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Marvin isnt well :(

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Abnoba

Abnoba

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We noticed today that he wasnt moving around as much as he used to, and his sides were.. well how to describe it, "pulsing", as if he was breathing really really fast. When we picked him up, he wasnt struggling as usual, he just sat there and let us pick him up, which is very unusual for him.

Well we weighed him - and he has lost 200g since the 2nd of November! (which makes me wonder if I should start weighing them every three days instead of weekly :-\) He went down from 1125 to 925 grams.. This morning - like every day - he came to collect his cucumber out of my hand, but because I didnt suspect anything wrong with him, I dont even know if he has been eating it (or for how long he hasnt been eating, more like it).

He also makes funny little noises, a bit like gurgling, from time to time.

So we sat him seperate from the girls in a petshop cage, on towels, to monitor his bowel movements, and food intake. So far only one tiny little poo,
the picture isnt very good but I hope you can see what I mean - as a comparison, next to it is a normal sized one of the girls.

kot1.jpg


So obviously something isnt right.

We rang the vets - the small animal specialist isnt in :-\ But they referred us to the Battleflats Clinic in York, which is on the recommended Vets list in this forum, so when my boyfriend comes home we will drive there and hopefully they will know what to do..

I just have no clue what could be wrong with him.. I was thinking with only that tiny poo, maybe he is constipated?
But on another forum they said that this is just so tiny because obviously he isnt eating properly - which makes sense considering the 200g weight loss. So I suppose we will have to have everything checked - maybe the back teeth, maybe some infection, oh I dont know.

Wish me luck!
 
Good luck with Marvin. I really hope the vet can get to the bottom of the problem very soon. Please let us know how you get on.

Thinking of you and Marvin
xx
 
yes, good luck and big kisses for Marvin. I hope its easily treatable. Please let us know.
 
oh dear me.

Rang Battleflats Clinic - Usually, they have someone in for evenings aswell - just not today ::) typical.

But how I described it to them, they said I should def. see someone TONIGHT, and not wait to see them in the morning.

So they gave me the numbers of two other vets from my area... First one - lol no way, those are the ones responsible for my Lily dying! The second one I at least had heard good things about, well, a girl from the Cats Protection League goes there, not that this says anything about how competent they are with piggies...

But anyway, we went to this vet, and they actually seem to know what they are doing.

She listened to his breathing and she says there is quite a sound coming from his windpipe, and his lungs are working hard, so she thinks he might have a bad cold.
She took his temperature (my boyfriend flinched for Marvin when she put the thermometer into poor piggies bum ;) Marvin himself was pretty chilled out about all that) and he didnt have one. And infections would usually come with higher temp., right?
She gave him an injection of Baytril, and she gave us some that we have to dilute and give him twice daily for the next five days.

She said he really should perk up within the next 24 hours.

And well, we should come back on Monday :)

So I hope thats going to work... she said if he doesnt start eating on his own, or not enough, we can def. give him some CC, it wont hurt, but she really thinks he will start eating on his own. touch wood!
 
+Pleased to hear Marvin has been seen by a vet, and has started abntibiotics for his chest.
If he were mine I'd be giving a little CC within the next hour or so to keep his energy levels up, even if he is starting to eat a little bit ~ not trying to tell you what to do though :)
 
Ill see how he gets on now... I will have to wait an hour or so anyway, because my boyfriend is off to another customer and I find trying to syringefeed on my own too much hard work.

So I think Ill get him some of his fav food and watch him for a bit :) If he still doesnt do anything, I think Ill def. give him some CC..

need to get his weight back up!
 
hope hes feeling a little more perky soon bless him keep us up to date please, :-* for marvin
 
we tried to give him some CC yesterday, seems like he hates syringes ::)

Anyway, this morning he still hasnt been eating, so we will bring him to Battleflats Clinic today. Just to make sure its not his back teeth or something, also to try and get some Bird Bene Bac, considering that he is on antibiotics.

:( and still no proper bowel movements, a few more of these little string like poos... but thats about it.
 
Oh dear poor little Marvin :(

Persist with the CC even if you have to mix it with one of his fav foods, i mix it with baby pureed apple and this helps it slide down easier. Even try the baby food on it's own as well. Try feeding every couple of hours anything that he'll eat it's important to keep him interested as well. Don't forget to give him extra fluids as well.

You've done a great job taking him to the vets so quickly, good luck we'll be thinking of you :-*
I'm sure the baytril will kick in soon, it's been a god send to us a few times.
 
Thanks to you all!

