My friends vet is useless

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Claire W

Claire W

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I have a friend who has 2 male piggies. He got them around the same time I had Connie and Eliza so we kind of chat about them all the time.
Anyway, one of his piggies started to squeak whilst going to the toilet so he came to me asking for advise as he know's what I went through with Connie. He took the piggy to the vets who put him on a course of Baytril. After 2 weeks, the piggy is still poorly and doesn't seem himself. The vet told my friend that the piggy would need an x ray to check for stones but to wait and see what happens with the baytril first. My friend has told his vet about all of Connie's troubles and how the end was sad for her. He also asked his vet to prescribe him with Septrin and Metacam as this is what my Connie was prescribed and it suited her more than the Baytril.
Anyway, his vet has point blank refused to give him the Septrin saying that it will not work and Baytril is the only antibiotic suitable for guinea pigs :o He has also told my friend that if after another week on the Baytril, the piggy will have to go a week without it to see if his symptoms clear up.
I just feel so sad and angry as this piggy is clearly in distress and I know that bladder stones in boars can be more difficult than they are in sows. I just wish that this vet would listen to Connie's story and do what my friend requests :(
 
This is sadly not at all unfamiliar :(

You can't force the vet to do anything they don't want to, so all I can suggest is either going in gung ho grasping various print outs to support Septrin/ x ray etc (ideally printed off from "pro" sources and not "just" internet forums) and demanding they contact other vets who may have a clue (I'm sure people here can dig out phone nubmers of clued up vets), or simply going elsewhere.

I think I'd be tempted to do the first anyway, even if they just laugh/ shout your friend out the surgery it's still good to vent at the cause of the crisis from time to time.

We all have the problem of not being vets, and so having no letters after our names to use against bad practice. In any argument with a vet it's really hard to put your case across as they ask where you got the information, and generally you want to answer honestly that it was from other enthusiasts on teh evil interwebs. Then the vet will generally sigh, roll their eyes, and patronise you whilst showing you the door. If, however, you've got the information from another vet (as in my case recently where I spoke to Debbie's vet about Zithromax) they tend to listen a bit closer, although still often discount you.

I know squeaking when urinating is likely to be stones or infection, and I know an x ray is invaluable in determining which. I also know home remedies such as cranberry and barely water can help massively with UTIs, and Septrin appears very effective. I know this from caring about my piggies, spending sleepless nights nursing them, checking them serveral times a day, and experiencing their illnesses close up. But without a certificate to prove it, I know I'm always going to lose an argument with a vet that is unwilling to listen.
 
If he is really annoyed, is there another vet he could try?

It is so frustrating when vet's don't listen. I agree that they think we know nothing because we are not vets, but they also forget that we know more about our animals than they ever will! I thank God that I have a great vet who does listen to me & will try other things.

I hope his piggy will get better soon. My boys are sneding hugs & squeaks his way

Michele
xx
 
Thank you for your replies. I just needed to let off some steam. I think it is mainly because I lost Connie through bladder issues (I think) and don't want to see another pig go through what she went through. I am also lucky enough to have found a good vet. At first, my vet wasn't sure about Septrin as they wasn't particular faimlar with it. They did however, listen to everything I had to say and researched it themselves and Connie was eventually prescribed it after they had managed to get hold of it.
I have given my friend the phone number of my vets in case his vet wishes to phone for advise. My friend is going to see what happens when his pig has finished his course of Baytril and if his vet still refuses to do anything, he will change his vet. The problem is that there aren't many near him. A urine sample hasn't even been tested to see if there is anything to worry about :( x
 
The vet I've been going to the last couple of weeks are Baytril crazy too, luckily I have a small amount of Septrin lurking in the cupboard...

Sounds like your friend doesn't have exactly a great vet - I'm starting to think even when you find a half decent one there's little chance any of the others in that practice will be any good anyway :(

Just wondering if it might be worth your friend getting hold of the urine test sticks I got this morning? They cover pH, blood, protein and many other things, and at this rate I think a home diagnosis is likely to be better than a vet one from the place he goes to!
 
