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Runny Eye - bit long, sorry

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LizS

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Hi

I'm new to the forum, but need some advice about my 5 year old sow Bridie.

Bridie has had a lump on her left cheek and a runny eye for a couple of weeks. I took her to the vet last wednesday and they wiped the lump which produced a lot of foul-smelling pus. The vet wanted her to go in the following day for investigation under GA, which she duly did. I was also given chloramphenicol drops for Bridie. On thursday, the lump was thoroughly flushed and her teeth were checked etc. The vet said she couldn't find anything obvious that was causing the lump, but it could be osteomyelitis (bone infection) which they would only be able to find with X-rays, but she advised not to have those as very expensive. The long and short of it was that Bridie was brought round and I took her home with metacam, baytril and instructions to continue the drops. They also prescribed tramadol tablets for the pain, but didn't give me enough.

She took about 36 hours to recover fully from the GA, but now seems to be more or less back to normal and eating well. She puts up a fight over taking the oral meds, which I'm guessing is a good sign? The eye still seems sore (although not as bad as before) and a bit runny, despite the meds. She also appears to be scratching it now and again, and has developed a small bald patch under the eye.

She is due back at the vet this afternoon and I'm really worried that they'll suggest she be PTS. I'm prepared to keep going with the drugs, but I don't want her to be in pain.
 
Iam sorry for your problems.

Her not wanting to take the meds is a good sign.

The bald patch is most probably from irritated skin either from weepy eye. It could be fungal. It might be a bit more difficult to treat as it's so close to the eye, but I see no reason why a piggy that is eating well and clearly not in pain should be put to sleep.

The decision whether or when to put a piggy to sleep is YOURS, and you will know it in your heart when it is time to let a suffering piggy go and when it is still worth fighting for its health, believe me! Your piggy will tell you.
 
Hi Liz, welcome to the forum, I am sorry to hear Bridie isn't well at the moment.

It sounds like the lump was an abscess, I've had a sow with an abscess in the same position on the face as well, luckily it did clear up well but needed a very thorough cleaning and necrotic tissue removing to prevent it refilling.
Has Bridie's abscess healed now?

For future reference, I've heard good things about the antibiotic Zithromax (azithromycin) when used to treat abscesses. Another antibiotic, Flagyl (metronidazole), can help if you're flushing abscesses, it's a handy one to use topically in such cases, but Zithromax apparently has a good track record and is said to be well tolerated.

With regards to her eye, in what way is it sore - just runny, or does it appear sunken, bloodshot or cloudy at all?

Remember Bridie is your piggie, you know her best. If the vets do suggest PTS, you don't have to go along with that, don't let them pressure you into it. If Bridie is eating well and is interested in life (i.e. she's not just sat in a corner showing no interest in anything at all) then it's unlikely she's in unmanageable pain and she's not ready to give up; let Bridie's behaviour tell you about how she's feeling and explain this to the vet if they do suggest they can't do anything for her.

Whereabouts are you? It may be worth checkng out other vets if you do feel the current vets aren't able to deal with Bridie's case beyond this point, there are others who will be able to offer more options.
 
Thanks for your replies. My instinct says Bridie isn't ready to give up, so I'm going to wait and see what the vet says this afternoon. I will ask about these other drugs, another person also suggested fucithalmic ointment. The vet didn't say what the lump was, but my initial thought was an abcess when I first saw it.

The eye is mainly runny, with a little bit of pus on occaision. The lower lid is a bit droopy, as if the lump stretched the skin a bit, if you see what I mean?

I am wondering whether to go to a specialist vet, although I can only find one near me (I'm in Bristol).
 
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We've just got back from the vet. Fortunately, the vet is willing to keep going for the time being as Bridie seems to be ok in herself, although she did warn me that it's probably delaying the inevitable.

Bridie now has fucithalmic ointment, more baytril and metacam, and metranidizole, plus a probiotic to take until next week, and then we'll see how she goes. The vet said she would also research the zithromax as she didn't know of it in animal treatment.
 
Sorry to hear that Bridie isn't well. I'm afraid I don't know enough to be able to suggest anything, medical-wise, but wanted to wish you both luck.

I'm glad that your Vet is working with you, for now, but I have to say, if I felt that my Vet wasn't really eager to explore all options, especially when it really mattered, I'd seriously consider finding a new Vet. I'm also very surprised that your Vet hasn't heard of zithromax being used, as it's a drug I've seen mentioned around this forum quite a bit. I personally would find a new Vet if I were you, especially as it can sometimes be the case that Vets who are not very experienced with guineas might perhaps be keen to PTS rather prematurely, due their lack of knowledge/experience.

Obviously I'm no expert and don't know what the prognosis is but if Bridie seems ok in herself then I'd be inclined to think that it's definitely worth getting a second opinion and going from there.

There are quite a few members here from Bristol, including at least one guinea pig Rescue, so I'm sure somebody can recommend a good Vet.

Really hope little Bridie's condition improves very soon x
 
Just to let you know how things are going, but it's not looking great at the moment. Bridie's eye is still sore despite meds and she keeps scratching it, so she's pulled out some of the fur. She also seems to have lost a lot of her appetite (I think this is due to the baytril), although she wolfed down some dandelion leaves and a handful of grass this morning. She's also losing weight and seems to be quite sleepy, although she still comes over to sniff your hand and purrs when I stroke her. Syringe feeding isn't an option as she absolutely refused to take any last week after the GA. It's hard enough getting the meds in.

I really don't know what to do for the best at the moment. She's due to go back to the vet on tuesday, but I think I know what they're going to say.

I really don't want to have her PTS, but I don't know if there's actually anything anyone can do for her. :(
 
can you look for a exotic vet that speacilises in guinea pigs,i found with all the baytril my guinea was on it did more harm than good and nearly killed him after been on it for a while as it killed the flora in his gut which led to him loosing 500g in 4wks and he stopped eating all this was after an absess and after the antibiotics he was on i would say if the meds you are using now isnt showning any signs of working then they are doing more harm than good add up the amount you have and will spend in the long run it will work out cheaper to pay to see an exotics vets who may have the awnser...
 
LizS said:
......She also seems to have lost a lot of her appetite (I think this is due to the baytril)
Click to expand...

Really sorry to hear that she's still struggling so much. Just wondering if you're giving her a probiotic to help with her tum?

I'm afraid I don't know what to suggest apart from seeking a second opinion, as already mentioned.

Really hope you can figure out what's best for poor little Bridie and hopefully find some more help x
 
Just to let you know that Bridie had to be put to sleep this morning. I feel utterly heartbroken to do it, but she just didn't seem happy. She hadn't been eating properly since the GA and just wasn't interested in any food at all today.

I wish I could have done more, but the meds just didn't seem to be working and I felt it wasn't fair to keep her going as she looked so depressed yesterday and first thing today.
 
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It's one of the worst thing you ever have to do, put your pet to sleep. I know because I had to do this with Mirtle. She wasn't even two.

Rest in peace Bridie xx
 
I'm so sorry to hear this Liz. You tried your best, sometimes it's just not to be.

Rest well, dear Bridie. xx
 
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