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Recovering From Surgery

Adrianne88

Adrianne88

Junior Guinea Pig
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Location
USA, Arizona
My jellybean was diagnosed with GI Stasis and a partial contortion. She had a procedure done to help remove the gas and they got about half of it out. So she still has some left. My question is, if she is eating hay, does she need the critical care? She's not wanting to eat her pellets, ive seen her eat a very small amount of them and she's not too crazy about her veggies either right now. They said to keep her on it until she's eating more consistently on her own. I also noticed she's drinking, but it doesn't seem like she' drinking very much.
Her stools are a lot smaller than usual and are not diarrhea but seem a bit loose and small. But very bright green in color.
Just wanted to hear some opinions.
She's taking metoclopramide 1.2ml every 8 hours. Simethicone 1.5ml every 8 hours, metacam 0.25ml once daily for pain and inflammation, bene-bac once a day and sulfatrim 0.5ml twice a day. She's taking an awful lot of medication right now. I feel so bad for her.
And since she was hospitalized she developed the sniffles. She's been sneezing excessively. And her eyes seem crusty. So I have started her on nebulizer treatments. She's moving around and being a little playful but she' obviously not back to being 100% because the surgery was just yesterday. I barely got to take her home last night. She was hospitalized for 2 nights. I'm just concerned. This is an awful lot for my little sweetheart to be dealing with. She's very tired and needs lots of rest. But I want to know what else I can do for her.
 
When the vet called to check on her. I mentioned that she was sneezing and they didn't seen concerned. They said it could be all the medicine she is taking or that she had to stay 2 nights in a hospital. But that just doesn' make sense to me. I' wondering if she wasn't kept warm or was exposed to another sick guinea pig. She was seen about a week before this all happened and she was prescribed benadryl so the vet at the hospital said I could start giving her that again with breathing treatments. Since she is already on an antibiotic they didn't seen very concerned
 
Adrianne88 said:
When the vet called to check on her. I mentioned that she was sneezing and they didn't seen concerned. They said it could be all the medicine she is taking or that she had to stay 2 nights in a hospital. But that just doesn' make sense to me. I' wondering if she wasn't kept warm or was exposed to another sick guinea pig. She was seen about a week before this all happened and she was prescribed benadryl so the vet at the hospital said I could start giving her that again with breathing treatments. Since she is already on an antibiotic they didn't seen very concerned
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Hi!

Please keep syringe feeding and weigh once daily at the same time to keep an eye on her weight. Watching her eating hay can be ever so deceptive as to exactly how much she is eating. Especially as she clearly hasn't got her full appetite. It is very likely that she is not eating as much hay as she should. Since she is still gassy, removing some of it may allow the gas to build up a bit more. Regular feeding can help making sure that food is coming through and that the guts cannot go into stasis. I assume that you have been given gut mobility drugs?
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Bloat, Gi Stasis ( No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

The antibiotic she is on will prevent an URI (respiratory infection) taking hold - this one is the potential killer and why the staff is not worried. You can give her benadryl if it has been helping, but please stop if there is no change.
 
Ok I will continue to do the syringe feedings. She's taking metoclopramide and she's also taking over the counter gas drops. I heard about giving them unflavored Pedialyte, to help replenish the electrolytes. Is this something you recommend also? And thank you for the help. I appreciate it and can't thank you enough. She'll be going in for more xrays once it's time for the staples to come out. They said about 10 days. They said the large intestine fell back into place, it was starting to wrap around the stomach because of the bloat. I'm not sure if I'm explaining that right. It just seems like all of this is really taking it's toll on her. I wish it was me going through this and not her.

20180307_214123.webp
 
Merab's Slave said:
Hope everything works out well.
Jellybean is such a pretty girl.
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Thank you so much. I truly hope she makes a full recovery. But we still have to stay focused. She's being very difficult so I've tricked her into taking her feedings by scratching her back at the same time. When I do that and put the critical care in front of her she eats it. I just don't know what to do when I go back to work Monday. I missed time and I absolutely have to go back. So I'm planning on giving her medications early in the morning with a feeding and then coming home at lunch to give her another dose.
I'm posting a current picture of her and her belly has gone down quite a bit.
 
