Respiratory Infection and Pro C

[PembsGP]

My Pro C has been open since June 2020. It is still in its original bag in the sealed tub. Does anyone know if it is still OK to use?

Our dear Isabelle, who will be 6 in April, is poorly with a respiratory infection that has also affected her eyes, particularly her right eye. She started unwell Saturday evening but I couldn't get her to the vets until this morning. Luckily our vets has a piggy specialist. She has a temperature and swollen lymph glands too. The only place I think she could have caught it is snuffling into hay. Our piggies live indoors with us so she hasn't been exposed to chills, etc and nothing new has been introduced. She stopped eating and drinking yesterday but I did manage to entice her to eat some cucumber, which I tried as a way of trying to get some liquid into her. She hadn't wee'd or pooped for hours and I was also worried about dehydration. It seemed to spark her appetite and she managed some freshly cut grass from the garden and 2 stems of coriander (cilantro for those in the US). I gave her 0.2ml of Metacam and bathed her eyes with cooled boiled water and sprinkled some Pro C over the food bowl as she then showed a fleeting sign of an appetite (which I then discarded and gave fresh when she was disinterested and I then got to thinking about how long it had been open). She keeps quietly squeaking in pain/discomfort despite having a Metcam injection at the vets (and an antibiotic injection). She is lethargic and does not battle being caught. I feel so sorry for her. She has Baytril and an antibiotic eye ointment, which when I first used it it went blugh out of the tube and totally covered her eye. Luckily it was the worst affected eye as I did that one first.
If she still isn't drinking, would it be OK to syringe water into her, say 0.5ml? I will keep tempting her with fresh grass but not too much cucumber in case it makes her bowels lose, especially as she's on medications too. Her front and back teeth are fine and she thankfully doesn't have kidney stones (the vet checked all of that today). She is prone to UTI's but a sample she handily produced at the vets was negative for that.
Dear Isabelle. We have everything crossed she will pull through once the antibiotics start working ❤.
Any advice will be gratefully received. Thank you in advance.

 

[DM100321111]

My tub says the Pro C CAN deteriorate if stored improperly. I just threw my empty tub away and I’m waiting for my new one, but I’m sure I remember seeing a use by once opened on it, that’s likely just for safety, I know of people using topical and external treatments past use by with success but I don’t know how I’d feel about something that’s meant to be ingested? I’d go against it but I’m not 100%.

Bless beautiful Isabelle It sounds as though somethings not right inside. Check how much calcium she’s getting, might be too much as it can cause kidney issues.

You’re doing everything you can, yes give her plenty of water, lots of snuggles, veg can help with constipation (very few, leafy greens only, ask your vet first!) and I use infacol if my pigs have an upset tummy, rare occurrence but one of mine is prone to bloat. It’s an anti flatulent for babies and it works wonder. Again, ask your vet as she’s already being treated but if they give you the go ahead it might keep her stable.

Keep her warm, keep her hydrated, keep updating

 

[DM100321111]

Sorry, that was a yes to syringing small amounts of water! I was too busy tearing up

and as for something not being right inside, it doesn’t sound as though you’ve done anything to cause it! Don’t be beating yourself up!

 

[Piggies&buns]

We don’t recommend using infacol and instead opt for herbal products such as gripe water. Infacol or simethicone containing baby colic relief products work by gathering gas into one big bubble which is fine for babies but not for guinea pigs and it can make passing the gas more painful.

@PembsGP - how is she now? I see your post is a few days old. As a health team we work hard to ensure every post gets a response, sorry yours has been missed.

 

[PembsGP]

