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Something Is Wrong With Ivy, But I Don't Know What

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Sadly not with the few I've known, but it was 15 years ago, times have changed since then, as has the approach towards treating guinea pigs.
 
BonBon2010 said:
Sadly not with the few I've known, but it was 15 years ago, times have changed since then, as has the approach towards treating guinea pigs.
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Oh, that was sad that they didn't get better. I do hope there is some way forward for Ivy.
 
Don't let this get you down @Katherine, no two guinea pigs are the same, and like I said, when these saw the vet, at the time they were just seen as disposable pets and options for treatment was very limited.
Your Ivy has every chance to pull through, she's obviously got a lot of fight in her still, and as long as food is getting into her, there's every hope ;) Hugs xx
 
How old is she? There is indeed a wasting disease of guinea pigs :( You could get bloods taken & tested (Requires GA) or a less invasive test would be a fecal sample, including a fecal float, checking for parasites, yeast infections etc. They cost about £60 & should you decide to get one done I suggest you ask the vet (Simon?) to use Chester Zoo Exotic labs as they do the most comprehensive fecal tests.
 
Poppy'sMum said:
How old is she? There is indeed a wasting disease of guinea pigs :( You could get bloods taken & tested (Requires GA) or a less invasive test would be a fecal sample, including a fecal float, checking for parasites, yeast infections etc. They cost about £60 & should you decide to get one done I suggest you ask the vet (Simon?) to use Chester Zoo Exotic labs as they do the most comprehensive fecal tests.
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Thankyou very much for your reply and suggestions. Ivy is about 2 1/2. I doubt she has a wasting disease, (although I don't know anything about it) as apparently she is being lively and active, perfectly normal apart from this not eating. Debbie says that she appears keen for some food, eats a bit, then just gives up. She seems to have a problem with any quantity of food (my husband has just been having a chat with Debbie on the phone). What was really sweet is that Debbie put the phone near Ivy so that she could hear his voice, and she seemed to know who it was!

Treating her for a fungal problem of the throat is a possibility, although it did all look normal when Simon saw her. Anyway, Debbie is going to discuss things with Simon tomorrow, and I'm sure they'll consider all sorts. She says it is just baffling that Ivy doesn't in any way look or behave like a guinea pig who is going to peg out (and it's about a month now I think since she stopped eating normally), so you'd have expected her either to have got better or to have become very ill. Most strange.
 
Simon and I will get our heads together tomorrow and see where we go from here. Ivy is bright, lively, bites at the bars when she sees me and grabs food from my hand and starts to eat it, but then quickly loses interest for some reason. She doesn't take syringe food particularly well and I am really starting to wonder if she struggles to swallow. Anyway, will update you all tomorrow evening once I have had a chat with Simon, and hopefully come up with a plan.
 
Well she is in the very best of hands with you & Simon, Debbie that's for sure :) It does sound it could be a mechanical problem of some sort. Does she eat/swallow better if she is given pain relief?
 
Pain relief doesn't seem to make any significant difference to Ivy.

We recently had a guinea pig arrive with suspected dental issues, but on examination her teeth were found to be fine. However she had trouble swallowing and saliva would just pour out of her mouth and she would constantly retch. We first tried her on Zithromax but there was no improvement and she was just getting thinner and weaker and it really looked like euthanasia was the only option, but as a last ditch attempt we tried her on itranfungal. There really was no reason to suspect a fungal problem as her mouth looked healthy, but we felt we had nothing to lose and it was worth a go. After just two doses she started to show a slight improvement and after about a week she was well on the mend. She has remained on the medication for further couple of weeks and has made a complete recovery.

Although Ivy isn't displaying the same symptoms it would appear she is having some issues with swallowing so maybe this could be worth a go. Will see what Simon thinks x
 
furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary said:
Pain relief doesn't seem to make any significant difference to Ivy.

We recently had a guinea pig arrive with suspected dental issues, but on examination her teeth were found to be fine. However she had trouble swallowing and saliva would just pour out of her mouth and she would constantly retch. We first tried her on Zithromax but there was no improvement and she was just getting thinner and weaker and it really looked like euthanasia was the only option, but as a last ditch attempt we tried her on itranfungal. There really was no reason to suspect a fungal problem as her mouth looked healthy, but we felt we had nothing to lose and it was worth a go. After just two doses she started to show a slight improvement and after about a week she was well on the mend. She has remained on the medication for further couple of weeks and has made a complete recovery.

Although Ivy isn't displaying the same symptoms it would appear she is having some issues with swallowing so maybe this could be worth a go. Will see what Simon thinks x
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Looking forward to hearing what you and Simon come up with. I have wondered whether Ivy's eagerness to drink water from the syringe was anything to do with it being soothing and cooling to the throat - something that slips down easily, as it were.
 
Katherine said:
Looking forward to hearing what you and Simon come up with. I have wondered whether Ivy's eagerness to drink water from the syringe was anything to do with it being soothing and cooling to the throat - something that slips down easily, as it were.
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Instead of me reading through all the latest posts, yes, that's me, lazy!
How is Ivy doing now?
 
Chief Guinea Pig said:
Instead of me reading through all the latest posts, yes, that's me, lazy!
How is Ivy doing now?
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Still not eating properly, but lively and well. Debbie is wondering about the possibility of some sort of swallowing / throat problem, maybe fungal, as Ivy begs for food, but stops eating after only having a small amount.
 
Katherine said:
Still not eating properly, but lively and well. Debbie is wondering about the possibility of some sort of swallowing / throat problem, maybe fungal, as Ivy begs for food, but stops eating after only having a small amount.
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I hope Ivy is her normal self and in full health soon. X
 
I have written Simon an essay about what has been happening with Ivy, giving him as much info as possible. I wanted to give him chance to have a think about it and mull it over before I see him later, when we can have a chat and decide where we go from here. x
 
furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary said:
I have written Simon an essay about what has been happening with Ivy, giving him as much info as possible. I wanted to give him chance to have a think about it and mull it over before I see him later, when we can have a chat and decide where we go from here. x
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That's great, thankyou Debbie. I wonder what he'll say.
 
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