Wiebke said:
Hi!

Please keep syringe feeding and weigh once daily at the same time to keep an eye on her weight. Watching her eating hay can be ever so deceptive as to exactly how much she is eating. Especially as she clearly hasn't got her full appetite. It is very likely that she is not eating as much hay as she should. Since she is still gassy, removing some of it may allow the gas to build up a bit more. Regular feeding can help making sure that food is coming through and that the guts cannot go into stasis. I assume that you have been given gut mobility drugs?
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Bloat, Gi Stasis ( No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

The antibiotic she is on will prevent an URI (respiratory infection) taking hold - this one is the potential killer and why the staff is not worried. You can give her benadryl if it has been helping, but please stop if there is no change.
Click to expand...




So I need more advice and actually just some support because I am basically a nervous wreck with all that is going on with jellybean. She's back in the emergency hospital, yesterday she started sounding very congested. I had a bad experience with giving her the medication and too much shot into her mouth. It was completely by accident. The syringe got stuck and when I tried to fit it, it squirted down her throat causing her to have like this dry heaving movement, then she started hacking for an hour so I really thought she was going to die. I called the vet and they said to watch her for an hour. And if her breathing was ok, then I shouldn't worry. Her breathing was fine the coughing stopped but then late last night she started sounding congested and was very lethargic. So I took her to the vet again. They put her in an oxygen incubator right away and then did x-rays. They saw no fluid on the lungs and she had no congestion. But they said her throat was inflammed and irritated. So I decided it was best to leave her overnight. Then this morning the vet called and said her stomach still had gas but that it looked much better. And to continue on her meds. Then I guess they sent the xrays out for interpretation and they caller again saying they were concerned about how much gas she still had and that her uterus now looked like it was filled with fluid or mucus. And that they wanted to do more surgery to find out what's going on. I declined this and they said that they understand and that the chance of surviving another surgery like this one would probably not be safe since she is sick. They said clinically she is doing well. That she's not acting in a way that matches what the xrays show.
She's eating small amounts and taking critical care and they said she was drinking ok. But I just don't know what to do. They say she isn't in pain and seems comfortable. So I want to just keep trying without surgery but I don't know what is best. I don't know what to do. I've been up day and night working at this and I don't want her to have to keep fighting and going through this anymore. I feel selfish and I feel like if she does go downhill again when I take her home that I need to make a decision. I want her to live but I am being selfish. Please help me.
 
Don't think anyone is reading this, but just an update, jellybean is back home. Now they are saying they see fluid or mucus in the uterus possibly and this is why she is staying filled with gas. They said they could do surgery to open up the belly and look around at everything to see exactly what's going on but said the surgery is not a good idea. So I opted out. I was told to keep her on the GI motility medication, gas drops and pain meds for about another week. And they also thought that if she doesn't improve by then I will have to make a decision.
 
7 vets have looked at her and they are totally baffled. Because clinically she is doing very well. But the xrays are alarming to them. I just don't know what to do or think anymore.
 
Adrianne88 said:
Don't think anyone is reading this, but just an update, jellybean is back home. Now they are saying they see fluid or mucus in the uterus possibly and this is why she is staying filled with gas. They said they could do surgery to open up the belly and look around at everything to see exactly what's going on but said the surgery is not a good idea. So I opted out. I was told to keep her on the GI motility medication, gas drops and pain meds for about another week. And they also thought that if she doesn't improve by then I will have to make a decision.
Click to expand...
I don’t have any advice but glad jelly bean is back home.Sending healing vibes to her xx
 
I can't offer any practical advice, but I would think it'd be clear from Jellybean's behaviour whether to stop or not. You said she's doing very well clinically, so I'd take it as an indication to keep going. :) You can only take it one step at a time.

