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Guinea Pig "Head" Abscess?

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Stinklepig said:
Things can change so very quickly, but I spoke to my friend on the phone earlier, and at hte time the piggy was out on a towel, munching some hay, dandelion pellets of some kind, some fresh, and when she thought nobody was looking, the towel (what is the fixation with towels and piggies?)...

Will be heading up there later with another fresh run and another tube of eye ointment, if I'm not worn out when I get back I'll try and post an update :)
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She sounds a little fighter, bless her! I so hope she gets better, you are working so hard on this, and she clearly has such a will to live too!
 
I can name her now - As I've been helping a friend I didn't want to put too much "personal" info on!

She's Pimple, who some of you may know as the Hammocky Hammock poorly piggie. I hope those who are waiting for orders and reading this thread might understand why there's been delays, Sarah has been flat out nursing Pimps.

I went up this evening, to find Pimple out on a bit of fleece, eating. Non-stop eating. And woe betide anyone who tried to interfere with her eating!

Her eye has been bathed today and looks a lot better, although not quite perfect. And she's definitely got an inner ear/ balance issue as she was turning her head right to eat a fair bit. But that's situation normal for her at the moment, comes and goes and the more tired she gets the more it comes on. Although tiredness wasn't going to stop her munching, no matter how much head head needed rest!

We've heard from a not vet (someone at the Liverpool vet school/ university who isn't technically a practising vet as far as I understand it), who is very happy she is on the azithromycin, and had a possible diagnosis based on the info I'd sent to someone who knows him. He's never seen it in piggies, but in other animals he's aware of random pockets of puss that form and give very similar symptoms. I think he also struggled to believe we haven't syringe fed Pimps since 23rd Feb. I sometimes struggle, when for such a poorly piggie she's managed to put on a fair chunk of weight. Sarah's going to try and up teh physio to get her back legs working a bit better, as if she gets through this and doesn't get some proper motility back we're going to have to make a warning buzzer for whenever she reverses! ;)

So still no miraculously good news, and things can change oh so quickly, but she's a real fighter and we're now feeling more comfortable with the treatment she is getting and advice we are receiving. A great deal of which we'd never have had (especially the antibiotic) without the people who have been kind enough to help on here. Thank you :)
 
awwwwww sweet name x)x)x)
Oh yes totally understand love, you did the right thing xx>>>

WOW sounds like she knows what food is then, bless her WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO let's hope this settles her a bit and the meds start to really kick in now xx>>>xx>>>
 
That's wonderful news! It might not be a massive improvement, but each step in the right direction is a step closer to her getting well again. I'm so glad I recommended the antibiotic and also that you were able to speak with Simon yesterday.

Come on Pimple, we all so want you to be fighting fit again!

x
 
I've just got back m,was there for maybe an hour and a half. Pimps was up and eating, though she seems slower today. Head wander was worse than it's been at times, but better than at others.

Really hard to say, her poo is quite small today, but there's plenty of it and although dimunitive, it's actually a very healthy consistency, shape and colour.

We're trying to give her more incentive to move around, but she's quite weak and seems to maybe be a little nauseous which would explain the general suppressed mood. It's hard not to panic, but we know that with what she appears to have (even if it didn't start as an ear infection there's certainly ear/ balance issues now) she will have good days and bad, and there's no certainty she can get through this. We're doing all we can, and so is she, it's just time and large doses of luck needed.

Infuriatingly, after asking for a repeat prescription on Monday (ready to pick up today/ tomorrow), the vet practice is now unsure about it. They may want to see Pimps again, andf frankly I don't want to keep disturbing her when all we want and need is a fresh bottle of meds for her. The vet didn't know anything about azithromycin so wouldn't have been aware it's good for five days from when it's mixed. Hopefully this can be cleared up tomorrow morning (by showing them the instructions if necessary!) so I can pick up another batch in the afternoon. Also want to try and get the pharmacy to split it so we don't have to throw away 5/6 of it every few days, not to mention the hassle and cost of repeat prescriptions and getting hold of them.

So no miraculous news, but early days and very precariously balanced situation so I wouldn't expect there to be.
 
How many days has she been on the zithromax now? Did Simon mention about going onto alternate days? Normally after five days he says to give it every other day, although for severe infections he's said to give it daily for a week.

Yes try and get the pharmacy to split it for you. As I said before, I normally get mine split into three so only make each one up, as and when I need it.
 
Over the weekend she was on 0.25 twice daily, went up to 1ml once daily after speaking to Simon on Monday. So in effect I'm counting this evening as the end of the second full day on the treatment. Meaning I'm really not expecting it to be showing any real signs of working, the way it works means it takes a good 3 to 5 days to really acheive anything (it inhibits bacteria reproduction, and bacteria will be living maybe up to 5 days naturally). The lower dose she was getting over the weekend will have possibly helped reduce the increase in bacteria, but most likely won't have actually overall reduced the nasties.

The not vet university person reckoned a full 4 weeks on this is the way to go given the severity of her symptoms, but I'm not sure what his thoughts on dose/ frequency were. Need to try and chase that up.

