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Scampy has the runs

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boureki

boureki

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Poor little sweetheart, he's never been sick before not even soft poos. He looks all fluffed up and miserable. Its really, really bad diarrhoea :'( He's having spasms when he passes it and its almost completely liquid. We've made an appointment with the emergency vet for 2.30pm and in the meantime we've given him a Buscopan and half a Diocalm. His paws and belly are filthy, I'm worried to sponge him off in case I cause him more discomfort - can anyone recommend anything at all to keep him more comfortable until we go to the vets? I'm suspect we're going to get antibiotics, and I'm wondering how long does Baytril last? I might see if we can get an extra dose for the future emergencies that are bound to happen! Why are they always ill at the weekends?

Thanks
Julie
 
Awwww no poor Scampy :( Good luck at the vet, hope it goes well.

Does he seem uncomfortable if you pick him up? Maybe you could try gently washing it off, if he's obviously not liking in then stop. Maybe it would be best to just leave him until you get to the vet though.

Good luck O0
 
Hi Julie

I'm so sorry to hear about Scampy, our pig Max was like this last weekend so you are doing exactly the right thing taking him to the emergency vets. You have done the right thing re the buscopan and hopefully the diocalm will work on stopping the diarrhoea. I would probably leave sponging him off for now, at least until you've seen the vet and Scampy is in a bit less pain. Just make sure he is kept warm as he might be cold due to loss of fluids, perhaps place him in a box on top of a clean towel with some hay in there too for him (which you will probably have to change quite often but it will be more comfortable for him). I ended up buying a load of cheap white towels from Asda last weekend.

The vet gave me baytril for Max, he also injected fluids into him to rehydrate, so make sure your vet does this too as if the diarrhoea is liquid he has probably lost a lot of fluid. I am guessing that Scampy isn't eating? Have you got critical care you can syringe feed him? If not make sure the vet gives you this as well as probiotics (Bio Lapis maybe) to give alongside the antibiotics. Also, have you got diorylyte rehydration fluids (for humans)? Get some of this from the supermarket as you'll have to syringe feed him fluids too.

Sorry if i'm repeating anything you already know.....I just wanted to tell you everything I know about it having had the exact same problem as you last weekend - I know exactly what you mean about them getting ill at the weekends (we were at the vet with Max at 2am early hours Sunday morning). Thinking of both you and Scampy, please let us know how it goes.

Emily x
 
Hi both thanks for your replies.

Martin is just holding him at the moment. He just looks so ill :'( I'm so worried he's not even going to make it to the vets, we can't get the appointment pushed foward any more He got up a minute ago and it was like he was trying to walk on his two front legs only, his rear legs were splayed out, rigid and it was like he was trying to walk on tippy toes, I'm hoping its just cos he poor little bum is so sore, not something even worse. I'm so scared we're going to lose him :'(
We have some Diorylyte, how much do you reckon I should give him?
We've just prepared a cage with vetbed, but I think a box with the towels or hay would be a better idea. He fell out with and had to be seperated from his Dad a few months back - his Dad Blaze has a bit of a squitty tum as well, but when we put the two close to each other a minute ago, they just snuggled up together, just breaks my heart.

Thanks for the detailed adviice Emily - I hope Max is doing fine :)
 
Julie, could you take him to the vets and wait in the waiting room? Perhaps when they see he is so ill they would see him quicker?

Re the diorylyte I would make up one whole sachet, or half a sachet with the guidelines on the packet (I think it's one whole sachet to 200ml). Obviously you will not get 200ml down him, but give as much as he will take. I would say you need to get at least 40ml of fluid into Scampy per day, more if you can. We were also trying to give Max 50ml of Critical Care a day too. You can keep the diorylyte in the fridge for 24 hours it says on the packet.

I feel so bad for you Julie, I know how you are feeling. I'm afraid Max didn't make it, but I don't think he died from the diarrhoea, I think there was something else going on with him - so please don't panic, you need to be very strong for Scampy at the moment. Keep us updated and pm me if you need to.
 
