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More advice for Betty please.

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vabh57

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As per previous post, Betty went to the vets last week because she was wheeking when weeing/ppoping. Vet said she looked windy and gave injection of buscopan and proscribed fibreplex 1ml 3x per day.
The fibreplex is now finished.
Betty is still wheeking a bit (but not as badly as before) but she's not really interested in food much. (She never has been a food-a-holic.)

She originally went from 1400g down to 1284g then she perked up a bit and weighed 1330g - 2 days ago - but now she's back down to 1298g.

The only thing she really seems to want is grass. Is that OK?
Also should I be supplementing her normal food or treating her with anything else?

I don't know whether to take her back to the vet's or not; since reading on the forum I've sort of lost trust.
 
Her symptoms are often found in cases of cystitis, which can be caused either by an infection and/or bladder stones.
You can give her Buscopan yourself, one tablet, crushed, mixed with water and syringe-fed.
Buscopan is available from a pharmacy, just say it is for your own use!
Give Betty pure cranberry juice, by syringe, as much as she will take.
It looks like another trip to the vet...She may need an xray of her bladder, if so, there is no need for her to be given a general anaesthetic.
The appropriate antibiotic would be Septrin Paediatric Suspension, 0.5ml, twice daily for 10 days.
In the meantime make sure she does eat, whether by herself or by being syringe-fed.
 
I'm sorry she is still not quite right, it is good she's improved slightly. I see no reason not to feed grass, especially if that is all she will eat at the moment.

Do continue syringe-feeding until she is eating as normal, and also ensure she is getting plenty of fluids and Vitamin C.

Have you checked the Vet List to see if there are any better vets near you? There are lots of members in Norfolk who may also be able to recommend a vet.

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38481
 
Have you noticed whether her pee is more smelly than usual (a stale like smell)? I, too, agree that her symptoms can indicate a cystitis and with what has so far been said.
 
After 6 vet visits, 8 injections (4 painkillers, 4 to make gut work) 1 lot of antibiotics 4 lots of fibreplex, an x-ray and a part day hospital stay, syringe feeding and lots of money Betty was signed off at the vets on 10th February and has been putting back lost weight.

Yesterday I noticed her wheeking when weeing again and there was some blood in it.

last night I gave her a crushed up Buscopan as previously advised and I bought some cranberry juice today.

Please could you advise on how often the Buscopan should be given. And is this likely to be a constantly recurring thing.

P.S The x-ray showed no signs of stones nor ovarian cysts - so it ruled things out without giving any answers.
 
What antibiotic was she given, what dose and for how long?

The optimal treatment for cystitis is Septrin, Rimadyl and lots of fluids. These three steps will help to tackle infection, reduce pain and inflammation, and help to flush bacteria out of the bladder.
 
She was given baytril when she was first unwell but it seemed to make her dopey and it was stopped when she had the x-ray. She was then given injections of metacam 0.5 and metoclopramide 1.0 every other day for 3 doses. That with syringed critical care got her gut moving as the vet said it was nearly empty but they had no idea of what started it in the first place.

I'm worried that it's all starting up again.
 
Some pigs do seem to be sensitive to Baytril, Septrin is usually better tolerated so if you can persuade your vet to prescribe this, it may be worthwhile. The painkiller/anti-inflammatory should be given daily - again if you can get the vet to prescribe some Metacam (or Rimadyl) to give orally it may help. It does sound quite likely to be cystitis, which will need a proper course of treatment to clear up.

There are some OTC things that can sometimes help to ease cystitis. Cranberry juice is usually good, and you can try a human cystitis powder containing the active ingredient potassium citrate.

Are you able to travel? Would it be too far to bring Betty to see Vedra at the CCT here in Huntingdon?
 
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