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Please Help! Biscuit Is Very Sick And I'm Heartbroken

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theprincessofpink

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi everyone

Back in April/May we rescued a beautiful boar named Biscuit, he has been an absolute delight and we love him so much that I am heartbroken over what seems to be happening now....I need your expertise/advice desperately.

He did come to us with a URI and mites both of which were quickly sorted with baytril and ivermectin and ever since he has been a happy, healthy joy to behold. He's very affectionate and very excitable, loves to popcorn around when he gets a clean fleece etc. He lives with another boar we took on for him called Cookie and they make quite the pair living together very happily.

Yesterday when we returned from school having been out all day Biscuit was not himself at all. He had developed a head tilt to his left and was fidgeting about as if unable to get comfortable. Both boys were fine when we left home at approximately 8.45am that morning and had had breakfast and cuddles in the morning as normal. It was very distressing to see Biscuit like that, he was trying to wash his face but unable to balance on his back feet to do so without tipping over. Cookie was being very protective of him and it was obvious something had gone seriously wrong.

We rushed them both to the vet, I didn't want to seperate them even though Cookie is still absolutely fine. The vet examined them both and said Cookie was fine (if a little chubby but he's greedy!) and that although she couldn't see any discharge coming from Biscuits ears or any build up she felt it likely that he had an ear infection of some kind. She gave him an injection of baytril, which he wasn't amused by, and sent us home with various meds which I will list below.

It was her opinion that if the antibiotic hadn't started to make a big difference or he got worse by Saturday afternoon that we should have him PTS. Now obviously I don't want him to be in any pain or suffering in any way but I also, selfishly, don't want to loose him, I love him. She said that they would be unwilling to xray him and that treating anything other than ear infection that could be causing his symptoms would be nigh on impossible but she readily admits she is no piggy expert hence I am here.

Since yesterday afternoon he hasn't picked up, his head is still dramatically titled to the left, he is turning round and round in circles a lot, he is eating less and less (I am now feeding him critical care to keep his system moving) but he's struggling to get to the food bowl and eat of his own volition. The fleece was changed earlier and when I popped them back in the cage he was squeaking away and trying to run around and popcorn like he always does, he couldn't do it. He was just banging into the sides, it is truly heartbreaking to watch him.

I am giving him the medications as instructed but as I say he isn't picking up, if anything he's getting worse. His breathing is more laboured now and his eyes are flickering about like crazy constantly. He's shaking his head constantly and then this turning in circles any time he tries to go anywhere.

What can I do to help him? Is it kindest to let him go? What could be wrong with him? Have we done something wrong? He has a stable diet and has always been such a happy, very well loved piggy. Please help us, I am distraught and so is my daughter.

The meds he is taking are:
Baytril 2.5% 0.18ml twice a day
Loxicom 0.17ml twice daily with food
Emeprid 0.89ml three times daily
All these are being given orally by syringe and he is also having Oxbow critcal care as I can get him to and he is still peeing and pooping.

Please help
 
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I'm so sorry he is poorly. Are you able to get to a different vet? Glenn at Apex vets in Falkirk (I think - have a look on our vet locator) may not be that far away (I know another member from Glasgow uses him) and he may be able to help further. It sounds like it could be an infection, and if so Baytril can help but there may be more effective antibiotics. Baytril did work when my Phoebe developed a head tilt but I think hers was mild.

I am worried about the flickering eyes and laboured breathing though and am wondering if he may have actually had a stroke, in which case if he is no better by the morning then I agree that it would be kinder to let him go, as if a pig is going to recover from a stroke it usually happens in the first 24 hours.
 
theprincessofpink said:
Hi everyone
The meds he is taking are:
Baytril 2.5% 0.18ml twice a day
Loxicom 0.17ml twice daily with food
Emeprid 0.89ml three times daily
All these are being given orally by syringe and he is also having Oxbow criitcal care as I can get him to and he is still peeing and pooping.

Please help
Click to expand...

Baytril = anitbioitic
Loxicom = pain relief
Emeprid = gut stimulant

Without knowing his weight or drug concentrations - doses and meds look reasonable

Lots of piggies get head tilt from ear infections and never fully recover - but they are not PTS! He's on the right meds but you need to help him eat whilst he is poorly
Keep food going into him via syringe feeding - our guide is here
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/


Edited to add - if he is not improving then you need if you can to seek a second opinion on this
HTH
x
 
helen105281 thank you for your reply, strangely enough when I first got over the shock of seeing him and rushing to the vets yesterday I wondered if he could have had a stroke although she didn't elaborate on what may be wrong past the ear infection. He doesn't want to put any weight on his front left paw and is using it very gingerly, almost as if he can't feel it properly which is what made me think it may be more. I think she was trying to be as gentle as possible for my daughter who was crying her eyes out.

