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I Finally Have My Boy.

Oh dear, the pus seems to have come back :( I'm booking another vet appointment for Monday to discuss zithromax (I'll have to do it by phone while my mum takes him as I'm working).

Last night he started biting (he's never done that before) so I've started his metacam up again, I'd imagine he's in pain again :(

He's not keeping any weight on by himself so I've not stopped feeding him, he'll eat off a spoon or my finger though so I don't understand? I'll have his teeth checked too, although I don't think that's a problem.

I feel awful, it's another step back and he was just starting to warm up to me again.

Is there anything else I can ask for?
 
David Pet Lover said:
oh pal. wish I could help yer. he's a handful. Keep Strong. Iggy come on. x
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Your encouragement is always helpful! :)

He's definitely a handful! As far as I'm aware he's not biting anymore but I'll have to see when I finish work. Hopefully he feels a bit better with the metacam.

We'll have to see how it goes at the vets tomorrow, get some Zithromax and hope for the best!
 
You are doing a fine job! As others have said, try for Zithromax and make sure his pain is addressed -- hopefully the Metacam has done that, but he might need to try something different.

With regards to him not eating for himself, my Tubs had this exact issue after being syringe-fed for a long time. Trying some of the things suggested in this thread might help, and I know @Adelle had a similar issue with her Fudge; for both of us it just boiled down to having to be strong-willed -- if you know the pig can eat but won't, you might just have to entice them and wait it out. Definitely get the teeth checked out first though; a pig who's keen to be syringe or spoon fed but can't eat pellets and hay is a bit suspicious (though this was my Tubs at one point and he had no teeth issues)! It could also be he's still sore of feeling ill due to the abscess.

Things that encouraged eating for me included: giving loads of different kinds of hay (Ings, timothy, Readigrass, oat hay, B&M timothy which is very soft, some very green German hay that I had imported... I was desperate at that point!); sprinkling Avipro or other probiotic powder over absolutely everything as Tubs loves it; feeding grass; trying new syringe feed (and if the pig liked it, mixing it in with soaked softened pellets for them to eat themselves); giving Fibreplex in case it's a gut issue (and offering loads of cardboard); trying different pellets; and getting the pig a friend (though I don't know if that applies in your case -- Tubs was due to be bonded with some babies so I eventually did it while he was still unwell and they encouraged him to eat a bit). The biggest thing was time -- as soon as your pig can eat a little for themselves, reduce the syringe feeding and wean them off accordingly... it takes quite a while for them to get back to normal.

If it makes you feel better, Tubs and I have a closer bond than any of the rest of my pigs, due to my looking after him over his couple of illnesses. Iggbutt may be unhappy about it now, but he won't hate you in the future, I promise. Offerings treats or grass after any horrible medical thing is often a good way to make the bad memories go away ;)
 
Danielle Smith said:
You are doing a fine job! As others have said, try for Zithromax and make sure his pain is addressed -- hopefully the Metacam has done that, but he might need to try something different.

With regards to him not eating for himself, my Tubs had this exact issue after being syringe-fed for a long time. Trying some of the things suggested in this thread might help, and I know @Adelle had a similar issue with her Fudge; for both of us it just boiled down to having to be strong-willed -- if you know the pig can eat but won't, you might just have to entice them and wait it out. Definitely get the teeth checked out first though; a pig who's keen to be syringe or spoon fed but can't eat pellets and hay is a bit suspicious (though this was my Tubs at one point and he had no teeth issues)! It could also be he's still sore of feeling ill due to the abscess.

Things that encouraged eating for me included: giving loads of different kinds of hay (Ings, timothy, Readigrass, oat hay, B&M timothy which is very soft, some very green German hay that I had imported... I was desperate at that point!); sprinkling Avipro or other probiotic powder over absolutely everything as Tubs loves it; feeding grass; trying new syringe feed (and if the pig liked it, mixing it in with soaked softened pellets for them to eat themselves); giving Fibreplex in case it's a gut issue (and offering loads of cardboard); trying different pellets; and getting the pig a friend (though I don't know if that applies in your case -- Tubs was due to be bonded with some babies so I eventually did it while he was still unwell and they encouraged him to eat a bit). The biggest thing was time -- as soon as your pig can eat a little for themselves, reduce the syringe feeding and wean them off accordingly... it takes quite a while for them to get back to normal.

