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Help I Think Coco Is Dying

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I'll just wait and ee how she gets on over the next wee while. I asked for a probiotic because shes going to be on baytril for so long and she gave me fibreplex. I didn't know fibreplex was what people meant by a probiotic! lol.
 
Yes it is, it's in the hand feeding and probiotic guides.

Ok, but if she does have fluid then it is important that she gets the diuretic or it will get worse. Could you ask your vet if she suspects the fuzziness to be fluid?
 
thank you, I'll phone tomorrow helen. I'm already worrying and wanted to phone them tomorrow. Shes not moved since she came home and her lungs sound horrible. will the antibiotics deffo not work on their own if it is fluid?
 
No she will definitely need a diuretic, the antibiotics will help with the infection though.
 
really bad, I'm taking her to the vets for half 10. Shes panting and her breathing is so fast, she sounds awful and shes obviously lay soaked in her own pee and poo all night because shes covered in it. I'm asking about a diuretic, is there anything else i should ask?
 
I'm really sorry she has taken a turn for the worse and wanted you to know that I am thinking of you and Coco.
 
They checked her xrays over and don't think theres fluid so wouldnt' give the diuretic.
She got an injection of pain killers to make her comfortable while the antibiotics start working properly but said theres nothing else they an do for her anymore other than what's already been done. I'm so worried. :(
 
How horrible for you. You have done absolutely everything that you can and Coco is lucky that she has such a caring owner who is prepared to fight for her. I wish her all the best. x
 
6 days, 5 vet trips, £260 later and a promise to myself that i'll donate the rest of my wages to TEA's if she makes it through this & she's worse than ever.

I can't bath her because shes sick, but shes absolutely COVERED in diarrhea and soaked in pee. Can i try clean her a bit with a wet towel, or will i leave her?
 
I am not an expert so I hope you get some health advice soon. In the meantime try putting her on clean bedding. If she is not moving then change the bedding underneath her frequently, to stop her fur absorbing more urine. I do hope Coco improves
 
Ah, hun, I'm so sorry (Somehow didn't get notifications). Poor girlie, I have my fingers crossed for both of you.

Erm as for her being covered in the diarrhoea and stuff... you could possibly gently use a warm flannel, at the same point though I don't want her to get cold though, so I'm not sure, may be better to leave her..

Do you have puppy pads, I'm thinking having her on them, you could change readily and quite easily.
 
I've wiped her bum with baby wipes rinsed in warm water and rubbed rubbed it with a dry towel. She is still manky all over her belly and feet, but at least shes a wee bit dryer & I've changed her fleece. She's furious now. I don't have puppy pads, She always eats them. Probably a good idea for now though, I've gone through 3 fleeces already today and it's only 12! lol
She's looking alot more comfortable. :)

IMG_20150318_115235[1].webp
 
Glad she's more comfortable bless her. She's gorgeous. She'll probably feel a bit brighter not being covered in her own muck as well :)
 
Coco&Luna said:
They checked her xrays over and don't think theres fluid so wouldnt' give the diuretic.
She got an injection of pain killers to make her comfortable while the antibiotics start working properly but said theres nothing else they an do for her anymore other than what's already been done. I'm so worried. :(
Click to expand...

Is there any way you could get a second opinion? did they explain why they could not see clearly on the xray? Could you get to Glenn at all?
 
I'm so sorry Hun
You are regrettably having to deal with an extremely "acute illness" situation where everything is going on at once.

1) Abx: You have abx (in this case baytril) which will take sometime to cut in - but if, after 72hours of trwatment, there is no improvement (or even a worsening of symptoms) then your vets need to consider changing to another abx as the original bug may be resistant. To be honest, I wouldn;t mess around with trying septrin next - go for something more hard-hitting (by possibly primary injection followed by daily oral admin) like azithromycin, doxycycline, marbocyl (or even long-acting tetracycline)

2) Diarrhorea/Fluid levels: The diarrhoea is worrying - can you get samples cultured pronto to identify the bug and its Abx resistance profile? Regardless of this - take Coco of all green veg. Rely on syringe feed with probitoics to help stabilise her gut. Feed lots of quality hays and give her plenty of newspaper/kitchen roll. Don;t be afraid to administer diarrholyte (or BIolapis) with the agrerement of your vet to help keep her fluid levels up ...and she may need subq fluids to rehydrate her. (In acute situations like this i have found it normally takes 3x daily subq injections of rehydration fluids to get the piggie back on an even keel...without this supportive rehydration the pig would have died but having been given them has meant the piggie has managed to overcome the acute episode and make a full recovery)

3) Gut motility meds: Your vet may not agree with this next bit as gut motility meds are normally only used to address stasis/cinstipation. However diarrhoa is not just about bugs/reverse fluid movement in the guit - it';s about gut motility.;..... and zantac (2-10mg/kg) can hlep stabilise a piggie gut with issues of diarrhoes.

