Jill, Jaffa and Jupiter

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Sat May 22, 2021 6:15 am


He did not tell me, he did consider using Doxy but after Jaffa and Joy's experiences with it where they went off their food and lost weight and poops were mushy right up to they passed I begged him not to go for that. One of the medications was/has to given by injection and is a slow release antibiotic. She has been on Enrofloxacin, Bactrim and Flagyl to no affect except to make things worse.

You know a normal parasite in a piggy's poop? Well this is the same BUT much much bigger. He DID see it under his microscope BUT he wants to send a sample off so they can find out what is the best antibiotic that will kill them instead of all this hit and miss that is happening so far.

Thanks for the reply Lynx, so far no change in her poops, will update if any change or Tuesday after vet visit! Thanks again.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sat May 22, 2021 10:20 am


Just a word of caution.

Antibiotics are NOT given to kill parasites. They are anti-bacteria, not anti-parasite. You need an anti-parasitic agent to kill parasites. Flagyl is one, ivermectin is another. I'm sure there are others.

Are you sure this vet knows what he's doing? I think it's a good thing he's sending a sample off, since I'm not at all sure he understands what he's doing.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat May 22, 2021 9:39 pm


If you can tell us what parasite he thinks this is, it would be helpful.

Sorry your guinea pigs do not do well on doxycycline. It is considered a safe antibiotic.

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Sun May 23, 2021 2:18 am


After what happened at the last vet surgery with Jan and the others I am watching these vets very closely! Jill was given antibiotics at first as she had blood in the urine so she was treated for an infection.

When Ashley got to see her the first time round the parasite was gone as Flagyl had killed them off. The lady vet I saw sent samples off but stupid pathologist stuck samples in the fridge killing anything in the poops off. Even the cultures were put in the fridge, hence is why they all came back clear.

Ashley said to see bugs under microscope have to have it on very high setting. There are small good healthy bugs in her poops the big bugs are the same as small ones but much bigger. He has always admitted he didn't know what they were.

As for Doxy a vet just has to mention it and I and my pigs will run a mile! It upset both Jaffa and Joy's gut flora that we were never able to get it right and they ended up passing NOT because of it but with it. Protexin I guess was not strong enough to repair the damage caused. Jaffa we think had teeth issues and Joy heart issues these are what we think killed our babies.

Will let you know how we get on, last time cultures took ages, but the preliminary results were in in a few days. I trust Ashley as I feel he is doing his best and best of all he listens to me! Thanks for the replies bpatters and Lynx, keep you posted.

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Sun May 23, 2021 5:15 am


Also as I have said many times sadly here in Australia guinea pigs are replacement pets NOT pocket pets. So if they get sick people either let them suffer till they die, let them run free till they die, or PTS. Even exotic vets are lucky to see 5 guinea pigs a month.

Only dogs, cats and farm animals get to see the vet(race horses too) any other animal just don't make the grade! Cheaper to replace than to fix. Like if your car needs repairs totaling $800.00 BUT you could get a good second hand car for $600.00 which way would you go? Especially with the virus and so many jobs lost, money tight etc. And yes I know a car is not a living thing like a guinea pig is.

Back in 2004 when Petal passed away due to Bloat I got in touch with the New South Wales Cavy Association here in Australia and the president told me guinea pigs hate going to the vet. They rather to be left alone and die in peace. People just don't care anymore if they ever did.


This new vet sees roughly 10 guinea pigs a year and 5 of them are ours. When training to be a vet they learn about guinea pigs, rabbits, rats, mice etc as lab animals and rarely about birds and fish which to me is sad and heart breaking! So many critters suffer. Emergency vets still ask me if my guinea pig has thrown up! Or want to use penicillin cause you can on rabbits, or to use Terramycin on guinea pigs( lucky we didn't lose some of our girls with it). And this from exotic vets! All vets are clueless here so one has to be on their guard. At least this vet asks if it is OK to give my pigs this or that, I ask if safe for piggies? They happily look it up! They if they would only get a piggy dental machine I would be over the moon!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun May 23, 2021 7:53 am


I am sorry your vet could not identify the parasites. I didn't think parasites needed culturing, just identification. The little inexpensive digital microscope I got allowed me to take a digital image of a tiny Northern fowl mite which I was then able to identify. I don't know what magnification your vet used but it would be cool if they could get a good pic for identification so it wasn't necessary to send it out. One would hope good veterinary pathology book would have images for identification.

Some parasites are only passed intermittently in the poop so you are lucky to find them.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun May 23, 2021 9:21 am


You're correct, Lynx. Parasites do not need to be cultured. And generally bacteria are not cultured from poop because there's such a huge variety of bacteria that it would be nearly impossible to separate the various kinds.

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Sat Jun 05, 2021 1:03 pm


Thanks for the replies Lynx and bpatters. Jill's poop test came back and as in February of this year this lot also came back normal. NOT that that means anything as vet told me pathologist rang him asking him what he wanted it tested for and vet said I don't know what do you reckon and pathologist said I don't know. They decided to the most popular test.

On another point Jill is on 2 steroids, Anaplex for vitamins and minerals(smells like BO or bad feet) but when Googled this more of a dog medicine this she gets once a day and Predamix which she is now on everyday week days and off for week-end.
A friend who belongs to GL told me long term use of steroids can be dangerous. Is this true? I have not had anything to do with steroids till now. I know some steroids are harmful and used in athletes.

Any advice much appreciated. For now her poops are normal but sticky. Going to slowly reduce Anaplex and if all goes well will do the same for Predamix which she is on for inflamed bowel. Thanking in advance!

Bookfan
For the Love of Pigs

Post   » Sat Jun 05, 2021 2:23 pm


They're bad for humans long-term and in my & family members' experiences they've been prescribed short term. I can't remember what all the problems could be, but one is osteoporosis (not relevant to pigs).

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Sun Jun 06, 2021 5:01 am


Thanks for the rely Bookfan. When I googled it it said diabetes as a result of long term steroid use in pigs. Jill has been on both for 3 months(March 2021). https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... uinea+pigs What do you thing especially mention of Predinisolone. The one Jill is on. Anyone else had problems?

I am very tired had very little sleep as even though the Predamix stimulates appetite Jill stopped eating and mushy poops returned. So I stayed up till 9.00am massaging Jill with toothbrush in case of wind as tummy was a little hard. Even though after every syringe feed she gets an hour of toothbrush massage which equals 4 times a day.

Poops are back to normal though sticky and even though she ate when husband got up she is off her food again. I may give her 2 doses of Predamix tomorrow and then back to once a day. Have done this before on vets advice. I am stopping the Anaplex(0.1ml once a day) and see how this goes. Will keep you posted.

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Sun Jun 06, 2021 6:07 am


How about this one? Heard it mentioned on GL a fair bit. Postage is a rip off though! https://www.ecrater.com.au/p/30488694/p ... el-1?gps=1 Please advise. Don't want to buy it if it makes matters worse or clashes with out medication.
Predamix.Twice daily.
Metmide.Twice daily.
Anaplex. (weaning off this one). Once daily.
Glucose for energy. Twice a day.
Pron8tur. Twice a day but it does nothing and girls hate it!
Thanks again in advance.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Jun 06, 2021 8:01 am


I wish I had advice for you! I was aware prednisone was not good long term for humans too.

Bene-Bac is a veterinary product that is often referred to here. There are lots of probiotics for humans that would be suitable for guinea pigs and perhaps more readily available to you.
https://www.guinealynx.info/probiotics.html

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