If it makes you feel better, Tubs and I have a closer bond than any of the rest of my pigs, due to my looking after him over his couple of illnesses. Iggbutt may be unhappy about it now, but he won't hate you in the future, I promise. Offerings treats or grass after any horrible medical thing is often a good way to make the bad memories go away ;)
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Thanks for your reply! Really helpful.

Yes my vet has agreed to try Zithromax so will hopefully get some tomorrow. He bit me again tonight so I'm wondering whether he'll need more pain relief, it was while I was giving it to him though so maybe it had worn off too much. I'm going to try giving it earlier.

He has eaten some nuggets and hay, he loves when I bring the fresh stuff! He just doesn't seem to be eating enough to gain/sustain weight sadly. He takes his feeds quite well though, even delving into the bowl while I'm holding him and getting it EVERYWHERE :))

I'll eventually be bonding him with my 4 girls (I hope) but I want to make sure he's well enough that they won't reject him out of hand.

That's very true, my Bella was poorly when she was a baby and now she's a very clingy pig. She'd let me do anything bless her.

I just feel bad that I can't take all the pain and illness away from him, he's gone through hell so far and there's more to come. He's only 6 months, poor mite. He hates me in the evening because he knows it's enema time, and he won't even eat his favourite veg after he's been violated poor sod :))
 
Okay so he's been to the vets today, he's back on the metacam & baytril with occasional enemas for 2 weeks.

My vet looked into zithromax (she said something about a brand name and called it something else?) and she said that it wasn't as strong as the baytril he's been having and wouldn't work for this particular bacterial infection? I'm a bit confused.

Hopefully this will put a stop to it, I'm just a bit worried as he's still a bit bitey so must still be in pain.

Also, because I wasn't there to take him his back teeth weren't checked (I have a feeling she wouldn't able been able to check them with him biting anyway) so I'm not sure what to do from here regarding his eating.

Has anyone got any advice? I just want to get him better but I'm really struggling.

Thanks for all the help guys, I appreciate it.
 
Cavy Kung-Fu said:
Okay so he's been to the vets today, he's back on the metacam & baytril with occasional enemas for 2 weeks.

My vet looked into zithromax (she said something about a brand name and called it something else?) and she said that it wasn't as strong as the baytril he's been having and wouldn't work for this particular bacterial infection? I'm a bit confused.

Hopefully this will put a stop to it, I'm just a bit worried as he's still a bit bitey so must still be in pain.

Also, because I wasn't there to take him his back teeth weren't checked (I have a feeling she wouldn't able been able to check them with him biting anyway) so I'm not sure what to do from here regarding his eating.

Has anyone got any advice? I just want to get him better but I'm really struggling.

Thanks for all the help guys, I appreciate it.
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@Wiebke sorry to tag you, I know you're busy. I don't know who else I can tag.

Cavy Kung-Fu said:
Would this help in any way?

View attachment 65660
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Cavy Kung-Fu said:
Oh dear, the pus seems to have come back :( I'm booking another vet appointment for Monday to discuss zithromax (I'll have to do it by phone while my mum takes him as I'm working).

Last night he started biting (he's never done that before) so I've started his metacam up again, I'd imagine he's in pain again :(

He's not keeping any weight on by himself so I've not stopped feeding him, he'll eat off a spoon or my finger though so I don't understand? I'll have his teeth checked too, although I don't think that's a problem.

I feel awful, it's another step back and he was just starting to warm up to me again.

Is there anything else I can ask for?
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Keep on syringe feeding. Ask for strong antibiotic and make sure that you can hopefully keep the abscess open so it can drain while it heals from the inside out. If you could flush it, that would help.

You can up the god metacam to 0.15 ml twice daily (it is 0.25 ml for a 1 kg piggy).

I am sorry that your vet not happy with the zithromax. Unfortunately Simon is not around next week, but it doesn't clear up, you might want to consider a trip...
 
