Worst flare up, and weight loss of 100g+

[Toffee and Oreo]

Hi everyone

As by the title, Toffee isn’t doing too great, she hasn’t had a flare up at all, for over 6 months now, but suddenly 3 days ago she’s now having the worst one she’s ever had in her life. I’ve put her straight onto her max dose of metacam 0.3ml of the dog one 2x per day, but there’s still no sign of the bleeding stopping. She’s also lost over 100g too over the course of I'm not sure how long. All I know is that on the 14th she weighed 1.003kg and now before veg she’s 820g. She is usually around the 920g mark when she is at home with us, but because we were on holiday for a month and I came back and weighed her on the 14th, I was quite surprised how much weight she gained. So I’m not sure which weight to count the weight loss from. She still has most her appetite, which I guess is a good sign, she still is squeeking for veg. But she is a bit more lethargic than usual, which I’m not surprised by, as she must be in a lot of pain. I’m just shocked by how much blood is coming out, I changed her fleeces around 10mins ago and there are already 5 big blotches covering it. The blood, (not 100% sure it’s blood cause I’ve heard about phophorine) I’ve seen coming straight out of her and it’s quite thick and dark, like a rich dark red, and it just keeps on oozing out of her. I’m really worried about her, and I know if I take her to the vets, there’s not much they can do, as all they will say is to just give her metacam and wait for it to clear up. Is there anything I can try to try stop the bleeding, cause I don’t know how much more she can take of it. I’ve attached a photo of all the blood that has come out of her over the course of the last 3 days so you can see the scale of it. Sorry about the long message I’m just really worried about her

 

[Wiebke]

Hi everyone

As by the title, Toffee isn’t doing too great, she hasn’t had a flare up at all, for over 6 months now, but suddenly 3 days ago she’s now having the worst one she’s ever had in her life. I’ve put her straight onto her max dose of metacam 0.3ml of the dog one 2x per day, but there’s still no sign of the bleeding stopping. She’s also lost over 100g too over the course of I'm not sure how long. All I know is that on the 14th she weighed 1.003kg and now before veg she’s 820g. She is usually around the 920g mark when she is at home with us, but because we were on holiday for a month and I came back and weighed her on the 14th, I was quite surprised how much weight she gained. So I’m not sure which weight to count the weight loss from. She still has most her appetite, which I guess is a good sign, she still is squeeking for veg. But she is a bit more lethargic than usual, which I’m not surprised by, as she must be in a lot of pain. I’m just shocked by how much blood is coming out, I changed her fleeces around 10mins ago and there are already 5 big blotches covering it. The blood, (not 100% sure it’s blood cause I’ve heard about phophorine) I’ve seen coming straight out of her and it’s quite thick and dark, like a rich dark red, and it just keeps on oozing out of her. I’m really worried about her, and I know if I take her to the vets, there’s not much they can do, as all they will say is to just give her metacam and wait for it to clear up. Is there anything I can try to try stop the bleeding, cause I don’t know how much more she can take of it. I’ve attached a photo of all the blood that has come out of her over the course of the last 3 days so you can see the scale of it. Sorry about the long message I’m just really worried about her

Hi

HUGS

Please step in with feeding support asap. Part of the lethargy can come from lack of eating less and less hay for several days. This guide here tells you what to do if you aren't prepared. Make sure that you also offer water via a syringe but don't just squirt it in to prevent it from going down the wrong way.

Thread 'How to Improvise Feeding Support in an Emergency'

May 31, 2024

1 Feed
- Important crisis management resources
- When is improvising necessary?
- Which food group am I replacing with my feeding support?
- How much and how often should I feed and water?
- What can I use that I have already got at home?
- Other possible easily available foods with their pros and cons
- How do I prep a syringe for rougher pellet fibre?
- What can I do without a syringe?
- The role of lukewarm water
2 Probiotics
- Probiotic products...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Emergency Information and Care

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• 

The maroon colour is characteristic of porphyrin so please take a deep breath; this is not sheer blood and some of it is looking partially dried in so the pees have been made over a space of time. Peeing more frequently during a flare is normal but since normal pees usually don't show up the amount will come as a bit of a shock.

