Poppy the Piggy- Heart Condition, Benazepril Dosage, Critical Care Supplement

[Sef]

Darn. :( I was hoping she might perk up a little if you upped her Metacam slightly. Did you end up going with flavored Pedialyte? If so, I wonder if that could be causing some digestive upset.

[skuchi]

I could never find the unflavored Pedialyte so she isn't getting any, just water and Vit C (not vit C every hour though, only 2x/day). We have some flavored Pedialyte on hand but that's it.

[skuchi]

Her diet hasn't changed other than she got more cucumber than usual yesterday. Other than that, nothing new. Wondering if maybe the diarrhea is from the Metacam.

[Sef]

How much vitamin C? It can cause loose stools in higher amounts.

[skuchi]

She's getting approximately 8 drops of a solution, about 25mg per the 8 drops. Plus a vit C treat, 25mg/treat but they are quite old so I don't think they still have that content. And then her regular vit C veggies (peppers, tomatoes, or parsley)

[skuchi]

The vet got back to us! She said electrolytes, Pedialyte. And loperamide, .35ml (1mg/7.5ml) every 8 hours until the diarrhea stops. And to stop the tramadol temporarily as it may cause digestive issues and interfere with the loperamide.

[Sef]

Very good. Carpenter's Formulary does caution to avoid over-use of Loperamide to avoid stasis, so I would just be a little careful with it. That dose looks correct, based on the recommended dose of 0.1mg/kg with her weight at .5kg and a concentration of 0.13mg/ml (I come up with .38ml, but close enough at .35ml). I hope it helps.

Hydration with electrolytes may help her feel better, too.

Keeping fingers crossed for her.

ETA: Had you already discontinued the Tramadol, or was she still on a low daily dose?

[skuchi]

She was still on a daily dose of Tramadol at the time. She did not get one today.

I'm not incredibly familiar with guinea pigs but I've been around a plethora of other animals my whole life. She looks tired and weak, I can tell she's struggling. I hope whatever the outcome she is just as comfortable as possible through it.

She's not willingly eating her CC anymore, we are having to force feed her everything. Even stuff she loves she's just half-heartedly nibbling a little or not at all. It always breaks my heart to see them so worn down.

Should we be feeding her through the night? We're having a hard time getting 2-3ml of cc mixed with applesauce or pumpkin down her at a time, let alone 6grams/100 a day. The water is more like 1-2ml at a time too, if we are lucky, forceful and patient. She's not even fighting back anymore. :(

[Sef]

It sounds like she is not doing well. Just love on her, keep her as comfortable as possible, let her go when she's ready. That's all any of us can really do for these little guys when we have tried our best but are running out of options.

You're doing a good job. Hang in there. I know how tough this is.

[skuchi]

Thank you Sef. My daughter also says, 'Thank you.' Poppy is her piggy and she's been a trooper taking care of her so well and being so attentive and loving. Your advice has been invaluable as we have tried to help and make Poppy comfortable, we certainly appreciate it more than we can say.

[Lynx]

I am so sorry she is so ill. It sounds like you are doing all you can.

[skuchi]

Another question. We woke up this morning to her 'popping' while she breathes. :( It seems like she has also developed a URI. The vet's office is closed today, only an answering service. We have Metacam and Tramadol on hand. What can we possibly do to help ease her?