Wiebke said:
Keep on syringe feeding. Ask for strong antibiotic and make sure that you can hopefully keep the abscess open so it can drain while it heals from the inside out. If you could flush it, that would help.

You can up the god metacam to 0.15 ml twice daily (it is 0.25 ml for a 1 kg piggy).

I am sorry that your vet not happy with the zithromax. Unfortunately Simon is not around next week, but it doesn't clear up, you might want to consider a trip...
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Thanks for the reply!

He's on baytril again which is 0.2mls twice a day, I'm not 100% sure what the vet was looking at but she said Zithromax wouldn't be strong enough? I don't know :(

With the infection (I'm not sure if it's an abscess as it's inside of him) I can't access it directly so I can only presume it's still open?

He's been having 0.3mls twice daily of the metacam so is he having too much? It doesn't seem to be strong enough even then but idk.

I wish I could get to Simon, I don't drive so I have no idea how I could get him there anyway :(
 
Sorry, only just saw this! I thoroughly recommend Fibreplex, anything to help boost the gut bacteria! Have you got any healthy piggies to get poo soup? I'd offer to send you some if not but they'll lose their potency I'm sure... That he's eating is good... that he can't keep his weight on is what happened to Tubs -- is he only picking at food or eating voraciously? Keep topping up, I know it's exhausting but it's so important.

If he does have an abscess, keeping it open would mean taking off any scabs and making sure there's a hole for the pus to drain out of. Since it's inside his bum, I don't think you can make sure it stays open unless it's in his caecal pellet sack?

Is he on the cat metacam or dog metacam, they have very different strengths? Maybe ask for tramadol or similar to see if that helps?

@Stewybus, any way a piggy train could be organised for Simon? I know it's usually only for rescues but...
 
Danielle Smith said:
Sorry, only just saw this! I thoroughly recommend Fibreplex, anything to help boost the gut bacteria! Have you got any healthy piggies to get poo soup? I'd offer to send you some if not but they'll lose their potency I'm sure... That he's eating is good... that he can't keep his weight on is what happened to Tubs -- is he only picking at food or eating voraciously? Keep topping up, I know it's exhausting but it's so important.

If he does have an abscess, keeping it open would mean taking off any scabs and making sure there's a hole for the pus to drain out of. Since it's inside his bum, I don't think you can make sure it stays open unless it's in his caecal pellet sack?

Is he on the cat metacam or dog metacam, they have very different strengths? Maybe ask for tramadol or similar to see if that helps?

@Stewybus, any way a piggy train could be organised for Simon? I know it's usually only for rescues but...
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Yep he has 4 wives waiting for him, they're poop machines! He's eaten a bit when offered. I could always try giving him more. He also has his Pro C, should I still look at getting the Fibreplex?

He's not really eating his veggies much, picking at that and pellets but occasionally attacking the hay with gusto.

I'll be honest with you, I have no idea what a pellet sack is! Do I want to? :))

It's dog metacam he's on, I wondered about tramadol but it was wrongly prescribed for one of my other piggies previously and I read that it can cause damage to them?

Thanks so much for your help :)
 
If you can get an appointment with Simon we could arrange a lift there but getting one back as well could prove difficult unless we could find someone to drive you there and back.

A better idea may be trying a different vet in your area. There are 3 in the Brighton area on TGPG Vet Locator Guinea Pig Vet Locator
Maybe try phoning them first to see if any would prescribe Zithromax (Azithromycin) to your piggy.

How are you giving the pro-c. It is far more effective if given by syringe. Just mix 1/4 of a teaspoon with 10ml of water and give throughout the day. They can't overdose on pro-c or others such as avipro plus.

I think it's important that he gets to a good vet asap to get an effective treatment started x
 
Cavy Kung-Fu said:
Yep he has 4 wives waiting for him, they're poop machines! He's eaten a bit when offered. I could always try giving him more. He also has his Pro C, should I still look at getting the Fibreplex?

He's not really eating his veggies much, picking at that and pellets but occasionally attacking the hay with gusto.

I'll be honest with you, I have no idea what a pellet sack is! Do I want to? :))

It's dog metacam he's on, I wondered about tramadol but it was wrongly prescribed for one of my other piggies previously and I read that it can cause damage to them?

