• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Sad times, could do with some feedback/support. What shall I do?

Piggies&buns said:
it depends which type of probiotic you give.
A powder such as pro c - you can add a pinch of pro c to the syringe feed if you can get her to take some or to some water and then offer the syringe of the water very carefully. Adding to syringe feed is much easier. Never add it to the water bottle.

Fibreplex - is a paste which comes in a syringe tube. you just offer one click of it directly. No need to mix with anything

Poop soup is also a very good thing to give. It can be given even alongside a commercial probiotic.

Probiotics Live Gut Microbiome Transfer ('Poo Soup'); Recovery Formula Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links and Transfer Recipe
Click to expand...

Yeah I have the Pro C. Do you think just a pinch mixed with water when I give her antibiotic? Or on some wet parsley?
 
Fibreplex is high in fibre to help keep the stomach moving, it is a probiotic, not a support/recovery food.

I’ve found it really helpful in the past to keep the gut moving, but guinea pigs aren’t the biggest fans of it (Atleast mine wasn’t)
 
Gadzy said:
Yeah I have the Pro C. Do you think just a pinch mixed with water when I give her antibiotic? Or on some wet parsley?
Click to expand...

Yes either will be ok.
Do be aware though that guinea pigs have a lot more taste buds so putting things on food can mean they won’t eat the food.

Gadzy said:
I forgot to ask as well, is fibreplex a probiotic as well or just a cover for something like critical care? @Piggies&buns
Click to expand...

Fibreplex is a good probiotic. It’s the one I always use.
 
Okay this is urgent and I’ve hit panic stations. My girl is currently on Sulfatrim and I’ve been doing some research online. I read the bottle the vets gave me the dosage is 0.13 twice a day and the strength of the antibiotic is 96mg/ml. I’ve done some research online and that seems quite high in terms of the 96? The antibiotic seems to be knocking her around abit
 
Gadzy said:
Okay this is urgent and I’ve hit panic stations. My girl is currently on Sulfatrim and I’ve been doing some research online. I read the bottle the vets gave me the dosage is 0.13 twice a day and the strength of the antibiotic is 96mg/ml. I’ve done some research online and that seems quite high in terms of the 96? The antibiotic seems to be knocking her around abit
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear the position your in.

I don’t have any personal experience with Sulfatrim but your best bet will be to phone the vets. They will have prescribed an amount based on her weight and age, so no one would be able to comment on wether that’s too much or not, but if you have worries talking to the vet is definitely your best bet.

How is she now?
 
@piggl i was up with her all night because I thought she was going to pass away, she was very rough. Been up 24 hours. Then suddenly she sprang into life and was eating hay and her hay treat sticks and then woofing pellets which makes me think it’s the antibiotic because they have a fast metabolism don’t they so that’s all I can think of? Or because she is so ill she just suddenly has moments of energy I don’t know. The antibiotic is only a pre cautionary, so I’ve messaged the vets seeing what they think. No chance she can stay on this if she’s getting knocked about with it. It might not even be the AB and just a coincidence. My heads spinning because he mentioned he wouldn’t operate on her with the mass, but is that because they haven’t dealt with Guinea pigs much or just cause deep in his mind he knows? It makes me want to ask around to see who would operate but I guess that depends on the results?
 
I wouldn't be able to comment on the issue with her mass, as I haven't had any experience with such. Where is her mass located?

I wonder if you notice a drastic change in her mood after her medication? Assuming she is on painkillers as well as her anti-biotics. You are right they metabolise their medication in around 12 hours, which also mean medication/painkillers kick in much quicker than it would in you and me, so are you noticing the change after medicating? I wouldn't imagine that the antibiotic is the one drastically affecting her mood, but again, this is always a concern you can talk about with your vet.

QOL (Quality of Life) talks are hard ones, but you may find it beneficial to have one with your vet. Sometimes even all the money and time in the world cant help our babies, and if you think it is all becoming a bit too much for her, maybe you feel she's not living anymore, more just surviving, than there is no shame in having a talk with your vet. Its not selfish to not want your sweet Fudge to not be in pain anymore.

