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Specialist White lesion in my gps throat

Jordynn

Jordynn

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
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Location
Eastbourne
Hi everyone.
My guinea pig ludo has rapidly lost weight over the last week. He was also having softer stool. We were syringe feeding cc but he was still losing weight. We took him to the vet who was worried about his teeth and carried out full body X-rays. Ludos teeth were ok but the vet found a white patch on the back of his throat which would not scrape off so it isn’t thrush. The vet took samples of this to send to the lab.
Ludo has been at the vets for the past 3 days receiving abx, pain relief and gastric medication. Ludo then got very watery stool so pain meds and gastric meds were stopped. The watery stool is better now but he is putting up a struggle to be syringe fed and he has lost more weight today. The vet is not sure what is going on with him - he is an exotic vet specialist but he prepared us that ludo may not recover.
Has anyone had any experience with this. I would be grateful for any advice.
 
Hi! Please keep syringe feeding fibre and try fibreplex to see whether that helps firming up the stool.

No experience with the lesion, but I have flagged your thread and am tagging our most experienced members for you.
@Abi_nurse @Jaycey @helen105281 @Freela

Fingers very firmly crossed!
 
Thank you. He is still an inpatient at the vets we are going tomorrow to see him to bring his cage mate greedy to see if that peps him up a bit. He keeps spitting out the feed today but yesterday he was taking it ok.
 
Jordynn said:
Thank you. He is still an inpatient at the vets we are going tomorrow to see him to bring his cage mate greedy to see if that peps him up a bit. He keeps spitting out the feed today but yesterday he was taking it ok.
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Spitting out the feed is an indication that he may no longer be able to swallow. :(
The visit from his friend will do him good. Piggies need company.
 
Last Year his cagemate had to have an operation and they were separated for about a week and Ludo went off his food but luckily improved when they were together again. I know it’s wishful thinking to think his cagemate will cheer him up so that he will eat again but the vet prepared us that he has deteriorated since Wednesday and that he may need more drastic measures. Ludo will be monitored over the weekend to see if he stabilises or deteriorates. We are taking his cage mate in first thing tomorrow morning.
 
Jordynn said:
Last Year his cagemate had to have an operation and they were separated for about a week and Ludo went off his food but luckily improved when they were together again. I know it’s wishful thinking to think his cagemate will cheer him up so that he will eat again but the vet prepared us that he has deteriorated since Wednesday and that he may need more drastic measures. Ludo will be monitored over the weekend to see if he stabilises or deteriorates. We are taking his cage mate in first thing tomorrow morning.
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All the best! Ludo couldn't have a more loving or caring home. Sadly there is only so much you can do for a piggy; when the chips are down, they are small animals. You can never choose what they come down with; all you can do is concentrate on giving them as happy a life while they have it.

HUGS
 
Thank you wiebke. He is only 4yo and I’m devastated that he’s so sick but I think he has had a happy life. I’m hoping he will surprise us and pull through.
 
I know you say it couldn't be scraped off, but this does sound like a type of thrush. A few years ago we had a temporary resident at TEAS who had something similar, with the same type of symptoms and who was struggling to swallow. Our vet prescribed both itrafungal and the antibiotic, Zithromax. The guinea pig made a full recovery.
 
Sorry I forgot to say that the vet is giving him antifungal medication just to be sure but it’s not having an affect. We are going to see him this morning so I will ask the vet what medication he is getting.
 
He has been on it since Thursday. It’s a once a day antifungal treatment
 
We have just been to see him. He’s very emaciated he’s only 625g and his eyes were crusty so I think he’s maybe aspirated some of his feed. Once we had a few cuddles he seemed to move around a bit more and his cagemate greedy will be staying at the vets with him to see if that will help with him taking the feed better. He is still receiving abx, antifungal and IV fluids. We brought him his favourite veggies to try and temp him so hopefully he will improve.
 
They are only getting about 7mls at a time 4 times a day which isn’t enough. If he survives through the weekend I think we should be able to get more into him. Before he went in he was taking 15-20mls but ours might have been slightly more watered down.
 
I hear this time and time again. I am sure most vets have no idea just how much a guinea pig needs. When a guinea pig is only taking small amounts, I feed little and often. If anything this is the best way, as it mimics how a guinea pig normally eats, as they are grazers.
 
When Christian was on syringe feeding after his op he had between 7 and 9ml every 2-3 hours day and night. I was knackered! I was surprised I was even alive I was that tired!
 
Betsy said:
When Christian was on syringe feeding after his op he had between 7 and 9ml every 2-3 hours day and night. I was knackered! I was surprised I was even alive I was that tired!
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When they're weak, it really is the best way to do it! I have even done 1 ml, leave 10 mins and do another and so on. I have pulled a collapsed piggy back, doing it that way. The joys of syringe feeding!
 
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