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Help I Think Coco Is Dying

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I'm just back from the vets. I asked about the azithromycin and itrafungal and she said she wouldn't go for it. She said that the azithromycin isnt licenced for piggies and doesnt believe the intrafungal will work. She said that she is positive this is neurological.

She wasnt supposed to be on any antibiotics, but her breathing was bloody awful last night t& I gave her some with some fibreplex.

She noticed that her left eye is slightly bulging. But couldnt decide whether it was the left eye bulging or the right eye is sunken.

She gave her another oral exam and couldn't see anything and specifically mentioned that she could see no evidence of even the tiniest spurs.
She gave her a steroid injection.

She gave me a woman called chrissie's number (small animal specialist in cumbernauld)? & told me to try get a hold of her today as a last resort. I phoned them but Chrissie is away on her honeymoon and wont be back for a while and so I cant get one.

She thinks I need to start thinking about having her pts unless I want to try another Oral exam under anesthetic (I'm really wary that she wouldn't make it through it and am doubtful they would find anything anyway)
I can't get to Simon, I would love to, but it really just isnt possible. I'd go in a second if I could drive. :(
 
I'm so sorry you are having such a trying up and down journey with Coco, I really hope you can get to the bottom of things.
@Stewybus would a piggy train to Simon be possible do you think?
 
Oh sweety, this vet seems dead set on it being neurological. Which I don't really get myself - unless it was a learnt behaviour. Which I can't see that being the case. Pigs choke on food and such all the time, yet it doesn't put them off.

Sorry I can't be much help, also with the AB you suggested I got a similar reaction 'do you want to kill your pig?' Which was a bit of a shock. ... So, yeah ... Although I know for a fact there's supporting research I've read it!

Such a rubbish time, I mean when the fungal was mentioned I did feel that could e possible as it does seem something is irritating her throat. I feel the bad stomach was probably a reaction to the Baytril and the intake of mush and no hard food.

Feels like today you got no where, but one thing I would say is that you may be able to get her to the clinic by means of a piggy train?

As you know, always here for you like. X
 
Tbag said:
I'm so sorry you are having such a trying up and down journey with Coco, I really hope you can get to the bottom of things.
@Stewybus would a piggy train to Simon be possible do you think?
Click to expand...

It appears that this piggy does need some expert diagnosing urgently & if help with a lift to Northampton is needed then The Piggy Train would certainly help to make this possible x
 
@Coco&Luna yes can see it now. Concerning that she noticed one eye bulging - sounds highly suspicious there could be some kind of abscess brewing inside her head and/or throat.
 
Simon and Kim are on holiday next week - last date for an appointment would be this thursday or wait til they get back.
 
Now you have mentioned the bulging eye I have alarm bells ringing. I am wondering if this is a retrobulbar abscess which may have originated from the nose and throat area, or have started behind the eye and spread to the nose and throat area. I few years ago I had a piggy who had an abscess of that type and he would choke frequently. My concern is that if this is the case then you are going to need a good antibiotic, such as Zithromax and a very detailed examination by a guinea pig savvy vet. If Simon and Kim weren't going away at the end of this week, I would be saying to get her brought down by piggy train, but unfortunately the timing is really bad. Which vet did you see today?
 
I agree with Debbie - your mention of a bulging eye had my alarm bells ringing as well!
 
Your vet saying she wasn't sure if the eye was bulging or if the other one was sunken seems a very poor excuse. If you gently feel over the eye socket you can feel if there is any pressure behind the eye, which would tell you immediately if there was something sinister happening.
 
I didn't get any notifications for this today!
Emm, Shes choking right now, snot and food pouring out her nose and I'm just sitting here doing nothing.
I know it's not neurological either, I just know its something that can be treated, but she's really really suffering right now and i just don't know what to do.
I feel like i have to get her pts now, this is ****ing horrific, I cant sit and watch this anymore, shes like a bag of bones and looks awful.
 
Poor girl, poor you. Are there no other vets around that may have some more experience? That would give the Zithromax.

