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Here We Go Again

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Tried that. He's sneakier than he looks. He bunches himself up, then once you have him wrapped up, he stretches out again so he can escape.

Don't get me wrong, part of me wonders if this is what my mother had to put up with when I was a toddler.
 
Lorcan said:
Tried that. He's sneakier than he looks. He bunches himself up, then once you have him wrapped up, he stretches out again so he can escape.

Don't get me wrong, part of me wonders if this is what my mother had to put up with when I was a toddler.
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Sorry, I know it's no laughing matter, but I had to laugh at your last sentence there... :)
 
Critter said:
Sorry, I know it's no laughing matter, but I had to laugh at your last sentence there... :)
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Sometimes you need to find the funny side to things, lol. I'd go demented if I didn't.

@Claire W thank you for trying, though. I seriously appreciate it. The situation could be worse, it could be Blitzen I'm trying to get this stuff into. Trust me to end up with the awkward pair!
 
i usually give all my piggies a 1ml syringe of water weekly,so when i need to medicate they are used to the syringe and co operate.try to give antibiotics approx 12 hours apart.give probiotic hour after,Baytril can upset some piggies and stop eating.maybe just monitor poo output and eating,weighting daily at the same time to ensure piggie is not losing weight.x
 
Yeah, my problem is that I can't use the syringe, not so much that he won't take it.
 
Lorcan said:
Yeah, my problem is that I can't use the syringe, not so much that he won't take it.
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Dipping the syringe in the metacam might help, as piggies love the taste of that? I find that I don't have to get my pig out of the cage to give her medicine that way. I also used to rub cucumber on the end of the syringe when my other pig used to have baytril, then I would give her a piece of cucumber after she had taken it. If you still can't do it, it might be worth ringing the vets as a veterinary nurse might be able to pop over twice a day to give Comet her medicine. Hope you feel better soon x
 
I don't have any metacam, literally it's just the Baytril at the minute and nothing else. He's still eating and drinking fine and everything, just refusing the Baytril - to the extent he'll climb on me before I can get anything in him and I can't give him anything when his head is basically under my chin lol. I've rung the vets this morning and hopefully someone will be ringing me back with ideas later, because I'm all out of them now. Even tried a spoon to see if he'd take something from that, but he won't buy it.
 
Hi Lorcan

Is the baytril for oral suspension? There is baytril called enrocare (same ingredient) but enrocare is for injection and smell awful, just disgusting :vom:. Oral suspention is much better, smells just a bit but nothing like injection suspention. I find it much easier to give them by syringe. Hope this may help.
 
yup, it's the oral solution. My problem is getting it into him via the syringe - not only does he not want the syringe anywhere near him, but I have problems with neuralgia spasms (and the medication for it) that means I have difficulty actually using the syringe as well.
 
Freela said:
Hope all goes well! One of mine has been hooting lately too... she has done two courses of trimethoprim but still hoots intermittently, so I have her booked with my favorite vet (who now sadly only works two days a week) tomorrow morning. I'm sorry you're dealing with the same issue... hopefully all goes well for both our piggies!
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I'm allergic to that stuff, swell up & cant breath, all over my notes now. Lol
 
Lorcan said:
Thank you

@Critter I think it was more likely coriander, but I'm a smoker, so a strong smell doesn't mean much to me. Dang it I chose to finally tidy up after myself at a silly time!
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I gave up 3yrs ago with a vapourizer, Lorcan. Easy I still vape just because I like the taste.
 
I tried vaping, lasted about a month. But I roll my own cigarettes, and I was missing that physical need to do something to get my cigarette, not just the tobacco hit. I've restricted myself to only smoking in the kitchen now, so the pigs don't have to smell it, and I smoke far less than I used to. Fifteen years of smoking has taken its toll on my ability to smell, mind you.
 
Okay, I've just spoken with the vets again. Since the syringe isn't an option, they've suggested mixing 2ml of Baytril with 100ml of water and trying to make sure he'll drink that instead. Obviously that'll only be once a day instead, but the problem will be getting him to drink the water anyway, and I'll have to separate him from Blitzen to stop Blitzen from drinking it instead.

