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Please help me...I don't know what to do :(

  • Thread starter Thread starter Furry_Friend
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Furry_Friend

I'll just put you in the picture:

I lost one of my boys, Oakley, just over 2 weeks ago. He had a respiratory infection and, although we seemed to catch it early, he had a fit and died :(

On Thursday, I went out to feed the shed piggies and saw one of my girls lying on the floor. I picked her up and she was barely moving and she had lost a lot of fur and she had lost weight! She had been fine that morning.

We rushed her to the vet where she had to be pts. I was so worried about the rest that I requested a post mortem. From this we found out that she had pnemonia. Her skin howed no trace of mites or anything.

There are 14 other piggies living in the shed, so I am treating them all with Baytril and boosting their vit c everyday for 7 days.

I have now noticed Bertie looking a bit off colour. He, too, has lost weight and has lost some fur aound mouth. However, he is still eating and drinking and is certainly not weak!

He is booked into the vets tomorrow morning. Do you think it could be the same thing? We have no idea how old he is and my OH seems to think it's just old age. I think it is a bit coincidental myself. The fur loss near his mouth could be because he moved when I was syringing the Baytril and he got soaked in it! rolleyes

I am also having a dilema as to where to keep him. He is in a group with 6 girls. They all live in the shed. Should I keep him indoors or would it be too stressful to take him away from the girls?

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to do what is right by him :(
 
Oh you poor love, I really feel for you. If Bertie would cope ok inside then maybe bring him in, does he have a favourite girlie he could have some company with?

As you are giving Baytril are you giving pro-biotic as well to help appetite?

Of course you've probably done so but I would be inclined to scrub the shed as well incase whatever this virus is can be killed via cleaning.

Hope all turns out ok, and others can advise better (((hugs))) x
 
SunshineAndTwinkle said:
Oh you poor love, I really feel for you. If Bertie would cope ok inside then maybe bring him in, does he have a favourite girlie he could have some company with?

As you are giving Baytril are you giving pro-biotic as well to help appetite?

Of course you've probably done so but I would be inclined to scrub the shed as well incase whatever this virus is can be killed via cleaning.

Hope all turns out ok, and others can advise better (((hugs))) x
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Thank you :)

He is eating really well, which is why I am finding it so hard to decide what to do! :(
 
Hmm it's a tough one if he's happy outside with company. I think i'd bring him in for a bit to keep a close eye if he gets worse though.

When Eric was sick, I was told to give pro-biotic 2 hours after each dose of antibiotic to help his tummy (as the antiobiotic will probably upset him).

Hope he gets well soon. Sending positive vibes and hugs your way x
 
JayneG said:
Hmm it's a tough one if he's happy outside with company. I think i'd bring him in for a bit to keep a close eye if he gets worse though.

When Eric was sick, I was told to give pro-biotic 2 hours after each dose of antibiotic to help his tummy (as the antiobiotic will probably upset him).

Hope he gets well soon. Sending positive vibes and hugs your way x
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Thank you.

Which probiotics did you use?
 
Are the other pigs showing symptoms? Personally I would never treat a pig with Baytril unless it was showing signs of illness - it's a treatment not a prevention and could potentially make a healthy piggy ill by upsetting the balance of their gut.

Have they been treated for mites? In 16 years of keeping piggies I've never seen a pig with hair loss due to a respiratory problem. Mites can also cause fitting if they are left. Did the vet do a culture to see what caused the pneumonia? Monitoring the pigs daily is an absolute must, large loss of weight and hair doesn't happen overnight. If you're worried I'd weigh them all at least weekly too.

Oh, and the best probiotic is Bio-Lapis made by a company called Protexin.
 
daftscotslass said:
Are the other pigs showing symptoms? Personally I would never treat a pig with Baytril unless it was showing signs of illness - it's a treatment not a prevention and could potentially make a healthy piggy ill by upsetting the balance of their gut.

