Specialist Neurological problems/infections

[Carlycatanzaro]

Hello! I’m new here but I’m just looking for some insight or advice for my guinea pig. About two and half weeks ago I noticed my 2 month old male guinea pig not being mobile and seemed in a lot of pain when picking him up and also just laying down. I was able to get him into the vet the day I noticed this and the vet wasn’t super hopeful about his results but said there is a possibility he could pull through. She sent me home with an antibiotic, probiotic, pain reliever and critical care. Everyday I was seeing improvements and he was doing really well and I was very happy.

This week I started noticing his head bobbing more than my other guinea pig and over all wobbly ness to him. Yesterday morning I noticed he scratched his eye and called the vet again to make an appointment but they didn’t have an appointment until the next week.

Today when I went to feed him his critical care I’ve been keeping him on he was making a coughing/gagging noise and did that noise 3 times. I noticed him starting to sneeze and just seeming really out of it. I called the vet again and they were able to see him today. The vet said he has an ulcer on his eye from a scratch and that he can’t close either of his eyes and that she believes he has some neurological problems which would explain the head bobbing and wobbling. She wasn’t super hopeful again with him having a long life span with these problems but says he’s already proved her wrong once so she thinks he might be able to again. She is thinking there is an infection and put him back on antibiotics and probiotics as well as two different eye drops to try to keep them from drying out. She told me to try the medication and within the next few days I should know if he is going to get better or get worse and that if he isn’t improving then it might be time to put him down.

This is my first time owning guinea pigs and it’s been such an emotional roller coaster trying to figure out what’s wrong with him. I’m just completely heart broken thinking of not having him but I can’t stand the thought of him suffering. I would love to hear of any similar cases to this and what the outcomes were. I’m sorry this is so long but it’s a lot that’s happened. Thank you!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome

I am very sorry; that is sounding serious and very hard to diagnose. Are you seeing a general vet or an exotics vet, and how much experience has your vet with guinea pigs?

Has the coughing/gagging/sneezing happened before or after you have syringe fed and has the vet checked the mouth for an obstruction and whether your piggy has swallowing issues? it sounds like something has gone down the wrong way both into the nose and into the lungs.

Head nodding can also indicate a potential heart problem; has your vet checked for that?

Unfortunately when you come to neurological problems, there is pretty much nothing a vet can do.

I am linking some more medically experienced members for you. You can help us a lot of you please added your country to your account details (via clicking on your username on the top bar). Your climate, vet access and medical brands (the names can chance from country to country) etc. have to be taken into consideration by us when we deal with enquiries literally from all the world. Our default adive is UK based.
By having your country appearing with every post you make, we can tailor any advice to what is available and relevant wherever you are straight away. Thank you!

@Jaycey @helen105281 @furryfriends (TEAS) @Abi_nurse

 

[helen105281]

I'm sorry he is so poorly. This is a bit beyond my expertise. However, E-Cuniculli did cross my mind as it can cause neurological symptoms. Has he ever been near a rabbit? It may be an idea to ask the vet about a course of worming treatment if so.

Also, the head nodding could be heart related as Wiebke has mentioned. Can the vet check for fluid on or around his heart? a conscious xray or scan may help in a diagnosis of this.

 

[Eriathwen]

I would definitely ask for precautionary treatment for E.cuniculi, it can lay dormant until a time of stress which may have been his initial infection/illness. I lost my Neuro pig with E.cuniculi in December towards the end she developed nerve damage which stopped her being able to swallow. She had had nerve damage before but over time it did get better so hopefully with prompt treatment the coughing etc can be stopped if this is the cause of it.

I hope he us feeling better soon.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Definitely try a course of panacur, as it won't do any harm and it may do some good. One of our lethal gene piggies started to struggle to swallow, a few weeks ago. Something seemed to be causing food and saliva to get stuck at the back of his mouth. On one occasion he sneezed a huge amount of food out through his nose. We put him on a course of Itrafungol, plus gave him Zantac, in case it was an issue with the oesophagus not moving the food through properly. He has made a full recovery!

 

[Livia Rabideau]

I have had e cuniculi experience as well. Definitely worth looking into.