Does 2ml sound accurate? In total he would only be getting 1ml direct from the syringe a day, so that's twice as much being diluted for him.
 
Well at least you tried, my son used to roll them for me, & the bloody things kept going out.
In my heyday I was smoking 60 a day.
 

He's doing it really, really quietly here - my phone mic couldn't pick him up very well. Hopefully somebody can hear something of what I mean.
 
Update on Comet from this morning - he has asked me to tell you all that I am officially a terrible guinea pig owner.

She had another listen to his heart and lungs and said she still felt his lungs were louder than they should be. I explained that I basically needed 3 pairs of hands to try and get the Baytril into him and I think they probably thought I was exaggerating, but they've said from tomorrow to try giving it to him into fruit, and if that fails he's likely to need to go to the vet on a daily basis to get it done.


Now, she also decided to give him an injection of Baytril today. She weighed him (he's clocking in now at 1kg, at least I know his appetite isn't an issue) and went to find an area to give him the injection and...he bolted. He couldn't reach me first because the carrier was in the way so he headed for the vet tech and climbed up on her chest. He fought, squirmed, wriggled and freaked out so much I moved the carrier out of the way and he ran over to me immediately, straight up onto my chest again. Eventually it took three of us holding him in one place just for that injection and the vet was worried about accidentally pricking me with the needle because of the way I had to hold him. He screamed the place down before the needle went anywhere near him, and I don't think they believe I'm saying exaggerating how difficult he is to medicate anymore.

So now we're home, he's sulking at me, my nerves are shot, he still needs antibiotics, and we may well heading for daily vet visits at this rate. I think he might have deafened me in my right ear as well.
 
Aww, you're not a terrible owner. If it helps, I was at the vets on Monday with my piggies and Emma was screaming the place down when Lindsay examined her bladder and cut her nails. I'm sure people in the waiting room wondered what the heck was happening! I was worried at first that Emma was in pain upon examination but Lindsay advised she was just being a drama Queen.

Some members and Lindsay suggests to give problem piggies their meds with a bit of juice. Lindsay always suggests no added sugar ribena (ribena light). You suck up the baytril first and then the ribena so the piggy tastes the ribena before the baytril.

But at least you know that you can take him to the vets for his daily meds if all else fails. It's a pain in the bum (I've been there myself) but sometimes we have no choice
 
Claire W said:
Aww, you're not a terrible owner. If it helps, I was at the vets on Monday with my piggies and Emma was screaming the place down when Lindsay examined her bladder and cut her nails. I'm sure people in the waiting room wondered what the heck was happening! I was worried at first that Emma was in pain upon examination but Lindsay advised she was just being a drama Queen.

Some members and Lindsay suggests to give problem piggies their meds with a bit of juice. Lindsay always suggests no added sugar ribena (ribena light). You suck up the baytril first and then the ribena so the piggy tastes the ribena before the baytril.

But at least you know that you can take him to the vets for his daily meds if all else fails. It's a pain in the bum (I've been there myself) but sometimes we have no choice
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I tried Ribena, but tbh I think he sees the syringe now and that's it, game on. I was so embarrassed walking out into the waiting area to find it full lol, you can bet they heard him. I think it might come to daily visits really, he's not only a major drama queen but he's very, very slippery and he keeps refusing to cooperate.

I almost want to ring up and see if Lindsay could see him or at least if she can think of something else but tbh there's been nothing wrong with his care so far, he's just being bloody difficult lol.
 
Lol, he sounds like a very cheeky boy! I too was mortified when coming out to a waiting room full of people. If the ribena trick doesn't work, then you are probably looking at daily vet visits but I guess it will be worth it to get him right. I have had past piggies unwilling to cooperate.

To be honest, I doubt Lindsay will have any other suggestions. It sounds like Comet is in good hands and I think all the vets there are good.

As well as Jonathan, there is Claire and Joanna who are also very nice. I imagine you are probably seeing one of them.