My boyfriend went to the clinic this morning (I was at work :( ) and they want to keep Marvin over the weekend...

apparently he DOES have a temperature now, they think it might be pneumonia. So all I can do now is sit and wait and ring them twice a day I suppose :-\

And I have no idea what they are doing, what treatment or what drugs they give him, or if the normal vet or the specialist are treating him - because my boyfriend didnt write it down for me. And I asked him to.
He said, well, the vet didnt say anything specific - well you could have ASKED the vet maybe?! >:(

I mean, sorry, but if its my pet that has to stay in hospital, and I am also paying the bill, then I would like to know what exactly is happening?!

I suppose I have to ring them up this afternoon and find out for myself... >:(
 
*sighs in relief*

Rang the vet. He thinks its more like a bad chest infection rather than pneumonia.
Marvin is responding well to the Baytril, is already eating and drinking voluntarily again (even if only little). The vet says Marvin is putting up a real fight :)
He is getting probiotics through the mouth and the antibiotics as an injection, so thats good.
Also some medication that starts with a V (forgot the name as I was so upset / nervous ::)) against the inflammation and stuff.
They continue to give him CC.
And on Sunday evening or Monday morning, we can probably pick him up again! :)

We will have to continue though with the Baytril and quite probably the CC aswell...

but I am so glad that its "just" a chest infection. I saw myself digging another hole in the garden, to be honest :-\
After this summer... First Jam the rabbit died of old age, then Lily dies of kidney failure at the CCT due to screwup from my previous vet, then pebbles dying for no apparent reason...? Everytime a pet of mine gets sick now I think the worst is going to happen and all alarm bells ring. I think I could never be a Rescue, I couldnt stand piggies getting sick and piggies dying - which is bound to happen if you take in bad cases of neglect :(
 
He actually spent last night in your piggybed - probably because he felt a bit cold and that bed was cosy and warm :)
 
Abnoba said:
He actually spent last night in your piggybed - probably because he felt a bit cold and that bed was cosy and warm :)
Click to expand...

Aww bless him :) I haven't got any of mine - the piggies destroyed them ::)
 
That's good news that he's starting to eat by himself, well done Marvin ;)
Keep us posted would like to know how he's going, take care he's obviously in great hands.
I do understand exactly what you mean about stressing out when our furbabies get sick :(
Take care :)
 
Big hugs and kisses to you both x

Hope he feels much better soon :)
 
Marvin is back home with us now.

Still sitting seperate because we need to monitor food intake etc, but at least he can hear the girls in the cage next to him.

He is down to 870 grams now, and we have to syringe feed him some food similar to critical care, and putting probiotics (bio-lapis) into his water. they dont think he needs any more antibiotics, now its just a matter of keeping him warm and getting his weight back up.

the whole thing (medication, him staying at the vets for three days, consultation) cost us 90 quid in total *swallows hard*

so I think I will have to save some money again... the CCT is so far away, and all the good vets up north seem to cost a fortune! *sigh* but the things we do for our piggies..
 
Thats good news he just needs feeding up now, I didn't think £90 was too bad thought it would be much higher staying with the vet- prob just used to being charged stpidly high rates by vets!
 
He isnt eating :( Only having the tiniest of nibbles from some food, and thats it.

And he really struggles and seems to hate Supreme Recovery AND CC...

so we went shopping today, got some Dextrose Powder to mix into water and syringe feed him to get his energy level up,
and we bought carrot baby food (took me some time to find food without pasta or meat in ::)) and he is eating loads of it!

He didnt even struggle in the slightest when we fed that to him today!

So we will continue that all day and start mixing some supreme recovery in with it and see how he takes that....

fingers crossed!
 
Aww i'm glad you've found some food that the little one likes, and i hope he recovers well x
 
Galens Garden nutri powder is also a recovery food they love. George gobbled his down.

I know what you're going through. Love and hugs to you and Marvin
 
he still isnt eating himself - this isnt normal.

We are going to the clinic again tomorrow to have them check him out, and I will ask them again to check the backteeth.

If they send us home again saying syringefeed him and he should be fine after a while, I suppose another three hour trip down south to Vedra is due :(
 
I'm so sorry for you :'( you're obviously doing everything you can for him.

I'd take him to see Vedra again, there must be something else wrong with those teeth :'(

Good luck will say piggie prayers for you both. Come on Marvin try hard for your mummy slave :-*
 
Oh Ulrike i'm so sorry :'(
Come on Marvin love, your mummy, daddy & Milka need you to get better.

I'll be thinking about you all :-*
 
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