• 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

Unknown illness

SallyM79

SallyM79

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Dec 5, 2018
Messages
102
Reaction score
68
Points
270
Location
Hertfordshire, UK
Hi everyone.
I need some help deciding on the best course of action please.
Sandy has dental issues and goes to see simon/Kim every 6 weeks ish. A couple of days before her last visit (Friday) she started going off her veggies and pellets but seemed OK in herself. Kim checked her over, teeth OK, she has ovarian cysts that which have been there for a while which were a little bigger this time and she also has a crusty nipple with a bit of a growth that has been there for a while and secretes some pus/blood sometimes - this has also got bigger. She has been on 0.25ml lexicon for a while for her teeth and Kim recommended increasing to 0.3ml to see if that picks her up. It hasn't.

I called Kim yesterday as sandy hasn't moved much for the last few days. She sits in a spot and stays there for hours. She has stopped coming out for food too. She has lost about 90g over the last few days and I have stepped in with syringe feeding. I am confident it isn't her teeth as this is different to her behaviour last time. She will also eat lettuce, cucumber and a little hay when I am feeding her.

Kim advised increasing her loxicom to 0.4ml as we are not close enough to pop in and pick up anything stronger and they are in the middle of moving. She has said that it is difficult to diagnose as no obvious signs of the cause. Tests would be GA to do scan/xray, blood tests. As she is weak and underweight, this obviously carries risks that she may not get through that. If they find something that needs operating on, she is worried that she is too weak. Or the tests could find something they can't treat. We could try an antibiotic which as you know, carries its own complications with gut health and again, her condition could make recovery difficult. Also, It also may not help as we don't know what is causing the problem.

I am struggling to weigh up the best course of action for sandy. I am also worried that she can't go to see kim/Simon until next week due to the move and I'm not sure sandy can last that long. I don't trust the local vets to treat her.

Any advice is welcomed Please.
 
Hi @SallyM79 and I'm sorry your post seems to have slipped through the net. I don't have much advice I'm afraid - Simon and Kim are very expert. I don't know how old your girl is but it doesn't sound much like a common infection. Ears you'd expect some pawing at them, head shaking, maybe a head tilt. Lungs would be breathing difficulty. Urinary would be pain when peeing and blood. So i'm not sure antibiotics would be your way forward. Sitting like this and not eating she's not feeling well. Is she facing outwards? Or facing the corner and hiding away (which is not so good).

Dental issues can be a cause or a symptom... if piggy has been gradually eating less and less hay (hard to spot but over time there would have been gradual weight loss) the teeth can overgrow a little as a result, but again the Maddock's are the experts and although I've had a piggy dental I've never had a 'dental pig' if you know what I mean.

If you hadn't have said cysts I'd have been thinking about that nipple possibly being a mammary tumour - was this mentioned? Most are not cancerous... check out this guinea link below. And you've probably found the forum guide to lady-piggy problems
Guinea Lynx :: Mammary Tumor
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

I hope you are managing OK x
 
Thank you for your reply. Sandy is 4 and a half but seems older due to the health issues.

She is literally finding a spot and sitting in it for hours. When I feed her, I always put her back in the hay tray and she pretty much heads for the nearest igloo or snug and stays there. If she goes in the pouch, she is facing inward - almost as though she can't be bothered to turn around. I'm not sure she is actively choosing to face away.

She had a very messy bottom when I fed her at lunchtime and it is difficult to tell if it is just from the sitting in her own mess or if there is something else going on there.

After feeding CC, I have been giving some lettuce or cucumber as I don't think she is drinking much. While she was eating her lettuce today, I could little pops within her belly. Could this be bloat?

She has gained around 25g today and is eager to eat the CC and lettuce I am giving her so she doesn't seem to be giving up yet.

I am still struggling to decide whether it is a good idea to have the tests done - the risk of GA in her weakened state is worrying me. And then I am worried about the results and subsequent treatments (or lack of options for treatment). Would you risk the GA?
 
GA in such small animals is always potentially dangerous, generally speaking vets will use reversible GA in the case something goes wrong but if she is not improving after being medicated then that unfortunately may be the step you have to take.
If she has a messy bottom and is not moving it is likely she is sitting in her own mess, and in some sort of pain/discomfort.
Simon and Kim as you know are very knowledgeable and will always do everything they can to make the use of GA as safe as possible.

