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Millie is poorley!

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After my pig had his bladder op he wasnt allowed to lick the wound due to risk of infection, luckily he didnt.

He also loved Gala melon i forgot to mention that.

When he was ill and on antibiotics for wheeks and wheeks, my vet recommended a probiotic (avipro plus) and Pepper loved loved loved it i couldnt get enough down him. I am led to believe it balances things out in the gut as antibiotics mix it all up and is quite harsh on them.

:)
 
This is the probiotic Pets At Home sells:
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/proc...ext=pro-c&msg=MSG_SEARCH_ONE_MATCHING_PRODUCT

The instructions on the tub tell you to add the powder to their drinking water bottle but if I were you I'd syringe feed it instead (just mix a day's worth at a time and keep it in the fridge - aim for about a quarter scoop with 50ml water per day). Either that or add the Pro-C powder to her syringed food. It's apparently best to administer probiotics 1-2 hrs after antibiotics are given, if possible.

As DLPL says, antibiotics can be harsh on the gut as they basically kill off some of the good bacteria as well as the bad bacteria. To maintain a healthy digestive system, probiotics are given to restore balance in the gut flora, as the probiotics basically help to replace the good bacteria which have been lost. These "friendly bacteria" are like those contained in popular yogurts and yogurt drinks for humans (Actimel, Activia etc) but guinea pigs must never be given yogurt or dairy products!

Some people even make a "poop soup" to use as a probiotic, by mushing a poo from a healthy piggy with some water and feeding it to the sick piggy.
http://www.guinealynx.info/probiotics.html

I'd agree with DLPL that your other piggy could pick up an infection from licking Millie's wound, so I'd keep them separated if I were you. Others may feel that the risk of infection is outweighed by the fact that Millie will be comforted by having her friend with her. Could you keep them in separate cages right next to eachother, with just the bars separating them? I'd personally do that and then see how you go.
 
missy said:
This is the probiotic Pets At Home sells:
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/proc...ext=pro-c&msg=MSG_SEARCH_ONE_MATCHING_PRODUCT

The instructions on the tub tell you to add the powder to their drinking water bottle but if I were you I'd syringe feed it instead (just mix a day's worth at a time and keep it in the fridge - aim for about a quarter scoop with 50ml water per day). Either that or add the Pro-C powder to her syringed food. It's apparently best to administer probiotics 1-2 hrs after antibiotics are given, if possible.

As DLPL says, antibiotics can be harsh on the gut as they basically kill off some of the good bacteria as well as the bad bacteria. To maintain a healthy digestive system, probiotics are given to restore balance in the gut flora, as the probiotics basically help to replace the good bacteria which have been lost. These "friendly bacteria" are like those contained in popular yogurts and yogurt drinks for humans (Actimel, Activia etc) but guinea pigs must never be given yogurt or dairy products!

Some people even make a "poop soup" to use as a probiotic, by mushing a poo from a healthy piggy with some water and feeding it to the sick piggy.
http://www.guinealynx.info/probiotics.html

I'd agree with DLPL that your other piggy could pick up an infection from licking Millie's wound, so I'd keep them separated if I were you. Others may feel that the risk of infection is outweighed by the fact that Millie will be comforted by having her friend with her. Could you keep them in separate cages right next to eachother, with just the bars separating them? I'd personally do that and then see how you go.
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Funny you said that about the poo Milliie was eating Cheryls poo last nite when i put them together, why do they do that? ive got Cheryl in the base of the indoor cage and millie is on the carpet with the top of the cage over her next to Cheryl, whilst we are there, i have to go out now for some shopping and pets at home, so Cheryl will have to have her lid back and Millie can go in her box til i get back, ive tried to buy a second hand cage but there all too much money, I'm a bit short after the big vets bill. To be honest i think Millie prefers the peace and quiet without the boistrous Cheryl around her, shes massive and on a diet!
xx
 
Just to let everyone know that Millie is doing well, she had been out on the grass munching away with her cage mate and they have spent all day together today, Millies eating is improving shes had Watermelon, parsley, cucumber, carrots(and tops) and even some hay today and some mushed up pelletts and ive given her the probiotics,I'm still not convinced shes eating quite enough but shes not a big eater anyway, ive put her on her own for a while to feed so i can monitor how much she is eating, weeing and pooing.
Ive squeezed the abscess quite hard to the point where she squealed but nothing come out, its still open with small amounts of like discarge blood draining out i can see it on my clothes when i pick her up.
I'm a junior Guinea Pig today aswell!:))
 
missy said:
Happy times all round!

