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Ricky has another big lump...

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hmmm i dunno about the hay thing...but maybe get someone to send you some! lol P & P would be hell but you can get smallish bags of it around, i wasnt prepared for new guineas really yesterday obviously i had all the food and hay and veg cuz xavier hasnt been gone long but they dont have any thing to chew on yet...its on my list of things to do!

you know what i'm finding hard to find-- a hay rack and nail clippers! its mental i've been to 3 pet stores!
 
hi,
we use dog/cat nail clippers and as for a hay rack we use a wire peg basket and we have cut it so we can put hay in. in fact if i remember right 1 peg basket made 2 makeshift hayracks. have you tried ebay? i know there are hay racks on the aussie auction site oztion if that is any help? did you get new piggies? was so sad to hear your baby passed. glynis sent some oxbow pellets made of timothy hay about a week ago which they weren't keen on at all. even if you use a teeny pair of scissors for their claws. here in south aussie we don't have guinea pig clippers. what are these chew things again these are not available here except the ones in supermarkets which i have been told is a no no but jessie loves them. good luck with the clippers and hayrack. hugs and cuddles to you and your new babies. things happen for a reason even if we don't know why. :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: why is you up so early must be around 3-5.00am in the UK. enjoy your thursday it is 17.00pm here. :smitten: :smitten:
 
fruit sticks and things...i can find loads of them! need to remember where i found the wood blocks i had for xavier he loved them!

thankfully for now the boys have got a tube which is eat able! a cardboard tube covered in hay stuff which they can munch on!

i'll end up in one of the massive like supermarket pet stores at the weekend and get the rest of the stuff i need then.

yeah 5am is about right for me...i have to be up early for work and the whole being excited about my new babies helps!

i love it the less fluffier of the 2 just stepped out of the pigloo, i looked around and he spotted me so he slowly reversed back in! aww i love them soo much.
tonight i burry xaviers pillow i'd made him, which smelt of me so he'd get used to my smell. i've got him a little snow drop plant and it'll go in one of his favortie spots in the garden, with it will also go his wood chews and his tube...of course all are biodegradable. of course i still miss him but the boys keep me busy and so i cant linger on my horrible thoughts about his pain for long. they are little cuties and i think they'll help me get over xavier. ?
 
Oh Nutty Lou, I'm so sorry about Xavier. My heart breaks when I hear of someone losing their little piggy. :'( :'( You must be so sad. I wish I could help. I wish I could send my vet over there to help you all with your sick guineas. Yes it is nice to have such an experienced vet with small animals, but as one of you asked, it really is costly. The first operation with all the followup visits totals well over $700 American dollars (757 to be exact) and so far the 2nd operation has cost about $400 American dollars and he just had surger on Sunday. He has a few more followups. Everything in America is so overpriced. But I have no choice! Ricky is important to me and if I can find a qualified vet, then I guess I have to pay the price. My husband is so against this and wants me to put him to sleep. I could never do that. I love Ricky. He seems better today. I'm concerned because he's not eating as much but he's eating a little. I'm syringe feeding him with the stuff the vet gave me. He seems to like it. It actually smells really good. He was biting my shirt so hard before that he ripped holes in it. He just seems more quiet than usual. I'm still worried. I'm hoping he gets better. Poor Ricky is not even 6 months yet. I'd like to see him full grown. I'm trying not to think about it. As far as the Timothy Hay...it's in every pet store here. Very easy to get. Timothy Hay is recommended for growing piggies, so it's perfect for Ricky. When they get older, they suggest Alfalfa Hay. Ricky leaps all over his cage when I give him Timothy Hay. He'll hate it when I switch. They say here that Alfalfa Hay is not good for growing piggies. Also, his chew sticks are made for their teeth. Ricky chews them to shreads. They come in all colors. When I put a new one in, he goes crazy. It's just colored wood. The make fruit flavored ones here, but he won't eat them. If you ever need these things, I would be happy to send them. Just let me know. Nutty Lou, I imagine you are not in Australia like Choloe since you are able to get these things. Where do you live? I'm in New York. Well, have to go pick my daughter up at school. Have a good day everyone!
 
