steroid injection

[MilliePigs]

so a little bit of backstory, i took bambi to the vets yesterday because he had a big gash on his side that came from no where and it wasn’t healing. i suspected maybe mites or a fungal infection so we took him to the vets. this wasn’t our usual piggie vets as it’s about 3 hours away and thought it was worth a shot.
they did a skin scrape and couldn’t find any mites but they’re medicating him for it anyway but they gave him a steroid injection to try and stop him itching so much because all of his skin is inflamed. i didn’t know how bad this would be for him until this morning when i went to feed him and he looks very slow and out of it. he normally runs to safety as soon as i open the door then squeaks when he realises i have food. but today he just stood outside of a hidy staring into nothingness. he runs away slowly when i touch him and he’s still eating and drinking and pooping fine but i’m just wondering how long it will take for the steroid to wear off

 

[MilliePigs]

note his nasty nash in his side has significantly improved since yesterday

 

[sport_billy]

We have had a steroid shot twice for piggies without any issue. Please keep a close eye on him and if behaviour stays odd then go again to vets. What medications did the vet give him?

 

[MilliePigs]

We have had a steroid shot twice for piggies without any issue. Please keep a close eye on him and if behaviour stays odd then go again to vets. What medications did the vet give him?

just the steroid shot yesterday and ordered some mite treatment that’s coming today, he seems a little better now, he’s sleeping in his hay at the moment

 

[sport_billy]

So they are think mites I presume?

 

[MilliePigs]

So they are think mites I presume?

they didn’t find any but we’re treating for them anyway

 

[Wiebke]

so a little bit of backstory, i took bambi to the vets yesterday because he had a big gash on his side that came from no where and it wasn’t healing. i suspected maybe mites or a fungal infection so we took him to the vets. this wasn’t our usual piggie vets as it’s about 3 hours away and thought it was worth a shot.
they did a skin scrape and couldn’t find any mites but they’re medicating him for it anyway but they gave him a steroid injection to try and stop him itching so much because all of his skin is inflamed. i didn’t know how bad this would be for him until this morning when i went to feed him and he looks very slow and out of it. he normally runs to safety as soon as i open the door then squeaks when he realises i have food. but today he just stood outside of a hidy staring into nothingness. he runs away slowly when i touch him and he’s still eating and drinking and pooping fine but i’m just wondering how long it will take for the steroid to wear off

Please keep a close eye on him. It depends on the strength and how any individual piggy reacts to shots; that also goes for the recovery rate - it takes the longer the worse a piggy has been affected.

Please make sure that you weigh him daily; over 80% of the food intake is hay, and you cannot control that by eye. It is generally the first food group that is impacted when a piggy is not well.

Has our vet given you metacam, which is both a painkiller and an anti-inflammatory?
Is that general vet treating for both mange mites and fungal or nothing at all? If you do not treat the cause, piggies will bite open any sores again and again because of the pain. Untreated mange mites can be deadly.
If in any doubt, a vet should treat for mites with good quality high dosed ivermectin, not the low dosed pet shop stuff that cannot get on top of them. The scrape test is not necessarily conclusive.
Make a little body cover with leg holes from an old sock to prevent your boy from biting open the sore.

 

[MilliePigs]

Please keep a close eye on him. It depends on the strength and how any individual piggy reacts to shots; that also goes for the recovery rate - it takes the longer the worse a piggy has been affected.

Please make sure that you weigh him daily; over 80% of the food intake is hay, and you cannot control that by eye. It is generally the first food group that is impacted when a piggy is not well.

Has our vet given you metacam, which is both a painkiller and an anti-inflammatory?
Is that general vet treating for both mange mites and fungal or nothing at all? If you do not treat the cause, piggies will bite open any sores again and again because of the pain. Untreated mange mites can be deadly.
If in any doubt, a vet should treat for mites with good quality high dosed ivermectin, not the low dosed pet shop stuff that cannot get on top of them. The scrape test is not necessarily conclusive.
Make a little body cover with leg holes from an old sock to prevent your boy from biting open the sore.

thank you for the tips
we’re treating for mange as he said it didn’t look fungal at all but he didn’t give us metacam. i do think we have some metacam already left over though, what would the doses be for a guinea pig?

 

[Wiebke]

thank you for the tips
we’re treating for mange as he said it didn’t look fungal at all but he didn’t give us metacam. i do think we have some metacam already left over though, what would the doses be for a guinea pig?

Firstly, check whether you have dog or cat metacam. Dog metacam is 3 times stronger than cat metacam.
You best give metacam every 12 hours because of the fast metabolism; it is wearing off after 10 hours.
For longer term dosages 0.2-0.25 ml dog metacam and 0.6-0.7 ml cat metacam are what is mostly prescribed by exotics vet for an average sized piggy of 1000-1200g.
In an emergency with serious pain, you can give up to 0.4 ml dog metacam and 1.2 ml cat metacam twice daily safely in an emergency.
The high end preferably only for a few days or in terminal care if your piggy is in excruciating pain.

Good that the vet is covering that angle, so your boy is hopefully feeling a lot better again soon! You will need 3-4 rounds of ivermectin at the product specific interval in order to get on top of them and make sure that you catch any stragglers emerging from the eggs burrowed so painfully in the skin.

 

[Wiebke]

thank you for the tips
we’re treating for mange as he said it didn’t look fungal at all but he didn’t give us metacam. i do think we have some metacam already left over though, what would the doses be for a guinea pig?

The ivermectin usually takes about 48 hours to be fully absorbed and to kill the mites; it can cause things to get more uncomfortable durng that time. After that period things should hopefully already be a lot better but building up again towards the next round of treating. Rounds 3-4 are generally there to catch any stragglers and making sure that there is no return. the fourth (and any further rounds) are for more severe cases where it takes as long as it takes to get on top of the mites.
Mange mites typically affect guinea pigs with a low or lowered immune system worse, and they can come up very quickly very bad in those cases.

Concentrate on a good hay based, low (but carefully balanced) veg and minimal pellet diet to help your piggy strengthen his immune system in the longer term as much as possible. A strong immune system can suppress mites or minimise an outbreak; it can really make a difference. Most people tend to overfeed veg and pellets.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[Guinea-pigGaga]

Please do not administer any further medications without consulting your veterinarian first.

Steroids, and NSAIDs should not be administered together, as they are likely to interact with one another, the result of which may be potentially fatal.

 

[Coco&Luna]

I think you need to wait at least 24 hours after a steroid injection before giving metacam cuz it can increase the risk of side effects on the gut like stomach ulceration and bleeding. x