Thrymskvida
New Born Pup
My guinea pig was given Convenia. Her symptoms before the injection weren't severe, but she died a few days afterwards after extremely rapid deterioration. Here is the story leading up to it.
In December, Gwynedd became ill.
Symptoms were:
1. Fur puffed up sometimes.
2. Facing the corner sometimes.
Her appetite was as large as ever, and she was still running around normally.
A vet appointment was made, but delayed. My usual vet, Dr C, was on leave, but the receptionist said the vet Gwynedd was seeing (Dr A) had experience with small animals. On the way to the vet, Gwynedd was agitated and unhappy.
Dr A checked Gwynedd over thoroughly, and said he couldn't find anything very wrong:
- Her white blood cell count was elevated
- Her temperature was a bit high
He said that could be attributed to stress. He couldn't see any pathogens in her urine or hear any crackling in her lungs. Perhaps some stuffiness in her sinuses.
He gave her three injections. He didn't mention the names of the medications, and I was too shy to ask.
That night (the 24th), Gwynedd didn't come running immediately like she usually did for her food. I was concerned, but thought the meds would kick in soon. She also began to squeak and strain when defecating, which we worried about, but we theorised might be due to abrasions from having her temperature taken.
The next two days were the same. Her condition didn't improve, and she became more lethargic and ate less. The squeaking and straining continued, though wasn't continuous. Her fur was puffy and she sat hunched in corners. I kept thinking up excuses for her behaviour, and believing that the meds would help her soon enough.
On the morning of the 27th, Gwynedd was extremely unwell. She was lying flat on her stomach, and not eating at all. Occasionally she'd hunch, strain, and squeak loudly. I became increasingly alarmed. At about 9 I offered her one of her favourite greens, and she didn't react at all. She was very cold and limp. My mother brought mashed-up pellets and a syringe for Gwynedd and called Dr A. While she was on the phone, I tried to syringe feed Gwynedd but she'd barely swallow anything. In retrospect, I think I tried too much too fast.
My mother handed me the phone. Dr A and I discussed Gwynedd's symptoms, and he recommended I massage her stomach and give her a tiny enema (she had developed bloat). He said to make an emergency appointment at the animal hospital. While my mother was doing that, Gwynedd started to softly squeak with every breath. My touches on her belly seemed to hurt her, too. She started to shift a bit, and then suddenly she was in the final throes. My mother was still on the phone making the appointment when my lovely Gwynedd died in my hands. All I could think was that I couldn't even help her pain.
I ran across the brand name "Convenia" on this forum a few days later. It's a long-acting, injectable antibiotic. That sounded like what Gwynedd had been given. It's a cephalosporin, and toxic to Guinea pigs. There are several threads here dealing with Guinea pigs who've been given this drug.
I visited the practice on 4 January to take Miri to see Dr C. I asked him about what Gwynedd had been given, saying Dr A had given her "an antibiotic that was supposed to last 14 days". He immediately said, "Oh, Convenia?" and my heart sank. He checked the records of Gwynedd's appointment, and was surprised to see Cerenia instead. He said Dr A had probably confused Cerenia & Convenia in the records.
I voiced my concern that Convenia was a cephalosporin (contraindicated in guinea pigs) and that Gwynedd had passed away soon after receiving it. Dr C said it was possible it had something to do with it but also that giving penicillin by injection wasn't as harmful (to rabbits), and had been done successfully. He'd talk to Dr A about it, though (he hasn't gotten back to me).
The safety profile of Convenia, as published by the manufacturer, specifically says not to administer it to guinea pigs, but I didn't want to push back on a vet I trust and respect.
I know piggies hide their illnesses well, and that Gwynedd may have succumbed to a disease much more advanced than we thought. I know I may just be latching on to the possibility that it was Convenia that did it. But it seems likely.
Apologies for the long post.
In December, Gwynedd became ill.
Symptoms were:
1. Fur puffed up sometimes.
2. Facing the corner sometimes.
Her appetite was as large as ever, and she was still running around normally.
A vet appointment was made, but delayed. My usual vet, Dr C, was on leave, but the receptionist said the vet Gwynedd was seeing (Dr A) had experience with small animals. On the way to the vet, Gwynedd was agitated and unhappy.
Dr A checked Gwynedd over thoroughly, and said he couldn't find anything very wrong:
- Her white blood cell count was elevated
- Her temperature was a bit high
He said that could be attributed to stress. He couldn't see any pathogens in her urine or hear any crackling in her lungs. Perhaps some stuffiness in her sinuses.
He gave her three injections. He didn't mention the names of the medications, and I was too shy to ask.
That night (the 24th), Gwynedd didn't come running immediately like she usually did for her food. I was concerned, but thought the meds would kick in soon. She also began to squeak and strain when defecating, which we worried about, but we theorised might be due to abrasions from having her temperature taken.
The next two days were the same. Her condition didn't improve, and she became more lethargic and ate less. The squeaking and straining continued, though wasn't continuous. Her fur was puffy and she sat hunched in corners. I kept thinking up excuses for her behaviour, and believing that the meds would help her soon enough.
On the morning of the 27th, Gwynedd was extremely unwell. She was lying flat on her stomach, and not eating at all. Occasionally she'd hunch, strain, and squeak loudly. I became increasingly alarmed. At about 9 I offered her one of her favourite greens, and she didn't react at all. She was very cold and limp. My mother brought mashed-up pellets and a syringe for Gwynedd and called Dr A. While she was on the phone, I tried to syringe feed Gwynedd but she'd barely swallow anything. In retrospect, I think I tried too much too fast.
My mother handed me the phone. Dr A and I discussed Gwynedd's symptoms, and he recommended I massage her stomach and give her a tiny enema (she had developed bloat). He said to make an emergency appointment at the animal hospital. While my mother was doing that, Gwynedd started to softly squeak with every breath. My touches on her belly seemed to hurt her, too. She started to shift a bit, and then suddenly she was in the final throes. My mother was still on the phone making the appointment when my lovely Gwynedd died in my hands. All I could think was that I couldn't even help her pain.
I ran across the brand name "Convenia" on this forum a few days later. It's a long-acting, injectable antibiotic. That sounded like what Gwynedd had been given. It's a cephalosporin, and toxic to Guinea pigs. There are several threads here dealing with Guinea pigs who've been given this drug.
I visited the practice on 4 January to take Miri to see Dr C. I asked him about what Gwynedd had been given, saying Dr A had given her "an antibiotic that was supposed to last 14 days". He immediately said, "Oh, Convenia?" and my heart sank. He checked the records of Gwynedd's appointment, and was surprised to see Cerenia instead. He said Dr A had probably confused Cerenia & Convenia in the records.
I voiced my concern that Convenia was a cephalosporin (contraindicated in guinea pigs) and that Gwynedd had passed away soon after receiving it. Dr C said it was possible it had something to do with it but also that giving penicillin by injection wasn't as harmful (to rabbits), and had been done successfully. He'd talk to Dr A about it, though (he hasn't gotten back to me).
The safety profile of Convenia, as published by the manufacturer, specifically says not to administer it to guinea pigs, but I didn't want to push back on a vet I trust and respect.
I know piggies hide their illnesses well, and that Gwynedd may have succumbed to a disease much more advanced than we thought. I know I may just be latching on to the possibility that it was Convenia that did it. But it seems likely.
Apologies for the long post.
