• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

What are Hormone Injections called?

Status
Not open for further replies.
louise_stocker

louise_stocker

Teenage Guinea Pig
Joined
Aug 5, 2011
Messages
615
Reaction score
7
Points
325
Location
Fife, Scotland
Hi
I posted yesterday with regards to my piggie Peggy and her ovarian cysts. I spoke to my vet this morning and she couldn't find any information about hormone injections.

I know many of you have tried these and she asked me to find out the name of them if at all possible so she can do more research on them. She's quite keen to spay her but is willing to give these a go with more information. She has also found out about the implants but is concerned about the lack of research (as I am) about their use and effects.

Please help if you can so I can pass this information on to her and hopefully get Peggy on the mend.

Thanks so much, Louise x
 
I have no experience of this myself but the American site Guinea Lynx mentions HCG injections (human chorionic gonadotropin).....see link (but beware that it contains post-surgical images which squeamish people may not want to see!)
http://www.guinealynx.info/ovarian_cysts.html

Not sure if this is the same type of hormones commonly used in the UK though....hopefully someone else can advise further.

Best of luck to you and little Peggy xx
 
i'm not too sure of the name - one of my pigs is getting the injections at the moment but if someone more knowledgeable doesn't reply in the mean time, i'll give the vets a ring in the morning and ask for you xx
 
missy said:
Not sure if this is the same type of hormones commonly used in the UK though....hopefully someone else can advise further.
Click to expand...

I just did a quick search of this forum and there are quite a few threads containing the search term "HCG", so it looks like it is something used over here....might be an idea to have a look through those threads x
 
Thanks so much to everyone. I did find a 'brand' name eventually yesterday called Cystorelin and info about 2 different types of hormone injections. Cystorelin is a GnRH and the other you mentioned is hcG.

I've read so much around this until my head is spinning.

I've made the really hard decision to have her spayed and she is booked in on Friday. Her cysts are very big. I feel awful I didn't catch them earlier and I know it's no excuse but she is a merino and has always been on the large size and with all her hair, her 'shape' just went under the radar. It wasn't until she had a dramatic haircut at the weekend that I found the bald patches on her sides. Her sides feel quite warm this morning and I'm just terrified one is going to burst. She also lost 20g yesterday which I know is nothing really (and could just be equivalent to a big slice of cucumber!) but it makes me concerned none the less.

I hope I've made the right decision - I feel sick with worry about the op but she is in good health at the moment and it feels like the right time to operate before things get worse?

Please keep fingers crossed for us both on Friday.

Louise & Peggy x
 
Big Piggy Hugs

Big hugs to you all - its hard being a parent - piggy or human - you must do what you think is best for your piggy!
Keep us all updated.

x
 
Thank you so much.

I don't condone breeding but would really appreciate it if someone could breed a pig that talks and says "yes mummy, I think an operation would be the best course of action" so we don't have to make all the horrible decisions and then live with the guilt?
 
Hope it goes well for you and your little girl x
 
Thanks so much for all your kind messages.

Peggy is home and the op seemed to go well although the cysts that came out with big and horrid. So glad they're out now.

She's very quiet but she has taken some critical care and some tiny bits of veggies which I'm really hopeful about. Fingers crossed she'll have a nice sleep tonight and feel much better in the morning

xx
 
Thank you - yes we were up in the night syringing her. She's still much the same this morning - she has taken some hay of us - probably about 5 long pieces and a couple of celery leaves. She's had more critical care this morning too. I can't wait to give her more metacam at about 12.

Thanks for your concern xx
 
Glad to hear that at least she's eaten something herself. Keep trying her fave veg to try and tempt her. Some pigs take many days to get over having an op so it's very early days for Peggy but fingers crossed she'll be much better soon. Sounds like you're doing a great job x

(Btw is her daily dose of Metacam being split into 2 servings a day? Just wondering because some Vets prescribe just one dose per day but lots of people prefer to give half the daily dosage every 12 hours instead.)
 
