Undiagnosed symptoms - any advice?

[sheltiepiggies]

Hello - we took our 3 year old piggie to the vets last Saturday after her breathing was wheezy, her sides enlarged and with every breath forcefully pushed out and in. The vet heard no crackles on the lungs and gave her Loxicom, Sulfatrim for 10 days. No specific diagnosis but to bring her back if no improvement to do an xray. She’s been eating and drinking on and off with bouts of activity, followed by uncomfortable lying down positions, then up and making inquisitive noises but no wheeking and 100g weight loss in a week. There’s been mushy poos (I assume due to the meds?) and urine but her breathing seems better in that it doesn't sound or look hard like it did earlier this week. This has given us hope but then she looks ill again. She hasn’t behaved like a poorly piggie on the face of it and not deteriorated but I know they can really hide illness. What should we do? Any ideas about what is wrong with her?

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

I am very sorry for your ongoing issues.

Please have your piggy vet checked whether there is something else going on outside the lungs (fluid build up in the chest, a potential internal growth pushing on the heart/lungs etc.) A scan or x-ray is definitely the next step forward to seeing what is going on now that the easy option has not worked out.

We can unfortunately only guess wildly without access; it is quite a wide field and any treatment entirely relies on what your vet finds after a further examination.

All the best!

 

[sheltiepiggies]

Hi!

I am very sorry for your ongoing issues.

Please have your piggy vet checked whether there is something else going on outside the lungs (fluid build up in the chest, a potential internal growth pushing on the heart/lungs etc.) A scan or x-ray is definitely the next step forward to seeing what is going on now that the easy option has not worked out.

We can unfortunately only guess wildly without access; it is quite a wide field and any treatment entirely relies on what your vet finds after a further examination.

All the best!

Thank you Wiebke for your swift reply, we’ll get her back to the vets and go from there....

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you Wiebke for your swift reply, we’ll get her back to the vets and go from there....

That is unfortunately all you can do in these kind of situations. Having been there often enough myself over the years, I really feel for you!

 

[sheltiepiggies]

Hello - we took our 3 year old piggie back to the vet today. They couldn’t find any mass or lump, said her breathing, chest and lungs were clear. But when asked about an xray they said it wouldn’t show anything up, a scan isn’t easy to do on a piggie and generally doesn't yield any results. But she is clearly in pain when under her rib cage is touched. They suggested upping the painkiller to doses a day, which I’m surmising may help her want to eat as she has lost 300g in a week. Not sure what else we can do?

 

[T-Rex]

Aww I’m sorry to hear your piggy is unwell. I think I’d be tempted to research and find a more pig savvy vet. There’s a list on the forum.
I’d also be stepping in with syringe food now too with that kind of weight loss.
I’m sure someone more experienced will come to offer more advice too but that’s just my thoughts.

Sending best wishes and hope things improve.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello - we took our 3 year old piggie back to the vet today. They couldn’t find any mass or lump, said her breathing, chest and lungs were clear. But when asked about an xray they said it wouldn’t show anything up, a scan isn’t easy to do on a piggie and generally doesn't yield any results. But she is clearly in pain when under her rib cage is touched. They suggested upping the painkiller to doses a day, which I’m surmising may help her want to eat as she has lost 300g in a week. Not sure what else we can do?

HUGS

You can always see another vet for a second opinion although it sounds rather like your time is starting to run out with that kind of enormous weight loss.

Please step in with syringe feeding support and maxing out on the painkiller. What have you been given and which dosage?
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre

Just in case you need it, especially in view of it being a long bank holiday weekend: A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs

 

[sheltiepiggies]

HUGS

You can always see another vet for a second opinion although it sounds rather like your time is starting to run out with that kind of enormous weight loss.

Please step in with syringe feeding support and maxing out on the painkiller. What have you been given and which dosage?
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre

Just in case you need it, especially in view of it being a long bank holiday weekend: A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs

Wiebke thank you again for your support and guidance. We’ve started syringe feeding 3-5ml every 2-3 hours plus water and poo soup which she’s responding to. Only 7g weight loss this morning compared to 30g yesterday and 80g the day before. She’s on double dose of pain killer 0.2ml loxicom twice a day and sulfatrim 0.2 twice a day until Tuesday when the 10 day course is finished. At least we’re doing everything we can... try to stay hopeful and positive.

