Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register
  • ONE THREAD per pig please!
    We really want your pig's history all in one place to help you. Please don't start a new thread for a new issue. Just reply to your old one. We can edit the title for you if needed.

Teeth Sly's Medical Thread

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
It's indication is listed as "Theophylline is indicated for the treatment of the symptoms and reversible airflow obstruction associated with chronic asthma and other chronic lung diseases, e.g., emphysema and chronic bronchitis." This, of course, is the indication for humans. The drug apparently can be administered as a tablet/capsule, liquid, or injection. I suspect that he may have administered via injection? If not what is the concentration of the liquid? This inquiring mind wants to know.........

He wanted him to have it immediately and the liquid has to be ordered in. Right now he gets 1/8 of a 100mg tablet. It is crushed and mixed with some critical care and administered in this fashion. Roughly 12.5 mg per dose is what he gets. 1ml syringe full of CC and Theophylline.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
Sly is fighting this. What a tough little pig.

We've been having to force-feed him, because he simply is not eating enough on his own. Roughly 10 o'clock last night, mid-feeding, the horrible "death-rattle" that he has had, abruptly stopped. One minute he was doing it, the next it was gone. I am at a complete loss to explain this.

We woke up at 2am for another feeding, and the "rattle" was still not present. He does NOT like being force fed and fights it the entire way.

Got up for the day at 6am, and while he wasn't waiting as usual, he was alert. Still no rattle. His breathing, while still laboured, seems to have eased up a bit. He has taken all of his meds, some willingly and some not so much. Those involving force feeding aren't well received. He has eaten his entire red pepper slice willingly, along with some other veggies. He's also been in his hay pile, and I've seen him eating pellets this morning. His pellet bowl has been virtually untouched for several days now.

A short time ago I heard bar chewing and went to scold Punkin for it (the usual culprit) and was astounded to see Sly standing at the bars in the pen, trolling him. He didn't stay out long, but he seems to have a little more energy.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
Ah yes, so glad to hear our trooper fights on. I really believe if he didn't feel so loved and cared for he would have given up awhile back. Just like humans, those who have good support live longer.
[MENTION=27627]Artista[/MENTION], he was so bad yesterday I really believed deep in my heart that we were heading to the vets to stop his suffering. He was struggling to breathe so badly that at one point he barely had the strength to lift his head, and those changes came about between 7a.m. and noon.

I was a wreck yesterday. Today the improvements are continuing even now into the afternoon. He actually just climbed the bars when I walked in the room, nose waggling and ears wiggling to see if I had a treat. He's eating more on his own now, but he's still being supplemented with Critical Care.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
Sly this morning when he first decided to try walking around and eating on his own:



It's a little blurry because no matter what, when there's a camera around he can't sit still.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
This morning my little bear seems to have taken a couple of steps backward.

Although he did eat almost all of his veggies during the night, it appears as though he's eaten little else. He got his morning meds, and I fed him most of a 12cc syringe of Critical Care.

He is not up and around at all. He nibbled at his morning pepper, and the same for a baby carrot. He got his favourite thing in the world this morning, a segment of orange. He ate about 3/4 of it very slowly. I can hear his breathing raspy and he sounds congested this morning.

For him to not gobble an orange segment is big. Never before has he not finished this treat. Even earlier in the week when he appeared more ill, he still ate his orange segment.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
Update for the little bear:

This evening, Sly is a little bit more alert, and has a little interest in food. He is not walking around much, but he is coming out of his hidey and actively searching within a short radius for something to eat willingly. Until now today, the only things he has eaten willingly have been slices of cucumber. He has also eaten most of two baby carrots. He has been force fed Critical Care several times today. At last feeding, his breathing seemed less laboured and the horrible wheezing from this morning had subsided. His eyes look more alert, and less glassy.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
Praying for sly. Just when you think he's down for the count, he gets a bit better. Xo

I just wanted you, and everyone else to know that your prayers, love and support are greatly appreciated. I think he's going to need all the help he can get to beat this.

He has an appointment Wednesday to check his teeth and to set up for his next molar planing. At this point, there will not be another surgery as his breathing will not permit him to be anesthetized. Dr Ker did say on Wednesday this week that his molars are a little overgrown, but nothing major yet.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
Update:

Sly is more alert this morning. While he wasn't out dancing at the bars as he usual is, he was awake and waiting for me at 6am, and came out to the bars to greet me. He took his metacam as usual, but for the third day in a row he is refusing his glucosamine.

He ate most of the inside of a thick slice of cucumber. We have been feeding him Critical Care roughly every 4 hours, and it seems to be doing the trick. His strength is slowly coming back. This morning he actually ate some moistened pellets, and as we speak he is standing at his hay pile slowly munching.