I'm sorry I cant be of much more help, I saw your post last night and was thinking about you and the lovely fudge. I hope you can get some clearer answers soon.
 
Glad she seems a bit better, if she's better without the abs and they're only precautionary hopefully the vet will give you the hi ahead to stop them.
But it can only be a good thing when they start eating properly again 🤞❤️
 
Wheekallweek said:
How is Fudge today? 🤞
Click to expand...
Thankyou for asking :)… she’s much the same her poo isn’t runny anymore, and still haven’t heard anything from the vet regarding results but I’m sadly expecting the worst because she’s quite under the weather. The vets gave me something that isn’t called Metacam, I think it’s called Meloxidyl for cats. It says 0.26 once daily but I might do 0.13 twice daily instead? I also got some fibreplex I give her when I give her antibiotic but she is sleeping a lot and awfully quiet. It’s very very sad and I’m not sleeping much and with my 5am wake up for work I’m really struggling it’s awful. I may need to have a good chat with the vet when he rings about results and see what he thinks. I can’t have her in pain and struggling but she loves her greens still and I almost have to encourage her to eat hay it’s difficult. Thankyou so much for asking I appreciate it massively
 
Aw, sorry she's no better 😔
Yes meloxidyl is another name for metacam I think. Piggies metabolise it very quickly so I personally think it's a good idea to split it into two doses as you say to provide better cover.
Hope you get the results soon ❤️
 
Meloxidyl, loxicom, metacam - all the same thing just different brand names.

I would not split that dose in half (and do 0.13ml per dose), certainly not without your vets say so. The issue with splitting it in half is that it could just mean each half won’t be as effective as they themselves are then too small doses. You are better off to give a small dose all in one go. It won’t last the full 24 hours in her system but an even smaller dose twice a day may not take any pain away. When we talk of twice a day, it’s giving a decent sized dose twice a day not necessarily splitting a dose which is already a starter level dose.

Dont give the fibreplex at the same time as the antibiotic. You must leave a 1-2 hour gap between an antibiotic dose and a probiotic dose.

Best thing is to speak to your vet
 
Piggies&buns said:
Meloxidyl, loxicom, metacam - all the same thing just different brand names.

I would not split that dose in half (and do 0.13ml per dose), certainly not without your vets say so. The issue with splitting it in half is that it could just mean each half won’t be as effective as they themselves are then too small doses. You are better off to give a small dose all in one go. It won’t last the full 24 hours in her system but an even smaller dose twice a day may not take any pain away. When we talk of twice a day, it’s giving a decent sized dose twice a day not necessarily splitting a dose which is already a starter level dose.

Dont give the fibreplex at the same time as the antibiotic. You must leave a 1-2 hour gap between an antibiotic dose and a probiotic dose.

Best thing is to speak to your vet
Click to expand...
Thankyou for the advice :)… the first vet I went too (not the one for second opinion) prescribed me 0.13 once daily which is very low but maybe that’s because of her weight? She’s very light around 680grams, but I’m doing all I can with that front and I think it’s her illness inside. Do you think I could still give the 0.26 at that weight?
 
Hi all,

I just wanted to drop a message in here because I’m struggling with Fudge. I don’t want to loose her but I know it’s coming very soon. She doesn’t have much energy at all and is sleeping a lot. I’m making myself ill with no sleep worrying and constantly checking her. I doubt anyone is awake at this hour, but I feel I needed someone to talk too who loves Guinea pigs as much as I do. It’s going to be strange without her
 
Hello,

I was thinking from a fine needle biopsy would that pick up on if it was a cyst or would they just say it’s benign and that’s it?
 
I should think they'd be able to tell between a cyst and a tumour.
You can always call your vet to ask them. Hope she is OK today 😊
 
yes, do call them, sometimes paperwork can get sat on a desk, chase them up 🤞
 
Hello all,

The vet rang me this evening to discuss Fudges results. He said they found lots of dead cells from the mass and that it could mean 1 of 2 things either an infection of some sort like an abscess or cancer. The fine needle biopsy didn’t clarify it was cancer so it’s all a bit of a grey area. He said we can do another to see but it’s unlikely it will bring different results and that they gave a list of what it could be which is either an infection of some sort or cancer. He’s personally leaning more towards cancer of the uterus due to the feel shape and that it wasn’t fluid filled at all from what he saw and tried when doing the sample.