Have they been treated for mites? In 16 years of keeping piggies I've never seen a pig with hair loss due to a respiratory problem. Mites can also cause fitting if they are left. Did the vet do a culture to see what caused the pneumonia? Monitoring the pigs daily is an absolute must, large loss of weight and hair doesn't happen overnight. If you're worried I'd weigh them all at least weekly too.

Oh, and the best probiotic is Bio-Lapis made by a company called Protexin.
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The rest seem ok. I now have an awful feeling that the anti biotics are what is making him ill. I am so confused...shall I stop with the Baytril?!

Whisper (the one we lost on Thursday) was tested for mites and none were found. He is not scratching excessively and his skin looks in good condition. The fur loss is only near his mouth...could baytril being spilt on his fur cause this?

I am so scared for them all...it is hard to know what do to for the best.

Thank you so much.
 
Mites are strange things one of mine had them and was tested but didn't show up. Although was treated for mites and it worked for him. Like with humans antibiotic are a cure and shouldn't be given unless needed.

Maybe get a second opinion at a vets who deals with guineas.

I would...

Bring Bertie in if he is unwell maybe with a friend
Scrub shed and cages
Give Bio-lapis to help gut Flora
Take advice from a vet who knows what to do with guineas about whether to stop treating with Baytril.

The problem is here we would maybe do things differently but thats what I would do anyway. :)
 
Oh my god...it is horrible to think that, by doing what the vet told me was right, I might actually be making him worse :(

We have bio-lapis at work so I will get some (I work in a vets).
 
oh honey, *hugs* i can't advise, but wanted to say i'm thinking of you and your piggies and i'm incredibally saddened by what you and your piggies are going through. it's not your fault. love from me and my five little owners xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
stargrrlclaire said:
oh honey, *hugs* i can't advise, but wanted to say i'm thinking of you and your piggies and i'm incredibally saddened by what you and your piggies are going through. it's not your fault. love from me and my five little owners xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Thank you so much. It is really great to hear someone say it's not my fault. I am feeling so guilty and helpless :(
 
I've used Baytril a lot and it's never caused fur loss round the mouth. I would maybe ask for some ideas on the GuineaLynx medical forum http://www.guinealynx.info/forums/ because I know that some pigs can have a nasty reaction to Baytril though I don't know much about it having not experienced it myself.

Unfortunately the reason so many antibiotics are ineffective is because vets will prescribe them because they are unwilling to look into the cause of problems or just plain don't know enough about what might be wrong.

Fingers crossed.
 
Furry_Friend said:
Thank you so much. It is really great to hear someone say it's not my fault. I am feeling so guilty and helpless :(
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it's not your fault at all honey, i know you're a great mommy to those pigs, i also know how you'll be feeling right now. xxxxxxxxxx
 
Agree its not your fault at all, you're just trying to do your best. x
 
I just spoke to a super Guinea savvy vet. He told me that it is unlikely the Baytril is making him ill. He said that it sounds like we have a type of bacteria moving round the air space in the shed, which means they could all have it...all 14 of them! :...

He said that, if any others die, to get a lung swab done on them so that we can know exactly what we are dealing with. I can't believe I am having to think like that. He told me to carry on with the baytril on all of them.

He also told me to get my vet to check for ringworm and other parasites when they see him tomorrow.

I can't stop crying. The thought of how bad this could get terrifies me :(
 
Try not to panic its a worse case scenerio. The others are ok up to now? Wish there was more I could do to help.Would sterilise everything maybe that would help? I've heard of this but never had it myself. Hope things work out. x
 
SunshineAndTwinkle said:
Try not to panic its a worse case scenerio. The others are ok up to now? Wish there was more I could do to help.Would sterilise everything maybe that would help? I've heard of this but never had it myself. Hope things work out. x
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Thank you. I am trying to be positive. He is a little fighter. He is eating well (has had some mashed banana) and is drinking as usual so at least he is not dehydrated.

I will see what the vet says tomorrow. Might even take him to the vet I spoke to tonight.

It's a fine line between doing everything you can and not stressing him out too much.

Thank you all for your advice and support. Please keep your fingers crossed for all of them :(
 
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