Why can't I find a decent vet?!

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Beautifulmess

Beautifulmess

Adult Guinea Pig
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I'm trying to put this simply but I'm so confused.

Basically, I've had 8 guinea pigs in total. Leo and Africa were my first pigs.

I lived in Newcastle when I got them from pets at home (didn't know about rescures) they were skinny and had fungel infections but cleared up with good food, good clean cages and love.

Leo got a inner ear infection, took him to the vets in Newcastle called Beavers and Brook something? It's moved to across the road from the old Zanzibar but was just off King Street. They gave me treatment but I don't think it worked all that well, it eventually cleared up on it's own, leaving him with a head tilt.

They were both fine until I moved to Stafford and a year later Leo started having breathing problems and his heart was very heavy beating, I took him to an emergency vet at Stafford called East Street Vets I think (it was a 'part time' vets) the guy didn't have a clue and gave him an anti histimean instead of telling me he was having heart failure and charged me £91! Since then I've hated all vets, Leo was my baby and it hurt me so bad, I was depressed for months.

Africa became depressed, I had changed to a vets at Island Vets (on the Island between Asda and Wolverhampton Road, they charged me half price because Africa was only self harming and he wasn't unwell and the vet seemed disgusted that Africa pooped on his table :S

I then rang up Vets for Pets which is down the road from me when Africa became very unwell (unknown to me that he was dying of liver failure) the vet was scared of him, she listened to his chest whilst holding him away from her and flinched everytime she touched him. Pumped him full of drugs and it did nothing.

I then rang round all the vets in Stafford asking if they any knowledge of guinea pigs, the receptionist at Park House Vets said her vet, was very experienced and even owned his own guinea pigs. So I signed up there, I've been 4 times, 3 with 3 different guinea pigs and 1 with Roo, the rabbit I had for a while.

First one was with Africa, he diasnosed him with Liver Failure but the obvious fact was he had this massive water pouch under his chest which he didn't have before. Second one was with Mali because his poops were like mush, gave me expencive probiotic and I realised by myself that Mali didn't eat normal hay and needed special stuff (timothey) 3rd time was the rabbit, was a general check up, so nothing too expencive, 4th was yesterday with Corly, he diagnosed right (matching my rodentologist's opinion on the matter), he has cycitus(sp?) but he kept saying that he 'didn't' want to operate due to their difficuilties with going under, he didn't want to x-ray if possible due to again, he has to put them under (my rodentologist disagrees on this and thinks a towel can be used, I agree) so he gave me a large amount of Baytril to give to him once a day 0.5ml a day.

I rang my rodentologist up and told him and he told me to change my vets so now I'm very confused, How do we know when a vet is right? When he's a good vet?

These are my two advices

Rodentologist
Weigh Daily, Cranberry Juice 20-40ml a day
Wet vet/fruit (whatever he likes most)
Water and food syringed due to weight loss
Feed grass and such.

Vet
Baytril 0.5 daily.
wet veg
hay
no dry food
water
To be taken back to vets on Thursday for an ultra sound.
Oh and he gave him a steriod.

I found a vet in Stone on the recommended thread, called Richard at Abbey Street Vets? Has anyone used him?
 
oh bless you hun, what a load of bad luck you have been having and I hope you manage to find the right vet soon, I found mine through asking honeybunnies rescue who they use and haven't looked back since. I've seen 3 different vets there and they are all amazingly wonderful with my piggies
 
It might be worth asking the rescure I know in Stoke about their vet. Thank you for that, didn't even occur to me :)

It's just so hard, I really want my guinea pigs and I'm lucky that my boyfriend has the money to fork out £30 here and there on their 'vet fees' but when it feels like there just trying to pump money out of you I feel really angry, confused and hurt. Really, I have 15ml of this baytril stuff when I need 5ml at most? So why have I paid for 3 times that? I might ring them up Tuesday and actually ask why I was charged for more than I'd use.
 
