GUINEA PIG WITH SPINAL INJURY...CAN YOU HELP

lainier

Post   » Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:19 pm


Thanks for your concern for our Dudley.
He is doing as well as can be expected. He enjoys his food and is pooping properly, thank goodness.
He has a little female guinea pig friend (Marigold) who sits next to him, under supervision, which he really enjoys and purrs happily.
He still cannot walk, which is of course still a huge concern. He drags himself a little bit and can turn himself round in a circle which he couldn't/wouldn't do before. His left ankle is swollen.
My husband will be calling the vet tomorrow as it has been almost two weeks since the accident. We are not sure whether to proceed with any physio at this time or just wait longer and see what happens. We are thinking that he may want to x-ray him again but will see what he suggests. I am still giving him Meloxicam in the morning. I wonder if he will be on this indefinately. We have to hide the drops of medicine in little pieces of lettuce and celery leaves!
I will let you know how it goes.
Elaine and Dudley.

lainier

Post   » Thu Dec 04, 2008 4:44 pm


Hi Again,
Dudley is now able to move around more freely. He has motion in both back legs. When he moves he mostly pulls himself with his front legs and his back legs try to help but he still has his belly on the floor of the cage. His back right leg seems to be in a fairly normal position but his back left leg sticks out back most of the time. This left leg is also a bit swollen and pinkish. We took him back to the vet for a check up (3 weeks after his accident). The vet was not sure if he has an infection in his puffy leg so gave us some oral baytril. I have used this drug before. One of my piggies had a bad reaction and refused to eat anything other than critical care during her treatment. I have concerns that Dudley will do the same. What are your experiences with Baytril. Is it generally well tolerated?
Thanks for any info.

Tracis
Let Sleeping Pigs Lie

Post   » Thu Dec 04, 2008 5:43 pm


It is wonderful that Dudley is doing well, and has some motion in his back legs. I hope his puffy leg clears up soon.

Baytril can cause inappetence, as you know, but not always. Weighing your guinea pig daily during a round of antibiotics is always a good idea.

https://www.guinealynx.info/antibiotic_advice.html

Some people like to use a probiotic during a round of antibiotics, to help avoid potential GI problems:

https://www.guinealynx.info/probiotics.html

My Ginny was prescribed Baytril at three different times, and tolerated it well the first two.

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Catie Cavy
Supporter 2011-2020

Post   » Thu Dec 04, 2008 8:29 pm


I've had three guinea pigs on Baytril. The first had multiple doses and had no problems. The second was on it long-term and also had no problems. The third stopped eating completely almost immediately. As tracis said, weighing Dudley daily while he is on it is a good idea.

lainier

Post   » Mon Dec 08, 2008 9:46 pm


Problems with Dudley's medicine. I gave him one dose of Baytril (oral), 1cc at about 6pm. That same night he was getting fussy with what he ate and the next day he would only eat a few baby greens and a little hay. He didn't poop all day. Because he had such an immediate and worrying reaction to the Baytril, I decided to stop giving it to him.
He was put on it because his back left foot is a bit pink and puffy and the vet was concerned that there may be an infection.
What would be the next best antibiotic to try him on? I like to have some knowledge regarding meds when I go to the vets and not come home with something totally unsuitable for guineas.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Would a blood test show if there is infection present?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Dec 08, 2008 10:13 pm


Ask your vet about the antibiotics on this page:
www.guinealynx.info/.html

Choramphenicol, bactrim, and doxycycline are the candidates.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:23 pm


"Would a blood test show if there is infection present?"

In my (limited) experience, maybe and maybe not. Doing a blood draw on a guinea pig is very, very difficult.

I'd trust the clinical sign of "pink and puffy" more at this point than going through the difficulty of a blood draw.

Chlor penetrates bone, pus, everything. It's a harsh AB that can work wonders if the pig can tolerate it.

Bactrim is probably the best tolerated of Lynx' candidates. Print the AB page Lynx linked to and take it with you if you like.

lainier

Post   » Sat Dec 20, 2008 4:20 pm


Hi All,
Thought I would give you an update on Dudley.
He is now able to move quite freely. He is slowly starting to use his back left leg, whereas before he would drag it behind him. We do gentle physio exercises each evening and see daily improvements in his movement. When his left leg is in it's proper position beneath him, his left hip sits higher than his left but he can move fairly quickly and does not seem to be in pain. The vet will be calling today and we think that he will slowly start to taper Dudley off of his meloxicam, we shall see. I wish that his back were straighter but we are thankful that he is able to move around, has a good appetite, is in minimal pain (if any) and is a happy little guy and very much enjoys some time with our female guinea pigs. Truly a Christmas miracle.

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Christine

Post   » Sat Dec 20, 2008 4:36 pm


This made my day! What a fantastic update!
Dudley is a fighter, that is for sure.
and he has a great caretaker to help him heal and improve.

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Catie Cavy
Supporter 2011-2020

Post   » Sat Dec 20, 2008 5:22 pm


Thanks for the update. That is wonderful news and a wonderful Christmas present.

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Bugs Mom

Post   » Sat Dec 20, 2008 5:44 pm


Such good news about Dudley. What a relief.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Dec 20, 2008 7:50 pm


This is so encouraging! Thank you so much for posting this update. We appreciate knowing how these guinea pigs are doing.

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