alot, I'm not sure if shes munching, or grinding her teeth. I'm just hoping shes in no pain x I thought about sending the video to simon maddox, would you think thats worth a go?
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Certainly, wouldn't do any harm to try, I am sure he would see your plight.
 
Doeylicious said:
Ok, preparing to get shot down for this, but what the heck

The fact she has gone downhill rapidly overnight and is now refusing her favourite foods is not a good sign.

If she worsens any more, do the decent thing and get her to a vet to be PTS.

Would you want to be left to die in pain? No. Is it worth the stress to take her to Northampton to the vet? No

I have done this, this is exactly how my beautiful baby girl Whisks left us last October (24th, 8.45am, will never forget it). My vet, who does know a lot about guineas, talked it over with me and we decided that it wasn't worth her struggling on for days/weeks etc in this unfair quality of life. She fell asleep peacefully and I carried her home in my arms.

When we take on an animal we sign an invisible contract to do the best we can for this animal, and to have the guts to make the hard decisions when the time comes. It is incredibly hard to know when to say goodbye, but at the end of the day, you have to listen to what your animal is telling you, not your own emotions of 'oh but I could hold her one more time' etc - it just isn't fair.

I am a lot harder than this than many on here, maybe because of my own experiences, but as I say I have been through the exact same and made that decision and I know in my heart my girl went before it got too painful for her. I personally could never hang on to an animal if I knew it was in that much stress.
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Thank you for your input...like I said I value all comments......... But can I lease just point out one or 2 things......... firstly..firstthing this morning she wasnt very bright and she did refuse her food, I gave her AB and a drink then an hour later she happily had some critical care, she was then nosing for something else she then ate some apple.and perked up....... had this have not been the case then I would have taken her to the vet today.........She has gone through the day munching as and when she has felt like it.........yes I agree she is poorly......but she is no worse than when the vet saw her friday and yesterday......... I have no intentions of letting her suffer and if the vet says its bestto have her pts then that is the route we will go.........but while she is showing signs of wanting to live and has a little fight in her I will not give up on her........ I have lost GP's in the past and I know its hard.......I had to have my dog put to sleep because he had no quality of life..........I would never let my little girl suffer for my own selfish reasons....... rest assured I only have her best interests at heart.
 
Doeylicious said:
Ok, preparing to get shot down for this, but what the heck

The fact she has gone downhill rapidly overnight and is now refusing her favourite foods is not a good sign.

If she worsens any more, do the decent thing and get her to a vet to be PTS.

Would you want to be left to die in pain? No. Is it worth the stress to take her to Northampton to the vet? No

I have done this, this is exactly how my beautiful baby girl Whisks left us last October (24th, 8.45am, will never forget it). My vet, who does know a lot about guineas, talked it over with me and we decided that it wasn't worth her struggling on for days/weeks etc in this unfair quality of life. She fell asleep peacefully and I carried her home in my arms.

When we take on an animal we sign an invisible contract to do the best we can for this animal, and to have the guts to make the hard decisions when the time comes. It is incredibly hard to know when to say goodbye, but at the end of the day, you have to listen to what your animal is telling you, not your own emotions of 'oh but I could hold her one more time' etc - it just isn't fair.

I am a lot harder than this than many on here, maybe because of my own experiences, but as I say I have been through the exact same and made that decision and I know in my heart my girl went before it got too painful for her. I personally could never hang on to an animal if I knew it was in that much stress.
Click to expand...

I do agree that it all comes down to the quality of life of the piggy eventually. I think the OP wants to make sure she has explored all possibilities first & if that means getting a second opinion then that is her prerogative. I don't think it would do any harm to send a copy of the video to Simon to get a definitive answer, then if one still isn't forthcoming or he confirms a poor prognosis then you really need to question what quality of life she would have & whether it is kinder to let her go to the Bridge.
 
AndreaJane said:
You're not the only one who's been through this and had to make these decisions, MOST of us have.
But if the vet thinks it's worth giving her a chance for the antibiotics to work then surely it's worth a try?
This is not about 'oh but I could hold her one more time' it's about giving her the best shot before giving up.
Click to expand...

I did for mine thanks, turned out she had incurable cancer in a teeny tiny lump in her neck that had spread round her body.