The only reason I see Lindsay is because my two girls have an ongoing health problem and Lindsay knows them almost as well as I do and she has been caring for my guinea pigs for the last few years
 
I'm not sure who it is I've been seeing - she has a European accent, that's all I know. I saw Lindsay back in December, and I just remember being impressed that she could hold Blitzen still, and clip his nails, without any help. It's still a feat that's never been repeated haha.

I have to admit that I wasn't sure about registering them there originally, but I'm glad I did. Even if Comet does seem intent on embarrassing me every time I'm in there. He's become too heavy to weigh on the normal scales now so she uses the large ones on the floor and he keeps using that as a signal to go exploring.

Meanwhile whilst he was screaming the place down Blitzen sat in the carrier munching on hay like nothing would faze him. If I do end up going in daily is it a problem bringing him along too? He doesn't really seem to mind.
 
Umm, I don't know anyone there with an Eastern European accent but she sounds nice whoever she is. May be she's new or a locum.

I once fell out with Crown House when my Erin had to be pts. It wasn't their fault but I took it badly and nearly transferred to Wendy Lane but I didn't like the answers they gave me over the phone. And like I say, I have never had any problems with Crown House. My Ellen was diagnosed with diabetes in 2015 but they phoned a specialist just to double make sure which I was very impressed with. They have contacted specialists on other occasions too.

If Comet needs to go there daily for his medication, it is perfectly fine to take Blitzen too. It's good for them to have company :)
 
Sounds just like Hadley, I feel your pain here, as she also has on-and-off hooting, no other symptoms. She is being treated with antibiotics, and although it is a lot less frequent, it has yet to completely resolve. If you figure out the cause or get any feedback, please let me know because it may help me out too!
 
Freela said:
Sounds just like Hadley, I feel your pain here, as she also has on-and-off hooting, no other symptoms. She is being treated with antibiotics, and although it is a lot less frequent, it has yet to completely resolve. If you figure out the cause or get any feedback, please let me know because it may help me out too!
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Comet's problem, according to the vet, is his lungs being louder than they should be. Whatever it is, it isn't affecting him medically - his appetite is fine, up til now I can't distinguish his poops from Blitzen's, he's drinking like normal. I'm beginning to wonder if the hooting wasn't a red herring, because there's no complaints about his heart and he hasn't hooted in nearly a week. Maybe it's just something we found because he was hooting, but it's caused by something else entirely.

I'd feel more comfortable if I could get the antibiotics into him properly. I'm genuinely out of ideas but since I can't get a full course of antibiotics into him I have no idea if they're of any use. However she checked Blitzen again this morning and gave him a clean bill of health, which tells me that not only did he stress himself out last week and that's why he sounded off, but whatever is up with Comet probably isn't contagious.

I wish I had an answer for you. I was reading your thread about Hadley earlier and it's all so similar, no clear answers anywhere. :(
 
Update from today:

the little menace is still refusing all meds, and now apparently has something against the vet as well :)) he nearly dived headfirst into the table to avoid her (bad idea, dude, seriously) and then refused to let her hold him to listen to his lungs. He wouldn't let her do it until he was sitting on my chest again. Even Blitzen was calmer with the vet than Comet was, which is hilarious because it's Blitzen.

Either way, she's much happier with him this week. His lungs still aren't sounding 100% but she thinks the antibiotic shot from last week did some good, so the options were to either bring him back daily for a week for antibiotic injections, or to let him stay home and to give a phonecall to let them have an update and obviously if the trouble starts again, to bring him back. It would be easier for everyone if he didn't have injections daily after the way he reacted to them last week so I opted to take the phonecall route.

I suspect Comet's as pleased about this as I am!
 
I figured it wasn't worth upsetting him that badly on a daily basis because he clearly was unhappy with it last week and spent most of the appointment fighting to get back in the carrier. This is the third week he's been in and the first where he's tried to stay in the carrier so something about this obviously unsettles him.

I have to admit if he wasn't doing so well anyway that would be a far harder decision to have made.
 
I understand.

One of my past piggies sadly had to have an eye removed. It got infected so I had to take her to the vets daily for them to flush it and remove the scab until I was confident to do it myself.

It was very stressful for everyone involved including her
 
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