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How long to recover?

Bigsize9fot

Bigsize9fot

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi
For those who saw my post yesterday about Yoshi. This evening she has gone back downhill again. Very subdued. Not as active. Is eating hay and a bit of veg. Pooing much less than usual. Doesn’t appear in any pain. I think she has been lying down just peeing as her back end was very wet and smelly so I had to give her a quick bath. She just lay there :-(

Called vet and they said to try antibiotics in case of a UTI connected to the stones. I think this will be our last attempt at helping Yoshi recover as the next involves expensive and possible invasive procedures.

Is there anything else I should be considering?
 
Bigsize9fot said:
Hi
For those who saw my post yesterday about Yoshi. This evening she has gone back downhill again. Very subdued. Not as active. Is eating hay and a bit of veg. Pooing much less than usual. Doesn’t appear in any pain. I think she has been lying down just peeing as her back end was very wet and smelly so I had to give her a quick bath. She just lay there :-(

Called vet and they said to try antibiotics in case of a UTI connected to the stones. I think this will be our last attempt at helping Yoshi recover as the next involves expensive and possible invasive procedures.

Is there anything else I should be considering?
Click to expand...

It sounds like a bad cystitis. Has your vet checked the uterus in case the stone was secondary?
And is she on any painkillers/anti-inflammatories? if not, please ask for a metacam brand.
If she continues to struggle, gut stimulants like emeprid and zantac (work on different areas of the digestive tract) can also help.

Poo output reflects the input from 1-2 days earlier.

Please step in with syringe feeding; mushed up pellets will do in an emergency as long as you cut off the tip (and if necessary the plunger) as shown in our syringe feeding guide. Switch from weighing weekly to weighing daily at the same time. Cheap supermarked scales will do the trick; weighing is important for monitoring the food intake. 80% or more of the daily food intake is hay, which you cannot check by eye.
Because of the increased peeing, you may want to add dioralyte from a pharmacy to the water you offer her. prepare as recommended on the package.
0.2 ml of metatone twice day may also help to perk her up if you wish to - but it is only that and won't help with the long term recovery.

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Tips For Post-operative Care - the care tips also apply for very ill piggies.

Please keep in mind that without any further checks like an x-ray under minimal GA you and your vet may not know what you are up against and what you need to treat.
 
She was on a painkiller - a long lasting injection. Start antibiotics tonight. Have some recovery food but they said not to give it if she was still eating hay. I am syringing water. I could start the food. I have some rinitadine. She has been pooping some more tonight reluctantly. Had x Ray yesterday- showed no more stones but a load of poo to be passed.
Fingers crossed for antibiotics then as it sounds like we’ve done everything you suggest.
Thanks again.
 
Bigsize9fot said:
She was on a painkiller - a long lasting injection. Start antibiotics tonight. Have some recovery food but they said not to give it if she was still eating hay. I am syringing water. I could start the food. I have some rinitadine. She has been pooping some more tonight reluctantly. Had x Ray yesterday- showed no more stones but a load of poo to be passed.
Fingers crossed for antibiotics then as it sounds like we’ve done everything you suggest.
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
I think they have told you not to give critical care feed if shes eating hay because hay wilk keep the molars from overgrowing. I find though when you give critical care, rheir appetite picks up a bit
 
Bigsize9fot said:
She was on a painkiller - a long lasting injection. Start antibiotics tonight. Have some recovery food but they said not to give it if she was still eating hay. I am syringing water. I could start the food. I have some rinitadine. She has been pooping some more tonight reluctantly. Had x Ray yesterday- showed no more stones but a load of poo to be passed.
Fingers crossed for antibiotics then as it sounds like we’ve done everything you suggest.
Thanks again.
Click to expand...

You are doing things right; however re. support feeding, that is where the scales come in. If there is a steady or rapid weight loss, then it means that your piggy is not eating enough hay and you have to correct that by topping up.
There is a difference between feeding guinea pigs completely off their food around the clock and offering support feed to guinea pigs whose appetite is on the dodgy side. Our syringe feeding guide makes the distinction between keeping piggies alive, supporting guinea pigs on recovery that are not quite eating enough yet and supporting dental piggies that are healthy and hungry but cannot chew/eat as they would like.
Support feeding as needed does not impact on the teeth. My Pili Pala had a year of needing top ups because of her weight loss caused by IBS and hyperthyroidism, and never had a dental problem. ;)

Please also be aware that guinea pigs have a very fast metabolism, which means that painkillers are much quicker assimilated than in cats or dogs.
 
Hi again. Thank you for all this info. Will start the syringe feeding tonight. I have loxicom and antibiotics and will keep fingers crossed that she perks up. Will start weighing tonight too.
 
I always thought cc would not grind teeth down, therefore the teeth would grow longer. Why is this not the case? I havnt syringe fed a pig long enough to find out though. I have always worried about this
 
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