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Is anybody awake? I think piggy had too much buprenorphine!

Hannah_xx said:
What a relief, I’ve been checking on your thread a couple of times a day. I’m so glad that it seems that he’s making a good recovery xx
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I'm sorry about all the worry. He is definitely not in danger anymore, it was a close call but he seems like his normal self this morning, just a little shook. I slept for 10 hours in a row 🤣
 
Betsy said:
Just caught up with this thread. What a roller coaster ride you've been on! Glad Geezer is now out of danger and is recovering well.
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Thank you :) It's been incredibly scary, he is still a bit skinny (pun not intended 😂 ) and sleeps more than usual, but is otherwise playful and eats with gusto. Poops are back to their normal size and shape.
I did the math, and his dose was 2 to 10 times too big- if based on a dose of 0.01 to 0.05mg/kg, it should have been 0.2 ml at most, and it was 0.4.
I missed the call with the exotic vet so I'm still doubtful about the antibiotic he's been prescribed for his UTI by the ER vet.
I mentioned in another thread that this (Finnish) version of Ditrim contains xylitol, and I'm not comfortable with this. It might be that the amount is tiny enough, but he's just recovered from a brush with death and I don't want to take useless risks. I don't know why they didn't just give him Borgal. 🤦‍♀️
 
PigglePuggle said:
0.4mls buprenorphine dors sound quite a high dose, 0.1mls is more usual- but it also depends on weight, is he a big pig?
Opioids will make any animal woozy and zonked, that in itself is no cause for alarm. A directly fatal overdose would be fatal within minutes/half an hour at most- so if he was ok 3 hours later, its very likely he is fine. Let him sleep it off, just keep checking he is breathing.
You could query the dosage with the vet if you are very concerned- but if he was in a lot of pain, maybe he needed that much?
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Can I ask please, is 0.4ml possibly too high if injected, but ok orally? I ask because Winifred has been prescribed 0.2ml twice daily of oral Vetergesic, for 5 days, in addition to her 2x0.2ml Metacam Dog - for her arthritis pain.
I hope it's not too much, she seems OK after 2 days of it, but as she's 6 it's difficult to say if not moving much is due to age & aches and pains, or something else....
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
Can I ask please, is 0.4ml possibly too high if injected, but ok orally? I ask because Winifred has been prescribed 0.2ml twice daily of oral Vetergesic, for 5 days, in addition to her 2x0.2ml Metacam Dog - for her arthritis pain.
I hope it's not too much, she seems OK after 2 days of it, but as she's 6 it's difficult to say if not moving much is due to age & aches and pains, or something else....
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I don't know how it works orally, and it definitely depends on the pig's weight too... Ask your vet anyway, if only for your own peace of mind and extra safety. Geezer was injected all of that in one go, and wasn't given motility drugs, which my exotic vet said are necessary to have at home in case their GI tract slows down too much.
Is she pooping? Eating by herself? Grooming herself?
0.2 ml according to the study linked in this thread is on the higher side of the spectrum but still within the safe limits- that is with the injectable version. Keep her warm, hydrated, and make sure she's pooping is all I can say with certainty.
This was my first experience of this kind, others are definitely more qualified to clarify.
Best of luck to you and Winifred! I hope she's more comfortable now with the pain medication. ❤️
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
Can I ask please, is 0.4ml possibly too high if injected, but ok orally? I ask because Winifred has been prescribed 0.2ml twice daily of oral Vetergesic, for 5 days, in addition to her 2x0.2ml Metacam Dog - for her arthritis pain.
I hope it's not too much, she seems OK after 2 days of it, but as she's 6 it's difficult to say if not moving much is due to age & aches and pains, or something else....
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If the dose is split 0.2mls twice a day, and if she is used to taking oral Vetergesic, and if this is palliative eldery care, it is fine. My arthritic old girl Clover has been taking 0.1mls Vetergesic orally for a while, up to twice a day as needed, along with 0.4mls cat metacam twice a day, and on Wednesday she had 0.2mls Vetergesic all at once as she was in serious leg pain and she wasnt sleepy or dazed at all, she had a quick nap then got up and started eating hay mych happier than she's been for a while!
Tolerance develops quite fast, but some animals tolerate buprenorphine better than others. If they have previously been ok taking 0.05 mls or 0.1mls, a slow increase should be fine- either short term for acute pain relief, or in the case of elderly piggies with palliative care aches and pains, as long as needed to keep them still with you but pain free x
 
PigglePuggle said:
If the dose is split 0.2mls twice a day, and if she is used to taking oral Vetergesic, and if this is palliative eldery care, it is fine. My arthritic old girl Clover has been taking 0.1mls Vetergesic orally for a while, up to twice a day as needed, along with 0.4mls cat metacam twice a day, and on Wednesday she had 0.2mls Vetergesic all at once as she was in serious leg pain and she wasnt sleepy or dazed at all, she had a quick nap then got up and started eating hay mych happier than she's been for a while!
Tolerance develops quite fast, but some animals tolerate buprenorphine better than others. If they have previously been ok taking 0.05 mls or 0.1mls, a slow increase should be fine- either short term for acute pain relief, or in the case of elderly piggies with palliative care aches and pains, as long as needed to keep them still with you but pain free x
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I should add- under guidance and with a prescription from an experienced vet of course, who is seeing the piggy regularly to treat or manage whatever condition is needing such strong pain relief!
 
Hey everyone, just wanted to update about Geezer.
I've been talking to the clinic and they confirmed that the dosage was correct. I did check the textbook they use, and it corresponds. I am baffled as he actually got half (!) of the dose that current protocols apparently allow for guinea pigs. If he had gotten the entire dose at once I have no doubt he would have died. However, he is doing really well now. Maybe he's allergic, who knows. Hopefully he won't need that ever again!

I also asked the clinic about the antibiotic containing xylitol and they said it's not dangerous to piggies. I am still not convinced as I have only found conflicting information online. But I decided that I would trust them and give him a course of that. He has stopped crying when going potty. He's been drinking water everyday now, and he looks great & healthy. Obviously he had a stubborn UTI and I can't believe I had to beg for 8 months to get him an antibiotic... And over 2300 euros in vet bills since january. 🤦‍♀️
Anyway, thanks for being with me through this whole saga and love to you and your piggies!
Cheers!
 
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