Oh, I'm so sorry about Max :'(

We're taking him down to the vet right now, he seems to have lost the use of this legs. He was fine last night wheeking for his veggies, I just can't believe it :'(

Thanks for your support Emily, it means a lot.
 
If you have banana give him some too, it has potassium in it which he'll be losing. Keep him hydrated as Emily said either water or the fluids if you have them. Do you have a probiotic you can give? Often this helps a lot with clearing up diarrhoea. If not ask the vet for some.
 
Oh nooo, not another of our beloved piggies being sick :'( :'( :'(
This is way to many catching this bug and being awful sick and not coping :'( :'( :'(
Wishing you all the very very best, we'll keep our paws crossed that the vets were able to find something sooo that Scampy can become his normal self again :) :)
 
Thank you Glynis and Karen

We have just got back from the vets after 3 hours. She was a pleasant surprise, admitted GPs were not her speciality, but as we took the Diocalm and Buscopan boxes she noted the ingredients and said that it was a good thing to have given him. She also did a swab of his runny bottom to see if the bacteria were normal (they were). She was as thorough as she could be and I'm grateful she was trying to work out what the cause could be rather than blindly prescribe Baytril.

We have had to leave him at the vets. Whilst we were there he started trembling, breathing with a kind of squeaky whistle to it, and then flopped down and started kicking out his back legs and with something like fitting convulsions. We called the nurse back in immediately who went to get the vet again and rushed him off to put him on a drip and some oxygen. She said he had deteriorated more than she would have liked :'(

Now we wait. We're just gutted, haven't even had showers today. Both really upset, poor little sweetheart, looked just about caved in and ready to go :'( The vet warned us to expect the worst. We haven't dared ask how much its all going to cost. I think if he survives he will be there all night. Poor Blaze is wondering where his little boy has gone - we were going to see if we should let Blaze stay with Scampy, but she said to bring him home.

Will let you know.
 
Julie

I'm glad the vet seemed to be ok and that she is trying to get to the bottom of the problem. I'm sorry to hear about the convulsions, I really hope the vet can make Scampy better - he is in the best place where she can help him. I really empathise with you, I know just how you are feeling. You are all in my thoughts.

Emily x
 
awww poor little fella. GET BETTER SOON SCAMPY. hugs to you and scampy from me and my piggies. :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: thinking of you.
 
Julie,
Sorry to have to ask you this but what colour is the diarrheoa,is it yellow?,and does it smell very strong.(slightly acid).This could be acute renal failure which causes profuse diarrheoa and collapse within a short time.I am afraid there is absolutely nothing to be done if this is the case.

Paws crossed that it is just a very bad tummy upset and the vet will be able to sort it out.
 
He's gone :'( we got the call about 30 minutes after we got home, and have just returned again. I just can't believe it, he and his Dad Blaze were the first two piggies we got. He was so healthy and robust I just can't believe it. :'( He's the first we have lost.

Mary, the poo was very strong and smelt almost sulphurous but it was not yellow, it was dark brown with sometimes a greenish tinge.

Thanks for all the kind words, we're so upset at the moment, but your words mean a lot.

Julie and Marty
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. There was nothing more you could do - you did everything for him which you could and he knows that.

RIP Scampy xx :smitten:

(by the way, how much did it end up costing you? Would just like to know for future reference)
 
so sorry to hear your sad news :( my thoughts are with you all at this sad time

RIP Scampy
 
He wasn't even a year old :'(

It cost us just over £90, including some baytril for Blaze just in case.

They took a swab, put him on Oxygen and gave him an IV drip but it din't help.

We're devestated

Marty
 
aww i'm so sorry to hear that hun! :'( be brave, he's in a better place where he won't feel poorly. i know how sudden it can be, and when they've been at the vets its different, you think you've made up the phone call in your head (at least i did 98) ).aww loving thoughts, and massive hugs to you. :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :-*
 
Julie and Marty,

I am so sorry you have lost Scampy,and I am afraid that this was almost certainly either kidney or liver failure.There is absolutely nothing that any vet could have done.You did all you could for this little chap,and your vet tried very hard to save him.

