Katie A
Junior Guinea Pig
Hello!
I took my piggie, Odi, (5 years old) to the vet last Monday (the 23rd) for a suspected dental issue. That weekend he had been suddenly refusing his favorite veggie treats and chewing slowly so I thought maybe his teeth needed to be checked. His weight was unchanged at this point. The vet didn't see anything obvious and said she couldn't check his molars without sedation but would have to do that at a later date. She prescribed a bottle of Meloxicam and said to see if he improves over the next few days before we put him through the dental anesthesia. He seemed a tad better that night and Tuesday morning. By Tuesday night he was definitely worse. He had dropped 2 oz and was completely off food. I also noticed he was rubbing his nose a lot. I syringed fed pellets as that was all I had and they saw him immediately Wednesday morning. He was treated with fluids, gut stasis meds and prescribed a week of SMZ-TMP. I also started syringe feeding every 2 hours. The next day, he was about the same but I also noticed his cage mate, Flynn, was now also refusing treats, sneezing, and dropping weight. The vet prescribed him the same meds too. After a long few days of syringe feeding their weights are stable and they are finally pooping again. Flynn, however, is doing better than Odi. Odi still seems to be struggling with chewing. They are both only interested in eating cilantro and Romaine. They are eating some hay too. They seem a bit more energetic than they were but they are still sneezing and stuffy sounding. I called the vet to check in and she switched their antibiotic to Orbax which I picked up today. I did not know anything about it, but what I searched online is very conflicting. Some seem to say it is fine and others that it is not good for guinea pigs. I also do have them on Bene-Bac Plus which I give around an hour after the antibiotic. This is a well known exotic vet so I want to trust them but I am nervous with starting the Orbax. :/
I took my piggie, Odi, (5 years old) to the vet last Monday (the 23rd) for a suspected dental issue. That weekend he had been suddenly refusing his favorite veggie treats and chewing slowly so I thought maybe his teeth needed to be checked. His weight was unchanged at this point. The vet didn't see anything obvious and said she couldn't check his molars without sedation but would have to do that at a later date. She prescribed a bottle of Meloxicam and said to see if he improves over the next few days before we put him through the dental anesthesia. He seemed a tad better that night and Tuesday morning. By Tuesday night he was definitely worse. He had dropped 2 oz and was completely off food. I also noticed he was rubbing his nose a lot. I syringed fed pellets as that was all I had and they saw him immediately Wednesday morning. He was treated with fluids, gut stasis meds and prescribed a week of SMZ-TMP. I also started syringe feeding every 2 hours. The next day, he was about the same but I also noticed his cage mate, Flynn, was now also refusing treats, sneezing, and dropping weight. The vet prescribed him the same meds too. After a long few days of syringe feeding their weights are stable and they are finally pooping again. Flynn, however, is doing better than Odi. Odi still seems to be struggling with chewing. They are both only interested in eating cilantro and Romaine. They are eating some hay too. They seem a bit more energetic than they were but they are still sneezing and stuffy sounding. I called the vet to check in and she switched their antibiotic to Orbax which I picked up today. I did not know anything about it, but what I searched online is very conflicting. Some seem to say it is fine and others that it is not good for guinea pigs. I also do have them on Bene-Bac Plus which I give around an hour after the antibiotic. This is a well known exotic vet so I want to trust them but I am nervous with starting the Orbax. :/