Not eating veg 10 days after stopping baytril.

[Snowflake]

Hi,
I’m looking for some advice.
2nd May my girl went on baytil 0.5ml twice a day. On 6 th may Monday she lost interest in veg. I was given her a prebiotic then an hour later her antibiotics. She was being treated for a uti . She had a uti back in October and on baytril fine. Then this year in February another uti and on baytri with no reaction. I’m feeding her critical care 4 times a day. She is eating grass fine and a little hay. She saw vet on Monday and an ultrasound found a cyst on her ovary which is sore. She is going in on Friday vet wants to sedate her to do a urine test. She has suggested to spay her but at the moment is to poorly for anaesthetic. She was 1kg and 10 grams on Monday. Today she is 1kg and 85grams. She hides a lot in hay but yesterday seemed quite bright. She’s been out for an hour on grass and was fine. Vet said no bloat. Vet said that the antibiotic could have affected her gut and it will take time. She has nibbled a little celeriac and lettuce today. Then she walks away. This am she did popcorn and comes out for food. But she’s not sassy
Anybody else had this problem with antibiotic?...
Could it be she’s had several antibiotics close together and it’s affected her gut?
Will ask on Friday if she can have a gut stimulant.
She’s on twice a day cystease, calpol and probiotic and critical care what vet recommended. She was on metacam but vet stopped it.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Antibiotics can upset their digestion - it wipes out the good gut bacteria - the probiotic is what will help to combat that, along with syringe feeding.

Her weighed is stable/increasing so she looks to be getting enough fibrous food/critical care.

The one thing I do notice is you/the vet say she is sore with the cyst, so it seems odd that she has been taken off painkillers? Pain will stop them being themselves and can definitely stop them from eating

 

[Snowflake]

Yes I thought that. I will speak to vet to see if she could go back onto metacam. I have metacam shall I give some to her now? A lady at pets at home told me last week that metacam can give them tummy pain is that true? She’s been on metacam with no effects. I think vet took her off metacam and left her on calpol instead.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I can’t tell you to give her the metacam if the vet has taken her off of it.

Piggies tolerate metacam very well and at quite high doses. There can be a concern for their kidneys but pros and cons have got to be weighed up when you are looking at long term pain management needs. I have myself, and plenty of us on here also, had animals on metacam for months on end for long term conditions - arthritis etc - with no issue

 

[eileen]

Metacam is well tolerated in guinea pigs.one of my piggies is on 1ml twice aday.i would be very surprised if metacam causes pain.i would check with your vet if you are concerned.

 

[Snowflake]

Antibiotics can upset their digestion - it wipes out the good gut bacteria - the probiotic is what will help to combat that, along with syringe feeding.

Her weighed is stable/increasing so she looks to be getting enough fibrous food/critical care.

The one thing I do notice is you/the vet say she is sore with the cyst, so it seems odd that she has been taken off painkillers? Pain will stop them being themselves and can definitely stop them from eating

She eats grass fine. But not veg. I have metacam. She was on 0.2mls last week and still not eating veg but grass. Maybe I could give her 0.6mls now and see how she is in the am?

 

[Snowflake]

I can’t tell you to give her the metacam is the vet has taken her off of it.

Piggies tolerate metacam very well and at quite high doses. There can be a concern for their kidneys but pros and cons have got to be weighed up when you are looking at long term pain management needs. I have myself, and plenty of us on here also, had animals on metacam for months on end for long term conditions - arthritis etc - with no issue

My boar has permanently been on it for sterile IC and has been fine. Also she’s been on it and no Side effects. I think it’s coincidence that the antibiotics have mucked up her gut and is sore with the ovarian cyst. But I can’t work out that she loves eating grass? I will ask my vet if she can have metacam again tomorrorw and a gut stimulants? She is going in on Friday for urine culture so my vet will check her again. She has been x rayed as well no stones thank god!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Antibiotics can upset the gut.
If she is eating grass then that is great, she may just be preferring that to the veg.
If she is eating independently, maintaining her weight, pooping properly, then she may not need a gut stimulant.

0.2mls of, assuming it’s cat, cat metacam is a low amount so may not have been sufficient I’d she was in a lot of pain and a potential reason why she wasn’t eating veg last week. I can only surmise there.

 

[Snowflake]

Antibiotics can upset the gut.
If she is eating grass then that is great, she may just be preferring that to the veg.
If she is eating independently, maintaining her weight, pooping properly, then she may not need a gut stimulant.

0.2mls of, assuming it’s cat, cat metacam is a low amount so may not have been sufficient I’d she was in a lot of pain and a potential reason why she wasn’t eating veg last week. I can only surmise there.

Thank you for your advice. I’ve lost weight this week myself as I feel physically sick with worry for her. With syringing it’s like having a new born baby again. 6am she was out trying nibbling at pellets. She weighed 1kg and 85grams. The first time in 10 days she ate few leaves of basil. And was munching hay. She had Cristal care. She will have more b4 I leave for work. Then my husband has 3 bowls of grass to give her throughout the day until I get home and give more critical care at 3.30 pm. She screams the house down and refuses syringing if my husband does it. Will also leave her a bran mash too. Will ask vet today if we can go back on metacam today and see how she goes. They are such a worry.

 

[Snowflake]

Thank you for your advice. I’ve lost weight this week myself as I feel physically sick with worry for her. With syringing it’s like having a new born baby again. 6am she was out trying nibbling at pellets. She weighed 1kg and 85grams. The first time in 10 days she ate few leaves of basil. And was munching hay. She had Cristal care. She will have more b4 I leave for work. Then my husband has 3 bowls of grass to give her throughout the day until I get home and give more critical care at 3.30 pm. She screams the house down and refuses syringing if my husband does it. Will also leave her a bran mash too. Will ask vet today if we can go back on metacam today and see how she goes. They are such a worry.

