Tigermoth
Adult Guinea Pig
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2016
- Messages
- 2,131
- Reaction score
- 4,549
- Points
- 1,175
- Location
- Suffolk, United Kingdom
Had Jenny back at the vet today. I didn’t realise that they have to see animals every six months for review when on long term meds so I had a bit of a row about the last repeat prescription. Anyway she wasn’t doing brilliantly at that point so decided that a quality of life discussion was probably sensible with the potential of it being a one way trip 
Diagnosis - old (possibly the oldest my not young himself vet has ever seen)
Teeth - he thinks she might have some root overgrowth? As she is wet under the chin and watery eyes. Didn’t want to stress her by looking in her mouth as not a candidate for dental.
Ovaries - probably fairly sizeable masses in her ovaries that are impacting how she walks and causing her hair loss. Not a candidate for spay.
Skin - patch of alopecia round her eye from removing crusty exudate. Various little fatty lumps. Not a candidate for removal.
Back - probable lumbar spondylitis
Pelvis - probable arthritis
Knees - probable arthritis
Weight - 720g. At her heaviest she was only about 860g, she’s always been dinky.
On balance he was happy to pts today if that was what I wanted. A month ago I might have agreed because she was very lethargic but I think that was the weather as she has perked right up since it cooled down. She sleeps a lot. She doesn’t move as much as she did so is getting a wet back end, he is worried she is at risk of flystrike. She’s an indoor pig that reduces the risk so regular bum baths to keep it clean. She has had a go at zoomies recently and she is just generally content. She tries to climb up onto the bars at tea time and wheeks for dinner, snacks and head scratches. So I declined the pts.
We have 0.04ml gabepentin added to the mix. We can up the metacam a bit if we need to but we are trying one thing at a time.
Sigh, she’s such a little sweetheart, I want her comfy and happy and frankly I would like her to go when she is ready. He thinks that she might be one that grumbles on and will need a helping hand at some point. Today wasn’t the day though.
Total bill £96
Diagnosis - old (possibly the oldest my not young himself vet has ever seen)
Teeth - he thinks she might have some root overgrowth? As she is wet under the chin and watery eyes. Didn’t want to stress her by looking in her mouth as not a candidate for dental.
Ovaries - probably fairly sizeable masses in her ovaries that are impacting how she walks and causing her hair loss. Not a candidate for spay.
Skin - patch of alopecia round her eye from removing crusty exudate. Various little fatty lumps. Not a candidate for removal.
Back - probable lumbar spondylitis
Pelvis - probable arthritis
Knees - probable arthritis
Weight - 720g. At her heaviest she was only about 860g, she’s always been dinky.
On balance he was happy to pts today if that was what I wanted. A month ago I might have agreed because she was very lethargic but I think that was the weather as she has perked right up since it cooled down. She sleeps a lot. She doesn’t move as much as she did so is getting a wet back end, he is worried she is at risk of flystrike. She’s an indoor pig that reduces the risk so regular bum baths to keep it clean. She has had a go at zoomies recently and she is just generally content. She tries to climb up onto the bars at tea time and wheeks for dinner, snacks and head scratches. So I declined the pts.
We have 0.04ml gabepentin added to the mix. We can up the metacam a bit if we need to but we are trying one thing at a time.
Sigh, she’s such a little sweetheart, I want her comfy and happy and frankly I would like her to go when she is ready. He thinks that she might be one that grumbles on and will need a helping hand at some point. Today wasn’t the day though.
Total bill £96
. She doesn’t hear well so in a morning we often have to poke her to be sure and for her to know her breakfast is there. With Timmy he was fine, he had his breakfast and then had a stroke. Within a couple of hours he had peacefully passed. I’ve probably revived her twice when I’ve found her cold and limp but she has rallied when I tucked her up skin to skin, expecting her to die. I think left on her own she might have already passed.