Thread 'Wiebke's Guide to Pees and Stones'

May 29, 2024

1 The Urinary Tract
2 Pees
- Water intake changes
- Pee discoloration
3 Infections
- Bacterial urine infection (UTI)
- Bacterial cystitis
- Sterile cystitis (interstitial cystitis or IC)
4 Stones, Sludge and Crystals
- Crystals, stones and sludge
- Stone and sludge removal
5 Kidneys and Bladder Cancer
-...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Wiebke's Guides to the Body

You can up the metacam safely to 0.4 ml twice daily for a few days.
Sorry, I cannot remember your glucosamine support but if possible also max it out to see whether you can cap the IC flare.

See your vet promptly if things are not better by Monday and sooner if she keeps going downhill despite the feeding support.

All the best. It is always a lot more stressful on a bank holiday weekend.

 

[Toffee and Oreo]

Thanks so much for the support, I’ve syringed fed mushed pellets and she wolfed that down, which is good sign, I’ll keep an eye on her, hopefully she starts to make an improvement

 

[CTWC]

Fingers crossed

 

[Truffolo]

Hope she gets better soon!

 

[Toffee and Oreo]

Thanks so much, she seemed better ish today, shes still not 100% as still is producing lots of red pees around the cage, one fleece was similar to the worst In the photo above, but she is now up to 868g now, so I’m not too worried about her not eating. Hopefully it’s an uphill road from here

 

[Toffee and Oreo]

Hi again,
Toffee isn’t 100% still, she’s still in quite a bit of pain, cause she just sits in the cage fluffed up staring into nothing for little bits at a time. She still has red pees ish, they’ve got more yellowish tints to them now, but they’re a lot smaller. When I picked her up to observe her bits, there is pinky yellowish stuff coming out, and it’s thickish. Could this mean she has an infection now? And why it’s taken her so long to recover? Cause she still isn’t better. We are trying to get a vet appointment for her today too.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi again,
Toffee isn’t 100% still, she’s still in quite a bit of pain, cause she just sits in the cage fluffed up staring into nothing for little bits at a time. She still has red pees ish, they’ve got more yellowish tints to them now, but they’re a lot smaller. When I picked her up to observe her bits, there is pinky yellowish stuff coming out, and it’s thickish. Could this mean she has an infection now? And why it’s taken her so long to recover? Cause she still isn’t better. We are trying to get a vet appointment for her today too.

Hi

I am very sorry. Good that you are having her seen because this doesn't sound quite normal and needs to be checked.

We can go only ever go by what you tell us and our own owner experience but we can never replace a vet. The long weekend has of course not helped.

All the best. I hope that you can get to the bottom of what is going on.

 

[Toffee and Oreo]

Just been to the vet, she’s got a tumor the size of a Brussel sprout on her bladder, so she only has a few months left, I’ve opted not to go for surgery, due to her age and how risky it is. Now just palliative care for the next few months, we’ve now giving her 0.6ml of metacam 2x daily as well as 0.05ml gabapenton, and if that’s not enough we are going to give paracetamol too. Feeling pretty devastated, but at least she won’t be pain for the last few months hopefully.

 

[Wiebke]

Just been to the vet, she’s got a tumor the size of a Brussel sprout on her bladder, so she only has a few months left, I’ve opted not to go for surgery, due to her age and how risky it is. Now just palliative care for the next few months, we’ve now giving her 0.6ml of metacam 2x daily as well as 0.05ml gabapenton, and if that’s not enough we are going to give paracetamol too. Feeling pretty devastated, but at least she won’t be pain for the last few months hopefully.

BIG HUGS

I am so very sorry. I didn't think it was a cystitis flare you were dealing with but anything causing those symptoms would likely not be good news.

Please give yourself time to digest the shock and the upset. Be aware that the current storm of emotions marks both the shock and the onset of your grieving process. It is usually the second worst point bar the actual loss itself. Be kind with yourself.

