• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

He's sick... Sharing my worries...

Status
Not open for further replies.
Pickles

Pickles

Joined
Feb 10, 2011
Messages
62
Reaction score
2
Points
0
Hi guys...

I'm coming here again because I know I found great support when I needed it for my piggy. Right now, he's very sick, he has a nose/respiratory infection. His nose was very dirty so I went to the vet. He gave him an anti-inflamatory medicine and told me to call back if Pickles stopped eating. As you might guess, he stopped eating two days later and I ended up back at the vet who prescribed him with antibiotic injections. I have to do it once a day for ten days.

I was soooo scared at the begining. The needle is so big and he is so small. Eventhough the vet explained everything to me, I could'nt bear to sting him with that. Finally I had to pull up the courage and do it. It was fairly easy once you get the hang of it but the fear of hurting him was the most terrible thing.

I also have to force feed him with a mix called "critical care for guinea pigs" which resumes the situation fairly good.

He doesn't really like all of that as you might guess but he's been a wonderful little patient and I love him very much. He is now 3 days into the treatment and seems to be improving (he is now eating a little bit). I really had the fear of losing him for the first time and it was quite the shocking experience.

I'm sorry for the rambling but it feels really good to be able to tell some people whom I am sure will be very concerned and will understand. I will let you guys know how Pickles is doing but he is a little warrior and I think he will be okay.

If some people experienced this, I would love to hear their experiences as I'm sure it's very difficult for anyone to see their piggy in such a bad shape. Thanks for reading me and have a great day/evening.
 
My piggie is on critical care too!

Hi

My piggie is on Critical Care as well. He is very poorly and has lost a lot of weight. It makes me so sad because he used to be such a big piggie! He doesn't seem like he is in pain but just looks very down. The vet thinks he may have something wrong with his jaw which has caused him to not want to eat. I am giving him painkillers in liquid form through a syringe and the same with antibiotics. He doesn't seem to be responding very well but sometimes really enjoys his critical care. I care about him so much, he is so special to me so I am so worried. I really hope your piggie gets well soon.
 
Your sooo brave, good on you, I would be too much of a wimp to do the injections, I have two drama pigs here :))
I hope he gets better soon, poor wee piggy, sending good luck wheeks xox
 
Awww thanks so much guys. I means a lot to have support and everything. Clarage I hope your piggy gets well soon.
I now gave him his 4th injection out of ten.
Do you guys have any idea in what time frame I should see some improvement? I mean he is eating a little bit but he is still very quiet and stays put all the time, just sitting there... :(
 
Hi love did they also suggest some extra fluids ? as in ...... is he drinking enough.......if not syringe feed some extra water so he doesn't dehydrate.

antibiotics can upset a piggies gut flora, so they need probiotics......... you can get these from your vets..... if you say where you're from everyone can suggest one for you :)

Whee will have all our paws crossed for the little man XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


keep us updated........ and i'm sure too that you'll get some more helpful hints xx>>>
 
Have you tried coaxing him with his favourite veggies? Maybe when you're having a cuddle try to tempt him with some. Is he pooping all right?
Definitely try and get extra water in him, like Glynis suggests, if he isn't drinking enough xox
 
It is hard to give injections. It makes you feel bad. I've had to do it myself and you worry about causing them pain.

Injections on a regular basis are pretty harsh for pigs, at least in my experience. They can begin to develop bruising and scar tissue from them pretty quickly. When your little guy is already feeling poorly, I would think that's probably making him feel worse. I don't say this to make you feel bad or anything, so please don't take it that way!

Can your vet prescribe a liquid oral antibiotic instead? Even a pill form that can be crushed and mixed with water to syringe to your piggie would work just fine. That's what I do with mine.

The injections thing and the sending you home with no meds and instructions to watch your pig to see if he stops eating have me a little concerned about your vet. Piggies can go down hill fast if ill and waiting to see if they stop eating before prescribing antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection is odd to me.

Perhaps someone on here can help you find a very knowledgeable guinea pig vet in your area if you can let us know where you are.

You're doing a good job! Taking the best care of your little one that you can. Keep up the feedings and the injections - despite what I've said about them here. After all, he does need those antibiotic you're giving him. I really hope he gets to feeling better soon. You hang in there and take care!
 
Wow I have never had to do injection myself but I know I wouldn’t like it. So well done, you are doing great.

I agree with what GPCottage has said about the advice you have been given though - bit worrying for the vets to not give you antibiotics straight away and to say to wait for the pig to stop eating...

Where are you? Maybe someone can recommend a good vet near you?
Also i would definitely ask for oral meds? Do you know what you have been prescribed? is it Baytril? I am confused as to why you would have been asked to inject it...? I have never had to do that and I have had plenty of pigs on the AB

Chin up though, I know it's hard but you are doing everything you can for the little one.

L
 
Poor Pickles :( I would definitely find another vet - to have to administer ABX via injection yourself sounds very odd to me but I'm no expert.
As someone else said, why did they not give you syrup form for syringing ? Sorry but I would be questioning this - there are very experienced members who run rescues on here along with veterinary nurses so would be inclined to contact them asap.
This lady, Laura is also a very good source of information:
http://www.guineapighelpline.com/
Healing vibes and hugs for little Pickles (and you) x>>
 
Thanks so much guys! It's so awesome for me to get imput and to see that people care about what I'm going through!

