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Shocked Guinness

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cherrymuffin

cherrymuffin

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Guinness had an antibiotic injection for mouth ulcers this morning. Since then he seems to have gone into shock. Won't eat and is sleeping huddled under a blanket. What can I do.
 
I'm so sorry to hear! I don't think I can help you but might be good to know more details.

Do you know what antibiotic/medicine it was and what dosage? Have you called the vet since?
 
Maybe it's a reaction; she might get better over the next day or two, if not, I would take her back to the vet.
 
He needs to eat in order for his gut to work and if they huddle up and don't eat something is really bothering them. I would ring your vets and find out what they have given him. And take him back if doesn't improve over night. In meantime keep him warm and see if you can get him to take some water and mashed pellets incase his mouth is sore.
 
If you will not feed him manually he will die.You need mix pellets in blender with water and syringe him 250ml glass every 2 hours.It is urgent and very serious.
You need weight him in order to control his weight.In perfect situation weight should be same in same time of day.Morning less,evening more.30% lost of body wight almost guarantee death.
 
Yes, syringe feeding him is essential. If you haven't got any Critical Care or recovery Plus then mashed up pellets will be quite OK. Don't use one of the large 15ml or 20ml syringes you get with the above products but use a 1ml syringe with the end cut off so that the food come out into his mouth gently. He needs to get about 120ml of food per day & weighing him daily is also recommended because you can then see if you're keeping his weight stable. Also you should get some pro-biotic such as Bio-Lapis & other supplements such as Fibreplex. You don't need prescriptions for these but if you need quick, get in touch with your vet today & they'll advise you. If he's not drinking water then also syringe feed him 3 or 4 mls of water at a time using a 1ml syringe. The mouth ulcers usually clear within 48 hours so keep trying him with his favourite veggies.

Please keep us up to date with his progress.
 
Stewybus said:
Yes, syringe feeding him is essential. If you haven't got any Critical Care or recovery Plus then mashed up pellets will be quite OK. Don't use one of the large 15ml or 20ml syringes you get with the above products but use a 1ml syringe with the end cut off so that the food come out into his mouth gently. He needs to get about 120ml of food per day & weighing him daily is also recommended because you can then see if you're keeping his weight stable. Also you should get some pro-biotic such as Bio-Lapis & other supplements such as Fibreplex. You don't need prescriptions for these but if you need quick, get in touch with your vet today & they'll advise you. If he's not drinking water then also syringe feed him 3 or 4 mls of water at a time using a 1ml syringe. The mouth ulcers usually clear within 48 hours so keep trying him with his favourite veggies.

Please keep us up to date with his progress.
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Last night he seemed a bit better. I put him in his cage and it looked as if he was eating . But at 8 this morning he is the same as yesterday. Hasn't eaten and still reacts as if he's scared.The injection was Clamoxyl. Taking him back to the vet will traumatise him more.Thanks for your advice will ring the vet at 9 to get a syringe and some Critical care.
 
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I don't have any experience of poorly piggies but what about asking for done metacam as well in case he is in pain?
 
AbiS said:
I don't have any experience of poorly piggies but what about asking for done metacam as well in case he is in pain?
Click to expand...

AbiS said:
I don't have any experience of poorly piggies but what about asking for done metacam as well in case he is in pain?
Click to expand...

AbiS said:
I don't have any experience of poorly piggies but what about asking for done metacam as well in case he is in pain?
Click to expand...

AbiS said:
I don't have any experience of poorly piggies but what about asking for done metacam as well in case he is in pain?
Click to expand...

Stewybus said:
Yes, syringe feeding him is essential. If you haven't got any Critical Care or recovery Plus then mashed up pellets will be quite OK. Don't use one of the large 15ml or 20ml syringes you get with the above products but use a 1ml syringe with the end cut off so that the food come out into his mouth gently. He needs to get about 120ml of food per day & weighing him daily is also recommended because you can then see if you're keeping his weight stable. Also you should get some pro-biotic such as Bio-Lapis & other supplements such as Fibreplex. You don't need prescriptions for these but if you need quick, get in touch with your vet today & they'll advise you. If he's not drinking water then also syringe feed him 3 or 4 mls of water at a time using a 1ml syringe. The mouth ulcers usually clear within 48 hours so keep trying him with his favourite veggies.

Please keep us up to date with his progress.
Click to expand...
 
Metacam should help with any inflammation and pain but its essential to get the food down him. I give them as much as they will take every couple of hours, some hate being fed and its a struggle but its essential for them to survive.
 
degu_rock said:
Metacam should help with any inflammation and pain but its essential to get the food down him. I give them as much as they will take every couple of hours, some hate being fed and its a struggle but its essential for them to survive.
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He has had some Metacam and one syringe 1.0 ml of the rescue food. Although he ate a little grass he won't eat real food. He is obviously hungry and tries to eat the blanket, towel etc.
 
Keep up with the syringe feeding and when he's ready he will eat by himself. Metacam will help a lot :)
 
Yes it's at least 120ml in 24 hours, though I have heard double that recommended too, best to aim high and then even if you don't quite make the highest amount you are still giving a lot. It needs to be given every 3 hours at at least 20ml each sitting.

The pain relief should help, did they say what the ulcers were from, such as oral fungal or something else?

Also if his mouth is sore, I would recommend putting Calgel or Infant Bonjela into the mouth with a cotton bud at least 2 minutes before feeding as it will take some of the pain away.
 
helen105281 said:
Yes it's at least 120ml in 24 hours, though I have heard double that recommended too, best to aim high and then even if you don't quite make the highest amount you are still giving a lot. It needs to be given every 3 hours at at least 20ml each sitting.