Hi

Thanks so much. Don't worry I'm tempting her with everything I can think of. She takes a tiny bit of something (I get my hopes up) then she loses interest, then she takes a tiny bit of something else etc etc. I've managed to feed her about 20 pieces of hay this morning - piece by piece, she's had about 20 blades of grass (one by one!) and a tiny piece of lettuce (along with her critical care).

She seems very up and down - one minute I think she almost looks like herself then she goes very quiet again.

The vet did prescribe metacam in 1 dose but I have been split it. She's just had a dose now as she was dosed up until 12 this morning by the vet. I'll give her the other half before bed tonight.

Thanks so much, I appreciate any tips very much.

Louise xx
 
The fact that she's willing to eat some hay and grass is definitely good news, to help keep her teeth worn down as much as possible.

If you're not doing so already then I'd definitely give her a Vitamin C supplement. Perhaps also some Metatone in the short-term - lots of people find this acts as an appetite stimulant for poorly piggies.

Is she on any other meds or just the Metacam? If she's on a course of antibiotics then a probiotic may help, either "poop soup" from a healthy pig or a shop bought piggy-safe one.
 
I've got some metatone I can try - that's a great idea.

She's not on antibiotics which I'm quite pleased about as they can course lots of problems in themselves. Hopefully she won't need them. The vet said if they do their job properly there shouldn't be a need. Her wound looks quite calm and I'm keeping everything clean.

Does critical care have a probiotic in it or do I not need one if we're not using antibiotics?

She only seems to eat when hand-fed. If I put her back in the cage she just sits or sleeps. But at least she's taking something.

Lx
 
louise_stocker said:
Does critical care have a probiotic in it or do I not need one if we're not using antibiotics?
Click to expand...

Just looked up the ingredients and I think CC does contain probiotics, yes, so that should cover things but as she's not on ABs it's not really such an issue anyway.

Please keep us updated x
 
Just an update re probiotics...
The piggy on this thread has also had an op recently as is being fed a probiotic (Fibreplex) in addition to Critical Care, whilst she is unable to get her own caecotrophs to eat.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=1121998&posted=1#post1121998

To be honest I'm a bit confused about whether or not CC actually does contain probiotcs as I've seen contradictory opinions on this. Hopefully someone else can confirm this for sure!
 
Thanks - I'm following that thread already as I noticed she was being spayed on the same day as Peggy. I've heard both things about critical care too - everything I read and every medication seems to have 2 schools of thought on it - it can be so confusing at times.

I didn't mention before but while Peggy was 'under the knife' I found running lice in my other 2. Was disgusted with myself that I hadn't noticed them before. They're not terrible - there aren't any red or bald patches (except on Peggy but I'm sure they were cyst related and they weren't inflamed).

Anyway, completely confused as now I can't bath Peggy for 2 weeks due to her wound. Found some Johnson's insecticidal spray which doesn't need to be rinsed off but again some people say its great and others say don't touch it with a bargepole. The vet also told me to wait a few days before trying it just because of all the other meds Peggy had while in hospital.

I used Johnson's insecticidal shampoo on the other 2 while Peggy was in hospital with the intention of separating them when she came out but as soon as I separate them she becomes depressed and is a little brighter with them around so that plan has gone out of the window and they're all together again. I've bought some lice and easy from gorgeous guineas but it won't arrive until next week and like I said I won't be able to use it on Peggy for a fortnight.

Another complication is that our youngest who we've only had 4 weeks (and is probably where the lice came from!) may be pregnant. Its pretty unlikely but I know I've got to be careful what I use on her as well as her being very young. She's meant to be 12 weeks but I was advised on this forum that due to her weight she could be younger. The thread about her is here:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=74487&highlight=white+poo

Everything just seems so complicated at the moment but I believe as the lice aren't too bad that I have to put Peggy's needs first, even her psychological needs of being with the others.

What a mess!
 
Oh no! You really have a lot on your plate right now.

Well at least the 'good' thing about running lice is that I've found them to be the easiest skin problem to identify, so if you're sure then at least you should be able to get rid of them quickly, as and when you decide to treat.