 

[Wiebke]

Wiebke thank you again for your support and guidance. We’ve started syringe feeding 3-5ml every 2-3 hours plus water and poo soup which she’s responding to. Only 7g weight loss this morning compared to 30g yesterday and 80g the day before. She’s on double dose of pain killer 0.2ml loxicom twice a day and sulfatrim 0.2 twice a day until Tuesday when the 10 day course is finished. At least we’re doing everything we can... try to stay hopeful and positive.

Fingers VERY firmly crossed for you and little your little one.

Is the loxicom cat or dog strength? A 1 kg piggy can have up to 0.4 ml dog or 1.2 ml cat metacam safely twice daily in extreme pain/crisis or end of life situations. And what is your own piggy's current weight?

 

[sheltiepiggies]

Weight has increased to 1016 from 995 this morning. She’s having 0.2 cat loxicom twice a day. The vet said the dose range can be increased. Shall I up it to 0.5ml each time?

 

[Wiebke]

Weight has increased to 1016 from 995 this morning. She’s having 0.2 cat loxicom twice a day. The vet said the dose range can be increased. Shall I up it to 0.5ml each time?

Yes, please do; it is still very much on the moderate side. The average dosage for a 1 kg piggy would be 0.5-0.7 ml cat metacam in the case of moderate pain. You can safely go up to 1.2 ml cat metacam/loxicom/meloxidyl etc. every 12 hours if needed.

PS: These dosages have been used for member piggies by experienced vets, just to clarify where my recommendations come from. My Dylan was even on 1.5 ml cat metacam (or rather 0.5 ml dog metacam) for a full month for his brewing dental abscess over the Christmas holiday period 2019. Dylan is still with me and ticking along nicely for a 5 years old gent.

 

[sheltiepiggies]

Hello - she’s still with us and the mystery continues... the antibiotics finish tomorrow, hand feeding and poo soup by syringe continues, she has eaten a tiny amount of hay and dried dandelion leaves by herself as we offer it before hand feeding, is drinking occasionally by herself and pooping with no weight loss today. But she grinds her molars and whimpers when we handle her so clearly is in pain (oh and we’ve upped the painkiller to 1ml every 12 hours). If she doesn’t eat more by herself in the next couple of days we’ll take her to another vet and see what they say.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello - she’s still with us and the mystery continues... the antibiotics finish tomorrow, hand feeding and poo soup by syringe continues, she has eaten a tiny amount of hay and dried dandelion leaves by herself as we offer it before hand feeding, is drinking occasionally by herself and pooping with no weight loss today. But she grinds her molars and whimpers when we handle her so clearly is in pain (oh and we’ve upped the painkiller to 1ml every 12 hours). If she doesn’t eat more by herself in the next couple of days we’ll take her to another vet and see what they say.

All the best!

 

[artcasper]

Awww I hope you get to the bottom.of it... poor piggy.. you are doing what you can.. x

 

[Eddie & Elvis]

Fingers and paws crossed you find out what's wrong very soon Knowing something is wrong but not knowing what is horrible Sending healing wheeks from my two

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

Sending lots of love for you and your little one

 

[sheltiepiggies]

Hello forumites - well I don’t want to jinx things but pleased to say that snowy is on the mend. After her medication finished she started eating by herself again and we’ve not syringe fed for a few days now. She’s not stopped eating, got her mojo back and is putting on weight nearly back to what she was originally before the mystery illness started. Great to have her back in action. Thanks to my daughter for nursing her back to health. We weren’t impressed by our vet who suggested putting her down. No way was that going to happen without giving her the chance she needed. Thank you for all your support as always. I’m going to donate to help keep this vital forum going.

 

[weepweeps]

That’s brilliant news. Well done for all the hard work your daughter has put in. It’s paid off. .