Caring for Paulie

[NIUHuskieFan1]

Hi guys,
I have a question for all of you. I recently lost my younger piggie Dexter after a long battle with GI problems that resulted from a vet prescribing him amoxicillin (some of you may remember him). However, I have an older pig by the name of Paulie. They were cagemates, although not necessarily the best of friends. I caught them from time to time playing outside of their cage, but inside the cage, Paulie did his own thing and always stayed away from Dexter (a little antagonizer, Dexter didn't always do the same. He did love to play). Paulie's always been a pretty independent guinea pig. He's almost 4.5 years old, and he's spent 2.5 years of that by himself. Still, I'm pretty sure he realizes what happened to Dexter, and I hope that it doesn't have long-time effects on Paulie. Does anybody have any advice in terms of things I should look for to make sure Paulie's OK? He's eating normally, drinking normally and still comes to the edge of the cage for attention when I come near. I just worry about him. Thanks for your advice.

[Ly&Pigs]

I am sorry for your loss but I can tell you that amoxicillan isn't a good drug for cavies. It's toxic so you may have lost your pig due to the wrong medication being prescribed. Non cavy savvy vets often try to prescribe drugs that are toxic and deadly to guinea pigs. The only safe antibiotics are Bactrim, Baytril, Doxycycline and Chloramphenicol.

You could always take Paulie to a vet for a general checkup but I'd recommend a different vet then the one that you used before. A good cavy savvy exotics vet.

Have you ever considered getting Paulie a new buddy? A young boar may work with him.

[NIUHuskieFan1]

Thanks for your advice. The vet (a different vet obviously than made the initial prescription) is fairly certain that even though it's been more than two months, the amoxicillin most likely played a predominant role in Dexter's death. The last two months have been a major roller coaster. I discovered that amoxicillin was toxic a week after the vet made the prescription and immediately contacted an emergency animal hospital. He was in the hospital for a few days, then was out, then went back in. Making a long story short, the animal hospital did everything it could to counter the amoxicillin, and Dexter fought like crazy for two months. In the end, it sadly wasn't enough. I can't thank the new vet enough though. He actually was back to normal for about a week-and-a-half at the end before taking a turn. That's a week-and-a-half Dexter and myself don't get a chance to enjoy without these terrific vets.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Right now I have mixed emotions about getting another guinea pig. If I did, I would certainly try a boar though.