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Boris, his URI, and other problems

Thrymskvida

Thrymskvida

New Born Pup
Joined
Dec 31, 2020
Messages
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Location
KZN, South Africa
I have been advised to start a new thread here for my poorly boar, Boris. His previous thread with background and problems up til now is here.

Short summary:
Boris is a neglected boar I recently adopted. He is very skinny, has lice, a bad URI, and probable ear infection. He wheezes a lot, and it's severe. He is subject to frequent fits of head tilt, ataxia, and nystagmus. His head tucks fully into his side and he's unable to move it much, and can't walk properly. He is however fully conscious and alert, and will drink water and eat happily. He recovers within a few hours, sometimes faster. He weighs 726g today, with a high point of 762g several days ago. Averages around 750ish. Voracious appetite.

He is on Enrovet 10%, diluted to half strength, 0,15ml once per day. Original course was for 5 days, but there was no improvement. Vet has said (without seeing Boris) to continue current treatment. He's on a probiotic as well. I am seeing the vet again today.

He did start a course of Revolution/selamectin for his lice, but he had his first fit shortly afterwards and the vet was worried it was an overdose so washed it off. He is due for his second treatment on the 28th.

I am worried that his condition has deteriorated so badly from his previous neglect and current undermedication that he will not recover.
 
Just returned from the vet. Conclusions:
× Boris has a lower respiratory infection
× His ear infection is in his middle or inner ear
× His parasite situation is looking better

The vet was very hesitant to prescribe a different antibiotic, given Boris' precarious weight (he is tolerating the enrofloxacin well, no digestion issues). He prescribed:
× Enrovet 10% (diluted by half), 0,17ml twice a day
× Eardrops consisting of Kortico (2mg/ml), Baytril 5%, and propylene glycol carrier in ratio of 1:1:4. He is to get 0,1ml in each ear daily.

Boris also got a 0,1ml Dexafort (dexamethasone) injection.

I know steroids are best avoided in rodents, and the vet said that it's not ideal, but given the extent of the inflammation in his ears and lungs it was the best option. I'm to keep a close eye on his appetite and make sure his gut is active. He will only receive more cortisone by injection if absolutely necessary. There will be a check-in call in 3 days to see if there's any improvement.

Good luck, Boris x
 
Oh poor Boris, I hope he is on the mend very soon, you are both having a rough time, hang in there
 
Oh bless little Boris. He really is the luckiest piggie to have found you as a piggie parent. I wish him all the luck in the world for a full recovery. How anyone can let their pets fall into this state is beyond me, some people should never be allowed animals. Please keep us posted on the little guys progress.
 
Update: as seems to be the pattern, things have been up and down. He seemed to be doing quite well yesterday, with quieter breathing. He had his eardrops administered by us for the first time, and hated it. However, today hasn't been as good. He's back to noisy wheezing, and genuinely seems to hate us: he runs away when we try and stroke him or come near him, whereas before he seemed to like petting and eating out of our hands. Do you guys think this is because he is in a lot of pain, because he associates us with the unpleasantness of medication, or has he always been like this but just not had the energy to get away from us? I'm so worried and upset. He was so friendly before. Is there anything I can do to restore his trust, or should I leave him be?

He is active, moving around the cage to eat and drink. He eats almost entirely hay. We put a few pellets in, and some porridge oats, and he was nibbling on those over the past few days but hasn't touched them today. His weight is hanging pretty steady.

This constant roller-coaster is awful. I just want him to be healthy, happy, and as round and shiny as my sows! I'm incredibly angry with the man (son of family friend) who let him get into this state. I agree totally with @Popcorns & Wheeks on this. This is a grown man who voluntarily took on the care of a pair of pigs from someone who wanted them to go to a good home — and look what he did. He would not feed Boris for days on end, barely ever cleaned his tiny cage, and of course was responsible for putting Boris and his brother in a situation that led to Boris killing his brother. That's the kind of irresponsible behaviour I wouldn't expect from a child, let alone someone middle-aged. In my opinion he should be paying for all of Boris' vet bills, too. Sorry for the rant, I'm just... I feel hopeless and exhausted and every morning I wake up I'm afraid I'll find that he's passed away.
 
As long as he is eating plenty of hay don’t worry about the oats or pellets. Poor Boris, he is probably a bit sick of being prodded and poked and administered meds etc but don’t worry, he will give you the evil eye but in the end he will go back to his old happy self who likes your company. it’s true sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind but he won’t hold it forever against you 😊
Keep up the great work you are doing x

Rant away, he should be paying for the bills and more importantly see the pain and distress he has put poor Boris and you through, give him what for 👍
 
Whatever happens with Boris now, you've given him a chance he's not had til now, and he's in a home with someone who cares about him. He knows that, too. He might not be able to verbalise it, but he knows it.

As hard as it sounds, forget about that man. It won't help, people like him have always existed and probably always will. Boris needs to be the focus and his care now no longer depends on this man. Boris is with you, and you're giving him exactly what he needs. But be kind to yourself too, ill pets can be draining physically and mentally.

You've got this. Might not feel like it, but you've got this.
 
