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My poor baby 😢

elliejohnson678.

New Born Pup
Joined
Aug 6, 2024
Messages
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Points
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Location
Uk
Hello everyone.
Just thought I'd pop on here just for a bit of advice.. this morning I was having some bonding time with my little Bertie when an accident happened. I was laying down on my sofa with my head on the arm of it. I had Bertie on my tummy eating some lettuce. My living room window was open slightly as the weather has been so warm here in the UK - a car drove past my house and it was SO loud and it really frightened Bertie and he ran up my shoulder and off the couch. It happened so fast and my heart is breaking that he's hurt! It was a complete freak accident but I still feel so guilty. I love both my piggies so much and they are my world.
I took Bertie to the vets after phoning them as soon as it happened (they told me to clean his sore lip with saltwater and he should be fine) but then a couple of hours later his eye looked red and swollen. I rushed him straight in and they gave him a 0.2ML Rheumocam injection. It says on my receipt (cat/dog) has anyone else's piggies ever been given this medication before? I can't stop worrying about my baby. I've been told "it's just a guinea pig, why are you so upset?" But they truly aren't just "guinea pigs" they are everything and more to us who have them.
Apologies for my ramble - I'm unsure if I can attach pictures of him on here but if I can I will attach some. Please wish my baby a quick recovery 😢❤️ x x
 
Try not to feel too guilty as at least you took him to a vet. Too many people with hurt or poorly piggies don't bother.
I'm pretty sure that's what my Dignified Sir George was given when he had a hay poke.
You will be able to post pictures once your registration is complete and the words new born pup appear on your profile, there will be an attach files button on the reply box.
My Beastie Boys send healing rumbles.
 
Thank you. I just love them so much (sounds dramatic but it's true) I just keep crying when I see his poor eye. It just looks like conjunctivitis but there's no gunk or anything.. it must just be due to the fall. My poor boy! I hope the injection has given him some pain relief.. they didn't really explain to me what it would do. They told me to give them an update tomorrow on how he's looking. Bertie appreciates the healing rumbles ❤️
 
Hello everyone.
Just thought I'd pop on here just for a bit of advice.. this morning I was having some bonding time with my little Bertie when an accident happened. I was laying down on my sofa with my head on the arm of it. I had Bertie on my tummy eating some lettuce. My living room window was open slightly as the weather has been so warm here in the UK - a car drove past my house and it was SO loud and it really frightened Bertie and he ran up my shoulder and off the couch. It happened so fast and my heart is breaking that he's hurt! It was a complete freak accident but I still feel so guilty. I love both my piggies so much and they are my world.
I took Bertie to the vets after phoning them as soon as it happened (they told me to clean his sore lip with saltwater and he should be fine) but then a couple of hours later his eye looked red and swollen. I rushed him straight in and they gave him a 0.2ML Rheumocam injection. It says on my receipt (cat/dog) has anyone else's piggies ever been given this medication before? I can't stop worrying about my baby. I've been told "it's just a guinea pig, why are you so upset?" But they truly aren't just "guinea pigs" they are everything and more to us who have them.
Apologies for my ramble - I'm unsure if I can attach pictures of him on here but if I can I will attach some. Please wish my baby a quick recovery 😢❤️ x x

Hi and welcome

HUGS

Accidents happen. Piggies are prey animals and they can be spooked. Sometimes they react with a blind jump. They are pretty impossible to prevent. :(

Rheumocam is the current brand name for dog strength metacam (which is 3 times stronger than the cat metacam, which is the officially licensed painkiller for cats, usually this comes under the brand name loxicom in the UK).
It is an analgesic, so it helps with the swelling down as much as with the pain. The medication level is on the lower side but above the merely cosmetic level :)

Has the eye been checked for a potential perforation with the dye under UV light and have you been given further medication?

PS: The best way to attach pictures is via the attach files button underneath your post when you write. It will appear once your registration is fully processed, which takes a little time.
 
@Wiebke thank you for your reply. It really means a lot! I've been worrying about it since they administered it to him but your reply has helped. 😇 They checked his eye and did an examination on him and said he seems okay but they would give him the injection to help with the swelling. They told me to give them an update tomorrow and if it gets worse or it is no better then they may have to give me some oral medication to give to him.
It's just really broken my heart that he is hurt and I wish it had never happened. I won't be opening that specific window anytime soon as the cars driving past are too spooky for Bert! 😢 thank you again for all of your help. I've felt pretty alone about it all and I've felt like a bad piggie parent!
 
@Wiebke thank you for your reply. It really means a lot! I've been worrying about it since they administered it to him but your reply has helped. 😇 They checked his eye and did an examination on him and said he seems okay but they would give him the injection to help with the swelling. They told me to give them an update tomorrow and if it gets worse or it is no better then they may have to give me some oral medication to give to him.
It's just really broken my heart that he is hurt and I wish it had never happened. I won't be opening that specific window anytime soon as the cars driving past are too spooky for Bert! 😢 thank you again for all of your help. I've felt pretty alone about it all and I've felt like a bad piggie parent!
They also didn't check with any dye or anything. The vet just looked at him and felt around his bones and checked his teeth. I'm afraid to go to sleep to be honest.. I'm just worried about the potential of it being a bad head trauma! 😢
 
Here is my poor Bertie. 😢😢😢
 

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They also didn't check with any dye or anything. The vet just looked at him and felt around his bones and checked his teeth. I'm afraid to go to sleep to be honest.. I'm just worried about the potential of it being a bad head trauma! 😢

Hi

Please take a deep breath and make sure that you get your sleep. Your boy is not going to die anytime soon. He looks a bit sore but he is not on death's door.