:'( i miss NY! :'( :'(

i'm in the UK now...but i've traveled around the world alot...i was born in italy lived in france, london, suffolk, Aus, NY...i'm a lucky lass in some respects!

i only realise how ill xavvy was comparing him to my boys. they eat everything and he well he didnt!

the vet here told me it was pointless having a £70 xray which would just confirm the lump "well done we could bloody feel it for less" came to my mind. i feel bad because i could of done more for him but the vet wasnt prepared to help in that sense. :'( it makes me sad to think that the vet had given up on xavier when even he (xavier) and i hadnt and werent quite ready to give up.

xavvy was just under a year...it would of been his birthday sometime in march...

i didnt know that about the hay i'm gonna go get some while at work! now am trying to get a hay cube thingy for the boys...i dont like them pooping and things on the hay they're going to eat...silly arent i!
 
no your not silly, your a caring person who loves her babies. have you tried ebay for the hay rack? they are available here in oz on an auction site called oztion. good luck with your babies. and i hate it too when a vet gives up and your baby or mucks you around. hugs and cuddles :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
Annie59 said:
Timothy Hay is recommended for growing piggies, so it's perfect for Ricky. When they get older, they suggest Alfalfa Hay. Ricky leaps all over his cage when I give him Timothy Hay. He'll hate it when I switch. They say here that Alfalfa Hay is not good for growing piggies.

Actually I think this is the other way round. Alfalfa is high in calcium and so should not be fed to adult piggies much. It is good for nursing/pregnant sows and babies though. Timothy hay is best for everyday feeding.
 
I'll check with the vet when he goes back in for a followup. The girl in the pet store, she raises piggies, was the one that told me never give a baby piggy Alfalfa Hay. I should have check with my vet first. But this girl has lots of guineas. She raises them so I took her word on this. She seemed so knowledgeable about piggies! She could have been wrong! I will check on that. Thanks for pointing that out!
Boy Nutty Lou..I feel so sad when I read about Xavier. Especially that he could have been saved. Do not blame yourself. You should be able to trust your vet. It's hard when the vet is not qualified. There are really quite a few "exotic" pet vets on Long Island (where I live). And you can see that my vet knows everything there is to know about guineas. It does mean a lot because we, as owners, have to put our faith in these vets. We don't know how to treat these little animals. Never feel bad about what happened. He as lucky to have such a caring, loving owner like yourself. You know, I love my sister, but she told me that when her kids were little, she had a guinea pig (which I remember) and she said she can't remember what happened to him! I told her, are you crazy? You don't even remember your guinea pig? This was only about 15 years ago. She thinks she returned it to the store because the kids never played with him. My sister is a great person, but I told her people like her should'nt have pets! She laughed because she had every pet imaginable when her kids were small! That's why I say that Xavier was lucky to have you Nutty Lou. People (like my sis) just have them to entertain their kids and don't take care of them the proper way, nor show them any love. It's sad.
As to Ricky today, finally, there are poops all over the cage! Good sign! Also, his veggie bowl was empty and I refilled it, and he went to town on it! So that's good. Only problem is, he not giving me any Wheeks when I walk into the room. He just sits there and stares. That worries me. Although the doc said that the extra pain killer may make him mellow. I hope thats all it is. He seems ok when I take him out. But he's very quiet in his cage. Well, at least he's eating and pooping. I'll be watching him a lot today. I'll be back on line later! :) :) :)
 
am glad he's getting better...

my boys trashed everything today...found the cage in a right old mess when i got home! it seems they like the ball i got for them...which was floating in their water bowl! now they are watching me type to you guys and they send soft cuddles! they wont mweep at me yet...they still think am a big scary monster!

i dont know if xavier could of been saved...but not all lumps are cancer right...i keep doing the what if thing, what if he had got better, what if it was just a rough time for him and he could of got better, i'm still clutching at straws even though i know he's dead. i do love my new boys but i miss xavier like crazy i keep expecting him to be there even though i know its the boys now... :'( :'( :'(

when i'm out and have to keep smiling about things i say i'm just glad he had a happy 5 months with me...then i get home and wish i'd done more and cry my eyes out.

hope Ricky starts talking again soon.
 
