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New here with a poorly piggy

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minnie_moo

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Hi all,

I've been reading the forum for a while now, but never actually registered! Everyone seems so friendly & helpful here, so I hope someone can give me some advice.

I have two 3 year old male piggies, Flapjack & Cracker. Over the past couple of weeks both boys have been extremely fussy with their food, some days hardly eating anything, including their veggies. They tend to go through phases like this so I wasn't too worried, but I noticed Flapjack seems to have lost alot of weight. He also seems to have lost his voice- if I rustle a bag, I can see him physically wheeking but no sound comes out! Apart from this he was his normal self but then yesterday he started peeing blood. I got him to the vet who diagnosed a UTI, gave him a painkilling injection & some antibiotic & prescribed Baytril. She wants to see him again tomorrow & if there's no improvement get him in for an x-ray in case it's bladder stones.

This morning he's still the same, passing blood, but his usual self otherwise. I've got some probiotic & cranberry juice and I'm due to give him his first lot of Baytril this evening. Is tomorrow going to be enough time to give the Baytril chance to work? The vet I saw yesterday isn't one I would normally go to given a choice- she's newly qualified & I wasn't particularly happy with the treatment she gave one of my cats recently- but as it was 6pm on a Saturday evening, she was the only option.

Sorry for the long first post, if anyone has any words of wisdom they would be greatly appreciated!
 
My Telyn had the same thing week before last. It can take a few days before the baytril works and the pee is no longer bloody. You may also need a second course in some cases.

The baytril dose should be 0.4 ml twice daily. Insist on a probiotic as baytril can be quite harsh on the guts. Cystitis can be quite persistent. If the bleeding doesn't get better or crops up again you need to have an x-ray done in order to exclude a bladder stone.

Ideally try to push through to use pediatric septrin instead of baytril, especially if you need another course. It works better for UTIs and is less harsh on the guts, but is not licensed for guinea pigs. You may want to print out this page for your vet; spetrin is the orally given form of the "bactrim" mentioned on guinea lynx:
http://www.guinealynx.info/uti.html

What worries me is the loss of appetite and the weight loss in both boys - that is not something I would necessarily associate with UTI and may have another cause. Please weigh your boy daily and monitor his food intake and eating habits!
 
Thanks, Wiebke. I went to P@H this morning & got some Pro-C, he's taken some of that & I also managed to syringe some cranberry juice into him. The vet weighed him last night & he was 1.12kg so I will monitor that too. I just gave them a handful of grass & they are both munching away quite happily, I have to start the Baytril this evening so fingers crossed he takes it okay, I know it tastes foul!
 
Best of luck! Getting baytril into a pigy is hard work!

PS: The more fluid you get into a piggy with UTI the better; it helps flushing out all the bacteria from the bladder. You can give up to 50ml of water/cranberry juice in a day in several sittings.
 
Welcome to the forum, sorry to hear you have concerns about both your boys.

Wiebke's advice is pretty much as I'd say regarding the cystitis, only other thing I would add is that inflammation can also be a problem with cystitis so if there is any sign of pain and/or the infection turns out to be a stubborn one, it's helpful to give an anti-inflammatory like Metacam or Rimadyl (both from the vet) or even children's Nurofen/infant Calpol alongside the antibiotics.

You mention weight loss and fluctuating appetite in both your boys. Do you know how much weight each has lost in what period of time? What's their general diet like - do they get different foods regularly or generally the same?
 
Just an update on the situation...

Flapjack went back to the vet tonight as he is barely eating and now has diarrhoea. I've been syringing him water & cranberry juice & he has been picking at cucumber, grass etc, but no hay or dry food. He is also still passing blood. The vet was concerned that he was 'dull', but he's normally very quiet, so for me the main issue is the not eating. I mentioned Septrin but apparently they 'don't have it', and the vet didn't want me to give him Metacam at home because apparently it can cause diarrhoea. He gave him an injection of Metacam instead & I have some sachets of Supreme Recovery to try and feed. The vet seemed worried that he is still passing blood- he can't feel any stones but says it 'warrants further investigation' although he is concerned about giving him an anaesthetic.

Not sure what to think, the vet wants to see him again tomorrow to see if there's any improvement. I just wish he would eat something :(
 
Can you mix up the powder you have been given with some lukewarm water according to the instructions.

You can either syringe it, try to spoon it or hope that he'll eat the mush from a small dish. Make sure that you syringe enough water; it is important that you make sure he doesn't dry up and gets some food in. Fluid intake is up to 50ml over the course of a day, as much as he will take in as many little sittings as you can manage.

Stop the cranberry juice - it's no good with diarrhea.

Here are tips for hand feeding:
http://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html
 
The diarrhoea could be down to infection, or it could be down to the lack of food in his system. But right now I would actually suspect Baytril intolerance, given he has been on Baytril for a few days now.

Syringe-feeding is important, fluids too so keep up with the water. Ideally switch the plain water to rehydration fluids like Dioralyte for a day or two, just to help rehydrate him.

Any medications can cause diarrhoea; as I said before, Baytril, quite possibly the most commonly prescribed medication for guinea pigs, is renowned by many for causing digestive disturbances e.g. loss of appetite, diarrhoea. It can happen with anyone/any animal on almost any medication, it's no reason to withold the drug when there is valid reason for using the drug, unless the individual patient has shown an adverse reaction to it in the past. This isn't aimed at you by the way...just general musings.

Septrin is gentler on the gut and more effective at tackling urinary tract infections. The vet won't stock it as it is a human medication, but some vets do write prescriptions for it and even stock it themselves.

Would you be able/willing to travel for a second opinion or a chance of 'better' treatment for your guinea?
 
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Flapjack died this afternoon.

After the scare with the diarrhoea and not eating earlier in the week, he brightened up considerably and I thought he had really turned a corner- the vet saw him again on Wednesday & he was also pleased with his progress. He was eating fairly well and I was fairly optimistic, but last night he suddenly went downhill, not interested in food at all and obviously miserable. I took him back to the vet this morning who said I could go ahead with xrays etc but she was doubtful he would pull through an op if it was bladder stones. He had more Metacam & I decided to take him home to think things through. He slipped away peacefully this afternoon with Cracker sat next to him.

I'm devastated, I feel I should have insisted on an xray earlier on, and maybe things would have been different.
 
Please don't be so hard on yourself. :( It was not your fault, and you tried your best. I'm so very sorry for your loss. x :0:0
 
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