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Lost My Guinea Pig Last Week :(. Now 2nd One Has Same Symptoms

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saman

saman

Junior Guinea Pig
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hastings. east sussex
Hi, I wondered if anyone can help. I lost our little boy "Peanut" last week, aged 5 :(. He had been hunching and squeaking when pooping. I took him to the vets, who gave us Metacam for the pain, and Baytril antibiotic. He had already not been eating well, but then stopped completely. I had been syringe feeding him with Critical Care, and water, but he was getting worse, and then lost his fight, we me and his friend Caramel by his side :(. Although we separated them at first, I felt Peanut needed to be with his friend as they had never been apart, also I heard that it helps with the grieving to allow him time with the body at the end :( :(
Here we are a week later, I have been weighing Caramel every day, and keeping a close eye on him for depression/grieving. His weight has remained the same, he is looking alert, eating well, drinking well, poop normal shape/size. However the last couple of days, he has started to hunch and squeak the same as Peanut did when pooping. I have tried Pearl Barley Water, Cranberry juice etc, but I am so concerned that it will happen all over again. Got vet appointment booked for tomo, but I am so worried. I have read alot since loosing Peanut, and I am concerned they will give him an antibiotic, and stop him eating. Also I was never given or told about pro-biotics when Peanut had his antibiotics, is this what made him go downhill?
I thought with Peanut, that it was going to be either a UTI or stones, but how would Caramel have same condition so soon after? Are UTI's contagious? His cage is very clean, and I have cut down on his high calcium foods, after reading these could cause urinary infections.
Any thoughts or advice appreciated. Sorry so long :(
 
Welcome to the forum :) Can you ask for Septrin rather than Baytril if he does have a urine infection as it is less likely to be harsh on his tummy & put him off his food. If he does have stones he will need an x-ray to confirm this. Whereabouts are you in case we can recommend a cavy savvy vet for you?
 
I am very sory for your loss! it must have been very upsetting!

UTI does not kill often, but it is a common illness that guinea pigs as a species are rather prone to because they have got a naturally rather alcaline urine.

Did your vet ever x-ray Peanut for a bladder stone? The loss of a companion can depress the immune system, so bereaved piggies, especially when they are no longer quite young anymore, are more likely to come down with an opportunistic illness or an underlying issue is becoming virulent.

Please have Caramel seen by your vet. You can give probiotics about an hour or two after giving an antibiotic, but they are not critical; they are just a support. It may be a good idea to have an x-ray done to check for stones or bladder sludge striaght away, ideally conscious or only under light sedation, but it doesn't need a full GA (general anaesthesia). The recommended antibiotic for urinary tract problems is septrin (UK) / bactrim (US); it is the same active ingredient.

Could you please add your country, state or (for the UK) your county/city, so we can always give you the best advice and recommendation for your location striaght away. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. thanks!
 
@helen105281 Can help you with this.

My Matthew had this problem but with help from her and a lovely lady named Karen Matthew no longer suffers with the problem. My other boar had the same thing but it was too late to save him sadly.
 
Hi thank you, and thanks for your reply. Yes I read about Septrim, after I was worried about how Peanut went downhill on Baytril. I actually took Peanut back to a vet 3 days after starting it, it was a different vet, and she said they dont do any other antibiotics :(. She also started to concentrate on looking at his teeth, which I found strange considering his symptoms of pain when pooping. I am seeing a exotic pets vet tomo, as I have no faith in the one I saw with Peanut :(. I am in E.Sussex.
 
Wiebke said:
I am very sory for your loss! it must have been very upsetting!

UTI does not kill often, but it is a common illness that guinea pigs as a species are rather prone to because they have got a naturally rather alcaline urine.

Did your vet ever x-ray Peanut for a bladder stone? The loss of a companion can depress the immune system, so bereaved piggies, especially when they are no longer quite young anymore, are more likely to come down with an opportunistic illness or an underlying issue is becoming virulent.

Please have Caramel seen by your vet. You can give probiotics about an hour or two after giving an antibiotic, but they are not critical; they are just a support. It may be a good idea to have an x-ray done to check for stones or bladder sludge striaght away, ideally conscious or only under light sedation, but it doesn't need a full GA (general anaesthesia). The recommended antibiotic for urinary tract problems is septrin (UK) / bactrim (US); it is the same active ingredient.

Could you please add your country, state or (for the UK) your county/city, so we can always give you the best advice and recommendation for your location striaght away. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. thanks!
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saman said:
Hi thank you, and thanks for your reply. Yes I read about Septrim, after I was worried about how Peanut went downhill on Baytril. I actually took Peanut back to a vet 3 days after starting it, it was a different vet, and she said they dont do any other antibiotics :(. She also started to concentrate on looking at his teeth, which I found strange considering his symptoms of pain when pooping. I am seeing a exotic pets vet tomo, as I have no faith in the one I saw with Peanut :(. I am in E.Sussex.
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Good that you are already booked. We also have got a recommended piggy savvy UK vets locator on the top bar. Hopefully, Caramel will be fine!