If the AB's haven't kicked in now (as she had them when, Friday?) and she has actually got worse, do you keep pumping in the drugs? Or do you think hmm my poor piggie is pretty distressed and all these trips in the car and shoving a needle in her (which is horrible for a well guinea let alone a poorly one) are a bit much, lets say goodbye in a peaceful and dignified manner while she is still herself.
 
I think you need to have a clear idea in your head about how long you're willing to continue like this without any sign of improvement. Personally I would be saying if she is no better by tomorrow morning then it would be time to say goodbye. I know this is an incredibly hard and upsetting decision to make but she is a very poorly piggie. I spend every day dealing with poorly piggies but sometimes, even with the very best vet to hand, it isn't enough and letting them go is the last act of love you can show them.

My thoughts are with you all x
 
Poppy'sMum said:
I do agree that it all comes down to the quality of life of the piggy eventually. I think the OP wants to make sure she has explored all possibilities first & if that means getting a second opinion then that is her prerogative. I don't think it would do any harm to send a copy of the video to Simon to get a definitive answer, then if one still isn't forthcoming or he confirms a poor prognosis then you really need to question what quality of life she would have & whether it is kinder to let her go to the Bridge.
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I have commented above but.......... I discussed the possibility of having her pts with the vet on friday and the vet and I agreed that because she showed sucha fighting spirit she deserved a chance, when the vet saw her again on saturday she had a very slight improvement which was when we agreed to give her the weekend.......... I had a poorly piggy a few years ago and it took 4 days before the AB made any improvement and luckily that piggy went on to survive........ ok different infection but still Brownie deserves a chance....if the worse comes to the worse........ and I have to make a decision....... then Brownie will get the dignified departure she deserves x
 
pippinskyblue said:
Unfortunately she wont lay on her other side, if i put her on it she struggles to flip herself over. Also I dont drive so getting her to Northampton is impossible. I am trying to keep her warm, but she wriggles out of the blankets i wrap her in. I'm sure have a small hot water bottle somewhere, I'm going to look for it in a minute. I will get her in to the vet asap. Shes no worse than when she was last seen by the vet now, she wasnt too good this morning but has perked up, if anything she is slightly better than she was on thursday evening.... but yes she is a very poorly piggy.
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There is no email address for Simon on the website...I have done a google search and cant find one can you help?
 
furryfriends (Excellent Adventure Sanctuary) said:
I think you need to have a clear idea in your head about how long you're willing to continue like this without any sign of improvement. Personally I would be saying if she is no better by tomorrow morning then it would be time to say goodbye. I know this is an incredibly hard and upsetting decision to make but she is a very poorly piggie. I spend every day dealing with poorly piggies but sometimes, even with the very best vet to hand, it isn't enough and letting them go is the last act of love you can show them.

My thoughts are with you all x
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Her vet appointment is for tuesday unless she goes down hill....... but yes I have made a decision that if she is still showing no signs of improvement then we will say goodbye with a very heavy heart x I'm in tears now just thinking about it
 
Panacur helped a piggie of mine with neurological problems. It bought her more quality time, although things eventually got to the point where we had to say goodbye.

It is used to treat rabbits with E Cuniculi and it is thought that guinea pigs can also suffer from EC
 
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I am in no doubt that you will do what you can for her, and there is only you that can make the final decision and with her best interests at heart. If she has to leave, you can say you helped her all you could. Brownie and yourself will be in my thoughts tonight, God Bless her.
 
furryfriends (Excellent Adventure Sanctuary) said:
Panacur helped a piggie of mine with neurological problems. It bought her more quality time, although things eventually got to the point where we had to say goodbye.

It is used to treat rabbits with E Cuniculi and it is thought that guinea pigs can also suffer from EC
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Thats an interesting one........stupid question now - what do I do with the panacur? Is it the panacur paste you mean?
 