Hi, thanks for your replies. I bought new Pro C as I decided not to risk the open one as it is a pro biotic. She is not well at all. Her respiratory issues resolved with a course of Baytril but she has extremely sore eyes. The left is now better but the right is awful. She's been back to the vets 4 times as they are keeping a close eye on her. The right eye hasn't responded to 7 days of Isathal bd so yesterday we changed to Chloramohenicol tds and 5 days ago we added hyaluronic eye drops 3-4 times a day. And eye swabs have been sent for culture, possible chylamidia infection although I have no idea where that's come from as our are indoor piggies and kept scrupulously clean. As her eye deteriorated whilst on Baytril I agreed to only treating her eye topically rather than systemically until we get results back. She was portly which has turned into a blessing because over the past 9 days she has lost 200g of weight which is a collosal amount. She is drinking as she loves the taste of the Pro C and she is eating but not as much as usual hence the weight loss. Her neck glands are still swollen but her temperature has reduced and is only a little be high. She is sleeping all the time although this morning shouted for food which is a first 2 weeks. She has also lost her vision. She is behaving like it's in both eyes but her left eye looks healthy. She is confused if things are moved in the cage so I've started keeping them in the same place. She sniffs along the cage until she finds the water bottle and has trouble finding veggies if I scatter them so I've stopped scattering them. She is also easy to catch because she cannot see me coming. I have fingers crossed her vision returns once her eye issue is resolved. The only thing I can think that may have caused it and was different to normal was I swapped bagged hay from the pet shop because with the pandemic lockdown and me being an at risk person I couldn't get to the shops so I ordered some boxed hay online. Beautiful hay, but in hindsight when we had some last summer she got a respiratory infection. I wonder if a pathogen naturally occurs on the farm that grows and cuts the grass that she is susceptible to but her half sister isn't. 5 days ago I removed all traces of the hay and got Pets at Home hay and disinfected the cage and everything of theirs and also disinfected the carpet of the room they are in. Truffle, her sister, unfortunately, is still in the cage with her because we don't have any means to separate them. She is well although isn't eating much and has also lost weight, approx 50g. As they've been together since birth and are extremely close I don't know if she's stressed seeing her sister so poorly. She is also hiding in one of their huts all the time which is unlike her. Under normal circumstances they are usually foraging around their cage all day and often sleep outside a hide too. Hoping to get the results of the swabs Thursday or Friday so we can then tailor Isabelle's treatment accordingly

 

[Swissgreys]

Honestly you are doing the most amazing job under clearly very difficult and complicated circumstances.
Your girl is lucky to have you.

Medically I have nothing to contribute as it certainly sounds like you are covering all bases and are dealing with a knowledgeable guinea pig vet.

I just wanted to add that I would keep the girls together unless Truffle appears to be distressed.
I imagine as they have been together since birth that separating them would cause more confusion for Isabelle, particularly given her current sight issues.
I wish you and your piggies all the best and please do come back and let us know the results of the swabs.

 

[PembsGP]

Thank you @Swissgreys I will certainly update with the swab results. I agree about keeping the girls together. It would disproportionately distress both of them if I separated them. We're very lucky to have a vet with a lot of piggie experience and expertise only 10 minutes away. On Monday the next patient going in was a pet rat so they had a rodent morning!

 

[DM100321111]

We don’t recommend using infacol and instead opt for herbal products such as gripe water. Infacol or simethicone containing baby colic relief products work by gathering gas into one big bubble which is fine for babies but not for guinea pigs and it can make passing the gas more painful.

@PembsGP - how is she now? I see your post is a few days old. As a health team we work hard to ensure every post gets a response, sorry yours has been missed.

Grip water contains something which can release formaldehyde if not used with caution, my vet opts for infacol over this for minor bloat to prevent large gas buildup.

 

[Siikibam]

Grip water contains something which can release formaldehyde if not used with caution, my vet opts for infacol over this for minor bloat to prevent large gas buildup.

So why is it recommended for children if it releases formaldehyde?

 

[PembsGP]

Isabelle's eye swabs came back clear of bacteria and fungi. The vet reminded me that dye in the eye did show a corneal ulcer (I had totally forgotten that), and has since diagnosed a melting ulcer. It never responded to Isathal or Chloramphenicol. I used hyaluronic acid 4 times a day as it was dry where her eye has bulged. She has had a temperature which has now gone but still has swollen lymph glands. She is eating but is losing weight. She has started to shout for food at dawn. They always have hay and a dish of food but does she want that replaced when she shouts? Oh no! She's turned into a bit of a sweetheart diva and I'm only too happy to be her slave and be out in the garden, at dawn, in my PJ's, cutting fresh grass that her and her sister then devour. The bottom line is, she has lost vision in that eye. It is still bulging. She may well have lymphoma which could account for why the ulcer never responded to antibiotics as she would be immuno-compromised. She now seems a bit happier in herself even though she is still losing weight despite eating relatively well. She is drinking well and loves the taste of the Pro C. I have decided against having the eye removed and instead just making her comfortable and spoil her for what time she has left. She is almost 6, has swollen glands, is losing weight and isn't in any discomfort. I don't think she would survive the surgery even though she is a tough little furry potato. The vet is happy to prescribe her Metacam if needed. The vet agreed with me that at present she seems to still be enjoying life so it'd be premature to put her to sleep at present, but I will if it becomes necessary. For now, she just needs to be comfortable for the time she has left, with no more tests and no more trauma. Dear little sweetheart