It is normal to be jittery and to feel bad in the wake of one of these unforseeable and therefore not preventable accidents. It doesn't make you a bad owner. These things happen to all of us at some point or other in some form or other.
Please do some mindfulness for yourself before you go to bed. You are not any help to your boy in your current state of panic and it not doing you any good, either.
Pet Owners Anxiety - Practical Tips For Sufferers and For Supporters

You can check on him once during the night; especially the eye - that is the bit more concerning part but he has hopefully just bruised it a bit. It doesn't look bloody or really bad to me. I would recommend that you rehydrate it with some plain eye drops tomorrow to help the normal healing process. See how it looks tomorrow morning when you call your vets again.

But if his front teeth are all there and still firmly attached then I would not worry, especially if he can still eat normally. ;)

PS: You make saline solution at home by mixing one teaspoon of salt into 250ml /1 pint of boiled, cooled water. It is a mild antiseptic.
First Aid: Immediate Care Measures and Non-medication Products

PS2: Guinea pigs do matter just as much as any living creature; they feel their pain no less than us and they are socially very complex animals. The more we learn about animals, the more like them we humans look like - or the more they are like humans.

All the best!
 
Thank you so much. Your help has been wonderful - what a lovely community this is! I'm going to check on him one last time and then I'll do some breathing and try to get some sleep. Thank you very much again, I can't thank you enough! ❤️ @Wiebke
 
I am so sorry to hear your Bertie has had an unfortunate accident. It wasn't your fault, please don't blame yourself. Well done on getting him seen by a vet so quickly.
Sending Bertie healing vibes from me and my 6 boars one of whom is called Bertie!
 
Hi

How is the eye this morning? Please see your vet again if it looks worse. He will feel rather sore today, poor boy, as the bruising has had time to swell up now.
 
Good Morning Everyone!
Here is an update on my little Bertie Boy.
He is looking much better this morning - his eye is open and it is not as swollen as seen in the pictures above. He's eating his food and he's drinking as normal. They did say the injection meds would last 24hours and he got that at about 17:40 yesterday so it won't have worn off yet. I've updated my vet anyway and attached pictures - I just hope it won't wear off and then he feels even worse! However, I am so pleased to see my little boy being himself 😇 x
The image from last night melted my heart! My other little boy Rupert was an angel with him, he slept right by Bertie's side! (Doesn't normally do this) 😂🥰
 

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Good Morning Everyone!
Here is an update on my little Bertie Boy.
He is looking much better this morning - his eye is open and it is not as swollen as seen in the pictures above. He's eating his food and he's drinking as normal. They did say the injection meds would last 24hours and he got that at about 17:40 yesterday so it won't have worn off yet. I've updated my vet anyway and attached pictures - I just hope it won't wear off and then he feels even worse! However, I am so pleased to see my little boy being himself 😇 x
The image from last night melted my heart! My other little boy Rupert was an angel with him, he slept right by Bertie's side! (Doesn't normally do this) 😂🥰

It looks good! What a relief for you!

Piggies can be so caring with their companions.
 
Glad your little piggy is getting better. If there is one thing I have learnt very quickly about this forum, the love, guidance and support is fabulous.
Thank you so much.
I've also learnt this very quickly! It's like I've found my people who really understand how much they mean to us who have them. ❤️
 
What a shock for you - please don’t be hard on yourself. You didn’t mean for anything to happen and you had him seen by a vet very quickly. He looks very handsome and he’s clearly on the mend getting over his flying adventure. Welcome to the Forum.
 
What a shock for you - please don’t be hard on yourself. You didn’t mean for anything to happen and you had him seen by a vet very quickly. He looks very handsome and he’s clearly on the mend getting over his flying adventure. Welcome to the Forum.
It was the biggest shock - the worst thing to ever happen. My poor boy was really spooked! 😩 I'm a little bit nervous to pick him up and hold him again now though but I do think he just needs a bit of time to recover first anyway. Thank you for the warm welcome ☺️
 
Don’t apologise for wanting reassurance - we are here to support each other.
We all understand how piggies can worry us.
I’n not experienced enough to answer your question, sorry.
One of the other members can do that
 
Don’t apologise for wanting reassurance - we are here to support each other.
We all understand how piggies can worry us.
I’n not experienced enough to answer your question, sorry.
One of the other members can do that
I've looked through some other photos and it seems to be just oddly shaped anyway. Thank you so much for the support x
 
He is a gorgeous boy who likes his cuddles. You could put him in his carrier and then sit on the floor perhaps, take him out when you are seated. Then he is at floor level and can't fall. Guinea pigs are so intelligent and socially complex. They are so rewarding to get to know. Rodents generally are highly intelligent but people don't realise it because they are often timid. But once they lose their fear they arev so delightful.
 
Your Bertie is gorgeous and I’m so glad to see & hear he is on the mend❤️ It was an accident that you’ve learnt from and you’ve done all the right things afterwards so don’t be so hard on yourself, you ARE a good piggy parent☺️ Sending lots of love & healing vibes to Bert😘❤️xx
 
So glad to hear Bertie is in the mend. If you don’t have dogs or cats around you could sit on the floor with him. Piggies love popcorning around us humans
 
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