Thrymskvida said:
Update: as seems to be the pattern, things have been up and down. He seemed to be doing quite well yesterday, with quieter breathing. He had his eardrops administered by us for the first time, and hated it. However, today hasn't been as good. He's back to noisy wheezing, and genuinely seems to hate us: he runs away when we try and stroke him or come near him, whereas before he seemed to like petting and eating out of our hands. Do you guys think this is because he is in a lot of pain, because he associates us with the unpleasantness of medication, or has he always been like this but just not had the energy to get away from us? I'm so worried and upset. He was so friendly before. Is there anything I can do to restore his trust, or should I leave him be?

He is active, moving around the cage to eat and drink. He eats almost entirely hay. We put a few pellets in, and some porridge oats, and he was nibbling on those over the past few days but hasn't touched them today. His weight is hanging pretty steady.

This constant roller-coaster is awful. I just want him to be healthy, happy, and as round and shiny as my sows! I'm incredibly angry with the man (son of family friend) who let him get into this state. I agree totally with @Popcorns & Wheeks on this. This is a grown man who voluntarily took on the care of a pair of pigs from someone who wanted them to go to a good home — and look what he did. He would not feed Boris for days on end, barely ever cleaned his tiny cage, and of course was responsible for putting Boris and his brother in a situation that led to Boris killing his brother. That's the kind of irresponsible behaviour I wouldn't expect from a child, let alone someone middle-aged. In my opinion he should be paying for all of Boris' vet bills, too. Sorry for the rant, I'm just... I feel hopeless and exhausted and every morning I wake up I'm afraid I'll find that he's passed away.
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Awww that poor little soul. Boris sounds to me like he has trust issues and is probably tired out off the neglect, and who can blame him.

Just keep on with what you are doing. Do keep petting him and giving him love however, I would say don't fluster him too much, even though I would want to do nothing but to show him how much he's loved. Give him a little time to settle and come to terms with his new surroundings.

I agree, that terrible owner should be covering the vets bills and realise just what an awful thing he has done but cast him from your mind. Just concentrate on nursing that little angel back to health, I know you can do it ❤️

There are and always will be neglectful people out there, I only said to the vet a few weeks ago how people who have any sort of animals should be monitored and the pets checked on regularly but unfortunately, this doesn't happen. God bless Boris, I am 🙏 for a happy and full recovery x
 
He's bad today. I don't think the enrofloxacin is helping. He's breathing so hard, and barely moves around his cage. He's still eating, at least.

I'm going to call the vet later today (currently no signal) and ask if Boris can get zithromax and metacam. I know it can be risky to use an AB as strong as zithromax, but at this point I feel like there's nothing to lose. If we do nothing, he's going to die. We have so little hope left. And if he dies, he'll have spent his last days being constantly manhandled and touched, he's so miserable every time we pick him up.

It seems like nearly every thread here about a piggy with a respiratory infection ends in tragedy. I jsut want to cry
 
Thrymskvida said:
He's bad today. I don't think the enrofloxacin is helping. He's breathing so hard, and barely moves around his cage. He's still eating, at least.

I'm going to call the vet later today (currently no signal) and ask if Boris can get zithromax and metacam. I know it can be risky to use an AB as strong as zithromax, but at this point I feel like there's nothing to lose. If we do nothing, he's going to die. We have so little hope left. And if he dies, he'll have spent his last days being constantly manhandled and touched, he's so miserable every time we pick him up.

It seems like nearly every thread here about a piggy with a respiratory infection ends in tragedy. I jsut want to cry
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Oh poor Boris, hope you can turn him around 🤞 so sorry, you are trying so hard x
 
Aw poor you and Boris. I hope the zithromax will help.
Has the vet thought about heart problems? I don't know much about it but I know it can affect their breathing, I think it causes fluid on the lungs.
Just a thought, I really hope he's feeling better soon, it's such a shame in a way that he's just got started on his new life and this happens, but at the same time lucky that he has you to care for hkm and help him ❤️
 
Thrymskvida said:
He's bad today. I don't think the enrofloxacin is helping. He's breathing so hard, and barely moves around his cage. He's still eating, at least.

I'm going to call the vet later today (currently no signal) and ask if Boris can get zithromax and metacam. I know it can be risky to use an AB as strong as zithromax, but at this point I feel like there's nothing to lose. If we do nothing, he's going to die. We have so little hope left. And if he dies, he'll have spent his last days being constantly manhandled and touched, he's so miserable every time we pick him up.

It seems like nearly every thread here about a piggy with a respiratory infection ends in tragedy. I jsut want to cry
Click to expand...

Oh dear, I'm so sorry you and poor Boris are going through this nightmare. My thoughts are with you both ❤️. My 🌈 piggie Susie suffered with respiratory issues since birth and we were in and out of the vets like a yoyo, she was prescribed her fair share of antibiotics and ended up in stasis at one point until, the vet recommended using a nebuliser, gave us an antiseptic solution called f10 and told us to Dilute it down before use. She told us to buy a plastic storage box, put a hole in one side to place the nebuliser into and air holes at the other side. This really did help with her breathing issues, my Susie also had a heart murmur that contributed to her problems.

