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swollen leg

  • Thread starter Thread starter mart
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Hi Mart I have read through your thread with interest, may I make a suggestion re wood shavings its NOT a criticism so PLEASE dont take offence , and you dont have to take the advice either if you dont want to.
Wood shavings , and other woodtype stuff, is not recommended for guinea pigs, and yes, I know the pet shops sell it for the purpose. But the reason being that wood shavings contain natural and treatment chemicals - you can smell them its quite nice.However wood shavings and pig urine are not a good combination, the pigs have short legs and their little noses are therefore quite close to the vapour which is created. They cant escape it, some pigs on shavings become quite chesty as a result. Secondly as they are not particular about where they wee, they will be running backwards and forwards through the wet shavings and can therefore become prone to urine burns on their feet.I suggest you try a good wodge of newspaper to line the base of the cage with a covering of hay - not straw as this does not soak up the urine, often causes eye injuries and has no food value for the animal either. You will save yourself a lot of money , your pig will be happy , and I think the skin on his feet will start to improve. And consider the advice given about taking him to see a real pig specialist Good Luck.
 
hi

Thank you for your comments- i am going to invest in some Vet bed and i am in the process of measuring and things. The hopsital i just registered with has its own small animal clinic with dedicated vets- and they agree with my vets diagnosise, and gave me critical care to give her.

I have been creaming and bandaging her feet and they are now better- again they agree its pressure causing her sore (good) foot.

She has gained weight since i started to syringe feed but her leg is still very swollen so we are taking each day as it comes.

This morning she really didn't want to be fed but i made her and after one syringe she decided she quite liked the mixture i did and was co operative.

If there are any guinea pig lovers out there near bristol who would like to see her and give me some advice i would be more than grateful.

Thank you
 
If you get some Guinea pig excel pellets (in an orange bag) Put a handful into a dish pour on boiling water, allow it to soak in, add more water until the mix becomes a sludge, may take ten minutes. mash it up until its a liquidy paste. Make sure ite cold .Then you can syringe it to your pig. It has all the nutrients required , because it it a commercial pig food, the pig will like it, the water within it will give the animal liquid, and my guess it will be a darn sight cheaper than critical care or these other preparations. Try and get the pig to the bloke we are not allowed to mention any more.if you can
 
I'm sorry that your piggie is so unwell.

This problem will not have been caused by the bedding that you are using and is very unlikely to have been due to anything that you, or even the vet, have done wrong.

The fact that she has had a urinary infection and a nasty bone infection in such a short space of time may will point to something nasty going on that is affecting her immune system I'm afraid.

It's natural that you want to do everything in your power to save her, but under no circumstances take the guinea pig to anyone who does not recommend vetinary treatment no matter how highly recommended.

She needs medical treatment for the bone infection. Sadly you also need someone like a vet who you can trust to advise you when it is time to call it a day. Not everything is fixable and a guinea pig stopping eating is sometimes normal part of the end of life process and so it may not be kind to force feed her - but take advice from your vet on this.

Paula
 
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Polly said:
If you get some Guinea pig excel pellets (in an orange bag) Put a handful into a dish pour on boiling water, allow it to soak in, add more water until the mix becomes a sludge, may take ten minutes. mash it up until its a liquidy paste. Make sure ite cold .Then you can syringe it to your pig. It has all the nutrients required , because it it a commercial pig food, the pig will like it, the water within it will give the animal liquid, and my guess it will be a darn sight cheaper than critical care or these other preparations. Try and get the pig to the bloke we are not allowed to mention any more.if you can
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already doing and i wouldn't trust alcesterpig, no offence
 
paulag said:
I'm sorry that your piggie is so unwell.

This problem will not have been caused by the bedding that you are using and is very unlikely to have been due to anything that you, or even the vet, have done wrong.

The fact that she has had a urinary infection and a nasty bone infection in such a short space of time may will point to something nasty going on that is affecting her immune system I'm afraid.

It's natural that you want to do everything in your power to save her, but under no circumstances take the guinea pig to anyone who does not recommend vetinary treatment no matter how highly recommended.

She needs medical treatment for the bone infection. Sadly you also need someone like a vet who you can trust to advise you when it is time to call it a day. Not everything is fixable and a guinea pig stopping eating is sometimes normal part of the end of life process and so it may not be kind to force feed her - but take advice from your vet on this.

Paula
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i am treating her already, did you not see the long list of medication? one of which being baytril for her bone infection given by a vet
 
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update- i got her to start eatting spring greens- only a bit at a time but she is starting to eat solids again- no pellets but atleast greens is a start :)
 
mart said:
i am treating her already, did you not see the long list of medication? one of which being baytril for her bone infection given by a vet
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Yes but the suggestion was being made that you take her to someone who doesn't believe in vetinary care.
 
paulag said:
Yes but the suggestion was being made that you take her to someone who doesn't believe in vetinary care.
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Who doesn't believe in vetinery care? I'm confused!