No one seems to know why this happens,I lost a 2 year old sow to acute kidney failure a few years ago so I know how upset you are.

The Epsom Piggies send love and hugs to you.
 
Thank you all for the kind words.

We have buried him in the garden between the two trees , and will get some flowers to plant there tomorrow :)

Part of me was concerned that he'd had a reaction to the diocalm or something but the vet said we'd done everything we could, and that we seemed to know more about guinea pig welfare (thanks partly to all the good advice on this forum) than her nurses. She very kindly gave us some baytril for Blaze in case he had a similar problem but if it is a kidney or liver failure I guess there's not a lot we can do.

Maryh - do you know if kidney or liver failure is hereditary as Blaze (Scampy's dad) does seem to suffer from loose droppings a lot? I hope he doesn't follow :(
 
Marty,
This is a dilfficult question to answer because it depends whether the problem was the liver or the kidney and what the underlying cause was.There are several factors that could have damaged the kidney/liver and not shown any symptoms previous to collapse.It could of course have been a hereditory factor,but because the incidence of amyloidosis in gps is very small,I would think it not hereditory.In over 30 years of keeping piggies I have only ever had one pig who died in the same way as Scampy.

I really do not think you need to be worried about Blaze(except of cvourse if he and Scampy were living together,he will pine)

You say Blaze gets loose droppings a lot,how often,and how soft are they?.How old is Blaze and has he lost any weight ?.
 
He's nearly 18 months, we think he may be a bit sensitive to peppers which we severely reduced in his diet just in case, which mostly seems to do the trick. He had runs similar to Scamp with almost sulphuric smells to them a few months back but after we rushed him to the vets and came back with Baytril, cleared up pretty much straight away. Thats what I was hoping would happen today with Scampy... Blaze seems to go through phases of slightly soft poos, but only bad runny that one time. At that same time, another piggie Dylan also had terrible runs, and we nearly lost him, but he came through, without the Baytril.

We feed them greens (most days) and most of these every other day (alternated) : carrot (about 1"), celery, small pieces of peppers, broccoli, 1 small cherry tomato, about 3 -4 blueberries or the occasional strawberry (about three times a week), parsley or banana not even once a week, they've recently had a bit of melon when its been really hot, and cucumber most days. We buy organic whenever we can, wash all veggies and fruit thoroughly, never feed old or mouldy etc and feed unlimited Oxbow Timothy hay. I noticed Scampy didn't drink much ever since we had him, that may partially explain any renal failings perhaps.

Don't know if any of this helps :)
 
Julie and Marty I am so sorry about Scampy, poor little guy. :'( :'( :'(
I think you did everything you could, I wouldn't have known what to do so will be remembering all the things you did for future reference.

We all send our love.

Katie x
 
Julie/Marty

I posted on the rainbow bridge thread, but just wanted to add I understand the devastation and also the bewilderment you are feeling. My pig Max was fine one day and then so ill the next...these little animals can go from being fine to the complete opposite in such a short space of time. Every pig you lose is hard, but I know you will be particularly feeling it as this is your first loss. Know that you did all you could. Scampy is in a better place now - i'm sure that Max was there to welcome him and they are munching on fresh grass together as I write this 0:)

Emily x
 
Thank you everyone for the kind words, on both here and the rainbow bridge page.

Emilyj - I like the thought of someone being at the bridge to welcome him, although knowing Scampy he's probably already causing trouble, he was a little terror some of the time ;D

Just to let you all know Blaze seems to be doing ok at the moment. He is eating his hay, drinking his water and his poos have form, if a bit soft. He ate some banana earlier which we mixed with pro-biotic so I'm hoping he'll be ok, although we're not sure he's realised that Scampy's not about. We'll be watching all three of them like a hawk for the next few days I suspect.
 
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