Sending you both lots of hugs!
 
Hi! Sorry, most of us are UK members and you have been posting during our night hours. Dratted time difference!

It is a difficult one to call. Something major is clearly going on that is causing the gassing and her lethargy, but it is also quite obviously something that is not easy to find and to diagnose. :(

It is tough when you have to make the kind of choice you are currently faced with - do you risk an operation in her weak state to address the potential cause of her problems or do you leave it be and concentrate on quality of life for Jellybean for as long as she has to live?

There is no right or wrong decision in these situations - what is important is that Jellybean's wellbeing is paramount for you and that you make the decision that you feel you can live with better in the long term. If Jellybean's concerns come first in your considerations, then you are not failing her whichever way you go from here.
There are unfortunately grey areas where any decisions are not clear cut; you are in one of them. It is extremely hard when it is you yourself who has to call the shots about how much you want to put your beloved piggy through. :(

We cannot tell what you should do; but we can send you our thoughts. You are a very loving and caring owner. Jellybean is loved and treasured, and she knows that!

I have gone either way with different piggies of mine, depending on the individual circumstances. I have lost piggies in make-or-break operations that were a last ditch effort; others have made it and have enjoyed some more time. I have also let guinea pigs live out their life in those cases whether the success rate for an operation was less than favourable or where the operation itself could have caused more problems than it would have solved.
None of these options is easier or less heart-breaking for you in my experience. Whatever you choose has to be right in your guts and at the bottom of your heart. :(

PS: Your local desert climate can make any respiratory issues worse. Could you please try to humidify the air to help ease her breathing. It is likely that her immune system is somewhat lowered so secondary problems can start cropping up.
Lethargy can in my experience usually come from lack of food or from the heart being affected, especially when the lungs are clear. But without knowing the cause of her issues, all I can do is guess as much as you do! It is the lethargy that worries me more. :(

BIG HUGS
 
You obviously have a tough decision ahead.
It is clear the Jellybean is much loved and you are doing everything possible for her.
Whatever you decide will be right for you and her.
Holding you in thought and prayer
 
Lots of sympathy and healing vibes coming your way from me and my piggies.
I've been going through something not dissimilar with my boar Zebedee for 3 months, though hopefully we are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel now. He had a URI that 3 different antibiotics couldn't clear, wondered if he had fluid on his lungs or heart but then discovered on x-ray that his tummy was full of gas. We eventually managed to get a specimen to culture so we could get the right antibiotic for the URI, but several weeks of gut motility drugs still hadn't cleared the gas. Our last throw was antibiotics to see if an excess of bacteria in the gut was causing the gas, and that fortunately seems to have worked, as most of the gas is now gone. (Phew!)

If it wasn't for the fact that your vets think the fluid in the uterus is causing the gas in Jellybean's tummy, I would wonder if maybe she had a similar problem with bacteria overgrowth which could be sorted with appropriate antibiotics. It's not common, but now I've experienced it I know it can happen - and be resolved.
Another thing I found is that my pig doesn't really like Critical Care, but loves Supreme Science Recovery Food.

I hope you are able to find out what is up with your beautiful Jellybean, and restore her to full health.:nod:
 
Wiebke said:
Hi! Sorry, most of us are UK members and you have been posting during our night hours. Dratted time difference!

It is a difficult one to call. Something major is clearly going on that is causing the gassing and her lethargy, but it is also quite obviously something that is not easy to find and to diagnose. :(

It is tough when you have to make the kind of choice you are currently faced with - do you risk an operation in her weak state to address the potential cause of her problems or do you leave it be and concentrate on quality of life for Jellybean for as long as she has to live?

There is no right or wrong decision in these situations - what is important is that Jellybean's wellbeing is paramount for you and that you make the decision that you feel you can live with better in the long term. If Jellybean's concerns come first in your considerations, then you are not failing her whichever way you go from here.
There are unfortunately grey areas where any decisions are not clear cut; you are in one of them. It is extremely hard when it is you yourself who has to call the shots about how much you want to put your beloved piggy through. :(

We cannot tell what you should do; but we can send you our thoughts. You are a very loving and caring owner. Jellybean is loved and treasured, and she knows that!