Yes, the experience is not unfamiliar - there are a lot of vets whose knowledge is still somewhat sketchy.

I was lucky in that the vet who operated on my guinea pig then really swotted up on the subject; it was a huge learning curve for both of us.

But the vet centre I'm using still haven't got as far as septrin, yet, so I'll have to try and bring it up next time I see the most approachable vet.

It is a good point that we try at our local vets to get them up to scratch as much as possible, unless they blankly refuse to treat a guinea pig properly or adequately. But having to fight for proper treatment, especially when our pet's life is at stake is an added burden we could do without.

I wish your friend can find a better vet!
 
Thank you everyone. Stinklepig, if you do not mind me asking where did you get the test sticks from just so I can pass it on to him?
Of course I can not post the vets name on here but the worrying thing is that they are suppose to be a 'respectable' vets :(
Luckily, the vets I go to only have 2 regular vets and they both dealt with Connie and discussed her treatment etc with each other.
 
The sticks came from http://www.valuemed.co.uk/acatalog/URS_TESTS.html

Ordered yesterday afternoon, here this morning :)

I only understand the glucose, blood and protein side of things and there's 5 other tests on them (which I'm going to research so I can use them more effectively maybe). Certainly very useful for me as I knew one pig had bled and passed a small stone, but not which one - They're all behaving the same as usual. See http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=31191&page=2 for more info on the situation.

You need to have an idea how to read them, but if nothing else waving the test results at a vet might push them in the right direction. As I understand it, protein is most likely infection (bacteria would increase protein count in the bladder), blood on its own is most likely stone. I could be wrong, but I think that's how it is!

I worry about your friend seeing the course prescribed by this vet to the end, as if it's a stone or infection it really needs to be jumped on quickly rather than treated ineffectually. But I understand why he's going this route, it's hard to throw off entirely the shackles of trust in the men in white coats. Been there, done that :(
 
Thank you so much for that. I shall be seeing James again on Saturday at work so I shall pass on the information.
This is why I am worried so much as Connie's problems lasted for 5 months until she died and my vet tried everything they possibly could and even took advise from me. It just seems that this vet doesn't seem too bothered about Jame's piggy even after hearing Connie's story.
 
Tell your vet to contact any vet school for latest information, that should stir things!
Alternatively tell him to refer to USA veterinary protocol for treating gp cystitis, with particular regard to the antibiotic used.
 
Sad update

I am feeling sad this evening :( My friend got a phone call at work today from his wife saying that the piggy had taken a turn for the worse. He had stopped eating, drinking and was pretty poorly so she had booked a vets appointment for James to take him after work as she thought he was suffering. James has just text me to say that the piggy has been PTS as the vet said 'there was a strong possibility of a tumour on the bladder'. I just feel so sad as it seems that the vet didn't suggest any other alternative and the matter wasn't investigated further :( Poor piggy and the friend he has left behind xx
 
The above sounds all too familiar. There are `vets and vets`. In other words, vets that are Cavy savvy and those who are not.

Some vets get rodent training at vet school. Some sadly don`t. Some realise this gap in training and decide to train themselves about rodent care either by books / internet / courses / lectures ect.

The rodent `family` covers a wide range of animals from guinea pigs, rats, mice, beavers.

Best wishes,

Anders.x>>
 
Also, I forgot to add that piggys are intolorant to antibiotics and penicillian. Some vets don`t know this and the poor piggy will die of poison.

Refer to reliable internet sources if you wish to find more info about piggy drug intolerance.

Anders.
 
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Tumour on the bladder, even if only a possibility. No comment is sufficient.
Andersons: " ....piggys are intolorant to antibiotics and penicillian" (sic)
I presume you meant to say that penicillin and it's derivatives are fatal to guinea pigs. There are other antibiotics that can have the same effect. However, there are a number of antibiotics which are both effective and safe to use on guinea pigs.
 
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