• 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

Mike's baytril - advice please

There seems to be a problem with mike swallowing. He is chewing and chewing for ages.

Since my last post there this afternoon, there are some mixed signs. I'm not sure what is going on. He has been out of his hidey more and when his cagemate came near him, he made his chattering teeth noise and was trying to put his head higher than hers - i thought that maybe means he is feeling slightly better?

Also, more effort to run away when i went to pick him up for his meds.

And strongly wriggling.

Bad signs though - he really did not want the syringe near him. When i checked his mouth, there was a parsley leaf in it!

So i took that out. He had the syringe of med then but making chewing movements for ages. None seemed to come back out of his mouth so hopefully he did swallow it.

He really didnt want any syringe feed. Only got a very small amount in, and again he was chewing for ages.


This is very different from a couple of days ago when he was going onto the syringe feed as if he was starving. He was desperately chomping on the syringe before. Now fighting against it.

I was thinking it is because he is feeling better, he wants to self feed. Problem is, with all this chewing, he really isnt eating nearly enough.

He hasnt been to his water bottle at all. And no hay.


When i looked in his mouth, he only seems to have one incisor at the bottom. 2 at the top. Nothing looks broken at the bottom, it has just gone!

How can it have come out?

He is down 15g every day on weight. Really glad he is going to the cavy savvy vet friday.

What can be causing him not to swallow? Even liquid is getting chewed. Is he not able to move food back in his mouth.

If it is his teeth, could this have come on so soon? I'm sure he was eating speedily this time last week (and until last friday for sure)

What about his symptoms overall?


It seems that there is more to it than uri, doesnt it?
 
Not much change this morning - except to say mike is managing very well with a chunk of cucumber which at least will give him some fluid.

I'm confident that he will still be with us tomorrow afternoon and at least get to the specialist vet to find out what is going on.


He seems stronger in his body and just looks a bit brighter. Maybe the chest is resolving but there is more to the story and he is going to need more help to get properly back on his feet.

His spirit looks strong and he is really going at the cucumber so he fights on
 
Sounds like you are doing a fab job of looking after him!

Just one point to make, guineas have a very high metabolism which means antibiotics have to be given twice a day not once, to be truly effective. Your exotics vet should be aware of this but its important to note. As an example, one of my girls was on antibiotics recently and she was on 0.4ml Sulfatrim (similar to Baytril) twice a day. That was her specific dose and you need to check with your vet for the right dose but its worth being aware of.

Sending healing vibes! x
 
Thanks @Guinea Slave 🙂 I did just split that baytril into 2 lots of 0.2. Given 10a.m and 10p.m.

When i checked guinea lynx, it suggests minimum 2 weeks course for uri so i still dont think 4 days is anywhere near enough.

Mike hasnt made any miraculous recovery yet but still interested in fresh veg. He was swallowing better yesterday too.

His weight seems to have stabilised at 790g. Very thin.

So glad we can see the cavy savvy vet today and then we wont be stuck over the weekend.

Mike's eyes are looking very good now. Not weepy at all.

It sure is a rollercoaster with poorly piggies!
 
Ah its so tough isnt it? Pleased you are seeing a good guinea savvy vet and its good his weight has stabilised, I always find that as long as they keep eating then you are on the road to recovery, the minute they stop then you are in serious territory. I never appreciated how delicate these little creatures are and their little foibles! Its a massive learning curve and they never stop surprising you. Fingers crossed your vet really can help speed recovery. x
 
We are back from the vet with encouraging news 🙂

Chest clear and heart sounds good. He has lost a lower central insisor but apparently that isnt too uncommon and pigs can manage well with one missing.

He checked the back teeth and said they looked ok but he will need to do a proper dental exam once he is stronger if he still has a problem eating.

His glands are swollen huge and the vet suspects a bordetella infection.

Maybe that could be stopping him swallowing comfortably? (My thoughts only)

He has been prescribed more baytril, cisapride and probiotics.