glad ricky is doing better today. and nutty_lou i know how you feel about xavier.the vets here in australia well south australia anyway wouldn't know a guinea pig if one bit them on the bum! we have lost many guinea pigs due to bad vets, and we feel we had failed them as owners. and when we got new piggies we felt we were betraying their memory and the love we shared. so we do know how you feel! the latest is there is talk of them taking some of zoe's blood from her jagular for testing but with no sedation! these vets are barbaric(sp). good luck with your babies. and know xavier is wheeking at you from above! :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
You know Nutty Lou, you have to stop beating yourself up. Although I'm sure we would all feel the same. Maybe there was something they could do, but you know that you were only going by what the vet told you. You trust your vet to tell you what you should do and that is all you were doing. He's the fool. He should have checked what the lump was and removed it. Ricky just got his second lump removed and they were both massive abscesses. Your Xavier could have very well had a tumor, but it was the vets responsibility to find out. That's why your paying him! He just was not doing his job properly and you wouldn't have known that, so as hard as it is, you have to know you couldn't have done anything. I feel so sorry for you and Xavier. It must be so hard to have a vet who can't take care of your sick pet. I am very thankful for my vet. Ricky is looking a little mushy again, but I think it's the extra pain medicine they gave me. They said he may be mushy. I took him out and he seems much better, but he's pretty much sacking out in his cage now. I know if anything happens to him, I will feel like you do Nutty Lou, but deep down, I know I did whatever I could. Whenever something happens, you know a little more in case something like that happens again. You have new little piggies that need looking after now! I hope in time you feel better and stop thinking about what you could have done. He's somewhere now, and he still loves you! Here comes some love and well wishes over there to you! :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
how is little ricky today? is he still improving like yesterday? really hoping so. sending hugs and cuddles to you and ricky. also sending prayers your way for ricky's fast recovery. :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
i'll quit being sad over xavier soon...i mean its not been a week he's been gone...its all still a bit tender so to speak.

i hope ricky stops feeling mushy! (great adjective by the way) am sure he'll get better, he's got a loving mum by the sounds of it

*hug*
 
Wow, I didn't know it was only a week that Xavier is gone. That's still so new. I'm really sorry. When I thought Ricky might die, I cried so hard. So I can't imagine the sadness when it really happens. I just hope you feel better soon. Ricky was alone a good part of today. It was my good friends daughters birthday party so I was there most of today. I set him up with a lot of food and hay and gave him his medicine. I didn't know what to expect when I came home. But he was wheeking and jumping all over the place when I got back. When I open the cage door, he jumps up and puts his paws on the entrance. It's so cute. Then when I try to take him out, he runs away from me. (I don't know what he thinks when I try to grab him.) He veggie bowl was empty and when I filled it, he practically attacked it. He tips it over with his paws and that's how he eats. He ate almost the whole bowl. And then popcorned all over the place. It made me so happy to see him like that. I worried a little because his cut, once again, formed a scab. But he scratched it off a little. A little pus came out and I cleaned it and put the medicine on it. Usually the vet takes the scab off and cuts it open a little more and cleans it. I just can't keep doing that. I get charged like $100 a shot to have her do that. Plus it proglongs the healing. My husband says it will heal on its own. It does't need to be opened and cleaned all the time. It looks like it's healing nicely. I know the vet it really thourough, but I can't afford to keep going every week. (that's how often she wants to see him). Everytime she opens it, it sets me back again because it takes longer to heal! I hope I'm doing the right thing by not running there all the time. She will have to change the bandage on his foot soon, so I'm going to have to go. Well, it's 1:00 am here and I'm so tired. I'll be on tomorrow to check on everyone else's little piggies! Good night all! (I think it's already good morning to most of you!)
 