I have a question for those that have been in this position before. All of Sly's favourites, the sweet treats that he NEVER denies, he will not touch. He adores watermelon, and right now he won't touch it. He loves his orange slices and while he ate 3/4 of one segment yesterday he normally packs away two. He loves red bell pepper, and for the third day in a row he is leaving it untouched.

Is this perhaps a product of the Baytril? His glucosamine is strawberry flavoured and so rather sweet, and he won't take it either. Can the Baytril alter the way he tastes things so that they're unpalatable to him?
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
Sly is up and around much more than he has been so far this morning. He's been in his hay pile 3 or 4 times in the last couple of hours, and he is walking around some as well.

But, Sly is also not pooping. He had 5 or 6 VERY small poops yesterday morning and that was it. This morning he had 1 or 2 tiny ones, and I decided it was time to try the vibrating toothbrush under his fleece burrito. After I did that, he walked out to his box in his pen and had a clump of poop, maybe the size of two normal poops combined, but so far that's it.

He IS getting probiotics an hour or so after his dose of antibiotics. Is there anything else I can do to help move his guts along?
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
Baytril can alter the taste of anything. Have you ever tasted that stuff? Gross.

I'd continue with the vibration, and also give him some infant simethicone.

I can honestly say I've never tasted the Baytril. Dr Ker did say it was flavoured for dogs, so I'm sure he has no interest in it at all lol. I was hoping that was the case, as it makes me very sad that he won't even eat his favourites. I was kind of counting on those to help keep him eating as much as possible.

I'll pick up some infant simethicone when I head out shortly. Thank you, [MENTION=13820]bpatters[/MENTION].
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
I may have asked this before but is there an alternative to baytril. It caused mooshy to stop eating. Vet gave something equivalent and it worked.

Sly was on Sulfatrim before this, and he still got worse. That's why he's on the Baytril now. Even on the Baytril, which is a big gun as far as antibiotics go for pigs, we almost lost him.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
There's nothing really equivalent to Baytril for guinea pigs.

Bactrim works better on urinary tract infections. Doxycycline will work on some infections but isn't as effective as Baytril. Cipro is very strong but very harsh, and is usually reserved for situations where a bone is infected.

One of the problems is that there's no good way to figure out what organism is causing a respiratory infection. In cases where nothing helps, the problem may be a fungal infection rather than bacterial, and no antibiotic is going to do any good.
@Guinea Pig Papa, my vet has Baytril compounded with a sweetish apple flavor, and the pigs don't seem to mind at all.

I've got enough Baytril to last him another 3 weeks if necessary, but I don't think it will be. His breathing has already improved tremendously in the last few days. Another week should suffice I would think, but I'll let Dr Ker make that determination.

I thought I had infant simethicone drops here, I'm almost positive I bought some but they've disappeared. I went and got some Ovol, and I'm going to start him on .1ml
[MENTION=13820]bpatters[/MENTION], the only question I have is how often should I give him the simethicone?
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
Twice a day, I think.

Sounds good, thank you! He's eating hay on his own right now. He had some veggies but he seems more interested in the hay, and that suits me just fine.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
7 o'clock Sunday night, and still no poop. I'm getting rather concerned at this point.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
He has a pile of fresh grass that he's been munching at all afternoon
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
If I haven't seen any poop by morning, I'm going to get him in to Dr Ker. I was really hoping the vibration and the simethicone would do the trick rather than subject the poor little furball to his third vet trip in 7 days, but I'll do what I have to do for him.

I apologize for the curtness of my two previous replies. I was on the highway on my phone when I made them. :D
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
6:00 am, still no poop.

He's still eating on his own, though through the night I'm not sure how much. I know he ate a bunch of his veggies, he wolfed a cucumber slice this morning, and his pellets appear to be disturbed.

Off to Dr Ker he will go this morning.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
Sly went to the vet this morning, but I've been out of town all day and just able to post now.

There is no bloat, and there is no stasis. He didn't require meds of any kind, other than what he's already on.

Dr Ker simply feels that even though he's eating some on his own, and being force fed critical care several times a day, that he still needs more food.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
Thanks, guys. I've not had to deal with this to this extent yet (Poopy was on Baytril and he got bad, but not THIS bad)

He's a miserable little cretin to force feed, too.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.

Similar threads

Guinea Pig Papa
Replies
9
Views
500
Guinea Pig Papa
Guinea Pig Papa
AbuBalooandMe
Replies
3
Views
404
bpatters
bpatters
4boipigs
Replies
115
Views
5K
Guinea Pig Papa
Guinea Pig Papa
mccolgan22
Replies
2
Views
311
mccolgan22
mccolgan22
pigglesworth_palace
Replies
3
Views
120
bpatters
bpatters
Top