Splitting into three wasn't an option on Friday, we were just glad to be able to get our hands on it, and as the vet didn't know anything about it and the pharmacy mixed it up for us before I had chance to ask what they were doing, we just got it in one go.

Fingers crossed she's still with us tomorrow, and we can try having the give us more and split it into three "discussion" with the various people concerned...
 
furryfriends said:
I'm seeing Simon tomorrow evening. Would you like me to ask his opinion regarding frequency?
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Provided things are still ticking over, that would be massively appreciated, thanks :)

I'm so hoping she starts to make a significant improvement soon. I've got everything crossed.
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So have we, but she was so horrendously ill the first couple of days into this (over a month ago now) the fact the illness is still going has really taken it out of her. She's trying, and so we are too. Until the last few days I do believe she's never really been given suitable treatment for her problems, and I can only put that down to vets being too confident in their experiences and book knowledge to actually make thought out decisions at times :(

Currently I couldn't say if the infection is hitting her or not, it really does appear to be more nausea/ balance issues. And that's a whole new load of symptoms for her to get over, as I don't think there's a great deal we can do other than keep her warm and comfortable (and keep up the meds of course!) and make sure she's got plenty of whatever she wants.
 
Am staying positive for you all, you've tried so dam hard, i hope that the little girl can respond and go forward from here xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>
I see Debbie is getting more info for you from Simon, i'm so glad as he's been brill for her piggies :) and her special bun too :)
HUGS For you girls and special loves for Pimps XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 
furryfriends said:
How's Pimps doing today? I've just been chatting with Simon and he's said he would probably go for seven consecutive days on zithromax and then go to alternate days. This can then be continued for up to four weeks.
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She had a good night last night, some physio got her a bit more active and apparently she was boiping and chatting away to the world. Saw her tonight, she's very tilty and tired, but still refusing to let silly things like sleep get in the way of more munching. Still also more mobile than she has been, but maybe it's a bad balance day as she wasn't too impressed with the thought of moving for food. I *think* her boggle eye is looking more settled, was hard to tell as she was tired but the left eye was looking more like the right, instead of being half pushed out her face. That eye has been up and down through all this, but this is the first time it's *looked* (hard to tell when she was trying to sleep at the world) quite so settled in a long time.

Got the new prescription today, and after Sarah had a long chat with the local vet this morning we got it in three bottles, to make one up every five days. Far preferable, as we've got to bin nearly a full 30ml bottle from last Friday which is a waste and not inexpensive either! The pharmacist was kind enough to throw in some purified water for free to make it up with too :)

I think we'll go with the seven day plan then before backing of to every other. She's very unsteady on her feet, and although her temperature seems normal we're less than convinced the infection is fully subdued. It's hard to tell now what might be caused by what we believe (and hope) to be the infection, and what is down to long term damage from the (hopefully) infection :( Though if it is an infection, and we have beaten it (I say we, I think Pimple has done most of that herself as until last Friday I don't believe we had had the correct advice and medication provided...), I know she has a good chance of adapting to the tilt/ balance issues over time.

Thanks for asking Simon, I didn't want to start pestering him as he's been very kind to offer advice to me the other day as it is! :)
 
So pleased she seems to be going on ok. It's good you were able to get the zithromax split into three as it will mean so much less waste.

I'm sure if you need to speak with Simon again at any point he would be more than happy to help you.
 
Please send Sarah much love from Louise at Little Brambles. Tell her to take care of herself too.

Hugs to Pimple x x x x
 
Hi Louise, thank you :) I'm just about managing to cope on 2 hours sleep, but she's worth it.

Saw her tonight, she's very tilty and tired, but still refusing to let silly things like sleep get in the way of more munching.
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I know you were concerned when you left, but since then we've had a bum dip and massage and perked up a bit.

She had a wobble up and down the sofa whilst I changed her bedding and then voiced her displeasure when she discovered the sofa was in fact a hay free zone, but I've been forgiven now she's home and discovered a small pile of fresh including some yummy red pepper.

The head tilt noticeably lessened whilst she was concentrating on wobbling up the sofa, and almost completely disappeared whilst she was busy telling me off!

She's also discovered reverse tonight (no more beeping jokes or you are on bum duty tomorrow!) because she grabbed a bit of pepper and reversed into her hidey hole with it. I was very impressed!

Realistically she hardly moves without prompting but can and will under the right circumstances. In herself, everything considered, she is still very alert and almost permanently munching unless asleep, and there are times when she doesn't let that stop her either. I'm hopeful that with regular gentle piggy physio she will regain / relearn what her back end is for.

She is one very brave little piggy, and although I've been nursing for coming up 5 weeks now, she really has fought most of this battle herself. It's frustrating that we couldn't jump on the correct treatment immediately, but you live and learn and I just hope that Pimps gets the chance to prove our Vet wrong.

