Meet Barley, our cute but socially inept guinea pig
They are separated, but I took Frost and Barley to the vet today.
Results of the cage fighting:
Frost has an abraded/injured eye with minor surface wounds around it. It seems to be "OK", but we are to continue the topical opthalmic ointment on his eyelids for the superficial wounds, and we are going to give him some NSAID drops in his eye to help with discomfort and swelling. We are also going to keep him on daily metacam until the visit next week.
Barley has a swelling in his cheek, which I just noticed today as I was getting Frost ready to go to the vet. It feels like an abscess to me. The vet could not identify a wound, but suspects it was either a bite during a fight or a hay stick. The vet is taking this one pretty seriously, and is concerned about it. Barley gets baytril, metacam, and probiotic until his return visit, plus warm and cold compresses two to three times a day to try and get the lump to either erupt or diminish.
*sigh*
Results of the cage fighting:
Frost has an abraded/injured eye with minor surface wounds around it. It seems to be "OK", but we are to continue the topical opthalmic ointment on his eyelids for the superficial wounds, and we are going to give him some NSAID drops in his eye to help with discomfort and swelling. We are also going to keep him on daily metacam until the visit next week.
Barley has a swelling in his cheek, which I just noticed today as I was getting Frost ready to go to the vet. It feels like an abscess to me. The vet could not identify a wound, but suspects it was either a bite during a fight or a hay stick. The vet is taking this one pretty seriously, and is concerned about it. Barley gets baytril, metacam, and probiotic until his return visit, plus warm and cold compresses two to three times a day to try and get the lump to either erupt or diminish.
*sigh*
I'm sorry the boys aren't getting along, but I have to say that Barley is adorable! His social ineptness sounds very like my Bartleby, who weighs almost 8 ounces less than Neo but still hasn't learned what his boundaries are.
Oh no! I'm so sorry for boys are having so many problems understanding each other and living together. :-(
This reminds me when we first adopted Juanito and he arrived to mess things around with the girls so much, since they'd never been with a male before, so they started to be very sexually aggressive, both against him and against each other. Eventually they accepted him but for weeks Hairballie was sort of death scared of Juanito and avoided any contact with him! I even had to build a sort of extra cage for her on the second floor with pellets, water and hay, because she just didn't want to go to the first floor to eat.
I really hope this all had just been a scare for you two and that these injuries will be curable and easy to leave behind.
(((hugs)))
This reminds me when we first adopted Juanito and he arrived to mess things around with the girls so much, since they'd never been with a male before, so they started to be very sexually aggressive, both against him and against each other. Eventually they accepted him but for weeks Hairballie was sort of death scared of Juanito and avoided any contact with him! I even had to build a sort of extra cage for her on the second floor with pellets, water and hay, because she just didn't want to go to the first floor to eat.
I really hope this all had just been a scare for you two and that these injuries will be curable and easy to leave behind.
(((hugs)))
If Barley has an abscess or teeth issues, maybe he isn't feeling himself or in pain? Could it be causing his anti-social behaviour? Or maybe he's just the most adorable, forgiveable jerk?
Yeah, I know it's a long shot, but he is so fricking beautiful that I simply don't want to have any kind of negative thoughts about him!
Yeah, I know it's a long shot, but he is so fricking beautiful that I simply don't want to have any kind of negative thoughts about him!
Barley is on meds now, but seems uncomfortable eating. He is still eating his meals though. Vet said to monitor and report back.
Frost's "scab" on his side turned out to be a scab with infection underneath it. I'm not 100% sure it's an abscess, as it could have been infection trapped under a partially torn off piece of hair+skin. I talked with the vet, cleaned the area and removed the matted infectious fur and dead skin, cleaned it, flushed it, coated it with a thin layer of the opthalmic antibiotic ointment, and started him on baytril.
Worst. Introduction. Ever.
Frost's "scab" on his side turned out to be a scab with infection underneath it. I'm not 100% sure it's an abscess, as it could have been infection trapped under a partially torn off piece of hair+skin. I talked with the vet, cleaned the area and removed the matted infectious fur and dead skin, cleaned it, flushed it, coated it with a thin layer of the opthalmic antibiotic ointment, and started him on baytril.
Worst. Introduction. Ever.
And now I just discovered ANOTHER infection on Frost. This time a weeping, long cut/slash under his eye. (These are not new injuries, but we did not see the severity under his fur and scab.)
It is weeping pus. I think it was yesterday, but I thought the streak in his fur was from the opthalmic ointment and eye drops.
He is on Baytril now, but I'm really very concerned about this one. It is right over bone.
It is weeping pus. I think it was yesterday, but I thought the streak in his fur was from the opthalmic ointment and eye drops.
He is on Baytril now, but I'm really very concerned about this one. It is right over bone.