Head tilt wise he is tilted to the point where his right eye is on top of his head if that makes sense? If he was human it would be as if his ear was pressed against his shoulder, so he's as tilted as he can get without tipping over basically. His eyes are flickering constantly and are opened wider than usual so you can see his whites (well you can on the right but not the left), I get the impression he can't focus and it's horrible to watch. he was the type of piggy who would sit and hold your adoring gaze quite happily but I don;t even know now if he can see properly.

He def hasn't improved since we found him and i know when I return to our vets tomorrow she will recommend PTS but i want to give him every possible chance that we can. However i obviously don't want to prolong his suffering if he can't be helped.

Apex is indeed our nearest recommended vet but as I don't drive or have access to anyone who can it is a bit of a trek. I would be willing to attempt it on public transport if he could be helped but don't want to cause him any further stress with transporting him that far if that makes sense? I realize I am not being as coherent as I maybe could be right now but my goodness they steal your heart away and watching him suffer is truly heartbreaking.
 
Pebble thank you for your reply, I am syringe feeding Oxbow critical care and trying to encourage him to eat for himself as well. As time has passed he is struggling more and more with 'normal' eating so i imagine from this point on I will be syringe feeding only. The guide that you linked was very helpful, thank you, I am relieved to see I appear to be doing it correctly although I could prob do with more water for him too.
 
What you are saying makes complete sense.

Is there any way you could speak to Apex in the morning before your appointment?

I do think there is more going on here than an ear infection but I don't have that much experience with ear infections and the effect they can have.

If it is actually a stroke I have heard of pigs being succesfully treated with Aspirin so you could mention that to the vet?
 
I am more than happy to contact Apex in the morning before I go to our vet, they seem to be the ones with the most expertise nearest to us and if they can help him I'm willing to do anything. I'm just struggling so much with the balance of not wanting him to suffer vs not giving up on him you know?
 
They may even be able to talk to your vet to help with the diagnosis and treatment.

I completely understand, I am a firm believer in better a day too soon than a minute too late. See how he is in the morning and go from there.
 
I'm afraid I cannot help but I wish you all the best, I am so sorry that Biscuit is unwell. x
 
I'm so sorry he's not doing so well. I know exactly how you feel, I was in a similar position to you yesterday.

Fingers crossed he gets sorted!
 
Aww poor biscuit. Healing vibes &hope he gets well soon.
How did u get on at the vets today?
Did u manage to get hold of apex vets?
I know @Stewybus had problems with headtilt too- he may have some suggestions. His little lady has a permanent tilt but its a lot better than it had been originally if I remember rightly.
Surprised the vet doesn't want to try an xray, could be something as simple as an overgrown tooth in the wrong direction pushing on a nerve or something?
I know its dependant on individual piggies but some can be xray'd consciously or just a whiff of gas to make them drowsy.

Speedy recover biscuit.
From the girls &I
Xx
 
Hi, Sorry I'm late to this post. I'm having problems with a poorly piggy of my own & helping someone locally who is also having a problem.

When Minky got her head tilt in October it happened very quickly. She was OK at 5 o'clock & when I went to get their bowls to feed them before 6.30 there was something obviously wrong & she was like you described Biscuit with one eye on the top her head which looks more peculiar as she's an Abi. Lucky my vet is open till 6.30 & Dominika said she would see her if I took her down straight away which I did. She was given injection plus similar meds to Biscuit & I took her in the next morning for an x-ray which revealed a small white mass in her ear canal which in Dominika's opinion was not safe to operate as it was very close to blood vessels & other vital parts. She was kept on Baytril for nearly 2 months which caused eating problems & also bloat. With hindsight & reading up on this sort of thing I would have asked for Septrin in place of the Baytril as it's more effective with head tilt as is Zithromax (Azithromycin).

I definitely wouldn't go down the pts road until you have tried all avenues. I nursed Minky & she never seemed to be away from the vets till she finally had a vet free month in April. She still has her head tilt but she's now doing everything for herself including bossing her 4 companions, she's not on any meds & has put all the weight back on that she lost. If you would like to take over anything about Biscuit I'm sending a pm with my number. I'll be up from 6.30am at the latest to syringe feed another poorly piggy so don't hesitate to ring.
 
I was given some more information today about whether an ear infection can cause the eyes to flicker and it can if it affects the eustachian tube and the brain and so causes a neurological response.
 
Sorry that I cant help in any way but wish you well with your little pig. I am not and do not try to be a vet but from previous experience and reading your description it does sound like a stroak. A few years ago my gerbil had a stroke and he was shaking as he staggered along and twitching and shaking his head. It was absolutely awful to watch and sadly the vet couldn't do anything because he was so tiny.

Hopefully your vet will be able to help your pig and the other expert will chip in x
 
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