Is she on dog loxicom?

The sounds you are hearing is most likely normal gut sounds, you can generally hear a gurgle when you listen to the stomach/intestines.
I can not be sure this is what you are hearing, but I have had a piggy suffering from gut stasis and bloating at the same time and me and the vet often kept on top of listening to his stomach as they are able to hear gut movement and this is how we identified his issue. Is her stomach hard at all?
You may find this guide helpful - Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)

All the best x
 
I am very sorry that you have a poorly piggy. My Edward was poorly last summer and was sitting in his own mess due to bad arthritis. Simon and Kim are very knowledgeable so probably would have spotted it but I’m not sure whether this could be an issue for your piggy? Edward was on metacam and Tramodol for his arthritis and was being treated by Simon and Kim.

I don’t have much advice but wanted to offer my support. Mystery illnesses are always a worry x
 
Thanks all. Her tummy doesn’t feel hard but I'm not sure really. Kim is going to call on Monday to see how she is and I think I will be booking her in for the tests if no improvement.

After feeding her this evening, I put her back in the hay tray and she stood for a moment and rocked back and forth a little and raised her bum a bit. When she moved, there was a poo clump left behind. Do you think this means she has a tummy problem? I have some emeprid from when she stopped eating before, should I give that? I keep seeing fibreplex mentioned too, would that be worth trying? I just want to do what I can to help her rather than just waiting.
 
Update:

Sandy has now had 2 doses of emeprid (0.6ml which is less than needed for her weight). She is eating CC well and maintaining weight. She is moving around more, seems a bit brighter and eating some hay. I bought some fibreplex but haven't given it to her yet. Her poo is also better formed now.

I am really hope this is a turning point. Can piggies just get better?
 
I am glad that Sandy is a little better.

it depends on the individual piggy, the illness and how that illness affects them on whether they can get better but given the correct treatment, odds are in their favour x
 
:agr:
I am very glad to hear she is doing better, it definitely depends on each pig but fingers crossed all is up from here x
 
SallyM79 said:
Can piggies just get better?
Click to expand...
It depends on what's 'wrong'... you can have a transient gut disturbance or transient bloat that they can get through. One of my old girls once ate something she shouldn't and was really, properly unwell by the evening and I was syringing every few hours through the night thinking that was it, but miraculously the next morning she'd gotten over it. When Louise first got bloat she blew up like a hard barrel and that was a challenging few days to try and get that gas to move through because that's the only option - moving it through and out the other end. She was fine for the next year but generally had a more 'sensitive' gut than the other two - although everyone ate the same things. And she was certainly my greediest, heaviest pig in her prime! At the end of her life it was her gut that slowed and then, after a little bout of runny poo, stopped altogether. It could be that was always going to be what failed her first and it was just a matter of when...
 
Unfortunately I spoke too soon. I have weighed her this morning and she weighed 765g - a drop of about 60g.

Yesterday she kept refusing the cc - I managed to get around 10ml in. She was moving around in her cage though, I saw her nibbling in the hay pile many times throughout the day and I put in a fresh haycube which she was interested in. I thought maybe she was filling herself which was why she refused the CC but clearly not.

I think I am going to try feeding again today but will make the CC without the fibreplex. I am wondering if that changed the taste and she didn't like it. I also have Kim calling today or tomorrow so I am hoping she will have some ideas.
 
You could always offer the Fibreplex dose on a small plate/dish and see if she takes it directly. Sometimes they do. When mine wouldn’t take it in their CC I syringed out a dose onto a plate and then used a 1ml syringe. Mine aren’t too keen on the larger size of the Fibreplex syringe and it was the only way I could get them to take it. Thinking of you x
 
Another update. Sandy has had a crusty nipple for some time and over the last 6 months, a tumour had developed around it. Cat and rabbit clinic had been keeping an eye on it during the dental appointments.

A couple of days ago, she started bleeding from the area and today when I cleaned her, I could see it seems to have opened up further. I have an appointment with Kim tomorrow after having a call with her yesterday. I am assuming she will need an operation which is scaring me due to her weight loss and feeble state.