CCT specialise in piggies and they can get vetinery care there, or a rodentologist fair be it they can't prescribe medicine but some vets are very willing to work along side them. They can diagnose illness's.
 
Its a treck from you, but maybe contact Vedra for a rodentologist near you, it's in Cambridge! Travel if you can, Vedra is worth seeing from what I've heard she is very good.
 
whose vedra?

I have heard her name mentioned on the site.

I just want to say i would never ever take her being pts very lightly, but at the same time i wouldn't want her to suffer either.
 
mart said:
whose vedra?

I have heard her name mentioned on the site.

I just want to say i would never ever take her being pts very lightly, but at the same time i wouldn't want her to suffer either.
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Vedra I believe runs the CCT, and she really knows her stuff. She trains the rodentolgists I believe... could be wrong. She is highly recommended!
 
JoanneG111 said:
Who doesn't believe in vetinery care? I'm confused!

CCT specialise in piggies and they can get vetinery care there, or a rodentologist fair be it they can't prescribe medicine but some vets are very willing to work along side them. They can diagnose illness's.
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I have never heard of vetinary care. I believe in veterinary care, but have had vets who are not as experienced at dental treatment as other dental practioners.

Vets cannot be expert at everything, and although seeking the advice of a vet should be the first action, there are definitely other people who have vast knowledge of certain medical areas too.
 
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I am based near Gloucester, but I only treat my own pigs. I have offered Mart some sound advice but I dont have the knowledge tha Paulag obviously has. Even the vet doesn't seem to have any idea either, shame . Vedra would probably fix it but she might point you to someone that she has trained who is closest to you, but it probably wont be a vet, so you are in a really difficult situation. Hope it all works out for your Mart. Prayers, hugs and cuddles.
 
threelittlepiggies said:
I have never heard of vetinary care. I believe in veterinary care, but have had vets who are not as experienced at dental treatment as other dental practioners.

Vets cannot be expert at everything, and although seeking the advice of a vet should be the first action, there are definitely other people who have vast knowledge of certain medical areas too.
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I think you should go back and read my post. Hence the CCT and rodentologists they aren't vets, but I would seek there advice as they specialise in piggies. What I was saying was they can't prescibe alot of medicines because a vet has to prescribe them but alot of vets work along side them, which makes it possible to get a diagnosis and treat the problem!

I don't expect vets to know everything and have never made such a comment.
 
JoanneG111 said:
I think you should go back and read my post. Hence the CCT and rodentologists they aren't vets, but I would seek there advice as they specialise in piggies. What I was saying was they can't prescibe alot of medicines because a vet has to prescribe them but alot of vets work along side them, which makes it possible to get a diagnosis and treat the problem!

I don't expect vets to know everything and have never made such a comment.
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Joanne, your post was perfectly clear. It seems the pedants are out to prove a point tonight.

This discussion seems to moved away from the fact that Poc is ill and that Mart needs our support even if the best we can offer is good will. I believe she has enough information to make a good decision about where she wants to seek assistance for Poc and is doing the best for her guinea pig. The meandering posts merely detract from Poc's best interests. Perhaps we can leave space for Mart to come back to the thread as and when she needs to.
 
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I only want people who are interested in Poc- who can get HER sex right and give me valid advice and/or support to post.

Thank you
 
How is Poc, has she made any improvement?

We have our fingers and paws crossed here she makes a speedy recovery!
 
She is taking 16mls of feed (nuggets mashed or veggies blended) and 5mls of sugar free ribena with a vitamin c supp disolved inside every 4-5 hours and she just started to eat a little bit of greens- still very upset if you touch her leg- and she is just starting to chat again- leg still very swollen but no longer red. She is also gaining weight,

vet visit scheduled for Thursday

One more feed for tonight about 11! xx
 
JoanneG111

Apologies, there, I was kind of combining yours and paulag's responses about who is capable of correctly treating a guinea pig, or other animal. If you read my post you can see that I agree entirely that it isn't always a vet who has the expertise to sort things out! I hope that clears up any confusion.
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mart said:
She is taking 16mls of feed (nuggets mashed or veggies blended) and 5mls of sugar free ribena with a vitamin c supp disolved inside every 4-5 hours and she just started to eat a little bit of greens- still very upset if you touch her leg- and she is just starting to chat again- leg still very swollen but no longer red. She is also gaining weight,

vet visit scheduled for Thursday

One more feed for tonight about 11! xx
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That sounds very encouraging. Perhaps ease up on the Ribena and Vit C, water should be fine with some of the feeds, but that sounds like good basic nursing and the right direction for your guinea to be heading. Careful with that leg!

Well done x
 
It is sounding much more positive tonight Mart - sounds like you are doing a fabulous job and you should be very proud of what you are achieving. I have read a number of your posts and it sounds like you (and your pigs) have really been through it lately. Am keeping everything crossed for you and Poc, she sounds like a little fighter x

PS I love her name, its wonderful x
 
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