Turn your girl's life clock back to zero and celebrate each day she is still here to greet as the special gift it is. Make it count with a little enrichment activity. Love transcends time. It doesn't matter so much how long or short the time left is; it matters what you make of it and how consciously you live it. Create a little picture diary folder you can fill all the precious memories you are creating and which will stay with you forever. You can still pack a lifetime's worth of fun and love into whatever time you have left, whether that is short or long. Don't fixate on months; 'today' and what you do with it is the only day that counts. This is how piggies measure their life by and we should learn from that because you cannot lose that way.

Re. painkillers: This is the lesson I have learned from my dad's three years battle with extremely painful terminal bone cancer: your girl won't be totally pain-free. Pain management is about keeping it tolerable but there are limits. Guinea pigs are wired to suppress symptoms to an amazing degree.
Please consider now how far you want to take her and stick with it because it won't get any easier when you come closer to the sharp end. Your current time frame may also not hold up to your expectations - these things are very unpredictable. Guinea pigs are small animals with a much faster metabolism when the chips are down and these two things turn against them.

That is why taking it day by day is so important. There is no tomorrow or a long line of tomorrows - there is only a chain of todays you don't know when it ends. But by living in the day you will create a chain full of beads instead of an empty string.

I am never happy having to link in this guide here but you will hopefully find it helpful. It cannot take away your heartbreak but it can help you clear your head and make the best of what you have, for your beloved girl and for yourself.
If you do it right, you will find that you have actually done a lot of the grieving homework underneath it all and have a comparatively easier ride afterwards - the pain of the loss is individual and will never get any less. But you can make it much more bearable with a certain sense of peace and a blessed absence of some of the emotional mind traps that come with a sudden loss.

Thread 'A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs'

Feb 20, 2020

1 Your mental health, sensitivities and work commitments
- Mental health and support resources
- Sensitivity aspects
- When work and other commitments clash
2 Life or death emergency – Can my piggy be saved?
- Contacting a vet clinic at all times and link to life and death emergencies list
- What to do if I cannot access vet care instantly?
- The need to save up for emergency vet access
3 Is my...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 5
• Forum: Wiebke's Home Care Guides

• 

My thoughts are with you.

 

[CTWC]

I am so sorry about this news but try to treasure your time together

 

[weepweeps]

I’m so very sorry. My Pepper was on palliative care recently and I said as soon as he wasn’t coming out for food that would be the sign it was time. I hope you have lots more days together.

 

[Toffee and Oreo]

Thanks for all the support, she seems to be doing well at the moment with the drugs. I’d say she’s 95% back to her normal self. I’ve had a few days to process it, and I think I’ve come to terms with it now. I’ve decided that once her pain meds she’s on at the moment don’t seem enough, and she still is in pain, will be the time to let her go, as I don’t want her to suffer just for me to have more time with her. This is such a lovely forum, and I’ll keep all of you updated with how she’s progressing

 

[CTWC]

Please do we are all sending our support from here in Staffordshire someone is always around to listen

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for all the support, she seems to be doing well at the moment with the drugs. I’d say she’s 95% back to her normal self. I’ve had a few days to process it, and I think I’ve come to terms with it now. I’ve decided that once her pain meds she’s on at the moment don’t seem enough, and she still is in pain, will be the time to let her go, as I don’t want her to suffer just for me to have more time with her. This is such a lovely forum, and I’ll keep all of you updated with how she’s progressing

We are here for you to talk about anything you feel conflicted or concerned about, or just because you need somebody to be there for you who understands.

Terminal care is such a strange time: it is like this sweet flute melody with glistening trills floating on top of a deep bass continuum as you cherish life with an intensity like never before whilst you are grieving all the time for its passing underneath it all. Everything is much more in focus but because of that it has a sense of unreality to it.

Be kind with yourself and look after your own mental hygiene and your own grounding. It's not something you can digest in a day or be fine with at the snap of finger; it is an ongoing process with its ups and downs.

But treasure the good times for as long as they last, day by day; and dance to the flute.