Thank you to everyone for your help and support. It has been much appreciated :)
 
She sounds a gorgeous piggy with such a zest for life! I really hope she comes through this, as she certainly deserves to! You are doing a fantastic job! Everytime I come on the forum I look to see if there is any more news!

You are one brave little girl Pimps! Make sure you prove your vet wrong! x
 
Oh what a precious little girl x)
You made me smile with the reverse comment :))
Fantastic idea tho to do the gentle massage!
HUGS and loves for you all from me xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>
This little girl has won our hearts over, i keep looking for updates :)
 
I always look here too, she has a will to live that the vet can't deny. Come on Miss Pimps, prove them wrong & i love the fact she reversed x)
 
Just catching up on the thread and can't believe the improvements she's making each day. She sounds like a completely different piggie! Well done to you and your friend who have worked so hard with her and continue to do so. I hope things carry on going well :)
 
Saw Pimpos tonight, she's a bit more with it and lerty than yesterday :)

Still quite bendy, but straight when eating or wobbling up the cage. She's been using the water bottle, which is good, although she does tend to need prompting/ pointing to it. Once she's sent in the right direction she happily guzzles away though! Caught her munching a little bit of Excel Herbage this evening - She's generally refusing that, and Forage... Of course she is, I went all over the place trying to get them for her!

Hard to tell where things are at with the root cause of this, the fact we're five weeks down the line from the start is giving hope that it was "just" an infection even though we've no way of being sure of that. She's still very wobbly and tends to curl up when tired, but given whatever this is/ was has damaged her ear in some way that's to be expected really. Sarah is keeping up the physio to try and help her learn to adapt to that, and I'd say it's working as she's far more mobile than she was two or three weeks into this.

Hopefully Sarah will update on here soon, she's the one that's with Pimps all day doing all the work!
 
furryfriends said:
I know she still has a long way to go, but she keeps moving in the right direction!
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Well, if the direction is towards the food pile, then yes, she certainly does! If only she'd move in the direction of the water bottle, rather than drinking after being shown it for the thousandth time..

I've also been told to make an honourable mention of Sensible Sausage. Sensible Suasage is a roll of fleece to try and give her something to lean/ rest against. Sadly for Sensible Sausage, Pimps isn't convinced by this, and has a sneaky suspicion Sensible is trying to steal all the yummy foods. Which results in much turfing and chuntering till she wins.

Without a home built MRI (how hard can that be, it's only a computer and some magnets ;) ) it's impossible to know what's going on, but she's trying and so we're trying, and that's the best that can happen at the moment.
 
Sensible Sausage! LOL Love it! I've got a piggy who didn't drink from the water bottle for about five months. She has major dental problems and has to have her teeth done weekly. A couple of mornings ago I got up to find her drinking away, and she now keeps going back for more!

Just take each day as it comes. Pimps certainly seems to have plenty of attitude and determination! A truly amazing little piggy! x
 
LOL, love the Sensible Sausage! I did a similar thing for Charlie, my pig with a kidney tumour who, towards the end, needed to sit with his front feet propped up a little.

Remember that a long-term ear infection can leave permanent damage after the infection has cleared, usually in the form of a head tilt.

I am always reading updates on this thread and thinking of Pimps, even if I don't reply. Take care of yourself too Sarah! And thank you Stinklepig for helping Sarah and Pimps so much.
 
Pimps has had quite a good few days :)

She's just had her probiotic and a little totter around the table and when I rustled the bag with the veggies in she lifted her head and made that all to familiar demandy "where's my supper" wheek and then picked up speed and positively hurtled towards me!

These last few days she has been very chatty and almost back to the vocal piggy that she was before all this started. She now greets me in the morning with a happy chunter, followed by a "where's my breakfast" wheek, and the all to familiar "who opened the fridge" wheek is back too!

Her back legs are still weak but her ability and confidence to use them is coming back slowly but surely, and she can now quite comfortably tuck her legs underneath her again, which obviously helps with mundane tasks such as having a little piggy wash.

She is eating and drinking well and maintaining weight, Stinklepig would say a little too much weight, but a lot of that is down to her lack of mobility at the moment, which as I say we are working on :)

Her poos are looking good and healthy and there are plenty of them. She still doesn't have the strength to go poo fishing (coprophragy), she leaves that delightful job up to me, but I make sure she has a good poo buffet on offer should she decide she wants it. Obviously my timing isn't as good or natural as hers and I don't always manage to collect the correct type of poo (forgotten the name of them!) but hopefully enough to keep her going, until she is well enough to do so herself.

CCC4 said:
Remember that a long-term ear infection can leave permanent damage after the infection has cleared, usually in the form of a head tilt.
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I know :( Pimps isn't the first Hammocky Piggy to suffer from this but she is certainly the most determined! The introduction of Sensible Sausage is purely to give her back a bit of balance confidence, especially when she is tired and feels like she is falling off the world. As I type she is swearing at Sensible Sausage for stealing a bit of her Broccoli :)p

alcesterpigs said:
S.Pig
Has your pig ever been treated with Valbazen?
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No. Why?
 
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