• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Head tilt

That’s great! Seems to be doing the trick!

My vet said meds don’t go off overnight so use it all up, it will be fine. Even Cat Metacam apparently will last for 3 months in the fridge
 
Bill & Ted said:
That’s great! Seems to be doing the trick!

My vet said meds don’t go off overnight so use it all up, it will be fine. Even Cat Metacam apparently will last for 3 months in the fridge
Click to expand...
We’ve been told 6 months after opening for Metacam (dog) - does it need to be in the fridge? Will ask our vet too. I think the pharmacy will swap out the gabapentin for one in-date - I don’t know what the shelf life is or if it’s a use by or best before May 2024. We’ve got enough for 42 days but not sure if it’s ongoing use yet.
 
A week is a long time in politics and also in guinea pig world. A week after his low point Chips had regained almost half of his 200g weight loss this Tuesday morning and we started to ease back on the oxbow feeding as he seems to have his appetite back. However he has dipped back below the mid point although looking like eating well - may have overdone the lawn time yesterday. Not that his 1290g is a bad weight. Despite the Gabapentin and Metacam he still squeaks when he toilets, especially straight after returning him from meds/feeding/handling and will get snappy with Dobby if he tries to interrupt his first 20 second squeaky wee. Will check in with the vet about further investigations to establish what is going on inside him. Otherwise he’s chirpy enough and back to begging for treats (typically some grass and a little dandelion leaf.
 
The vet has advised increasing the Gabapentin dose to 1.5ml and see how he responds after 7-10 days. Back over 1300g but that’s with some oxbow a couple of times a day until he starts to gain independently/not lose weight without. Here he is demanding snacks!IMG_2914.webp
 
Back to the vets on Monday for further investigations as his weight has been drifting lower in recent days. We upped his oxbow feeding and this morning’s weigh in was initially worrying so we did a best of three and his weight ranged over about 50g from worry to relief (another drop vs stable despite the extra feeding or a small gain). We settled on the final reading (25g gain) and will buy some new scales today! It’s about the relative weight rather than the exact number but this is challenging enough without the extra uncertainty and will compare with Dobby’s weight. Yesterday he was a bit slumped on my wife’s lap while eating his veggies but fine when back in the cage and generally he seems about 80-90% of his normal self. 4.5ml a day of Gabapentin (1.5 every 8 hours) and 2 x Metacam (0.46ml) still.
 
Gained some weight and the vet fairly pleased with him. Tested his wee - it’s at the dilute end of the spectrum but otherwise normal. He does drink more than Dobby. Sticking with the meds and has shared details with RVC for Exotic vet review to consider if /what further investigation might be warranted. Ours reluctant to take a blood sample and on the fence re x ray. She thinks it’s arthritis and just keep on with pain relief though he still squeaks when toileting. Apart from that and getting his weight consistent he seems chirpy.
 
Our vet thought part of the reason my RB boy Larry used to cry when he peed and pooped (albeit he did have a very thickened bladder) was spondylosis of his lower spine, he was arthritic as well which I don't think helped. Anyway that was only spotted on an xray so might be worth getting one done if you can!
Best of luck 🤞❤️
 
This morning he actively lapped up a couple of Metacam syringes of oxbow from the tip/my hand! 🤗 By slightly enlarging the hole at the tip they’re just about the right size for feeding. Here is a short video of him yesterday afternoon on the lookout for snacks.Chips!
 
Wheekallweek said:
Our vet thought part of the reason my RB boy Larry used to cry when he peed and pooped (albeit he did have a very thickened bladder) was spondylosis of his lower spine, he was arthritic as well which I don't think helped. Anyway that was only spotted on an xray so might be worth getting one done if you can!
Best of luck 🤞❤️
Click to expand...
Thank you for sharing your experience. Chips seems to move around ok otherwise but then so did his old friend Crumble, who was on long term Metacam. What was Larry’s treatment? I do worry about long term use of any medication but will do whatever it takes to keep him happy.
 
Idris said:
Thank you for sharing your experience. Chips seems to move around ok otherwise but then so did his old friend Crumble, who was on long term Metacam. What was Larry’s treatment? I do worry about long term use of any medication but will do whatever it takes to keep him happy.
Click to expand...
Larry was struggling with diabetes at the time of this diagnosis, however he continued on quite happily on long term Metacam firstly, then we added in additional strong pain relief for the last period before we sadly had to help him over the Rainbow Bridge due to his bladder issues 🌈❤️
He never had any side effects from the pain relief he was on 😊
That's him in my profile picture ❤️
 
Wheekallweek said:
Larry was struggling with diabetes at the time of this diagnosis, however he continued on quite happily on long term Metacam firstly, then we added in additional strong pain relief for the last period before we sadly had to help him over the Rainbow Bridge due to his bladder issues 🌈❤️
He never had any side effects from the pain relief he was on 😊
That's him in my profile picture ❤️
Click to expand...
What a lovely boy. Sorry you all had to go through that.
 
Our vet has heard back from the specialist “have advised they see him for a referral and proceed with anaesthetic and blood sampling and possible imaging as well” as they are concerned about his kidneys.

We saw the email just at the end of evening veggies where he has been particularly sensitive and Dobby has been more challenging.

Will read up on kidney issues but feel more worried than before with the risk of the procedure and what it might mean. 😕
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top