Narrow right nostril

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun May 21, 2017 5:34 pm


He is in good hands with you. I wish I had advice that might help! I would try to make a diary of signs of illness, weight, and treatment to see if anything turns up that you don't already know about.

Doing a google search, a bunch of threads showed up. Talishan mentioned baytril being the first drug usually given. Mum in another thread had some luck with baytril otic (drops in ear) which works in some cases but won't treat a severe infection. Pain medication was given since ear infections can be painful.

I did not run across any magic bullets :-(

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wheeksandwheeks

Post   » Mon May 22, 2017 12:40 am


Thanks, Lynx! I have been keeping track of his weight, between when he stays with me and his weight at the vet. He continues to gain, and eats hay consistently, and all veggies I give him. He was just running around his cage. The ear infection is affecting his balance, but there's no head tilt as of yet.(he almost fell over while trying to scratch his ear). I do have Metacam if he needs it, but he seems to be doing okay so far. I don't like using it if I don't have to.

If nothing changes, I'll see what the vet says Thursday.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon May 22, 2017 10:49 am


I think you're pretty aware of the signs of pain. If you see any, do not hesitate to give pain medication! Pain can cause/contribute to inappetence.

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wheeksandwheeks

Post   » Thu May 25, 2017 10:18 pm


Well, some good news- the pneumonia is getting better, but has only reduced by 25% in 3 weeks. The Baytril is working, but too slowly(at this rate it would take 4 months to get over it). So my vet is increasing his dosage to 10 mg/ml, which is the max that is safe. I already have him on probiotic, so if it affects his appetite, or gives him diarrhea, I will let the vet know so maybe we can dial it back a bit.

He is still twitching his ear, but found out that it wasn't fluid in his ear-there is calcification in there, most likely from a previous infection. He was sick when the original owners got him, so who knows how long he was sick? His ear only started bothering him in the last month, though.

Anyone else have a pig with calcification in their ear(s)? I know it will affect his hearing, but don't know much else. At least the Baytril is working.

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wheeksandwheeks

Post   » Thu May 25, 2017 11:37 pm


I meant increasing to 10mg/kg. Concentration is 10mg/ml.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri May 26, 2017 10:25 am


Thanks for correcting that. 10 mg/ml is the concentration of the suspension.
calculate_dose.html

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wheeksandwheeks

Post   » Fri Jun 23, 2017 9:41 pm


I know it's been a month, but nothing's changed much. We just had our monthly xray yesterday, and it turns out both ears are calcified. There isn't an infection. So he will have a slight head to the right side. His right lung looks the same as a month ago.

My vet checked with a specialist and it appears the pneumonia is gone, but he now has lung damage, I.e. fibrosis. He has been on antibiotics since early February, so we have all agreed it was time to take him off and see how he does. If he gets worse, then he goes on another antibiotic. If not, then he has pulmonary fibrosis, which will leave him with an intermittent cough the rest of his life. I feel so bad for the little guy, but it doesn't seem to bother him much.

Granted, instead of taking him off of antibiotics I could have a CT scan done to verify his airways are clear, but I just can't afford that. He already seems happier off the antibiotics, so I'm good with it.
Last edited by wheeksandwheeks on Fri Jun 23, 2017 9:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Jun 23, 2017 9:44 pm


Gee, I feel badly for him too! I wish he didn't have to deal with these issues. How well can he hear now?

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wheeksandwheeks

Post   » Fri Jun 23, 2017 10:12 pm


Thanks, Lynx. He can hear us when we talk to him. If I walk in he doesn't always notice me, but if I say his name he will turn and look at me.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Sun Jun 25, 2017 1:32 am


As far as I know calcifications don't cause long-term problems, but with the caveat that I've never had a pig with them.

The poor little guy. Bless you and thank you for taking him in and caring for him so well.

Re: fibrosis -- this is an equine bronchodilator we used for one pig who had something like a COPD-like disorder, with bronchial scarring:

http://www.bi-vetmedica.com/species/equ ... ulmin.html

It won't cure fibrosis, but it helped Bonita breathe easier. She was also our first heart pig. Watch his heart as he ages.

It's nice that all this doesn't seem to bother him much. Good luck and blessings to him and to you.

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wheeksandwheeks

Post   » Sun Jul 09, 2017 4:50 pm


Thanks Talishan! I will look into the bronchilator. We took him off Baytril two weeks ago and the pneumonia hasn't come back. So, hoping it stays that way. Did your pig have increased URIs due to her fibrosis? Just want to be prepared, even if it's for the worst. He hardly ever coughs, and he's very spry and social. So, keeping my fingers crossed.

My husband wasn't thrilled with the 3rd addition to our guinea pig farm this year, but he got over it. Coco's(ceremoniously renamed Tater) owners had no business getting a guinea pig, especially from a pet store. So sick of Petco and Petsmart.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Mon Jul 10, 2017 1:59 pm


Again -- bless you and thank you for taking him, caring about him and caring for him. You have saved his life, make no mistake.

Our Bonita had, on x-ray, what the vet called 'bronchial scarring' -- as best I recall, whitish spots/thickening of bronchial tissues on x-ray, but no evidence of pneumonia or URI. She was not susceptible to URI -- she never had one, at least not while in our care.

She was given Bactrim (not Baytril) on a couple of occasions, which seemed to help her, at least temporarily. This somewhat confused the vet; since she saw no evidence of infection, why would an AB help? She was *extremely* sensitive to antibiotics; she had trouble even with metronidazole (Flagyl), so we avoided ABs unless absolutely necessary.

She was, however, a heart pig, our first one, and responded beautifully to heart meds. Fwiw.

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