Pumpkin Spice's Medical Thread

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Sun Jun 12, 2022 5:52 am


If you have a way to do it, gentle vibration can help with gas bubble. I used an electric hair clipper with the blades removed, but you can use pretty much anything that vibrates gently. I put the guinea pig in a large tote with paper bedding and the clippers under it with a towel between them and the tote. Vibration therapy is a good supplement for treating gas in guinea pigs who have trouble with moving around.

amberkenn2016

Post   » Thu Jul 14, 2022 3:43 pm


I'm having a hard time with Pumpkin again, however not only is he having another episode of bloat, but also an injured foot. I believe he got it caught on the carpet when he had floor time both a few days ago, and a second time when I had him out this morning to get his gas moving. I'm so overwhelmed and feel as though I make it worse when I try to help him. I would appreciate any advice for both issues!

amberkenn2016

Post   » Thu Jul 14, 2022 5:18 pm


I am bringing him in to a vet here locally, as my usual vet is booked out a few weeks. I'm planning on mostly just asking for more medication and critical care, as they are not necessarily specialized in small pets, but I have used them in the past and haven't had any bad care by them. Right now he's limping on his front right foot but he's still alert and eating. He's a very stubborn little guy, and that is what is keeping my hopes up.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Thu Jul 14, 2022 6:30 pm


I'm sorry that Pumpkin is having issues again. Did you try vibration for his gas bubbles? He is making any poops at all?

It's likely a good thing that you're having him seen by your vet. Is there any redness or inflammation on or around his foot? Metacam might help, if you still have it on hand.

amberkenn2016

Post   » Fri Jul 15, 2022 6:20 am


I apologize, I should've mentioned what his meds are currently!

-0.2 dog metacam 2x a day (arthritis)
-0.4 gabapentin 2x a day (arthritis)
-0.7 metoclopramide 2x a day (gas)

I have also been feeding him critical care and handfeeding water a few times a day as well. I haven't tried a vibrating technique just yet, as the only thing I have that could is a foot massager/vibrator and it's rather loud. So I've been doing light massages on the sides of his tummy and putting him on a pillow, shaking my leg, and giving him vibration that way if that makes sense?

The vet clipped his nails down more than what I feel I could do on my own, but not enough to cut into the quick of course. That seems to have alleviated some of the pain in that foot, so I'm definitely glad I got him seen. He's even putting weight on it now, which he wasn't doing much of before. I was so frantic yesterday for him, so I apologize for the rambling!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Jul 15, 2022 8:04 am


Just a quick note to say with meds, you need to provide more info. They are generally prescribed in mg/kg so to know what you are giving, you would provide the dose (likely in cc), the concentration of the suspension (assuming this is a liquid - it is generally described as mg/ml), and the weight of your guinea pig. More to understand dosages and dosing and even a calculator to figure it out:
https://www.guinealynx.info/calculate_dose.html

Glad to hear his foot seems to be less painful.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri Jul 15, 2022 12:34 pm


Yes, glad to hear he is doing better. It's possible that a small bit of nail was growing back around into the foot pad, and a good trim was all that was needed with that.

amberkenn2016

Post   » Sat Jul 16, 2022 6:35 pm


Yes, he's definitely walking on it now, although at times I can tell it bothers him, such as when he paws with it. But that was significantly less after the trim. I also gave him a small bum bath, as I noticed he has been itching more than normal. He gets this way, as last summer the same thing happened, and after bathing a greasy spot in his bum (not his scent patch, a bit above that), he's itching alot less. And he hasn't been itching so much since, although he itches here and there. It feels like now we're making progress, regardless of how small it is.

Another thing I've been wondering, is that with his Gabapentin, the vet flavors it with banana flavoring so it's not so bitter. Is there a possibility that the flavoring could be potentially causing his episodes of gas? I guess I'm trying to think of everything. He still looks slightly uncomfortable when laying down at times, and I'm not sure if I'm getting paranoid or if he's actually uncomfortable.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sat Jul 16, 2022 7:36 pm


It's possible. I don't know what the ingredients are for the banana flavoring that they are using, and I would imagine that they use just a tiny amount in guinea pig meds, but most of them do have artificial sweeteners like Sucralose that *can* they can cause gas or diarrhea. You could certainly ask your vet about it.

amberkenn2016

Post   » Sat Jul 16, 2022 8:01 pm


Okay, I suppose I'll give them a call on Monday! Wasn't sure if I was thinking too much into it. I appreciate ypur input!

Currently I'm laying down next to Pumpkin's cage and listening to him chow down on his hay. I can't think of better ASMR than that, lol!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Jul 16, 2022 10:31 pm


The banana flavoring is likely a very small component - Pinta claimed years ago that trying to flavor bitter tastes is more for us than them.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Sun Jul 17, 2022 12:01 am


One of the vets I had flavored the antibiotics with butterscotch. I don’t know what they used, but Lacey loved it. Wish I could get some for the vitamin C drops I bought. Little stinker Gidget can detect 1 drop spread on a corn husk and I’m getting the side eye from her.

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