We go back 5th jan if the weight stabilises but sooner if it keeps dropping.
 
Critical care arrived today from amazon as my local vet here doesnt stock it.

Great news is - mike loves it! He seems to be able to swallow that all right! Weight 790g tonight so that seems to have stayed stable 3 days in a row now. Hopefully it will start to go up soon
 
All looking much the same with mike today. He is fair chomping down on the critical care. Seems to love that. Nibbling on fresh veg but still hasnt really turned that corner.
 
On a good note, mike's weight is on the up again! 795g before feeding tonight and 825g after. He is loving the critical care. I put him back in the cage on the lower storey and he had a wander round, then came up and went back into his fleece tunnel.

He still isnt eating much at all himself and stays in one place in his hidey all day so he still isnt right but fingers crossed he will pick up soon
 
Oh dear. Still no change in mike. Looks no better, no worse. No different. Still eating the critical care well but he is not showing any signs of activity really in the cage. I wonder how long this can go on
 
825g again tonight after his syringe feed but otherwise no improvement at all. He takes the syringe well and he did eat a small amount of mint today but otherwise nothing at all. Still very quiet. His eyes are much improved.
 
Sorry to hear about your piggy :( My guinea pig Scarlet was recently put on Baytril (0.5 mL twice daily and it was an exotics vet) but after a couple of doses she completely lost her appetite (except would still eat veggies) and the vet told me to stop the antibiotic. I think since your piggy is still taking the critical care well and maintaining his weight that is a good sign. How much longer are you going to do the antibiotic for? If he starts to lose weight and is not eating on his own, I would probably increase the amount/frequency of Critical Care.
 
Thanks, @ILoveGilbertTheGuineaPig. When i was at the vet on friday, the way he was talking, i thought he had given me enough baytril to last through to his next appt on jan 5th.

However, when i got home and looked in the bottle, it is a tiny amount prescribed. I should think it will last one more week at best.



Slight change today - could be big change- mike was downstairs in his cage today with his cagemate and not in a hidey! And belle, his cagemate, was chirruping away whereas it has been a silent cage for the past few days.

However, mike was very easy to catch. And in full health there is no chance catching him from the lower storey.

He is showing some interest in eating herbs. He just doesnt go at them with any speed or energy. It is a nose into them and a nibble.


Thr vet said to return sooner if his weight dropped more but, with the critical care, i think it will hold or rise. Without that it would definitely drop right down.

I just wish i knew what was causing him to appear so ill. Could it be a really swollen sore throat?
 
tabelmabel said:
Critical care arrived today from amazon as my local vet here doesnt stock it.

Great news is - mike loves it! He seems to be able to swallow that all right! Weight 790g tonight so that seems to have stayed stable 3 days in a row now. Hopefully it will start to go up soon
Click to expand...

Glad that Mike is doing better. It can take some weeks after a bad illness before the weight it coming back on but it will on its own when the body is ready for it. Until then, concentrate on keeping the weight stable as much as possible on its own.

If he really likes the CC, try to feed it from a bowl instead of a syringe to encourage him eating as much as on his own as he can. It makes it much easier on you but also encourages him to get back into the swing. Place some fresh food next to the CC bowl; eating a bit of recovery food can stimulate the appetite.
 
Definite improvement today! He was actually out of his hidey chomping a bit of cucumber with some vigour!

Here is a pic of him today. His eyes are still a bit crusty but they do look like eyes now - last week they looked like the eyes of a dead fish. All flat and dried out, sunken.


That stuff at the front is critical care - he has had a bit of spillage! Will definitely see if he will take it from a bowl. He is showing much more will to eat today:yahoo:20201214_143203.webp
 
Poor Mike! Sounds like he's in great hands though. :) Keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you!
 
Thanks all 🙂 I think i learned a lot when nursing poor old Benson with terminal liver failure last year. He went on for weeks and weeks longer than expected thanks to all the advice and help i got here.