Do it, no harm in challenging them. Might make them think twice before they try and rip someone else off. Thats why I love my vets, I have wondered once or twice whether they give meds for the sake of it but following a quick check up of Peter and not even getting charged for the consultation I have to believe that they don't
 
Corly gained weight all this week and has suddenly lost all of it to become 1099g. The Baytril did nothing and even though he's eating it's not a lot, I syringe as much as I can but he just refuses after a while. He isn't wheeking whilst peeing now and isn't leaking pee. I just don't get it. Who else has a vet that puts them under to x-ray them?
 
hmm thats odd, did you try that other vet in your area that you were asking about and was recommended?
 
Not yet, I wanted to give this one another chance, but he didn't even wanna do anything this week, I'm to leave him 2 weeks, syringe him up to 50ml a day with a 50ml syringe, said I was wrong to give him cranberry juice and to syringe with a 1ml syringe :S I'm so confused, so confused I'm wondering if I want more pigs when mine eventually die.
 
I believe you mean cystitis?

Cystitis is not something you can operate on, I presume you mean an Xray to check for stones.

Why do you think it's urinated related?
 
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i have a straight jacket thingy i bought from someone off here for my piggies it's fab for using for syringe feeding etc.. it might be worth getting one of them and you could suggest them being xrayed in it, can't remember who i got it from now though maybe someone else can remember?
 
First symptoms were shaking of head and wheeking whilst peeing, the vets checked his ears and teeth, apprantly no problem there. He pressed his bladder which gave Corly discomfort and he leaked urine over the vet which the vet said meant he was uncomfortable in his bladder.

Second symptoms started around 3 weeks after the first, maybe a month. He slowly stopped eating dry food, only fresh food and his water bottle didn't go down as fast. He was always wet under neigh even when his bedding was dry (leaking).

The vet said he had Cystitis, Rodentologist said the same or possibly bladder stones. The vet said he'd have to ultrasound him for bladder stones, didn't want to have to operate as bladder stones come back and he'd be constantly opening him up and it would eventually kill the pig, so he told me to give him anti biotics for a week (baytril) Rodentologist said it was the wrong antibiotic for the job and wouldn't do anything, I was told to syringe him cranberry juice (purist form) vet told me off for this but it stopped Corly wheeking when he peed, he doesn't even lift his bum up anymore but he still isn't eating properly.

Vet said to leave him for 2 weeks and syringe him only food (as water is mixed with it) and to avoid the cranberry juice.

I believe I was told Cystitis could be treated like it is for humans, so why isn't he eating and drinking anymore? The vet won't allow him to be awake during blood taking (his next step) or x-ray, he said he might give him an ultrasound but said his bladder wasn't full enough this visit for one. :S
 
Beautifulmess said:
I believe I was told Cystitis could be treated like it is for humans, so why isn't he eating and drinking anymore? The vet won't allow him to be awake during blood taking (his next step) or x-ray, he said he might give him an ultrasound but said his bladder wasn't full enough this visit for one. :S
Click to expand...

Two of my pigs currently have urinary problems (Wilma has a stone and Patrick Crystals) both are on Septrin, although Baytril has previously cleared a UTI last year for my pig. Septrin is the preferred medicine. My pigs are on AntiBiotics because they have inflamation in the Bladder, Wilma also has an infection.

Next Vet visit, give Corly lots of Water and request an ultrasound.

My Vet recommends Cranberry juice, I use Holland and Barrett concentrated.

I do also give pearl Barley water, as it soothes the Bladder. If a male pig has stones he will generally will need an Op and yes stones can come back.

Recipe Pearl Barley Water
1/4 cup of Pearl Barley
1 cup Water.

Boil for 30 - 45 minutes, drain and offer to the Guinea Pig. I also put Cranberry in and Patrick laps it up.
 
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Saw Paul and apart from a slight cutting from his tooth he couldn't find anything wrong with him either, he's eating more since going their but not much really. He's lost another 5g and Paul said pigs that don't usually have big signs of illness are usually the most sick. Like Africa, I hope I don't lose another pig already. I can't seem to get them past 3 1/2 years :(
 
Sending you a pm regarding a fantastic piggie vet in Wombourne by Wolverhampton
 
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