fgcb
New Born Pup
Hi everyone. I want to share the story of my 2-year-old Bellini. On Wednesday morning, I heard some weird sounds coming from him. It was barely noticeable; my husband couldn't even catch them because they were so far apart, and Belli was popcorning and being his usual self. He had just been to the vet last week, and he was in great condition, so I didn't want to start freaking out, but on Thursday, there was a distinctive crackling noise, so I went to the vet. He took some x-rays and found a lot of fluid in his lungs, and he was diagnosed with a heart problem. It was not a surprise because the vet had already told us he suspected this before, but he couldn't be certain as, at the time, Belli was also battling an infection and his lungs were also compromised.
So he was prescribed Furosal 10 mg (Furosemide) (half a tablet twice a day) and Vetmedin 1.25 mg (Pimobendan) (half a tablet twice a day). So far, after two doses, I feel he has improved, but I do not know if this is just me trying to be super positive. Yesterday, every breath he took was very audible, and now there are very long intervals of 15-40 min where I do not hear his breathing. I am not sure if this means he's getting better, but at least it seems he is not getting worse. He is, however, quite a bit sleepy. He's always been a bit lazy, but he's a bit more these days; I guess that is normal since he has trouble breathing. He does eat and perks up when he hears I am bringing veggies. He goes out of his house and fights me to take his meds, so I feel optimistic.
The vet told me I have to be realistic since this condition was not curable. He told me Belli is not going to live until he's very old; his last guinea pig with this problem died a year and some months after he was first diagnosed. It was not nice to hear, but since my other baby died so suddenly without any explanation, I take every day as a gift and do not take anything for granted.
So, I would like to know if anyone has similar experiences and if you have any advice on giving pills to guinea pigs. I tried to hide them in a strawberry and he ate his pills, but the trick didn't work today anymore!
So he was prescribed Furosal 10 mg (Furosemide) (half a tablet twice a day) and Vetmedin 1.25 mg (Pimobendan) (half a tablet twice a day). So far, after two doses, I feel he has improved, but I do not know if this is just me trying to be super positive. Yesterday, every breath he took was very audible, and now there are very long intervals of 15-40 min where I do not hear his breathing. I am not sure if this means he's getting better, but at least it seems he is not getting worse. He is, however, quite a bit sleepy. He's always been a bit lazy, but he's a bit more these days; I guess that is normal since he has trouble breathing. He does eat and perks up when he hears I am bringing veggies. He goes out of his house and fights me to take his meds, so I feel optimistic.
The vet told me I have to be realistic since this condition was not curable. He told me Belli is not going to live until he's very old; his last guinea pig with this problem died a year and some months after he was first diagnosed. It was not nice to hear, but since my other baby died so suddenly without any explanation, I take every day as a gift and do not take anything for granted.
So, I would like to know if anyone has similar experiences and if you have any advice on giving pills to guinea pigs. I tried to hide them in a strawberry and he ate his pills, but the trick didn't work today anymore!