I am keeping up with the pain relief, emeprid and syringe feeding and hoping her weight will stabilise and strength built in preparation but not feeling too positive about the outcome.

Anyone have any positive stories I can cling to?
 
SallyM79 said:
Another update. Sandy has had a crusty nipple for some time and over the last 6 months, a tumour had developed around it. Cat and rabbit clinic had been keeping an eye on it during the dental appointments.

A couple of days ago, she started bleeding from the area and today when I cleaned her, I could see it seems to have opened up further. I have an appointment with Kim tomorrow after having a call with her yesterday. I am assuming she will need an operation which is scaring me due to her weight loss and feeble state.

I am keeping up with the pain relief, emeprid and syringe feeding and hoping her weight will stabilise and strength built in preparation but not feeling too positive about the outcome.

Anyone have any positive stories I can cling to?
Click to expand...
I don’t have any experience with this but Cat and Rabbit are amazing so she’s in good hands. Sending healing vibes for tomorrow.
 
They will certainly give you the best advice for your girl. And there are fewer hands more experienced with piggies. I hope it goes well. Safe journey x
 
It's not good news. The burst tumour is infected and unfortunately an operation isn't possible due to the infected tissue. Kim advised putting her to sleep as soon as possible 😢. I needed to bring her home so my daughter could say goodbye and have made an appointment with a local vet for this evening. So so so sad and gutted 😢

She is in her cage now with her cagemate Lollipop. I need to clean out the cage properly as I haven't had the chance to for a while. Will that make things worse for Lollipop?
 
I am really sorry to hear this, you did the best for your girl right until the end.
Hopefully you will find peace in the fact you managed to help her to her eternal sleep, surround by love and care.

If it were me I would leave the cage even for just a day. Perhaps you could get your girl out for a cuddle now, in some blanket to then add to the cage once you clean it tomorrow (or whenever), so lollipop has some scent of her passed friend.

Are you taking your girls body home for lollipop to say goodbye to, although it is likely she is already aware as your girl has been ill.
If you were to take her home you can just place the body in the cage and lollipop can chose wether to interact with her or not.
This process generally lasts around 10 minutes.
Guinea pigs generally grieve 4 days, so this is about the amount of time I would offer her a blanket or such to be a comfort.

I will attach the forums guides to bereavement.
Death, Dying, Terminal Illness; Human Grieving and Bereaved Companions: Information and Support for Owners and Their Children

I am wishing you and your family all the best, take care of yourselves in this time x
 
I am very sorry that it wasn’t better news and pts is the only option 😞 I would leave the cage for another day or two whilst Lollipop goes through the first few days of the grieving process 😞 Lollipop is probably already aware of how poorly Sandy is so hopefully she’ll bounce back after Sandy has gone. Whether you put Sandy’s body back in the cage rather depends on whether you bring her home afterwards or if you’re leaving her at the vets to be cremated. You have been given some excellent advise above (((hugs))) x
 
I'm so sorry 😔
Perhaps just a partial clean of the worst bits? When we recently lost George and Louise within a week we worried a great deal about Flora being suddenly alone. So we pretty much left the cages and just picked poops and replaced wet bedding. Flora had seen both and knew they were not coming back but I thought of her alone in the night and hoped the smell of her group was comforting. We set up the snuggle safe heat pads and water bottles here and there both morning and evening to make sure there were warm options wherever she would choose to sleep. I sat with her to eat breakfast in the mornings like I had with George when he was alone, so she had someone to eat with. And I did similar in the evenings with a cup of tea and a biscuit.

She was sad for a week or so and then just subdued but it was hard to say how long because she's also developed ovarian cysts. She went right into the back corner and faced the wall. We tried bonding her with another girl after about 3 weeks but it totally didn't fly and Cocoa returned to her previous home. Flora had been pretty freaked by Cocoa and has actually perked up a lot since. Whether she was just glad to see the back of her or whether it made her realise that there would be other piggies to meet in the world I don't know - likely a bit of both. But for the last week she's been very chipper and has squeaked in the mornings again. We've moved through our grief together x
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top