He’s given me some options to think about which is to operate and remove her uterus and send away the lump for a proper biopsy or to put to sleep. He’s worried that if we do operate that 1. She could pass away from the anathestic and 2. That if it is cancer it could have spread elsewhere and then it’s pretty much no chance. He’s more likely thinking it’s cancer because when he sedated her and did the samples he could feel a lot more of the mass and other areas which felt like it had problems there too. He said there is a chance it could just be infection and benign but leaning more towards that it’s not so I’m no further with it

He’s warned me if I go ahead with the surgery that there is a good chance she might not make it, but he would try remove her uterus and see. I’m really undecided what to do and was wondering what others thought? He’s said have a think for a couple of days and that he’s there all week.

It’s a difficult one because I think if I give her a chance and do the operation then she could pull through, but then she couldn’t and I’m kicking myself either way if I do it or not. He could open her up and notice it’s cancer and spread everywhere which is a no go right there and then. I feel the way he was giving me the options the best one for him would be PTS, but I still feel she’s not quite at that stage yet. I’m thinking what if I PTS and it was just a simple spay that would have worked or it was just an infection like an abscess. Any ideas? I’ve also read that uterus cancer would cause blood in wee and haven’t noticed any of that?

Thanks
 
I’ve merged your threads to keep all in the one place. It makes it easier for us to see what has been going on.
I’m really sorry - decisions like this weigh so heavily on us. I think all you can do is to be guided by a combination of your vet and your heart. If it’s not crushingly urgent then sometimes making a tentative decision and living with it for 24 hours can help you to decide whether it’s the right decision for you. If you do decide not to opt for surgery it’s worth asking your vet for advice on a palliative care pathway with increased pain relief and guidance on what signs and when might lead to it being time. We are here to support you at this really difficult time.
 
VickiA said:
I’ve merged your threads to keep all in the one place. It makes it easier for us to see what has been going on.
I’m really sorry - decisions like this weigh so heavily on us. I think all you can do is to be guided by a combination of your vet and your heart. If it’s not crushingly urgent then sometimes making a tentative decision and living with it for 24 hours can help you to decide whether it’s the right decision for you. If you do decide not to opt for surgery it’s worth asking your vet for advice on a palliative care pathway with increased pain relief and guidance on what signs and when might lead to it being time. We are here to support you at this really difficult time.
Click to expand...
That’s okay, I understand regarding the thread. Thankyou for your reply, I just don’t know what to do. I’m leaning more towards not doing surgery because it’s could be a lot for her. Then I’m thinking what if it is a simple spay and all is good. I wish the results were more conclusive because it would have made my mind up easier. I just don’t know anymore. I’m not great with everyday life decisions let alone one for my pig who I dearly love
 
With an operation in a piggy, let alone in a sick one, there is always a big risk.
I assume there is no hope of change/improvement without a surgery to remove the lump/cancer?

It is unfortunately a decision you have to make, but it will never be an easy one.

If you decide to not go for the spay/operation, you have to ask yourself if you took the medication and support feed away, how would she cope? There’s no issue in fighting for our piggies, but after a while we sometimes have to ask ourselves that difficult question of what if I wasn’t here.

You’ve been given some fantastic advice above from VickiA, asking your vet about palliative care and, if you didn’t go for the surgery, how would you know when it’s all becoming too much for her.
You might have to straight up ask the vet, if I don’t have the surgery what is my next couple months/years going to look like. Will it spread? Will she have to be on constant medication to keep her, excuse my crudeness, alive?

My thoughts are with you at this very tough time. You are clearly an amazing owner, and whatever decision you make will be made with love and care, so there is no “right or wrong”, it’s whatever you think is best for you and your lovely girl.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top