Peanut didn't have an x-ray to check for stones? I don't think that it is the antibiotic that is the big issue here as even baytril should have made a difference, but that he cause of his problems may not have been treated.
 
I think @Pebble would be able to recommend a vet near you, have you checked our recommended vets at the top of the page to see if there is one nearby? I am sorry for your loss, hopefully your remaining boy will get better very soon :)
 
Thank you, now added location. Yes, we are trying to come to terms with it. I have felt s much guilt about it, if I had of gone to vet quicker, if I had not of gone to vet at all, if I had taken him off antibiotics sooner, fed him less dark greens :(. I really cant go through this again, Caramel is the one keeping me going :(. I thought I was just being paranoid at first, as I have been watching his every move, but there is definitely a problem.
Peanut wasnt checked for stones, as they wanted to try the antibiotics first, to see if it was just a UTI. When I took him back as getting worse, it was just a different vet there, who didnt seem to have a clue about guineas.
The one is am seeing tomo, will hopefully know more.
Caramel although the quieter of the two guineas, has always been less needy of Peanuts attention, and we always thought would stand a better chance without the other. Peanut would go mad, if Caramel wasnt in the cage :(. We have been giving him lots of cuddles. It just feels really strange so quickly after, but then like you say, while he is down, it could come out. :( I hope they give Septrin, as I cant bear to look at Baytril now :(
 
Thank you. I have looked at the vets list, but they are all so far away, think they would all be train rides, as I don't drive. Hoping tomorrows vet will be better :(
 
Wiebke said:
Good that you are already booked. We also have got a recommended piggy savvy UK vets locator on the top bar. Hopefully, Caramel will be fine!

Peanut didn't have an x-ray to check for stones? I don't think that it is the antibiotic that is the big issue here as even baytril should have made a difference, but that he cause of his problems may not have been treated.
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saman said:
Thank you. I have looked at the vets list, but they are all so far away, think they would all be train rides, as I don't drive. Hoping tomorrows vet will be better :(
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Best of luck! I need to take the train to see my specialist in Northampton, as I don't drive, either.
 
I hope he is fine. If he needs us to get another piggy friend for him we would. I just dont feel ready to replace peanut, also struggling so much with vet costs at mo. But if necessary we will.
Maybe it wasnt the antibiotics, my mind has just been going around in circles not knowing where I went wrong. Do they usually do the xray straight away, instead of antibiotics first?
 
saman said:
I hope he is fine. If he needs us to get another piggy friend for him we would. I just dont feel ready to replace peanut, also struggling so much with vet costs at mo. But if necessary we will.
Maybe it wasnt the antibiotics, my mind has just been going around in circles not knowing where I went wrong. Do they usually do the xray straight away, instead of antibiotics first?
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No, usually it is antibiotics, but they will x-ray if there is suspicion that it could be a stone or if you ask for one. I am sure that they will give Caramel a thorough inspection in view of what has happened.

We also have got a recommended good standard piggy savvy rescues locator on the top bar; a number of them offer boar dating under expert supervision at the rescue, so you only come home with a new friend if there has been success. All rescues have a mandatory quarantine/health care policy, so any piggy you rehome is healthy. However, in your case, it is more important to get Caramel sorted and back to good health first! ;)
 
Thanks, I will keep that in mind. Do you think I should give him any metacam until the vet appointment. He seems completely fine, until he poops!
 
saman said:
Sorry you lost one of your boys. How did you manage to help Matthew?
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Thank you.

With Matthew I changed his and all my other guinea pigs diets to a really strict one.
The two at the bottom are allowed a tiny amount of pellets and the two at the top - Matthew and his cage mate- get none at all. It was the pellets that gave him the worst reaction.

Their diet now consists of Celery, pepper, green beans, cucumber, coriander and occasionally a piece of dill as a treat. No fruit at all. They get their veg twice a day.
I also don't give them readigrass as that used to upset Gilbert - the one who passed away from it.

Oh and I filter their water.
 
I'm really sorry for your loss.

I would ask the vet to carry out an xray to rule out stones. As Wiebke says it can be done conscious or under light sedation. This could be an infection, in which case Septrin is usually considered the most effective antibiotic. The other possibility is Interstitial cystitis which if I remember correctly is what Julie's pig has. Interstitial cystitis is inflammation of the bladder, and can be diagnosed with an ultrasound. A special diet keeps this under control in 2 of my pigs together with daily vegan Glucosamine. I don't give cranberry juice as this has been shown to irritate the bladder more in pigs with IC and the same applies to humans who have it, so doctors usually advise not to drink it.