Glad she's doing so well - really hope the good progress continues x
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Me to, shes got another vet check up on Tuesday. ive just put her back into the cage with Cheryl after observing her eating, weeing and pooing and it was all good. :(|)
Cheryl is really greedy, she rushes for the food and Millie gets whats left because she eats slower, its all going to chane now, I'm going to feed Millie seperately so i knoe shes eaten enough, Cheryl is massive I'm going to cut down on what she eats, its **** my fault for feeding too much when they squeak at me. ;)
 
Good news that Millie is making progress. You're doing a great job with her. Congratulations on your new junior guinea pig status too. :)
 
Millie was doing really well with the abscess up until Friday when i noticed that there was more swelling further down her jaw, i took her back to the vets becaude i thought she had another one, the vet said it is all part of the same one and she will have to have it lanced again, she changed the antibiotics to see if it would make any difference and to leave it until tues or weds and bring her back. ive given her the antibiotics since yesterday but you can almost see it growing its spread up to her ear now and its really big.
The vet is on holiday next week so it will be another vet doing the lancing.
I'm getting very tired now and i just want the best for Millie, ive paid out £180already and its going to cost me a minimum of £50 to get it lanced again, does anyone know how many times it can be lanced? she seems ok in herself but its very painful for her when i touch or squeeze it.:( :... 8...
xx
 
Really sorry to hear that Millie has had a setback after progressing so well. I can understand that it's really tiring for you both.

Which antibiotics is she on now? And did the Vet give you anything for the pain? I don't know for sure but I would've thought that an anti-inflammatory like Metacam would be very useful for her.

If I were you I'd definitely take Laura up on her offer to put you in touch with someone who may be able to help (earlier in this thread). I know Laura has fab contacts.

Really hope you can get Millie back on track soon x
 
missy said:
Really sorry to hear that Millie has had a setback after progressing so well. I can understand that it's really tiring for you both.

Which antibiotics is she on now? And did the Vet give you anything for the pain? I don't know for sure but I would've thought that an anti-inflammatory like Metacam would be very useful for her.

If I were you I'd definitely take Laura up on her offer to put you in touch with someone who may be able to help (earlier in this thread). I know Laura has fab contacts.

Really hope you can get Millie back on track soon x
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she was on Baytrill shes now on septrin
to be honest the vet is very good, shes very experienced with the smaller animals unlike some vets ive heard of and the assistant runs a rabbit and Guinea Pig rescue so between them its good i totally trust that what she is doing is the right thing all of the advice ive been given on here, the vet has said the same.
I will message Laura though.
Thanks xx
 
Awww poor Millie, i hope shes feeling better soon, and i hope arent hit too much more in the finance department! I'm sure Millie is worth it :)
 
Carly and co said:
...to be honest the vet is very good, shes very experienced with the smaller animals unlike some vets ive heard of and the assistant runs a rabbit and Guinea Pig rescue so between them its good i totally trust that what she is doing is the right thing all of the advice ive been given on here, the vet has said the same.
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That does sound like a good place to go and having someone involved with a piggy Rescue must be very reassuring.

Baytril and Septrin are widely used antibiotics so I'm not surprised that these have been tried first. I just wanted to mention that I've also heard of other antibiotics being used to treat pigs with abscesses, in case helpful at all.

Quite a few people on here have found Zithromax (azithromycin) extremely effective in treating abscesses. Apparently it's not something which most Vets would usually prescribe for pigs, but some reluctant Vets have been persuaded that it's worth a try, by speaking to another Vet who is extremely highly skilled with guineas and uses it confidently and successfully with his own patients.

Flagyl (metronidazole) is also apparently helpful when used topically to flush out an abscess wound after lancing.

I haven't used either of those myself but I'm sure others would be able to advise whether or not they might be worth pursuing if the Septrin doesn't work.
 
Let me know how you get on Carly, I hope you can get some good treatment for Millie. Such a shame the abscess has returned, I had a pig with a lower jaw abscess, it had to be lanced three times (without a general anaesthetic) and it burst itself, before I managed to get it healed up.
 