Fingers crossed this time that mike can be nursed back to full health!
 
Aw! He has been eating a 'stickle' and is now downstairs in his cage in an open fleece cozy! And he is washing himself! That must be a good sign he is feeling better!

I am feeling hopeful. It was looking touch and go for a few days there but the improvement today is huge!



So, so glad we got that extra baytril. I'm sure he would have gone right back down had he been left this weekend with no antibiotic.
 
More progress from mike - he was at his water bottle this morning. First time since before he was ill. And he is eating hay! Slow but it is happening!

He is still very easy to pick up from the cage (very unusual for him) but he definitely looks to be on the mend :yahoo:
 
2 days after the last update progress isnt exactly going rapidly. Mike's weight is going up well.

He will not take critical care from a bowl so i am still syringing 2x each day. He does well on that, taking a good 25 to 30 ml each time. He still shows interest in veg but it isnt the constant healthy interest of a well pig. He still spends a lot of time in the hidey. He is still easy to pick up from the cage. His eating is slow and just nibbles, not the fast eating of a well pig.

And just today, i have felt a largish smooth and mobile lump on the side of his body. I'm fairly certain it wasnt there before and neither vet mentioned any lumps. It doesnt seem to hurt him and he is still on baytril.

I'm trying to think of something the same size as it but cant think of anything! It is much bigger than a pea. Actually, i would say a sprout size might be close to it.

What could it be that big that has just sprung up so fast?
 
tabelmabel said:
2 days after the last update progress isnt exactly going rapidly. Mike's weight is going up well.

He will not take critical care from a bowl so i am still syringing 2x each day. He does well on that, taking a good 25 to 30 ml each time. He still shows interest in veg but it isnt the constant healthy interest of a well pig. He still spends a lot of time in the hidey. He is still easy to pick up from the cage. His eating is slow and just nibbles, not the fast eating of a well pig.

And just today, i have felt a largish smooth and mobile lump on the side of his body. I'm fairly certain it wasnt there before and neither vet mentioned any lumps. It doesnt seem to hurt him and he is still on baytril.

I'm trying to think of something the same size as it but cant think of anything! It is much bigger than a pea. Actually, i would say a sprout size might be close to it.

What could it be that big that has just sprung up so fast?
Click to expand...

I would see the vet again. Any fast growing lump needs a physical check - it can be any number of things.
it’s good he is still on antibiotics but if, for example, the lump was to be an abscess and growing fast then it doesn’t mean baytril would be enough to deal with it
 
I have called them but no routine appts til monday. I am waiting for a call back once they have spoken to mike's vet but he is in a meeting just now. I have booked the monday appt provisionally but will need to take him locally if the vet thinks it is an emergency that cant wait.
 
I have my fingers crossed for little Mike, well done for looking after him so well 💕
 
They never got back to me at the vets☹ However, i have been a bit stupid. I have had another feel of the lump and there is an identical one on the other side! They are grape size, rather than sprout.

Are these swollen lymph nodes? They are just about the area where the top of the front legs join the body, in the side of his body.

Mike's weight seems to be slowly increasing but he feels really boney now on his back and sides. Like he has no fat layer at all. It literally feels like fur on top of bone.

This seems to be much more noticable over the past 2 days - I'm sure he wasnt this boney even yesterday.


On a positive note he has been to the hay today and is making more effort to run away when i go to lift him (previously no effort, now some effort but still easy to catch) in full health he is very skittish.

He is still eating his critical care really well so i think he will be stable over the weekend. Or slowly deteriorating. I will get him along to the vet again on monday.
 
Still stable with mike. No real change. He is still nibbling a bit, taking critical care well from the syringe. He was at his water bottle today.

But he is still spending most of his time quiet in his hay loft. The lumps on his sides are the same size as yesterday. Under his neck is swollen. I think that might be bigger.

I'm not feeling too hopeful about his prognosis it has to be said. He had really perked up on tuesday but since then he has gone downhill again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top