PotatoandBessie
New Born Pup
Hi all
I have 2 3.5 year old guinea pigs, both of whom have had medical issues in the past.
Bessie had an odd head tilt and bulgy eyes at first. We got them both during the start of the pandemic and good vet care was scarce so we had to bring her to the vet from the local store we got them. The vet there said it was most likely she had an ear infection (no tests ran) and prescribed a round of antibiotics. During this time of “illness” Bessie never lost weight or seemed to be in pain, and after the course of antibiotics the head tilt and eye bulgy-ness persisted. About a month ago she started to become more docile and less cuddly than she used to be. I also noticed her experiencing some mobility issues and increased head tilt. Bessie seems to have lost some muscle mass, but we weighed her 2-3 ish weeks ago because we were worried of this exact thing, and she weighed with in grams of her last recorded weight. Her back and ribs feel a little bonier but not drastically. We got her in for a vet appointment to have a CT scan.
Potato, our other guinea pig, was diagnosed with an URI at the start of August and was treated with oral and nebulizer antibiotics for about a month. She was experiencing some “clicking” and raspy noises and seemed to be less active. After the course of antibiotics however, this went away, until a week ago. I noticed the clicking again for about 4 days and called the vet to get her in for an appointment as well with Bessie. They suggested a CT since this could be pneumonia. It may be important to note that potato has also had periods of clicking, for about 4-5 days at a time and then it goes away, since she came into our home.
Today I came home and the piggies seem perfectly fine! This past weekend Bessie cuddled with me for the first time in a month and was much more active in her cage. Potato seems to have stopped experiencing the clicking noise. I still want to take them to the vet however just to make sure everything is alright. My only problem is tonight, checking my email, the vet sent a bill for the procedures planned for tommorow. On this list it has over $500 each for testing/procedures such as a catheter, major anestesia, CT scan, CBC blood work and another radiography scan. And the money is not the problem- but I am worried this is too much stress to put them under and don’t want them to be in pain. Originally the vet (who I like and works for a top clinic in the country) explained that the CT is super simple and requires minimal sedation and would be super easy for Bessie (originally who I talked to her about) to recover from. Maybe I’m just getting a little too nervous but the list really freaked me out and I am wondering if anyone else has experience? comments? advice? anything? I love my girls very much and want to get them the best care possible but don’t want them to undergo too much testing.
I have 2 3.5 year old guinea pigs, both of whom have had medical issues in the past.
Bessie had an odd head tilt and bulgy eyes at first. We got them both during the start of the pandemic and good vet care was scarce so we had to bring her to the vet from the local store we got them. The vet there said it was most likely she had an ear infection (no tests ran) and prescribed a round of antibiotics. During this time of “illness” Bessie never lost weight or seemed to be in pain, and after the course of antibiotics the head tilt and eye bulgy-ness persisted. About a month ago she started to become more docile and less cuddly than she used to be. I also noticed her experiencing some mobility issues and increased head tilt. Bessie seems to have lost some muscle mass, but we weighed her 2-3 ish weeks ago because we were worried of this exact thing, and she weighed with in grams of her last recorded weight. Her back and ribs feel a little bonier but not drastically. We got her in for a vet appointment to have a CT scan.
Potato, our other guinea pig, was diagnosed with an URI at the start of August and was treated with oral and nebulizer antibiotics for about a month. She was experiencing some “clicking” and raspy noises and seemed to be less active. After the course of antibiotics however, this went away, until a week ago. I noticed the clicking again for about 4 days and called the vet to get her in for an appointment as well with Bessie. They suggested a CT since this could be pneumonia. It may be important to note that potato has also had periods of clicking, for about 4-5 days at a time and then it goes away, since she came into our home.
Today I came home and the piggies seem perfectly fine! This past weekend Bessie cuddled with me for the first time in a month and was much more active in her cage. Potato seems to have stopped experiencing the clicking noise. I still want to take them to the vet however just to make sure everything is alright. My only problem is tonight, checking my email, the vet sent a bill for the procedures planned for tommorow. On this list it has over $500 each for testing/procedures such as a catheter, major anestesia, CT scan, CBC blood work and another radiography scan. And the money is not the problem- but I am worried this is too much stress to put them under and don’t want them to be in pain. Originally the vet (who I like and works for a top clinic in the country) explained that the CT is super simple and requires minimal sedation and would be super easy for Bessie (originally who I talked to her about) to recover from. Maybe I’m just getting a little too nervous but the list really freaked me out and I am wondering if anyone else has experience? comments? advice? anything? I love my girls very much and want to get them the best care possible but don’t want them to undergo too much testing.