I can imagine watching her suffer must be really ****ing horrible right now, you need to do what's right for you and for her. I know exactly how your feeling right now, I've been at the point where I'm starting to think enoughs enough where I've been staring at a bag of bones at a critical weight - but I've never had to make that decision, nor am I sure I could.

Basically sweetie, I fully empathise with you, and I know this is difficult. I just wish your vet would stop being such a god damn tool :(
 
Do any of you have Zithromax you can send me? I know this isn't recommended at all, but I'm desperate.
 
It's a human drug isn't it? They use it to treat STI's. You can get it online that way? But I wouldn't have a clue on dosage and I'm not sure if H&I people would say that's a good idea. But it's something.
 
Yeah, it says you can get it in superdrug to treat STI's. but it's like this huge pink pill so dosing that would be impossible.
lol, i know, i'll probably wake up to a ban for suggesting it.
Swear to god, i'm reading for making a doctors appt and telling them I have a serious case of chlamydia so I need azithromycin but I need an oral solution because I have dysphagia too.
 
@Coco&Luna ((hugs)) no one is going to ban you for being desperate to help your piggie I am sure. Honestly I have no idea about the zithromyiacin but I really am thinking of you, I do know what its like to be desperate to help an ill animal and be so helpless.
 
Zitrhomax is prescription only and supplied to owners/patients by vets/chemists after having been reconstituted by them with sterile water......it has a very limited (2 week) shelf life.

I know you're desperate and I can understand why - but asking forum memebrs to supply presciption drugs is not the answer

It's pants on the timing that Simon in Northampton is away next week otherwise maybe some type of poetniial way forwards could have been aarranged.

If i thought I could take on coco with my vets and get them the best treatment then I would offer - but even my brilliant exotics vet has a BIG issue with prescribing zithro - (and he's a very forwards-thinking piggy vet!) It's taken me 4 years to get him to agree to let even one of my pigs be treated with it.

I note you;ve gone back to your original local vets instead of following up with Glen - what happened when you went to Glen? - what exam/test did he do - did he do a through oral exam under GA?

Tagging @flintstones - is Glen Ok with prescribing azithormycin?

Your current options are to
a) ask @furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary if Simon would be willing to have a telephone consult and then send/fax a zithormax presciption to you/your current vets for supply before he goes away on holiday..on the understanding your pig will be on his doorstep for exam when he gets back
B) go back to Glen...and press for zithromax
c) or go to Edinbuirgh Dick School and star the whole diagnostic process all over again....and now run the risk of being labeolled a a "vet-hopper" .

I'm sorry I can;t anything more positive - suggest you really put some effort into option (a) over the next 24-48 hours but have a back-up pl;an with (b) before Easter.
x
 
Coco and Luna you have to follow it through with one of the vets. You say Coco now has a bulging eye. I would suggest visiting Glen again as your vet seems to have run out of options. If Glen see's Coco again he may have more ideas. He's certainly treated Fred with Zithromax when it was required.
 
Seconding to get coco back to glen, and be certain to note that the other vet pointed out a bulging eye. Get her there today, even if there are no standard appointments you should be able to bring her in as an emergency.
 
I really think you need to get back to Glen. Simon wouldn't prescribe a drug without seeing the animal first, so that isn't going to be an option. If it wasn't for the fact that Simon and Kim are going to be away then I would be saying to get her brought here asap. This can still happen when they return, but in the meantime you need to be getting some appropriate treatment for Coco.
 
I know its no where near as good as seeing a good vet but the closest one to me is Craig Hunt at Chine House, I don't drive otherwise we'd get your piggy here and I would help get her seen but he does do telephone advice for awkward cases. Might be worth seeing if your vet is willing to consult with him, going to another less knowledgeable vet and asking them to speak to him (you could potentially then have more influence over what they think it is), or you could try calling yourself and see if he will talk to you about what could be going on. http://www.chinehousevets.co.uk/exotic/information-for-referring-vets/
 
Just checking in to see how Coco is. Also, big vote for Chine House. They are an amazing practice.
 
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