See what your vet appointment brings and go from there.
 
Thank you all for your advice. The vets checked him, did temperature, which all looked ok, possibly seemed a bit bloated. Caramel did a wee and a few poops whilst there, which the vet said looked good. He checked them, and it all looked good, no blood etc. The vet said we could either see how antibiotics go for 7 days, then do a x-ray if needed, or do x-ray straight away. I opted for the latter, just to get it all checked. Good news, as it didn't show any stones or blockages :). So he is on antibiotics for 7 days, along with Metacam. He has also given us 5 days of worming treatment, just in case. He seems a bit quieter tonight, but I think it was all a bit stressful for him :(. If no change after 7 days, we need to return to investigate more.
 
It is great to know that you have been able to exclude the big nasties. I hope that he will feel better soon!
 
Yes, just hope he gets better now :). Would it be a good idea to give him probiotics? If so, is there any you recommend, and where can I get them from? Also if I was to give him a "poop soup", does it matter which type of his poop is use? (This is a conversation I never imagined myself having!)
 
it is always a good idea to give probiotics with any antibiotic and to have some at home for that purpose. The good quality ones you can order online. Bio-lapsis is a good allrounder; avipro plus is the only one without added calcium, so the best one for any urinary tract issues. Fibreplex is good for getting guts rebalanced. For immediate use in an emergency, a pet shop one will do.

For poo soup you need fresh poos from a healthy piggy. Vita poos (the lighter ones which the piggies eat) would be even better, but no piggy will give those up willingly, as they contain exactly what a piggy cannot afford to lose and needs to restock the guts.
 
Julesie said:
Thank you.

With Matthew I changed his and all my other guinea pigs diets to a really strict one.
The two at the bottom are allowed a tiny amount of pellets and the two at the top - Matthew and his cage mate- get none at all. It was the pellets that gave him the worst reaction.

Their diet now consists of Celery, pepper, green beans, cucumber, coriander and occasionally a piece of dill as a treat. No fruit at all. They get their veg twice a day.
I also don't give them readigrass as that used to upset Gilbert - the one who passed away from it.

Oh and I filter their water.
Click to expand...
 
Julesie, how did you get to the stage of knowing it was just a diet change that was needed? Caramel is now on Baytril for suspected UTI (as xray was clear), however he is now going off his food, and I am very tempted to take him of the Baytril to get his appetite back. Maybe I should try change of diet first. Apart from the sometimes hunching/squeaks when weeing/pooping (unsure which), he was reasonably healthy, eating well, drinking well, good poops etc.
 
saman said:
Julesie, how did you get to the stage of knowing it was just a diet change that was needed? Caramel is now on Baytril for suspected UTI (as xray was clear), however he is now going off his food, and I am very tempted to take him of the Baytril to get his appetite back. Maybe I should try change of diet first. Apart from the sometimes hunching/squeaks when weeing/pooping (unsure which), he was reasonably healthy, eating well, drinking well, good poops etc.
Click to expand...
I had a wonderful guinea pig specialist vet who went through many tests with me but most of all, she had seen it in other guinea pigs before including her own if I recall? @helen105281

I'd suggest taking the pellets away as a first step, that upset both of my guinea pigs who suffered with this.
 
It was the pigs she had seen at clinic Julie and to a lesser extent her own, though they have not really had issues due to the diet she is feeding.

You could try a couple of days without pellets and see if the symptoms lessen but make sure that they have additional hay those days, preferably a few varieties to tempt them.

I feed pellets myself which are low calcium and contain only natural ingredients and don't have the fillers and sugars that a lot of commercial pellets have.

If it is a purely an infection though then a change in diet won't help, it will however help their long term health and go towards limiting the chance of stones or Interstitial cystitis (inflammation of the bladder).

Baytril is notorious for upsetting the gut which is why probiotics are crucial. Also Septrin tends to be a more effective antibiotic for a UTI, though it is not advisable to switch at this stage.
 
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Thanks for the advice. He is doing well on the antibiotics at the moment, so all being well, we shall continue with that first, and then tackle his diet if need be. :)
 
Caramel has been on Baytril for 4 days, but his appetite is worse today. I am struggling to entice him with much. He has only had a little grass, a little lettuce, and a little hay (from what I have seen). His poops are now very small :( Do I persevere with the Baytril, and start syringe feeding the CC? or take him of the Baytril? The vet said I should carry on, its just a worry. His weight is still the same at mo, and he seems ok, apart from resting slightly more than usual.
 
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