I have gone either way with different piggies of mine, depending on the individual circumstances. I have lost piggies in make-or-break operations that were a last ditch effort; others have made it and have enjoyed some more time. I have also let guinea pigs live out their life in those cases whether the success rate for an operation was less than favourable or where the operation itself could have caused more problems than it would have solved.
None of these options is easier or less heart-breaking for you in my experience. Whatever you choose has to be right in your guts and at the bottom of your heart. :(

PS: Your local desert climate can make any respiratory issues worse. Could you please try to humidify the air to help ease her breathing. It is likely that her immune system is somewhat lowered so secondary problems can start cropping up.
Lethargy can in my experience usually come from lack of food or from the heart being affected, especially when the lungs are clear. But without knowing the cause of her issues, all I can do is guess as much as you do! It is the lethargy that worries me more. :(

BIG HUGS
Click to expand...


She's made tremendous improvement today. She's drinking her water. She had quite a bit. Enough to pee all over me when giving her medicine and there was still a puddle on the table. She's been eating her pellets and hay. She had her first bit of lettuce for the first time time in a week. I didn't give her too much, just a small piece to see if she would eat it. I found about at least 20 fecal pellets which is a lot more than she has been producing lately. Some looked a little loose. Not diarrhea but loose. But they have started to darken a little bit and seem to be hardening and getting bigger. The only thing that really seems to be taking it's toll on her is giving her medicine. It's really really stressing her out. She gets so tired and lethargic. It's scary what it does to her. It's very hard to do it. And I've tried every possible trick. And when I put her back in her cage you can just see how stressed and exhausted she is.
 
Adrianne88 said:
She's made tremendous improvement today. She's drinking her water. She had quite a bit. Enough to pee all over me when giving her medicine and there was still a puddle on the table. She's been eating her pellets and hay. She had her first bit of lettuce for the first time time in a week. I didn't give her too much, just a small piece to see if she would eat it. I found about at least 20 fecal pellets which is a lot more than she has been producing lately. Some looked a little loose. Not diarrhea but loose. But they have started to darken a little bit and seem to be hardening and getting bigger. The only thing that really seems to be taking it's toll on her is giving her medicine. It's really really stressing her out. She gets so tired and lethargic. It's scary what it does to her. It's very hard to do it. And I've tried every possible trick. And when I put her back in her cage you can just see how stressed and exhausted she is.
Click to expand...
Poor Jellybean! I'm glad to hear she's looking a lot better. :) What stresses her out about the medicine?
 
Sending you and your little one lots of love x x
 
HeatherW said:
Poor Jellybean! I'm glad to hear she's looking a lot better. :) What stresses her out about the medicine?
Click to expand...
It's hard getting her to take the medicine. I've tried the burrito trick, I've even tried scratching her back because when I do that she nibbles whatever is in front of her. So I started putting the medicine on a spoon and just letting her nibble at it like that. But she's caught on to it. I've tried putting it on a piece of wheat grass and hay and that doesn't work well anymore either. So I'm back to holding her and making her take it, so she wiggles around a lot and I think that's what's making her tired. And it's very time consuming. I don't mind if it takes a long time but she does.
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
Lots of sympathy and healing vibes coming your way from me and my piggies.
I've been going through something not dissimilar with my boar Zebedee for 3 months, though hopefully we are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel now. He had a URI that 3 different antibiotics couldn't clear, wondered if he had fluid on his lungs or heart but then discovered on x-ray that his tummy was full of gas. We eventually managed to get a specimen to culture so we could get the right antibiotic for the URI, but several weeks of gut motility drugs still hadn't cleared the gas. Our last throw was antibiotics to see if an excess of bacteria in the gut was causing the gas, and that fortunately seems to have worked, as most of the gas is now gone. (Phew!)