Thanks so much for your help :)
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Around 1.5-2 hours after antibiotics, if you soak a healthy poo in a little warm water and syringe the "soup" to him this will reduce any gastrointestinal upset. While poo soup, Pro C, and Fibreplex all contain bacteria needed for a healthy gut, Fibreplex also has a lot of fibre in it, good if his guts aren't in tip-top shape. It's really a personal preference; I use all three as a preventative measure any time one of my piggies is on antibiotics or has a tummy issue but if you're happy to stick with the Pro C that's also fine -- as long as he's getting some form of probiotic! As said above, you are syringing water with Pro C (~2 hours after antibiotics) as well as putting it in his water bottle, right? This way you can make sure he gets the amount he needs... you can also sprinkle it on veggies to see if it helps with him wanting to eat them.

If you haven't already, might be worth trying to cut or slice his veggies very thinly using a mandoline or peeler -- if he hoovers them up then, you know it's likely a teeth issue (though the liking for hay means that his teeth are likely not too bad).

The sac is just the inside of his bottom, the pouch which contains all his poos ready to be expelled -- anatomy lesson can be found here (warning: NSFW :vom:). It's likely his abscess (or whatever it is) won't be easy to get to in which case don't worry about this part. However, if you look at his sac and you see an obvious little hole with pus leaking out, try to keep it from healing over at all costs; you want the abscess to heal from the inside out, meaning that the pus can keep draining -- if it heals over, the pus is trapped inside and you go back a couple steps.

Glad it's dog metacam he's on, have heard where cat metacam was accidentally prescribed with dog dosage and then the person was wondering why there wasn't any pain relief! Pain meds can be a tricky thing to get right, I know some members here have favourites and not-favourites (I really dislike buprenorphine but others' piggies cope fine with it; you probably feel the same about tramadol). The main thing is to figure out if he's still in pain (signs in the link); if so, talk with a vet to figure out the best possible painkillers.

I agree with @Stewybus, it would not hurt to go to another cavy-savvy vet in your area (if you can!) and get a second opinion about the antibiotics and his painkillers.
 
Thank you both so much for your replies, so helpful!

@Stewybus I believe I've seen on other threads that Simon is away right now? If so I could see if it improves til he's back and go from there?

Regarding other vets on the locator I have tried a few (the one in Brighton is the one who prescribed tramadol for a scab instead of baytril so I was not happy with them) and the vet I have now seems to be the most cavvy savvy of all of them. They're normally fantastic but there just seems to be confusion about strengths etc of antibiotics?)

Yes he's getting the antibiotics by syringe and in his water to try and encourage him to drink (which isn't working).

@Danielle Smith that's some fantastic info there, I'll try and look for this mythical "sac" when I get back from work. Wish me luck! :))

After thinking about the symptoms I'm thinking he's not in pain, probably just fed up of the manhandling and is getting a bit bitey. He's also a bit of a teenager right now so that may be playing into that.

I'll have another go at the poop soup and probably get some Fibreplex when I get paid as I'm broke now, after vet trips and I bought some more critical care and hello overdraft! XD

I shall try sprinkling some on his veg, I didn't think of that! He loves the Pro C so that might help.

Thanks again guys! x
 
As I say, don't worry too much about the sac, might just be worth peering inside his bottom to see if there's an obvious wound/hole! Could just be his intestines are infected and he's passing the puss if you get me. Definitely don't give it a regular clean out once he's healthy, some people are a bit mad about that... just remove any wads of hair that accumulate (my boys keep the fleece clean of our long-haired girls sheddings by hoovering it up with their bottom :vom:).

I can understand him getting fed up and bitey -- maybe try telling him how much you love him and that you're boss (in piggy language) -- might calm him down a bit. I understand it can be really distressing to treat a pig who doesn't like being poked and prodded, but unfortunately it has to happen; my Fudge can attest to that, she shouts the house down every morning when I try and put her ear drops in!
 