xavier had stopped eating his dry mix and veg from the monday, took him to the vets on the thursday *i'd thought that he was just in a strop!* and they said about the lump i saw a male vet who seemed really positive that he'd get better, and just told me that it was a swelling well that could be anything so i went back to work everyone was worried about him and i could smile and say well he's going to be ok! i had to go back on the saturday, this time i saw a female vet who said an xray is pointless why spend £70 on an xray which is only going to confirm that its a lump *lump i was thinking...he said swelling...* then she added that i could buy 4 new guinea pigs for that *lol i'm getting angry at this point! because i'm kinda thinking well i dont want 4 other guineas i want xavier better...so do the job i'm paying you to do!* then she said it...see how he is on monday and think about putting him to sleep. so i went home and cried, i was clutching at straws that he was going to get better she'd said it was most likely cancer and because of its positioning it was probably resting on his spine *he didnt walk he hopped* and that his growth was stunted hence he was so small. i let him go outside while we played chase around the garden then he cuddled up to me and i fed him some baby dandilion leaves.

sunday i did the same, just made sure he was happy. thats when i took pigtures of him on the xavier thread in the pictures bit.

then it was monday! i had my nanas funeral that day to, i couldnt be sad about that- she dearly loved her husband and now she was with him- in my eyes she's happy again. then all too soon i was back at the vets seeing that gastly woman. i wanted to be there when she put him under the anestetic just so he knew i was there and that he hadnt done anything wrong and so he knew i still loved him but she didnt she let me in once he was under i stroked him and said goodbye and left before she put the needle in him.

so it'll of been a week on monday since i lost him.

the range of emotions i went through was amazing, anger, guilt, power *in that i was playing a god cuz it was me deciding if he was staying or going* sadness...not much happy there. guilt was the worst though.

i'm glad ricky is a survivor! he certainly sounds it. my new boys *still nameless* are becomming nocturnal apparently they live beside my bed and didnt wake me up but woke my mom up at 3am playing with a carrot on a skewer from the top of their cage! i dont want them to get bored so i hang things up and make them work for the veg. but they attack the grass which is funny! xavier did similar in his house, he liked to sit on top of the hay covered tube and watch me i'd put my fingers in the top of the cage and he'd nibble them! was very cute but would run away if i tried to pick him up. i worry i'm going to hurt them so when they run in to the tube i pick that up and slide the guinea out the bottom! probably not the best way but its very cute!
 
how is poor ricky going today? hoping he is going well. sending hugs and cuddles to you and ricky! :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
nutty_lou, while your babies are healthy i would start looking around for a guinea pig savvy vet, so you don't go through the igorance you went through when xavier was ill. wishing you luck on that as we have been looking for over 9 years here in south oz with still no luck. hoping your new babies get use to you soon. hugs and cuddles to you and your new babies. :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: please know xavier is happy and running free, he'll always be in your heart, and that you did all you could for him. i know how you feel when vets let you down, which is why i suggest looking for a piggy vet now before you need one. good luck to you and hugs and kisses to ricky and all your babies. :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
Oh my goodness Nutty Lou, your story made me cry. What a sad story. I know it's so easy for me to say, but don't feel bad about not helping him more. What a horrible vet. They didn't even have the knowledge to test his lump to see what it was. When I first brought Ricky to the vet with his lump, if they said there was nothing they could do, I probably would have done the same as you. How are we supposed to know what's wrong? The vet should have known better. You did nothing wrong. I'm really sorry you had to go through all that. But you have new babies who need you! Xavier would be happy that you didn't give up on raising guineas! These babies need a good home and they are lucky you got them!
Well, Ricky seems better. I have filled bowl after bowl of veggies and he is just cleaning his bowl everytime I fill it. Wheeking and wheeking for more! I had one situation today, which concerned me, but it seemed to have stopped. I went in to check him and he had his face in his bowl, eating. And he started to make a very scary noise. He looked at me like he was going to wheek, but it came out grunty and very, very deep. It scared the heck out of me. I panicked and opened his cage but he runs like the devil when you try to take him out. I just could'nt grab him. So I sat for about 10 minutes, listening to this terrible grunt, and all the while he kept eating! I finally took the food bowl out in case food was stuck in his throat. He has been eating non stop since he's been feeling better. Other than the noise, he seemed so perky! Then all of a sudden, he opened his mouth wide and sounded like he was vomiting or choking. But nothing came out. At least I couldn't see anything. It was a one time thing. Now he's been fine since then. He fell asleep with his head down. I keep checking him. He's ok, but just laying down. He lifts his head when I come in. Ricky lays down on his side a lot with his eyes shut, so it's not odd that he would be doing that. I haven't heard any odd noises anymore. Does anyone know if it's a normal thing for them to maybe choke on their food and then spit it back up? I wonder if it's just overeating. I'm conerned but if I bring him to the vet for this, she check a million things, then give me new medicines and it will cost a fortune. I'm just kind of broke now and my husband will never talk to me again after all these visits to the vet! Also, does anyone's guinea pigs scratch a lot? Ricky's been scratching an awful lot these past couple of days. I'm hoping he doesn't have anything. I just want him well now. It's been months since he's been well! I hope I'm not just getting paranoid! He also has pus coming out of his wound area. Do you think this is serious? I clean it out twice a day and put the medicine on it. The vet just opens the wound, cleans it out and sends me home. And then I have to cough up $80 for that! He has to go in next week for his followup. I can't keep going or my husband will leave me! I was just wondering if anyone knows how serious it is if a little pus comes out. It washes off when I clean it, but comes back later. I wish this would end! (of course in a good way!)
 