With regard to how/when best to treat, all I can say is that I wouldn't personally use the Johnson's permethrin-based spray but I'm afraid I don't know of an alternative if you can't bathe them. If you haven't already contacted Chrissie at Gorgeous Guineas then I'd definitely consult her for advice on that.

Normally we're supposed to stick to one thread per piggy but in this case it might be worth starting a new thread to ask specifically if anyone has advice re the lice and bathing etc. It's just that people without knowledge of hormone injections may not read this thread, because of it's title. I'd hate you to miss out on good advice x
 
Hi and thanks again

I was very much in two minds about using the spray too but can't see an alternative for Peggy other than a lice comb or waiting until her wound has healed.

She hates having her hair brushed at the best of times (she's a merino - the black one in my avator) so it seems cruel to brush her when she's already feeling poorly and can't fight back.

Yes, I've had lots of communication with Chrissie and I think lice comb or waiting is the only option. I'll ask for more advice though - is it not possible to change the title of a thread once started?

Just sent my other half out for curly kale. I normally hold off on this as I know its high in calcium and can cause stones but its Peggy's absolute favourite. He had to go to 2 supermarkets and got the last bag in the shop! She's just taken about 5 pieces and even fought off one of the others when they tried to steal it!

Starting to feel hopeful :)
 
Just wondering how Peggy is this evening. I saw that you'd mentioned on Cameo's thread that Peggy had really lost her appetite. Are you still keeping up the Critical Care syringe feeds? A piggy which isn't really eating for themselves will need 120mls of feed daily.

Really hope that things are ok x
 
Just wondering how Peggy is this evening. I saw that you'd mentioned on Cameo's thread that Peggy had really lost her appetite. Are you still keeping up the Critical Care syringe feeds? A piggy which isn't really eating for themselves will need 120mls of feed daily.

Really hope that things are ok x
 
Hi

Thanks so much for asking but I'm afraid it's not good news. Tried and tried to get critical care into her this afternoon but she just struggled and was getting quite stressed. I ended up in tears with frustration and she wasn't eating anything by herself.

Ended up at the emergency vets this evening and have left her in the hospital. They're going to give her syringe feeds but also triple her pain meds and start anti-biotics too. She was doing so well but may have started with an infection.

Her little tongue had gone really pale and she seemed too warm to me.

So stressed out this evening - horrible that she's not here but hopefully she's in good hands.

Don't think I'll get much sleep tonight :(
 
louise_stocker said:
Hi

Thanks so much for asking but I'm afraid it's not good news. Tried and tried to get critical care into her this afternoon but she just struggled and was getting quite stressed. I ended up in tears with frustration and she wasn't eating anything by herself.

Ended up at the emergency vets this evening and have left her in the hospital. They're going to give her syringe feeds but also triple her pain meds and start anti-biotics too. She was doing so well but may have started with an infection.

Her little tongue had gone really pale and she seemed too warm to me.

So stressed out this evening - horrible that she's not here but hopefully she's in good hands.

Don't think I'll get much sleep tonight :(
Click to expand...

She's in the best place, and no news is good news, so try and get some sleep. When she comes home you may well need to feed through the night so try and rest!

Hopefully the pain relief will help. Cameo was getting very antsy about eating when she was due her pain relief.

Got everything crossed for you!
 
Fingers crossed for peggy from Caroline Truffles & Noodles

x
 
Fingers and paws crossed for Peggy and the girls send healing wheeks.

Gemma, Ginny and Saffy
x
 
Thank you so much everyone. The level of support on this forum is amazing.

Amanda, I just wondered how much pain relief Cameo was receiving. We had been giving Peggy 0.5ml metacam (for cats) and were splitting it into 2 doses a day.

The emergency vet last night said that could be tripled at least. Just wondered what Cameo needed to feel well enough to eat.

Peggy had been improving so well but the timing of her going downhill again was probably about a day and a half since the op - just wondering if this was the pain injection she received after the op wearing off and perhaps the metacam wasn't enough.

Just tried to call for news but the nurses are in the middle of something and can't answer the phone. Will try again shortly and keep you updated.

xx
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top