Diabetes diet

adorolecavie

Post   » Thu Sep 07, 2017 2:21 pm


Thank you. I will try that. I'm pretty sure they have Metacam here in Italy. Is there somewhere I can find the dosage, in case my vet isn't familiar with it? Is it something that could upset her stomach? I know with cats you can't use Metacam long term, what about guineas?

Just as a gauge, this is what she ate today for veggies - fennel tops, mixed greens and chard, a cherry tomato, a few thin carrot slices and her normal 1/8th of a large red bell pepper. That's a regular size plastic plate. Image

She ate it all. Should I be giving her more? Less? I'm just at a loss because this is her normal amount, she eats it but still loses weight. She's eating hay too, not sure if less than usual because I never really knew how much the two of them ate because they always pulled it out and dragged it all around the cage and I just put new hay in. But she is definitely munching on hay every now and then.

Edited to add: I've put everything (hay, pellets, veggies) on plastic plates since she's unstable, I don't want her to have to get into a bowl or reach up to the hay bin in case that's causing her pain. I've also lowered the spout of her water bottle to just her height so if this really is the culprit hopefully this will help.

adorolecavie

Post   » Thu Sep 07, 2017 4:55 pm


Sorry for the multiple posts, but I keep thinking of more things.

I am still giving her CC, only twice a day in the am and pm. She usually takes about 10-15ml per sitting before she gets grumpy about it, and I don't push it since she is eating on her own. Should I continue this? Go back to more feedings a day? My fear is that if I fill her up on CC she'll be less likely to eat on her own, but I also wonder if she'd eat the same amount whether I give her CC her or not, and so the CC would be supplemental and helping her maintain her weight. Any thoughts are very welcome, though I know you guys may not have the answer either.

Again thank you for all your guidance. I feel a bit helpless at times as I watch her struggle, trying to do what I can for her but not knowing the cause of her problems and not knowing how to find it out. And I'm afraid in the meantime she's just going to disappear before my eyes. :(

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Sep 07, 2017 10:39 pm


That's a lovely plate of vegetables. I'm jealous!

Have you ever tried making a couple balls of CC and putting it on a plate so she can eat it herself?

adorolecavie

Post   » Fri Sep 08, 2017 1:34 am


I haven't tried that, will try today. She's not a huge fan of the CC, she just accepts it without much fighting. But anything is worth a go!

I guess living in Italy means at least good fresh veggies are super easy to find. I think my girls may be some of the only guineas in the world who LOVE zucchini and I have a feeling it has to do with how fresh and local our zucchini are! Now just waiting for the summer-long drought to pass so the grass will grow.

adorolecavie

Post   » Sat Sep 09, 2017 6:42 am


She seems to like the Critical Care balls! I put three smallish balls (the size of a nickel) on a plate in her cage before bed last night and this am they were gone. So thank you for that suggestion! This morning I have put in two more, so far she hasn't touched them but we'll see.

I will call the vet on Monday to ask about a prescription for Metacam/Meloxicam. Is there anywhere I can find a dosage /kg for guineas to bring with me to the vet, just in case?

Now that Dory and Olivia are separated, Dory is maintaining her weight. She hasn't gained anything, but she's stopped dropping and is hovering around 730 grams. Ideally I'd like her to be 200 grams more, but I know that's not going to happen, so I am going to settle for no more drops.

If anything else comes to mind that I could be doing or could at least give a try, let me know! These are my first pigs, and though I have had Dory for 5 years now and more or less know the basics, they are still so many firsts for me, no matter how much I try to read or learn.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Sep 09, 2017 1:26 pm



adorolecavie

Post   » Sat Sep 09, 2017 2:14 pm


Thank you!

adorolecavie

Post   » Mon Oct 02, 2017 10:27 am


I just wanted to update that the Metacam did not have an effect, positive or negative, on Dory's weight, so we decided to stop.

The only good sign is that after months of this, fresh grass just started to grow where I live now (we've been in a crazy drought period till now), and in the past week or so that I've added that to her diet, she has gotten as high as 760 grams and is normally hovering around 740, which is better than the 692gr that I saw on the scale a few weeks ago that made my heart stop! So going into the winter I am definitely going to start growing my own grass on our terrace. And I guess another good thing is that, after months of this, she's still with us, still wheeking, still eating and hobbling around as she can. So whatever the cause (old age, arthritis, something else) it is not as grave as I had originally thought and gives me hope that she'll still be with us a year from now. <3

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Oct 02, 2017 12:46 pm


Glad to hear her weight is up.

adorolecavie

Post   » Sun Oct 08, 2017 1:25 pm


So here we are again.

Tonight I had her out for floor time together with her old casemate, and I saw that she's walking in circles. She can go straight just a bit, but she mostly just walks in circles. And when she sits still, her head very slowly drifts from one side to the other.

Is it possible, with the stroke in April, and the weight loss/fluctuation, that this is something neurological?

I will take her to the vet tomorrow, it is late Sunday and there are no vets, much less exotic vets, open where I live. I do have some Baytril left over from the stroke this April (tabs), should I start her on that just in case? I'm afraid that an antibiotic will upset her tummy and make her drop in weight again, but if she does have an ear infection, then do I need to start antibiotics asap?

Oy oy oy... *sigh*

Clint The Cuy

Post   » Sun Oct 08, 2017 3:38 pm


The circling does sound suspiciously nuerologic. I would hold off on the antibiotic.

adorolecavie

Post   » Fri Oct 13, 2017 5:07 am


Vet visit inconclusive. She's stopped walking in circles, but her head is tilted (it was originally tilted a little after her stroke, but it is more prominent now).

But the strangest thing is that she's gained so much weight back in the past two weeks or so. Nearly 100g.

I know I should be thrilled, but I'm concerned that it's not actually her putting on the weight and she's got a tumor or something. But the vet found nothing, and heck, a 100g tumor wouldn't be hard to find, right?

I dunno. Anyway, if the trend continues I am going to attempt reintroductions with her old cagemate.

I'm just so baffled.

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