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I'm sorry I need some more advice regarding Gladys.

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youthnovels

youthnovels

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I'm sorry about this, despite my resolve to contribute more to the forum then I take from it I really could do with some advice.

I don't know if any of you remember about little Gladys but she came down with a middle ear infection at around 9/10weeks old. She has now been on baytril for seven days.

Around Thurs/Fri/Sat she perked up completely, no head tilt, weeking away and running around. Sunday her head tilt came back. She's now eating fine and drinking (I've done lots of spying from the kitchen window) but her head is more titled than it was in the first place! When she runs she's all over the show because obviously her balance is off and it's heartbreaking to see a 10week old guinea rolling around on her back trying to stand.

I just don't know what to do now. I don't have any experiences with ear infections. I've had guinea pigs for my whole 21 years and luckily never come across anything like this. How long on average does it take to get the guinea sorted. Is head tilt similar to EC in rabbits and unfortunately in some cases it never goes away? Or is it a sign that it's not just a middle ear infection and something even more sinister.

I'm just baffled because she seemed to be on the road to recovery. And despite her being a lot better than she was last Tuesday "in herself" (ie. she is moving, eating and drinking now) her physical symptoms seem to be amplified (possibly due to the fact she is actually moving around now so her lack of balance is even more noticeable when she runs).

I still have a good few doses of baytril left, is it wise to continue with these or stress her out by the 25min car journey to the vets? I've just come down with shingles myself and the thought of dragging myself to anywhere but the doctors fills me with dread but I obviously wouldn't dream of not seeing vet treatment for a sick animal either.

Any ideas would be really appreciated.
 
I adopted a little sow who had a head tilt and the vet treated her with antibiotics for an ear infection and she also had a course of Panacur - is it worth mentioning this to your vet ?
Amelia has no tilt visible now, leads a very happy and normal life bossing five other little girls around - she's our Mummy pig drool :(|)
 
Did she have the head tilt when you got her?

I would continue with the course of baytril you already have.
 
Aww poor you and poor Gladys.

I'm no expert but perhaps if the infection in her ear was fungal, an anti-biotic wouldn't have cleared it all up.

If the infection was bacterial, the first anti-biotic might have beaten it back but not eradicated the bacteria and you might simply need to change anti-biotics. This is what happened with a consistent URI that Biscuit kept getting. Eventually he had to have samples taken from his trachea and lungs to identify the bacterium which turned out to be strep intermedius. The the vet identified the right combination of anti-biotics and hey presto, bacteria destroyed. This could explain the reason that Gladys seemed to be improving but then got worse. If you clear up the symptoms with an AB but do not kill the bacteria, often the symptoms and infection will come back worse.

The only other thing I can think of is perhaps she just needs some more time to heal. The infection may have damaged her middle ear and this may take time to recover from.

I think it is worth at least a phone call to your vet and maybe even a visit with Gladys to your vet. Healing vibes and best of luck for you both
 
I agree with going back to the vet for a change in antibiotics.....and also its worth inspecting the ear for possible ear mites as these can also cause head tilt and could be contributing to the problem. Ear mites can be cleared up with 3 injections of ivermectin spaced 7-10 days apart (the spot on treatments are not very effective for ear mites)
 
Poor little Gladys has been back to the vets, the conclusion being ... They just don't know. Three vets who were on duty came and looked at her.

She's now been referred to see a specialist tomorrow. Let's hope we can get to the bottom of this :(
 
Oh you poor things. You are both unwell. I really hope they can help her and also that you get better soon.
 
Thankyou everyone really appreciate. I'm so stressed out about her right now so upsetting to have a sick animal. 8...
 
Hope the vet visit today helps find out the problem with Gladys and that she can start to get treated and better.
Keep us posted.
Hope your shingles gets better soon too,
x
 
I've just come back from the vets without Gladys. They're doing a GA, some head xrays and delving down her ear.

I won't have anymore news until around 2 :(
 
Aw, poor baby. It's awful leaving them there isn't it :0
Really hope the vet gets to the root of her head tilt today and it's positive news.
Thinking of you and sending little Gladys hugs x>>
 
Such sad news. So sorry to hear it. x
 
So sorry to hear about your lovely guinea.. my little Pickles is fighting an ear infection currently and I have never been so scared in all my life she would die..I can't imagine what you are going through..they really are so special arnt they. I'm quite new to the forum, do you have others? Go and give them a big cuddle, they will keep you strong. sending all my love XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx
 
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