I took Millie back this morning to have it lanced again, they called me a couple of hours later to say that it had been opened up again and they had taken all the puss out, when they investigated and had a closer look they said it had formed a tunnel from her front teeth up to her ear and it was very aggressive, that it was the worst abscess they had ever seen in a Guinea Pig and that it had **** spread into the jaw bone and said the kindest thing would be to let her go as she must of been in terrible pain and that it couldnt be permanantly treated, so i made the choice to let her go as i couldnt stand the thought of her suffering anymore. My sweet baby, i collected her and my son has taken her to his Grandads to be buried with all of our other family pets.
I am devastated, gutted, she was so special to me, i rescued her when she was a baby, i cant believe shes gone, she was only 2.
xx
 
I am so sorry! You did all you could, but you were up against something really nasty.

BIG HUG
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. You did what you could for her.

Rest well, sweet Millie. xx
 
poor MIllie, as least she wont be suffering rip baby girl, so sorry for you, you must have loved her very much, hugs () x
 
I'm really sad to hear that it turned out to be even worse than you feared. You obviously did your best for your special girl. Sadly, all the love in the world isn't always enough and some things are simply beyond our control, no matter how hard we try.

I hope you at least find consolation in the knowledge that Millie enjoyed a safe, loving and happy life with you and is no longer suffering.

Very sorry for your loss.
Sleep tight little Millie x
 
Hi everyone, i thought i would ask you all for some more advice, when i had Millie she lived happily with Cheryl i also have buttercup who lives on her own after being seperated from Ruby due to fighting, i tried to introduce buttercup to Millie and Cheryl on a few occasions but it never worked out, Buttercup and Cheryl are both quite strong willed and didnt seem to really like each other and Millie used to sit in the corner and cry, she was so sensitive.
Now Millie has gone i think its a shame that my 2 girls are living seperately when the could potentially live together.
I was wondering if i should try to introduce them again now theres only 2 of them,if so how long should i leave it since Millies passing as i dont want to upset Cheryl whilst she is grieving?
Buttercup is VERY lively and gets really excited when she sees my other piggies and hears my voice. they are familiar with each other as they have been in seperate runs next to each other since May.
Thankyou
Carly xx
 
Grieving piggies are often more accepting of new friends, and can appreciate having a new friend very soon i.e. days or even the same day, after losing their old friend.

Do Buttercup and Cheryl live side by side i.e. in a cage with a divider down the middle? Allowing them a bit of time to live constantly by each other with only a divider separating them, can sometimes help when preparing to introduce guineas to each other.

You can try introducing them now, there is no reason not to, as long as you have all day to keep an eye on them and make sure both are allowed to eat and they're not getting too aggressive or bullying.
 
Carly and co said:
Funny you said that about the poo Milliie was eating Cheryls poo last nite when i put them together, why do they do that? ive got Cheryl in the base of the indoor cage and millie is on the carpet with the top of the cage over her next to Cheryl, whilst we are there, i have to go out now for some shopping and pets at home, so Cheryl will have to have her lid back and Millie can go in her box til i get back, ive tried to buy a second hand cage but there all too much money, I'm a bit short after the big vets bill. To be honest i think Millie prefers the peace and quiet without the boistrous Cheryl around her, shes massive and on a diet!
xx
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I've seen this before.. I think she was trying to rebalance her gut.. don't stop her from doing this, as she knew what was best for her ;) One of my piggies was doing this after having a minor op, as she couldn't eat properly.. she quickly recovered, but this was a habit she had for a short while after...
 
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Laura-CCC4 said:
Grieving piggies are often more accepting of new friends, and can appreciate having a new friend very soon i.e. days or even the same day, after losing their old friend.

Do Buttercup and Cheryl live side by side i.e. in a cage with a divider down the middle? Allowing them a bit of time to live constantly by each other with only a divider separating them, can sometimes help when preparing to introduce guineas to each other.

You can try introducing them now, there is no reason not to, as long as you have all day to keep an eye on them and make sure both are allowed to eat and they're not getting too aggressive or bullying.
Click to expand...

Hi They live in the living room together in seperate cages, i could put the cages right next to each other as neither cage would **** be big enough to put a divider in, buttercup had something on her ear last week, ive treated it with the ringworm treatment i had for her in June as she had an outbreak as it looked the same and seems to have almost cleared it up but i didnt want to put her with Cheryl just yet in case she passes something on. xx
 
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