Danielle Smith said:
As I say, don't worry too much about the sac, might just be worth peering inside his bottom to see if there's an obvious wound/hole! Could just be his intestines are infected and he's passing the puss if you get me. Definitely don't give it a regular clean out once he's healthy, some people are a bit mad about that... just remove any wads of hair that accumulate (my boys keep the fleece clean of our long-haired girls sheddings by hoovering it up with their bottom :vom:).

I can understand him getting fed up and bitey -- maybe try telling him how much you love him and that you're boss (in piggy language) -- might calm him down a bit. I understand it can be really distressing to treat a pig who doesn't like being poked and prodded, but unfortunately it has to happen; my Fudge can attest to that, she shouts the house down every morning when I try and put her ear drops in!
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Okay thanks! I hope his intestines are okay! :S

Hoovering up :)) That's hilarious, got that to look forward too XD

Yea he's been soooo good til now, it's been about 3 weeks since his first treatment I think so the poor mite has had enough. I feel so guilty every time he runs from me because he knows, he didn't to start with as we already had a bond.

He doesn't let me raise his head haha but he does submissive scream when I nibble his ears (super gently I might add!) so I guess that's something! Doesn't seem to like his face rubbed either :))

He's enjoying his syringe feeds/drinks a bit more so that's something.
 
Oops, didn't mean to worry you, it'll get sorted in the end with antibiotics anyway I'm sure :) Have you tried giving him a little bit of oats as a treat (just the dry ones used to make porridge)? Might also be worth leaving some thick pellet slurry in a bowl in his cage to encourage eating on his own, if he's enjoying syringe feeds so much.
 
Danielle Smith said:
Oops, didn't mean to worry you, it'll get sorted in the end with antibiotics anyway I'm sure :) Have you tried giving him a little bit of oats as a treat (just the dry ones used to make porridge)? Might also be worth leaving some thick pellet slurry in a bowl in his cage to encourage eating on his own, if he's enjoying syringe feeds so much.
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Oh I'm always worrying about something don't worry :))

If it's still not much better I'll go back to the vets and do more research into antibiotics. The main issue with the last vet visit is that I was at work so I had to have a phone consultation while my mum was at the vet with him :doh:

I haven't tried oats, I'll get some.

You would have thought? But he only likes his pellet mix warm and if he's being held by me! Bloody diva! He'll eat it from a bowl when he's with me but not in his cage, or if it goes cold. :mal:

What am I going to do with him eh? :))
 
I've just been catching up on this thread. What a roller-coaster for you and gorgeous Iggy. I really hope you can get things sorted soon and he starts to gain some weight. You've done an amazing job so far. It really shows how much you care for him. There are many I'm sure that would not be able to cope so well with all his meds, feeds and enemas. Keep up the good work and I really hope things improve soon xx
 
I read this and I'm so impressed with how much people care about a small bundle of delicate complicated so dependent on their owners Guinea Pig. To Cavy I know you are tired low on pennies and feel the villain at times here. But at Rainbow world millions piggies cheer and squeak when you and everyone who go behond the normal and do whateva you can for your loved ones. Makes me so proud to know people on here. IGGY Keep going pal. xx
 
Aw thank you both @Eileen's Mum and @David Pet Lover for your lovely, kind words!

I adore the little monster, from the second I met him. He's a bit of a Romeo actually as my vet and every single vet nurse I've met have been smitten with him, way more than my (poor) girlies lol.

It's probably because he's such a character, chatting away all the time, rumbling and trying to dominate the world!

I just wanna do right by him so it's been quite hard lately, with him being so poorly I worry every morning when I come down the stairs to see how he is. It's probably just me being crazy.

Thank you to everyone for your support.
:luv:

Iit's amazing how much it helps. Far more than my "dog friends" who are bemused by my worry and sadness and think he's just a piggy who can be replaced for a few bob.
 
Syringe feeding is NOT going well today. He keeps biting every time he sees a syringe now. He won't seem to eat off the spoon any more and he's lost weight again.

Now my mum's a bit scared of him, even though she knows she shouldn't be. She's been looking after him while I've been at work (I'm out of the house about 11 hours 5 days a week).

Normally he sees me as dominant but maybe he's trying his luck today I don't know. He won't eat and he's super bitey. But he's still not displaying pain symptoms?
 
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