 

[celiamerula]

I hate to say that this thread has made me feel so much worse. I registered so I could share a good new story about David. About the same time his brother Bertie died he started to be "froggy" (splayed out back legs). I'd had a guinea pig a little more than 10 years ago with the same symptom and the vet (she didn't seem to like small furrys) looked at me as if to say "what do you expect me to do?", so I thought it was something that happens from time to time. I also had a guinea pig from the same period almost starve to death because he could no longer swallow.
(Sorry this is a bit long.) My boys have always got garden grass. They used to get out, but when we moved there was too much wildlife passing through plus laburnum trees in neighbouring gardens. Anyway, last spring Bertie started tipping his head back to eat. He also started drinking excessive amounts of water. We took him to the vet, but no joy and he just got cross if we tried to corrale him to take his pee.
Long story short (as if this wasn't long enough), the neurological symptoms got progressively worse and at the end he was starving to death (could not swallow syinge feed) and ended in fitting while we were at the vet to let him go. Still so traumatic.
I'll try to shorten the next bit. David would not eat one day. (Was already froggy.) Was diagnosed with bloat. Emeprid, metacam, gripe water, come back in a couple of days. Couple of days later, tummy better, vet says "his back legs are odd". On learning this wasn't usual she said it could be e. cunuiculi, though she'd never seen it in guineas as they are usually pretty resilient. Transferred from ingesting peed on grass, she said (I'd got grass out of the garden to try to get Bertie to eat, even though It was January). Have some panacur. 3 days later he could walk about much, much better. He's still a bit "froggy", but is more or less fully mobile. Yay!
And now I question whether Bertie could have been saved.
(Stan is fine.)

 

[Wiebke]

I hate to say that this thread has made me feel so much worse. I registered so I could share a good new story about David. About the same time his brother Bertie died he started to be "froggy" (splayed out back legs). I'd had a guinea pig a little more than 10 years ago with the same symptom and the vet (she didn't seem to like small furrys) looked at me as if to say "what do you expect me to do?", so I thought it was something that happens from time to time. I also had a guinea pig from the same period almost starve to death because he could no longer swallow.
(Sorry this is a bit long.) My boys have always got garden grass. They used to get out, but when we moved there was too much wildlife passing through plus laburnum trees in neighbouring gardens. Anyway, last spring Bertie started tipping his head back to eat. He also started drinking excessive amounts of water. We took him to the vet, but no joy and he just got cross if we tried to corrale him to take his pee.
Long story short (as if this wasn't long enough), the neurological symptoms got progressively worse and at the end he was starving to death (could not swallow syinge feed) and ended in fitting while we were at the vet to let him go. Still so traumatic.
I'll try to shorten the next bit. David would not eat one day. (Was already froggy.) Was diagnosed with bloat. Emeprid, metacam, gripe water, come back in a couple of days. Couple of days later, tummy better, vet says "his back legs are odd". On learning this wasn't usual she said it could be e. cunuiculi, though she'd never seen it in guineas as they are usually pretty resilient. Transferred from ingesting peed on grass, she said (I'd got grass out of the garden to try to get Bertie to eat, even though It was January). Have some panacur. 3 days later he could walk about much, much better. He's still a bit "froggy", but is more or less fully mobile. Yay!
And now I question whether Bertie could have been saved.
(Stan is fine.)

I am very sorry. Please do not feel guilty. You have done for Bertie what you could and have not failed him in your duty of care.
Piggy ownership and veterinary knowledge are an ongoing learning curve; not a know-it-all from the start. We can always only do our best in any given situation and make any decisions based on incomplete knowledge. That is not changing however much we know. You have not failed Bertie by not having him seen or treated by a vet, and you have cared for him as best as you could. That is all we can ever do; we are not super-vets or god.

Awareness that guinea pigs can pick up e.cuniculi is comparatively recent, and by far not all vets have come across it.

Feeling guilty when you realise what a mystery death may have been caused by is a normal reaction. I have been there a few times myself over the years. As long as you adjust the way you keep your piggies to minimise the risk reoccurrance, you are doing Bertie justice. You can't return to the past, but you can always make chances to the better for the future.
Human Bereavement - Grieving, coping tips and support links for guinea pig owners and their children