4) Pneumonia/Diuretics: If Coco is not improving then I'm afraid you may have to confront your vets with the " or bust" scenario......they have nothing to lose by giving her diuretics to help her breathing/pneumonia as the Xrays are now too old for an immediate clinical decision on her current deteriorating condition.

5) Supportive care - keep "dripping" the syringe feed in - however slowly it may be - it;s what is keeping her alive atm until any/all of the meds can cut in. Also see info re subq fluyiuds above in terms of rehydration

6) Soiling - Don;t worry too much about the "sitting in the urine/diarrhoea" - it's distressing and keep the wet wipes going - but this is not the most life-threatening thing for her atm

I can't guarantee that Coco will survive given her current condition - but for what it's worth, I have had piggies recover from a difficult situation like this because I've religiously adopted the above 6 point protocol and been backed up by very accommodating and cavy savvy vets who have been happy to agree meds over the phone in the middle of the night

All I can do is give you the beneift of my experience and let you know my thoughts are with you.
I'm sure you;ll do everything you can for Coco - I hope your vets will be co-operative and supportive.
I also hope the abx will cut in soon and take the pressure of you.
Hugs
x
 
I haven't put a reply to this thread yet as I have no helpful information but I just want to wish your piggy the best and really really hope she gets better soon. My thoughts are with you xx
 
@helen105281 I'm going to persist with this until friday and just try my best. I can't drive and i'm depending on others too much to help me with travel just now as it is that ive started getting taxi's because I feel too bad to keep asking. & Ive been carting her bout while shes sick every single day to vets and feel awful. They said they couldn't see clearly because of the infection :/

@Pebble Got your PM, Thank you so much. I'm going to give her until friday to see if the baytril makes a difference then i'll take her back to try one of your recommended antibiotics & the other pharma interventions you've mentioned.
Can you hear fluid on the lungs with a stethoscope?
How many times a day can i give her the fibreplex?

Btw, she is eating independently when i put the food onfront of her mouth (coughing every now and then) but it's enough i dont have to syringe feed her I think.
I've just given her newspaper, kitchen roll and toilet roll tubes and shes having a chew on them just now
The vet said today that she is sure she has 'neuromuscular disease' too.


Also, I'm about to have a shower, can i take her into the bathroom to let her breathe in the steam when I come out?

Thank you guys x
 
You can hear fluid on the lungs if it is bad enough and your are a good enough vet. Otherwise you need an Xray.
I would only give firbeplex twice a day......actually I wouldn;t even do that - I dispense 2ml into the day's syringe feed, mix it up and feed it altogether.
Eating independently and chewing paper etc is GOOD AND POSITIVE!
Ignore the neuromuscular disease....it is irrelevant at this time, Your vet is showing their lack of expertise of what is a classic guinea pig illness "cascade" situation.

I would be wary of the shower - whilst steam inhalation "can" help respriatory guineas...they have to be well-enough to deal with the temperature/environmental changes that will occur when the steam condenses on their coat.

She now has diarrrhoea in addition to respiratory issues.
Therefore the most important thing for Coco atm is to keep her whole environment (eg temperature/humidity/bedding/food etc) absolutely constant....so that meds given can be monitored properly for their effect
x
 
Just to be clear- I have no hesitation in endorsing steam showers/nebulisers etc for pigs with respiratory issues.
However, in this particular situation....it has gone beyond a "normal respiratory issue" , the piggie concerned is extremely vulnerable/compromised....and therefore needs special care and thought in how best to treat their condition.
 
her breathing is still laboured and her chest is still heaving up and down but is MUCH quieter & the diarrhoea has stopped (YAY!) I feel a little more confident she'll be ok.
but her food is contantly going down wrong and shes keeps giving big choking coughs, so I'm really para that she's gunna aspirate again. leaping up constantly when she does it. I had to go to work today & i just spent the whole day worrying about her choking.

But i feel a bit better today & shes given herself a good clean! :):)
 
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