This could be an idea? Maybe it's worth mentioning to your vet as it could help Boris too? I would go down the road of using zithromax too if even there was a chance of him recovering. I really hope 🙏 he will recover. You are doing your best and even tho he seems miserable and you are constantly fussing over him, he will know you are doing it out of love.

Here is a picture of my other 🌈 piggie Heidi on the nebuliser to give you an idea x

20220425_234845.webp
 
Guys... I have good news! He really seems to be doing well (knock on wood)!

We weren't able to physically get to the vet (again), but he is now taking a higher dose of enrovet and is taking a teeny bit of CBD gel. I was very skeptical about this, but I looked it up on Google scholar and there's some decent evidence that cannabidiol helps with inflammation (specifically in the lungs of Guinea pigs, too). Anecdotally, Boris is responding amazingly well to it. Within about 15 minutes of his first dose his wheezing was much less pronounced and he was wandering around his cage.

I really thought he was going to die a few days ago, but now I honestly believe he's got a fighting chance! He's even gained some weight, at long last. He was 728g on Friday night, then 795g on Saturday night (stuffed full), and 766g this morning (mostly empty stomach)!

@Wheekallweek, luckily the vet has checked his heart every time and it seems okay ♥️

@Popcorns & Wheeks, thank you for the nebuliser visualisation! We borrowed a nebuliser from a neighbour and the setup seems to help quite a bit. We don't have the F10 solution at the moment but are on the lookout (using saline for now). Boris seems to enjoy the process. Heidi is unbelievably cute!

Thanks everyone for your kind wishes.
 
Thrymskvida said:
Guys... I have good news! He really seems to be doing well (knock on wood)!

We weren't able to physically get to the vet (again), but he is now taking a higher dose of enrovet and is taking a teeny bit of CBD gel. I was very skeptical about this, but I looked it up on Google scholar and there's some decent evidence that cannabidiol helps with inflammation (specifically in the lungs of Guinea pigs, too). Anecdotally, Boris is responding amazingly well to it. Within about 15 minutes of his first dose his wheezing was much less pronounced and he was wandering around his cage.

I really thought he was going to die a few days ago, but now I honestly believe he's got a fighting chance! He's even gained some weight, at long last. He was 728g on Friday night, then 795g on Saturday night (stuffed full), and 766g this morning (mostly empty stomach)!

@Wheekallweek, luckily the vet has checked his heart every time and it seems okay ♥️

@Popcorns & Wheeks, thank you for the nebuliser visualisation! We borrowed a nebuliser from a neighbour and the setup seems to help quite a bit. We don't have the F10 solution at the moment but are on the lookout (using saline for now). Boris seems to enjoy the process. Heidi is unbelievably cute!

Thanks everyone for your kind wishes.
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I'm so pleased to hear Boris is improving. Your welcome, it's made my day to hear the good news.
 
Thrymskvida said:
Boris is doing well. He has permanent damage, but that hasn't stopped him from being the brightest little boy I've ever met. He's active, enthusiastic, and always looking for something to eat.
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Awwwww I am so so pleased to hear Boris is doing well. After what that poor baby has been through he deserves the world. Ever since you posted about Boris, he has been in my thoughts everyday. Well done to you for nursing him back to health and bringing his beautiful personality back to life. You really are his savior 🙏
 
Update! Boris has been very slowly improving, weight-wise. He had a setback, recently, when I went on holiday for a few days (lost 50g), but has regained some of the lost weight. He went to the vet today to check on that, and also inspect his teeth. His incisors are too long, which is a result of overgrown molars - he can go in to have those trimmed next week.

I'm a little worried about that, because he is still very underweight (~830g) and doesn't breathe well at all! On the other hand, I definitely can't just leave the situation as it is. It'll only get worse, and it's cruel. I suppose it is a risk we'll have to take.

Apparently, his sinus problems might be partially caused by his molar problems. I wonder if that'll turn out to be true. He's still very wheezy and snuffly, poor thing.
 
Thrymskvida said:
Update! Boris has been very slowly improving, weight-wise. He had a setback, recently, when I went on holiday for a few days (lost 50g), but has regained some of the lost weight. He went to the vet today to check on that, and also inspect his teeth. His incisors are too long, which is a result of overgrown molars - he can go in to have those trimmed next week.

I'm a little worried about that, because he is still very underweight (~830g) and doesn't breathe well at all! On the other hand, I definitely can't just leave the situation as it is. It'll only get worse, and it's cruel. I suppose it is a risk we'll have to take.

Apparently, his sinus problems might be partially caused by his molar problems. I wonder if that'll turn out to be true. He's still very wheezy and snuffly, poor thing.
Click to expand...

I am so pleased to hear that Boris is improving however, not so glad to hear the poor boy is having more problems now with his teeth 😞. He really has been through hell the poor soul.

Yer I'm afraid it does sound like having his molars trimmed is the only option unless things could get worse. I wish him all the luck in the world. Keep us updated on his progress. You are doing a fantastic job of nursing this little angel back to health. Well done 👏
 
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