what do you use to clean the wound out with?

i know in humans when platelets and white blood cells are trying to form a scab it will itch...i used to know why but my biology went out the window when i fell inlove with psychology.

as for the noise i dont know.

guinea pigs cant "throw up" something about no gag reflecx maybe....so i dont know if they could bring something back up sorry i cant help maybe try askinfg a mod
 
guinea pigs can't throw up, but they can cough, maybe this is what you heard. as for the pus maybe ricky scratched it or he has a hay seed in there,sorry i'm not much help either perhaps PM maryh and see what she thinks good luck with ricky. :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: as for hubby :tickedoff: :tickedoff: :tickedoff: if you use your own money what has he to grumble about? bet hubby goes out with the boys etc. good luck with both your boys. :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
my mum is a bit like that, she doesnt like what i spend my money on but you know she gets £300 for me to live in a room! hmmm

its something you love...i used to play alot of brass instruments- i wouldnt think twice about spending £1000 on a decent instrument...i would now of course...i cant play because of my dental work.

hope he's getting better
x
 
He seemed good today. His eating is out of control! Just a little while ago I heard that deep grunt noise and then he just opened his mouth wide and made another kind of gagging noise. What the heck can it be? I took his wooden chew sticks out. I thought maybe he got a piece of wood in his throat? He's due for his checkup within the next couple of days. I'll have the vet check. Other than that, he seems normal. I saw more pus come out. He rips off the scab. I know it sounds gross but I can't stop him. I can't remember the name of the stuff I use to clean it. It's a blue liquid that has to be mixed with warm water. It's upstairs and everyone is asleep up there. Tomorrow, I will grab all his meds and let you know what he's on. Four oral meds and the stuff to clean his wound. Well, I'll be one tommorrow. Hope he stops with those deep grunting noises. It scares me a little. :-\ :-\
 
i'd try pming maryh or someone...she seems able to help in most situations.

maybe try chopping up the food smaller?

i do hope he gets better soon, and that the vet doesnt charge an arm and a leg for you asking a question!
 
hoping ricky is better today, i think if you are concerned about these noices, i'd ring the vet and just talk on the phone and wait until he is due to go in for his check up. if he keeps getting to his wound perhaps consider a little collar to stop him from getting to it like a margarine container. this is what our vet suggested for zoe but luckily she didn't need it. good luck and sending hugs and prayers to you and ricky. :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:

and nutti_lou mr darcy and bingley for your new babies? what about mr bennett? or some onje from northhanger abbey? good luck with your new babies. :smitten: :smitten:
 
at least Mr Darcy had some zing about him and bingly was a romantic, bennet just let his wife walk all over him for an easy life...i like people with a bit of fire about them!

mr rochester was another choice but there arent many men in jane eyre who are fiesty!

i mirror choloe with this hun, ask the vet and i hope he's better.
 