I am not sure if you have been shown this before but after my ordeal with Frazzle today I went to the nearest pet shop to look at their books. I found this page in one of Peter Gurney's books which I found interesting:
6e00f1a8.jpg


It could perhaps be something you could think of doing, as I read that you were trying some of your own physiotherapy.
Also, I think this may have been put to your attention before but:
http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/paral.htm

I have only skimmed a few of the pages on this thread but I hope this is of some kind of help and not repeating what everybody has said.
Good luck in deciding what is wrong and what should be done -
I wish your piggy all the best x
 
Speak to Simon about it tomorrow. I have used the paste that you get for rabbits and I also had some panacur in a bottle that I gave by syringe to Skye. Can't remember the dose though. My piggie was nowhere near as poorly as your little one though so this may just be clutching at straws. It just suddenly came to me though and thought it was worth a mention.
 
PopcornPigs said:
I am not sure if you have been shown this before but after my ordeal with Frazzle today I went to the nearest pet shop to look at their books. I found this page in one of Peter Gurney's books which I found interesting:
6e00f1a8.jpg


It could perhaps be something you could think of doing, as I read that you were trying some of your own physiotherapy.
Also, I think this may have been put to your attention before but:
http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/paral.htm

I have only skimmed a few of the pages on this thread but I hope this is of some kind of help and not repeating what everybody has said.
Good luck in deciding what is wrong and what should be done -
I wish your piggy all the best x
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No this has not been mentioned to me before......thank you for bringing it to my attention....... but I'm pretty sure its not a paralasis
 
Doeylicious said:
I did for mine thanks, turned out she had incurable cancer in a teeny tiny lump in her neck that had spread round her body.

If the AB's haven't kicked in now (as she had them when, Friday?) and she has actually got worse, do you keep pumping in the drugs? Or do you think hmm my poor piggie is pretty distressed and all these trips in the car and shoving a needle in her (which is horrible for a well guinea let alone a poorly one) are a bit much, lets say goodbye in a peaceful and dignified manner while she is still herself.
Click to expand...

I'm sure you did everything you could, I'm not suggesting you didn't. As you know this is always difficult, knowing when it's time to say goodbye and whether it's worth hanging in there. Ultimately it's a decision only you can make and I know Brownie's Mum will be thinking every option through very carefully.
 
She is obviously a very poorly girl. She reminds me of exactly how my Gladys was before she (sorry to say it) but passed away.

She was ill for around two weeks and went through phases like that, then she'd be able to move but with severe head tilt, then back to swear one, then fine for a few days. It went on for around two weeks with various antibiotics. We then went to a guinea pig specialists (Ashleigh vets in Chorlton, who I now swear by!) and they decided that the only way to get to the bottom of it was to put her under GA and have a look inside her ear and take x-rays. Sadly she was too poorly and didn't come round from the GA but they said she had a severe inner ear infection, her ear was full of gunk hence why she was so unbalance and that it could have potentially been treated with antibiotics if she had been strong enough.

I hope your little girl pulls through x
 
youthnovels said:
She is obviously a very poorly girl. She reminds me of exactly how my Gladys was before she (sorry to say it) but passed away.

She was ill for around two weeks and went through phases like that, then she'd be able to move but with severe head tilt, then back to swear one, then fine for a few days. It went on for around two weeks with various antibiotics. We then went to a guinea pig specialists (Ashleigh vets in Chorlton, who I now swear by!) and they decided that the only way to get to the bottom of it was to put her under GA and have a look inside her ear and take x-rays. Sadly she was too poorly and didn't come round from the GA but they said she had a severe inner ear infection, her ear was full of gunk hence why she was so unbalance and that it could have potentially been treated with antibiotics if she had been strong enough.

I hope your little girl pulls through x
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Thank you.........this is how Brownie has been, ive just managed to lay her on her right side and was massaging her left ear (the poorly one) and she got her left back leg and was sctartching it like mad.......I'm sure she has a bad case of ear mites and an infection aswel which has thrown her completely off balance........ I know also that a bad ear infection can cause brain problems....... I am thinking this maybe the case with Brownie...... i don't want her to suffer.......but on the other hand I dont want to give up on her easily........ she doesnt seem in any real pain but then who knows.no one for sure only the poor piggy herself :0
 
I would try to ring Simon tomorrow anyway, at least then you will know what to do next, I will be thinking of you & hoping that she does make a recovery, big ((hugs)) to you & your family & well done for trying to do the best for her.
 
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