The pain relief should help, did they say what the ulcers were from, such as oral fungal or something else?

Also if his mouth is sore, I would recommend putting Calgel or Infant Bonjela into the mouth with a cotton bud at least 2 minutes before feeding as it will take some of the pain away.
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How do you get that amount in their mouth ? He is struggling to swallow it after 1.0 ml. On my own it's impossible. Also he seems to react against anything smelling of food. He ate a tiny amount of grass but nothing else. He desperately chews the blanket , my cardigan etc.
 
It is best to do it in small amounts, no more than half a syringe at a time and take it slowly. The problem is if he doesn't eat his whole system will shut down very quickly. Is he pooing ok? What dose of Metacam is he on? It is worrying if he is struggling to swallow, if there is no improvement on the pain relief it may be best to speak to your vet again. Did the vet say what the ulcers were?
 
helen105281 said:
It is best to do it in small amounts, no more than half a syringe at a time and take it slowly. The problem is if he doesn't eat his whole system will shut down very quickly. Is he pooing ok? What dose of Metacam is he on? It is worrying if he is struggling to swallow, if there is no improvement on the pain relief it may be best to speak to your vet again. Did the vet say what the ulcers were?
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We are trying to be slow. The swallowing problem is to do with the fact that he is reacting against any kind of normal food , so he doesn't want to swallow that. His pellets are fine and he does try to eat them. he's ok swallowing the water. The vet thought the ulcers were a bacterial type similar to thrush. I will phone them tomorrow morning if there's no improvement. He is on 0.2ml of Metacam once a day.
 
If they think it is thrush he may need oral anti fungal medication such as Nystatin or Itrafungol. Is good that he is trying his pellets.
 
Also the pain relief may be a bit low. Is it dog metacam? If so they can have at least 0.2ml twice a day.
 
Have they checked his teeth? You can get ulcers with dental problems and the fact he is so hungry but struggling to eat even syringed food makes me wonder if his molars are overgrown and trapping his tongue...

Keep trying the grass and veggies chopped into really skinny slivers as if his teeth are a problem he may well still be able to get skinny bits into his mouth.

If he hasn't had his teeth looked at already I would get them checked asap. A piggies back teeth aren't easily visible to an owner without specialist equipment so your vet should be able to do this. If they are overgrown then trimming and de-burring (probably under anaesthetic for most vets) will make him more comfy and make eating much easier. Some vets can do conscious dentals like Simon Maddock at Northampton.

@furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary do you have any extra advice for this one?
 
I really hope you see some improvement with Guinness soon - do try and keep up the syringe feeding, it's as important that you get as much as possible in to him.

I haven't heard of Clamoxyl before but having done some research it seems it contains amongst other things Amoxicillin trihydrate (a derivative of Amoxicillin).

According to GuineaLynx (http://www.guinealynx.info/dangerous_medications.html) this is toxic to Guinea Pigs, so you could be right that he is having a reaction to it.

I think that Guinness needs to be seen by an exotics vets asap to determine how you can get him back to full health and keep syringe feeding him in the meantime. It would be worth checking the vet locator at the top of the page to see if anyone near you is open tomorrow.
 
Well spotted Guineaguy, I missed that earlier. Am checking with a friend to make sure.
 
Well spotted indeed. If Guinness is having a reaction then it would be important to get advice from an exotics vet ASAP (Preferably before you think about giving him the next dose) about discontinuing the Clamoxyl.

Keep feeding him as well as you can and hopefully you will be able to get advice soon.
 
Ok she has confirmed that penicillin is a big no. She runs the piggy clinic in Broxbourne. I agree with Merrypips advice to speak to an exotics vet asap and not give anymore until you have done so.
 
cherrymuffin said:
How do you get that amount in their mouth ? He is struggling to swallow it after 1.0 ml. On my own it's impossible. Also he seems to react against anything smelling of food. He ate a tiny amount of grass but nothing else. He desperately chews the blanket , my cardigan etc.
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yes - normally they not like syringing.I have to completely roll one of my piggy in towel to do it. Need do it slowly make sure he swallow and not directly into mouth with small angle to prevent food get into their lung.You can add really very small amount of pine apple juice to foolish him.Very useful to order biolapis and give it as well.
If he eat grass I suggest you use it.As they perfectly survive by eating grass go and get him grass.Perfect scenario cut fresh grass daily and wash it in hot water and after in cold water.
We use special salad bowl to make it more or less dry or you can use towels to remove water after you washed it.Give him grass in unlimited amount.
 
That's really good to hear that he has eaten some hay by himself, even a small amount. Hopefully that antibiotic is leaving his system.

Are you still syringe feeding him? Even if you cannot get 120ml into him, as long as you can get in as much as you can.

Is he still pooping? If his guts are working properly and he is receiving enough food he should be pooping, even though they will be less frequent. I would also ask your vet for a gut stimulant, we usually use Zantac, although Metaclopromide is another option - this will keep his guts going.

If you are going to see the same vet as well, I would raise the point that what was injected into Guinness is toxic to Guinea Pigs. I'm not sure if anything is available to help 'flush it out' but something could be. Your vet may need to speak to an exotics specialist himself and explain what has happened. Absolutely do not allow anymore of the Clamoxyl to be given to Guinness.

Wishing you all the best and I really hope he continues to pick up today and makes a full recovery.
 
Zantac and metachlopromide work on different parts of the gut. I always ask for metachlopromide, also known as Emeprid.

I think there is a thread on here about a pig that was poisoned by an antibiotic and they were treated at the vets.
 
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