Actually I live in France and my vet is specialized in rodents and birds care. People with rabbits and guinea pigs come from all over town to see him and he's always very busy. I called a "regular" vet and he recommended him after telling me that he himself wasn't able to care for guinea pigs since it wasn't his specialty.

Anyways, I realized I made a mistake in my post, I am giving him baytril (the oral form) and the injection is something else, it's called "cobactan" and I think it's also an antibiotic but it targets another type of bacteria. I don't quite remember what the vet said since I was so shocked (I was still getting my head wrapped around the fact that I would have to give him injections...).

The vet gave all those medicine because he said Pickles was in poor shape and he needed immediate intensive care. In addition, he collected the mucus from Pickles' nose and sent it to a lab just in case it was an uncommon infection. We should get the results in three days. I think that's why, in the mean time, he gave him quite the treatment, because he wanted to be sure to target the right germ.

I called back today and the assistant vet told me that I should see some improvement in the next three days since it was a long course of treatment. She was very nice and she also said it was normal that he was very tired because the treatment is intense.

And the good news are, he ate a little bit of fresh carrot and hay today and drank from his bottle a whole lot which is awesome :D ! He still doesn't want his pellets though, but it's a huge improvement :) ! I will let you know what happens, I'm only halfway into the treatment but he seems to like the injections better than the feeding (he spits what he can out, that bad boy :D)
 
Get well soon Pickles. You sure are brave for giving the needle! It would be so scary! Hope Pickles gets better very soon. Keep us updated :)
 
CoBactan is a cephalosporin.....which is advised should NOT be given to piggies orallyhence presumably why you have been instructed to give it in injectable form. To be honest, it's risky giving it at all and I'm surprised your vet didn;t for instance choose azithromycin instead if he wanted a "heavy hitter".....but in view of his experience he has presumably prescribed this before and had not problems. It is specifically geared to be a fast acting antibioitic against some of the specific bugs that can cause URI's in guinea pigs so that could be why he opted for this treatment and it could well have saved your piggie's life.

Hopefully the culture results will come through soon and an oral antibioitic can be prescribed.

You should really be giving a probiotic to help stabilise the gut flora (two hours after the antibioitic) such as Avipro, Biolapis or fibreplex. Keep a very close eye out for signs of loose poops/diarrhoea and the moment you see any get straight back on to the vet.

Well done on the injections - I have given plenty of injections to piggies over the years but even now I have to psyche myelf up for one...it doesn;t seem to get any easier..esepcially if they wriggle!

x
 
flips and guineagurl: thanks so much :D ! Pickles is hanging in there and sends his wishes.

Pebble: Wow this kindda makes me freak out! I hope it's not gonna be dangerous for him but I think the vet knows what he's doing. He is mainly treating piggies and rabbits (I saw that in the waiting room) so he must have quite the experience with those little creatures.

Anyways, onto the news... I noticed that he stopped pooping and still didn't wanna eat so we went back to the vet *_*. Good news is, the infection almost cleared up but his transit stopped because he spent too much time not eating during the moment he stopped eating and the moment we started force feeding him. So he got a nice little x-ray and the vet said because his transit stopped for a while, he had gaz in his stomach and intestines which caused him bloating and pain, therefore he was too uncomfortable to eat or poop!

So they kept him at the hospital. I saw his nice little cage next to a big rabbit's cage who just had major surgery! It was weird leaving him here but they said it was a precaution because they really wanted to watch him closely and get his intestinal transit back to normal by giving him medicine in a drip.

Anyways I'm happy that he's in good hands. I'm calling back tomorrow for a check-up with them and either they need to keep him longer or they are gonna realease him. Fingers crossed he'll be okay. I'm very sad to face this problem and the empty cage at home was a hard sight too :( . I will keep you guys updated, thanks so much for your interest and support.
 
Poor Pickles! Bless you you must be worried sick :( I really really hope he gets better now - lots and lots of getting well wishes from the girls and pipkin :) xx
 
Pickles said:
Pebble: Wow this kindda makes me freak out! I hope it's not gonna be dangerous for him but I think the vet knows what he's doing. He is mainly treating piggies and rabbits (I saw that in the waiting room) so he must have quite the experience with those little creatures.
Click to expand...

It shouldn;t be dangerous because you are giving it by injection and not orally. Your vet clearly is very experienced...and from your description of the subsequent visit I would also say he is a very thorough cavy savvy vet who is leaving nothing to chance. Your piggie couldn;t be in better hands.

It IS tough when they have to stay in. Hope you manage to get some sleep tonight and that you get some good news tomorrow.

x
 
So I finally got some good news! He is just starting to eat again and poop again too! I'm relieved! They're keeping him tonight again to be sure it's really stable and I should be able to pick him up tomorrow! I'm so glad he's gonna be okay... I will let you guys know how he acts when he comes back home.
Thanks so much to everyone :rose
 
Soooo I picked him up today finally :D ! He is way better but he still needs care and attention during the remaining part of his treatment. I still have to force feed him a little bit until he is able to completely sustain himself. Anyway, he looks kindda tired but he is still under antibiotics so I'm sure that's why... Anyways, I'm happy he's back :D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top