So my vet told me this am to put her on 1.2mls twice a day of metacam. I have come home to a different pig. She’s out eating hay more and alert and sassy. She is following my boar at times and rumbling at him. Once she humped him. They are both chilling together now. She has also eaten veg this afternoon and stayed eating it for 10 mins. My concern now is nurse rang today to let me know that they are doing urine sample as planned but vet has left a slot to spay her. If they go ahead they said my boar will have to be separated tomorrow after she’s had operation to let her heal? Is this right? My boar is so chilled and a gentle soul around her. Won’t this make them worse separated? They said to put cages next to each other so they can see each other?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m glad her pain seems to be being managed now.

Did they say how long to separate for - did they mean until she is healed or just for the one night?

We recommend to put them back together as soon as she comes home or at least only separate if absolutely necessary and for the shortest amount of time (ie the first night at most if she is fragile). I’ve never separated bonded pairs post surgery.
If you must separate then they need to remain side by side

 

[Snowflake]

They said it was because her partner was a male. But he suffers from sterile IC cystitis . So if his separated it will make him stressed. His been with her for 2 years and his been fine. His so chilled and relaxed. He dotes on her.

 

[Snowflake]

They said it was because her partner was a male. But he suffers from sterile IC cystitis . So if his separated it will make him stressed. His been with her for 2 years and his been fine. His so chilled and relaxed. He dotes on her.

They are in a 160 ferplast cage. So the bit that has a step I can section off so she wouldn’t have to except herself going over it. Until her wound has healed. They will be put on fleece and fleece beds. And a small pile of hay. At the mo they have ad lib hay everywhere. I will have to talk to vet tomorrow about keeping them together when she comes home. On the way home I will put them in separate carriers.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I would just reunite them if not the day you bring her home, then certainly the next morning. I wouldn't keep them apart until her wound has healed - it could be too long. you would then have to go through full neutral territory rebounding.
As I say, Ive never kept pairs apart. my most recent surgery was when I had two females rabbits both spayed at the same time. the only time they were apart was while they were coming round from anaesthetic, but as soon as they were awake the vet put them back together and they remained together from then on (same carrier for the journey home).

 

[Snowflake]

I would just reunite them if not the day you bring her home, then certainly the next morning. I wouldn't keep them apart until her wound has healed - it could be too long. you would then have to go through full neutral territory rebounding.
As I say, Ive never kept pairs apart. my most recent surgery was when I had two females rabbits both spayed at the same time. the only time they were apart was while they were coming round from anaesthetic, but as soon as they were awake the vet put them back together and they remained together from then on (same carrier for the journey home).

Thank you. Will talk to the vet tomorrow about it.

 

[Snowflake]

I would just reunite them if not the day you bring her home, then certainly the next morning. I wouldn't keep them apart until her wound has healed - it could be too long. you would then have to go through full neutral territory rebounding.
As I say, Ive never kept pairs apart. my most recent surgery was when I had two females rabbits both spayed at the same time. the only time they were apart was while they were coming round from anaesthetic, but as soon as they were awake the vet put them back together and they remained together from then on (same carrier for the journey home).

Hello,
Just an update, my girl went to vets on Friday. They done x ray nothing nasty showing. Ultrasound showed bladder sludge. Vet done a bladder flush lots of crystals, sludge and thick calcium came out. Vet has permanently put her on potassium citrate, metacam and cystease. Exactly what my boar has for sterile IC ! She said to put her out as much as possible as moving is good to prevent build up of sludge and grass there natural food. My question is since Monday I have been syringe feeding four times a day at 10 ml each sitting. She had one this am and was 1 kg and 40 grams. Tonight I got her in as she’s been on grass all day and is 1 kg and 85 grams. Do I just feed her am and pm now and monitor her weight every day, she’s eating her veg now, pop Corning her tummy is nice and soft and is chattering away In her run. And bossing her boar around. They didn’t spay her.

 

[Piggies&buns]

You should weigh her just once a day each morning before the first feed ans use that to monitor how much she is eating. Weighing this morning and again this evening and comparing those two weights is in accurate - she is going to weigh more after a day eating.

If she has maintained her weight (1040g) tomorrow morning when compared to this morning then you may look to reduce a feed but continue to monitor her daily until you can be absolutely certain she is eating enough hay.

Plenty of grass and hay will help, but also a nice amount of fluid to keep the bladder flushing through.

Keep an eye on her diet - ensure pellets are no lower than one tablespoon per day , filter water, feed some watery veg such as cucumber and keep higher calcium veggies limited

 

[Snowflake]

You should weigh her just once a day each morning before the first feed ans use that to monitor how much she is eating. Weighing this morning and again this evening and comparing those two weights is in accurate - she is going to weigh more after a day eating.

If she has maintained her weight (1040g) tomorrow morning when compared to this morning then you may look to reduce a feed but continue to monitor her daily until you can be absolutely certain she is eating enough hay.

Plenty of grass and hay will help, but also a nice amount of fluid to keep the bladder flushing through.

Keep an eye on her diet - ensure pellets are no lower than one tablespoon per day , filter water, feed some watery veg such as cucumber and keep higher calcium veggies limited

Thank you again.
Yes she has cystease with 6 ml of Water am and pm . She just loves the taste of it. And I have been dampen there veg. They have low calcium veg because of my boars sterile IC. She also gets water syringed at 9 pm as well. I feed science selective nuggets. I have tried there grain free nuggets but they won’t eat it. Do you recommend a brand nugget that’s low in calcium on the market? I’m getting bottled water tomorrow. Will check which i has the lowest calcium. Thank you.