New here.. help.. my baby pigs URI won't clear

PandorasPiggies

Post   » Tue Apr 24, 2018 11:35 pm


They're calling it to roadrunner veterinary medicine and it will be shipped to me within 24 hours. And I should receive it within another 24. So he will stay on doxycycline until then.

I've been holding his head still and closing his little ear flap whole massaging behind his ear when I put his drops in .. in hopes that some will reach his inner ear. He hates it and it obviously hurts and I try and be gentle and soft while working it in.

Today when I got home from work I got him out and he doesn't seem to be tilting his head at all. If he is it's only slight. This of course could change based upon the fluids in his inner ear.

I'm wondering though.. is it possible for the ear pus to drain through the eye? When I massage his ears I notice his eye starts to water (he is on eye ointment) and often part of it is white.

Thanks for the help and support. I hope to have his new meds within 2 days. Finally on the road to full health I hope. I just love that little guy 💚

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Kimera

Post   » Wed Apr 25, 2018 2:16 am


I don't think it is pus. Guinea pig eyes naturally secrete white fluid used for grooming.

PandorasPiggies

Post   » Wed Apr 25, 2018 2:36 am


Ah good to know!

Thank you!

I've learned so much from everyone. I greatly value and appreciate it.

His head tilts sometimes and other times doesn't.

Meds will be here soon though and we will get him better. But he popcorn and runs all about during floor time having a great time. So that's good as well. Still gaining weight and eating well. So I'm hopeful these signs mean he can fight through the rest of This! 💚

PandorasPiggies

Post   » Wed Apr 25, 2018 7:01 pm


Oh..
Oh my.
Local pharmacy was going to charge about $40 for the chloramphenicol medication, but then realized they no longer fill that medication

the Roadrunner Pharmacy charges $150.75 for it... 0_o

That is kind of a huge difference

AND it is going to take 5-7 days to get here =(

But I thought they go downhill super fast. I just don't even know what to do now.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Apr 25, 2018 8:17 pm


Wow, that is a lot! I can understand your dismay! I think that pharmacy should have given you a heads up on cost before going ahead with it. 5 to 7 days is a long time.

bpatters, what do you think?

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Wed Apr 25, 2018 9:32 pm


It can take a while to get meds that have to be compounded. Depending on where in California she is, there might not be a compounding pharmacy anywhere near.

It's one of the antibiotic big guns, and isn't prescribed often. That may be another reason it's hard to find.

But when one of my pigs was sick and needed a drug my vet didn't have, he gave me a written prescription and I called all the human pharmacies to see if I could find one that had it. There was one in the city of Houston with that med in the preparation I needed.

PandorasPiggies

Post   » Wed Apr 25, 2018 11:00 pm


Interesting.

I did not get it filled just yet.. it was so insane in cost and it was already going to take a few days to get here and they won't be mixing it until tomorrow if I do it anyways.

I called another pharmacy (farther away...) I'm in northern California.. But the delivery time is exactly the same.

They did not give me the cost.. But I mentioned how much the previous pharmacy was charging .. I gave them the info of how much medication is in the bottle etc. She told me she couldn't give me the price until having the RX but she said that they are one of the largest compound medication distributors and they strive to keep their prices affordable.

We will see what they say tomorrow.

In the meantime.. I'm holding his head and putting his drops in ears and trapping/massaging the liquid in. He has no head tilt today at all. So hopefully he is at least going to be ok until I can figure out how to get his medicine. He will take the last dose he has of doxycycline and will just have the baytril combo drops and eye ointment..

Here's hoping he doesn't take a turn for the worst. Still gaining weight and running around and eating well. Popcorning today at floor time. He was a hapoy little piggy.

Thanks so much. Such a crazy road with this :/ 💚

PandorasPiggies

Post   » Mon Apr 30, 2018 6:40 pm


Update. The medication will finally arrive tomorrow. I got it from another compounding pharmacy, wedgewood pet pharmacy . It was $33 plus shipping for the .chloramphenicol.. This is acceptable.. the $150 price was insanity from roadrunner.

Anyways it should be here tomorrow

My question is now this. He took all of the doxycycline and has been off of antibiotics for about 3 days. His eye is still very watery.. I stopped his medication for the eye goop for a day to see if there was improvement. There isn't. His eye waters with and without his eye ointment

He is still on ear drops.. And his head tilt is gone. I've figured out how to keep them in without him shaking them out.

I presume I should still give him the chloramphenicol ?

He is not sneezing or anything. Just perpetual eye water. He still hates the drops in his ear and hates me massaging his ear to get them to drain in there

Is it possible that his eye will never clear up? Or should it clear once the ear thing clears?

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Apr 30, 2018 11:17 pm


Much more reasonable cost. Do follow all the precautions when you give it. I hope it helps.

It sounds like something is still going on. If you have questions, I would call your vet and see what he/she says. I think I would give it, myself.

Eyes can sometimes look like they are watering because a tear duct is blocked. Is the watery substance milky looking?

PandorasPiggies

Post   » Tue May 01, 2018 1:23 am


Yes the watery substance in his eye looks milky

How would I unclog his tear duct. My poor pig.

I think I'm going to give the meds to him. They're ordered, paid for, and on the way here. I know the vet said to wear gloves and take precaution not to get it on me.

I'm just glad the meds will be here soon. I want to give him the best chance he can have!

And I'm glad the other pharmacy wasn't insane on cost! Yeesh. I'm going to let my vet office know in case they have other cases needing this med since our local compounding pharmacy no longer makes it

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Tue May 01, 2018 1:31 am


Use a clean damp cloth and very very very gently massage the corner of his eye, close to the bridge of his nose. Do this a couple of times a day for a few days and see if that helps.

PandorasPiggies

Post   » Tue May 01, 2018 3:01 am


Ok. Will do!

I really appreciate you guys. Thank you!

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