If it wasn't for the fact that your vets think the fluid in the uterus is causing the gas in Jellybean's tummy, I would wonder if maybe she had a similar problem with bacteria overgrowth which could be sorted with appropriate antibiotics. It's not common, but now I've experienced it I know it can happen - and be resolved.
Another thing I found is that my pig doesn't really like Critical Care, but loves Supreme Science Recovery Food.

I hope you are able to find out what is up with your beautiful Jellybean, and restore her to full health.:nod:
Click to expand...

I hope your babies make a full recovery as well. Sending lots of love and positive vibes to you and your furbabies. They never mentioned thinking she could have some type of bacteria. But I've thought about the same thing. My brain is exhaused from thinking about it all. But she is taking an antibiotic right now. They said she needed it after the surgery. She' taking an antibiotic, a motility medication, gas drops, a probiotic and she's on a pain/inflammation medication as well.
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
Lots of sympathy and healing vibes coming your way from me and my piggies.
I've been going through something not dissimilar with my boar Zebedee for 3 months, though hopefully we are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel now. He had a URI that 3 different antibiotics couldn't clear, wondered if he had fluid on his lungs or heart but then discovered on x-ray that his tummy was full of gas. We eventually managed to get a specimen to culture so we could get the right antibiotic for the URI, but several weeks of gut motility drugs still hadn't cleared the gas. Our last throw was antibiotics to see if an excess of bacteria in the gut was causing the gas, and that fortunately seems to have worked, as most of the gas is now gone. (Phew!)

If it wasn't for the fact that your vets think the fluid in the uterus is causing the gas in Jellybean's tummy, I would wonder if maybe she had a similar problem with bacteria overgrowth which could be sorted with appropriate antibiotics. It's not common, but now I've experienced it I know it can happen - and be resolved.
Another thing I found is that my pig doesn't really like Critical Care, but loves Supreme Science Recovery Food.

I hope you are able to find out what is up with your beautiful Jellybean, and restore her to full health.:nod:
Click to expand...


The antibiotic she is taking is sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. So from what I am understanding it's being used for bacteria in the stomach and to help prevent respiratory issues.
 
Adrianne88 said:
The antibiotic she is taking is sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. So from what I am understanding it's being used for bacteria in the stomach and to help prevent respiratory issues.
Click to expand...
Ah ok. Zeb had that for his URI, it was the one which cured it (the specimen culture showed he had a streptococcal infection, which responds to that drug best) but it didn't help his gassiness - the gas producing bacteria in his case have been controlled with Metronidazole which is best for anaerobic bacteria according to my vet.
 
Adrianne88 said:
I hope your babies make a full recovery as well. Sending lots of love and positive vibes to you and your furbabies. They never mentioned thinking she could have some type of bacteria. But I've thought about the same thing. My brain is exhaused from thinking about it all. But she is taking an antibiotic right now. They said she needed it after the surgery. She' taking an antibiotic, a motility medication, gas drops, a probiotic and she's on a pain/inflammation medication as well.
Click to expand...
Thank you! I know how you feel - thinking about what is wrong, vet visits and giving Zeb his medicines 6 times a day seems to have taken up a lot of my life recently too - not to mention affecting my sleep as I can't go to bed until he's had his last meds at midnight (yawn!). He's on 5 drugs still too, as well as recovery food. Poor boy must be fed up of being picked up so much - but at least he isn't too difficult about taking his medicine, thankfully.
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
Ah ok. Zeb had that for his URI, it was the one which cured it (the specimen culture showed he had a streptococcal infection, which responds to that drug best) but it didn't help his gassiness - the gas producing bacteria in his case have been controlled with Metronidazole which is best for anaerobic bacteria according to my vet.
Click to expand...


Maybe I can mention that when she goes in Saturday to have her staple removed. Right now she looks a bit uncomfortable. She's laying in the middle of the cage and doesn't want to be touched. She's eating and drinking but maybe it's the staple bothering her.
 
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