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help with my poorly pig

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squeakies

Hi i have already posted a message but was informed to start a new thread.
one of my girls, Tracey, has had a UTI for over two weeks now.Tracey is now 2years old. she was always a greedy pig, pushing the others out of HER bowl! she is not eating as much now and has lost a little weight. does anyone suggest anything to make sure she is eating properly. she was prescribed Baytril and is now on septrin and metacam. i am making sure she drinks lots and is getting lots of vitamin C. she had scans at the vets but no stones, nothing. i did think she had diarrhea last night but i was just a paniking mummy and it was just a little loose on that elimination. she seems more happy when having cuddles than when in her indoor hutch with the other two girls. they do leave her alone and do not annoy her otherwise she would have been on her own. i am going to syringe feed her some burges excel as recommended by ELVIS, and Tracey does enjoy the syringe.
Tracey is back at the vets on wednesday for more scans.
Is there anything else i can be doing? mallethead
 
I am sorry to hear that Tracey isn't well. Is Tracey taking a probiotic as sometimes antibiotics can unsettle the tummy? Also, have you tried syringing her some unsweetened cranberry juice? You can buy it from health food shops or the Ocean Spray from supermarkets is recommended too. Good luck at the vets on Wednesday x
 
Thanks for starting Tracey her own thread squeakies, easier to help you. :)

You mention that she has lost some weight, this is most likely down to the abnormal food intake, once she's getting some syringe-feeds into her she should start to maintain and eventually gain a bit of weight. It's worthwhile weighing her daily while she is ill, as it is an effective weigh of monitoring her general condition; if she is losing weight day after day, the amount of syringe food should be increased until she is maintaining the weight.

Metatone tonic, sold for humans recuperating from illness, is an appetite stimulant that contains a variety of B vitamins that help boost energy and spark an interest in food again. 0.5ml given orally once a day can help piggies too.

What dose of Septrin and Metacam is she on, and how long has she been on these two meds for? She is on the right meds now, Septrin is the best one for urinary tract infections. Rimadyl is an alternative to Metacam but both do a similar enough job, and Metacam does seem to be the most commonly prescribed painkiller/anti-inflammatory for piggies. Good job on the extra fluids and also more Vit C.
 
she is on 0.5mls septrin x2 day and 1-2 drops metacam x1 day. also syringe feeding her cranberry juice which she loves. the vets did suggest ribena but wouldnt that be bad for her teeth? this is the first guinea pig in ten years that ive had problems with so it is a shock.
Thanks for your help. its good to know others out there care so much and can give advice :)
 
Ribena is recommended by vets fairly often, they usually advise mixing Baytril with Ribena to make it go down easier as Baytril isn't a pleasant tasting drug! I wouldn't generally recommend Ribena on its own. In terms of helping cystitis cranberry juice is said to be the best one available; it's good she likes the cranberry and is taking it well. The dosage of Septrin and Metacam is usually effective, it may take a few days to have a noticeable effect but a course lasting 7-14 days should help.
 
Tracey has been on her drugs for 3 weeks now so fingers crossed not much longer now. thanks to everyone for support.
 
Just to let you know Tracey is now having an op to have a stone removed after it showing on the 3rd scan. hopefully she will be back home this afternoon for little cuddles and rest.
 
Bless, I hope she's come through the surgery ok and is back home safe and well now.
 
my little girl is now home and its is like there was nothing ever wrong! running around and climbing.

she is still on the seprtin and matacam but now has to take some zantac syrup for a few days. she has to go back on monday for a review but its just good news now.
i now have to watch her calcium intake as she may get them again and ensure she drinks lots as another preventative. so now I'm trying to find lots of greens and herbage low in calcium.

Thanks to all for your kind messages xx>>>
 
That's fantastic news :) you must be so relieved. My piggies are on a low calcium diet too as I lost a pig from severe UTI's and one of my piggies has also had problems and I don't want to take the risk again. Bottled or filtered water can also reduce the calcium intake x
 
I'm going to get a water filter tomorrow and i am so relieved. just disapointed it did not get picked up till the 3rd scan as it could have saved her from two weeks of pain.
 
The issue with calcium is, to be more accurate, the calcium-phosphorus ratio. There are some tips on the following two links:

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=37030
http://www.store2go.net/shop/planetguinea/ratewatchersrainbowdiet.pdf

Drinking lots is a good point though. It's possible that there was no stone on the first two scans, also possible that the vet missed them of course, but although she had the signs for a long time the stone may not have actually formed until recent days.
 
oh no. Tracey had to go back to the vets yesterday afternoon as she has stopped eating. They gave me some powdered food to make up to feed via a syringe. but she looks so sad8...
I'm hoping that her mouth was sore after the dental work as she really tries to eat the food but she cant.
fingers crossed again.....
 
I would recommend that you continue to syringe a mix of water and unsweetened cranberry juice once or twice a day.

That will help with the fluid intake as well as help keeping the bladder clear and free from infection. Not rarely, a second stone can form quite soon after an operation again.

I am glad that Tracey has come through the op so well and is feeling on top of the world again!
 
thank you. i just feel so helpless and cant stand to see her like this. but i know recovery takes time.
 
she is just sitting in her pen looking very sad.hopefully after another couple of days and she will try and start eating soilds again. i put her back with the other two girls to see if that would cheer her up. they are good and leave her alone most of the time.they just like to sniff her occassionally.
 
You really need to keep her guts moving, how much food and water is she taking in?

I would feed her anything she'll eat - often they'll munch on grass, if nothing else.

Sophie
x
 
she wont attempt anything other than what comes out of the syringe.i have tried everyfood possible. I'm giving her lots of water too and some cranberry juice.
 
Hope she's going to be ok, as others have said try and syringe feed her as much as possible.

Thinking of you both xx
 
What dental work did she have done? Not sure if I missed something, I've looked back through the thread but can only see the discussions on her bladder stone.

Daktarin Oral Gel may be worth trying, or if you are able to access the back of the mouth then applying some Calgel can also be soothing. It can take a few days for the soreness in the mouth to ease after the teeth have been corrected.

How much syringe-food is she willing to take each day? Is she still on the Metacam?
 
her top teeth were a bit long as she was not eating much and had them filed down. i am syringe feeding her what the vet gave to me 70mls a day plus lots of water and cranberry juice. she will take lots fo food from syringe so that why i assume its sore teeth. i am also mashing up some burgess excel pellets if she wants more, which she does. ?so that must be a good sign?
 
It is a great sign that she has her appetite, and the amount of syringe-food you are giving is excellent. Definitely doing the right thing to sustain her while she is not eating for herself.

When you say top teeth, is it the incisors at the front, or the molars?
 
Sore mouth isn't directly associated with incisor problems, but incisor problems can be symptomatic of other difficulties in the mouth which can cause a sore mouth! Were her molars examined? Overgrown incisors can sometimes be a sign of molar trouble, may explain why she's not interested in eating now. An oral infection can also be to blame, the Septrin should deal with any bacterial infection there, but for oral fungal infections (often the only symptom being difficulty eating) Daktarin Oral Gel can be useful.

I see you're in Essex, would it be possible to bring her to the Cambridge Cavy Trust guinea pig hospital near Huntingdon? They'd be able to help with teeth especially.
www.britishassociationofrodentologists.co.uk/cct.html
 
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