Thanks for all your suggestions! I've been cutting up the food very small now. I haven't heard the noise that sounds like a gag, but I did hear a couple of deep grunts. I called the vet's office. She is going to call me later, after 7:00pm. He seems really back to normal. I know he's due to go back in. The bandage on his foot (to keep from scratching) must be changed. If it's more than 10 days, it can become rashed and irritated from the dampness. Tomorrow will be 10 days. They charge you $30 american dollars to change it! Plus $60 for the visit. And God knows what else she's going to have to do. As much as I am happy that they take care of Ricky, I just don't have the money anymore! So they are going to have her call me. I'm going to see what I can do to save money. I really want all this over with. Sometimes I think the vets here are too throrough! I don't know if all these followups are a necessity. Don't get me wrong, I love the vet. She's great, but they treat these animals like they would a human. I don't know about Australia or the UK, but they have pet insurance here. My sister had it on her dog, and she said it's only a small amount each month, but it helps when there's a medical situation (like Ricky's). I should check it out in case this happens again. Sounds crazy, right? I became a crazy persone when I got Ricky! :D
Oh, I think it was you Nutty Lou that asked about the stuff I clean the wound with...it's called Nolvasan Solution. It gets mixed with water. Then I put an antibiotic gel on the cut when I'm done cleaning it. He also takes orally, Rimadyl for pain, Chloramphenical (antibiotic), Tramadol also for pain and Propulsid for upset tummy. I stopped the Propulsid for his tummy. He seems to be fine with eating and pooping now. And today I stopped the extra pain killer (Tramadol) which she gave me last week when he was going crazy in his cage. She thought he must have a lot of pain. That's all gone now. I just don't want to overload him with meds! He's so tiny! Well, I hope the vet is understanding when she calls and doesn't charge me for another visit. Thanks again for all your suggestions. They all really help. I like the idea with the margerine container. I jus don't know how to keep it on! Well have a good day all!
 
hello again what about mr rochester and mr knightley? though if your happy with darcy and bingley then thats all that matters. wHat about healcliffe from wuthering height he had a lot of fire! hoping you are getting use to your new furbabies. and know that xavier is happy and he is wheeking and popcorning at you from above! :smitten:
 
they like Bing and Darce! just watched them destroy a 4inch piece of cucumber! was mental!

i think xavier is happier now he's not in pain...i had the same problem as annie i couldnt afford all of it, thats another reason why he was put to sleep- cost and he was too ill really, because he wasnt eating he wouldnt of survived the anestetic really. but i'm happy- er now and i know he is.

i'm looking at pet insurance for my boys too, its not silly just i dont want to go through the money situation i've just been through with xavvy.

i again hope ricky is ok...at least he's stopped scaring his mummy with nasty noises!
 
here is australia you can only get pet insurance for dogs and cats. tried lots of insurance companies and they all said the same thing. PEOPLE KEEP DOGS AND CATS NOT GUINEA PIGS. INSURANCE FOR PETS IS NEW. WILL GET TO STRANGE PETS LATER. :tickedoff: :tickedoff: :tickedoff:
as we too wanted to save money after zoe's surgery but guinea pig insurance was just not available. if the UK and/or USA have pet insurance for pets i is going to scream! :tickedoff: :tickedoff: :tickedoff: hugs and cuddles and happy valentines day it is thursday here in oz. :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
You know choloe, maybe it is just cats and dogs. I never looked in to it! Ricky went to the doc today. boy was he pissed off! He was screaming! She had to drain some more pus that filled in. She had to open it a little, but it looks better now. She rebandaged his foot and he hated it. But she needs to or he will scratch his cut. His eating is out of control again. But that's a good thing. The vet said because he's still little, he'll eat more because they grow fast. I told her right out that I'm broke and I can't keep up with his care. They are trying to go easy but if I don't follow up, his cut will scab and lock the pus underneath it. (sounds gross) But so far, it looks good. Well, I have to run...can't miss American Idol. It's the only show I can not miss! How sad for me! Goodnight all! Hugs and kisses to all you little guineas out there!
 
hello glad ricky is getting better! :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: perhaps discuss with your vet a payment plan, like paying $40.00 a week or something. i know where you are coming from though as being on pensions money is tight. perhaps you could earn some money? like selling avon or delivering pamplets. i am really sorry your husband is not supportive of you and ricky. really hope you can work something out, sending you hugs and cuddles. :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: idol and big brother YUK!! :tickedoff:
 
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