Help!! Please!!! Guinea pig with Head Tilt!

[gprohask]

I am just sick! My Guinea Pig (Zari) is sick. She has middle or inner ear infection. She was eating fine and acting fine other than a head tilt. I took her to the vet on Wed. He gave her an injection of Cephalexin (she munched carrots the whole time). The next day she wouldn't eat anything and hasn't since. (almost 72 hours)
Yesterday we started giving her Tribrissen orally and Vitamin C (50mg per day) dissolved in her water. But she still hasn't eaten. My vet called Iowa State University (a very good vet school) and they recommended this treatment, but said that they usually don't come out of it. In other words, they say she'll probably die!! Does anyone have any experience with this? Has anyone saved a Guinea Pig with this problem?? Any ideas of how to get some nutrition into her?? I'm desparate!!! Thanks!! Gina

[kailee]

Hi Gina,

Please stop giving too much carrots for your guinea pig. I remember Trin mentioning that too much carrots will cause liver cancer.

My vet did advise me that if a guinea pig is not eating, do give it some glucose water. With sugar content in its body, at least it will still have some energy.

My pig loves lettuce, brocoli and leafy leaves, but i only give him eat them occassionally, and lots of guinea pig pellets and timothy hay.

Also, may you can seek another vet for second opinion.

Good luck.

[CardCorgiLuv]

Please check with your vet on what kind of antibiotic he gave you Guinea Pig. Antibiotics are extremly dangerous to pigs, because they can kill the good digestive emzymes and bacteria that live in the stomach cavity. There are only a few effetive and gentle antibiotics on the market. They can have what you normally give to Bovines (cattle). These animals use simimalar bacteria for digestion. I do not think Cephalexin was a very idealistic type to administer to a Cavy. Why she stopped eating could be because her stomach emzyme balance is very wrong and it is not digesting what she does eat and what is in there is sitting and rotting causing her to be very sick, therefore the loss of appetite.
If this is not cleared up with in a few days she will die. THis is a serious situation. Start calling a few other vets, see if Cephalexcin should have been given to her, and what can you do to help her to keep her alive. Check out a few Guinea Pig web sites that feature a medicine page, or medical site. They will tell you the best types of anitbiotics. Good Luck.

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CardiganCorgiLove

[CardCorgiLuv]

I forgot, If it isn't what I explained then you need to make a type of high calorie protien shake of sorts. Get some carrots, oranges, parsley, potatoe peels (cut barely to the flesh), and if you can find it get some baby vitamins called TriViSol. They are a liquid drop, Cut the dose down to half a dropper per feeding, if you have a blender or food proccessor blend this up till smooth. If need be add a little water. Also you need some kitten milk replacer you can get at vets or at a farm supply store.It comes in powder form or pre-liquid. I have used Just Born or KMR brands they both are high quality. Mix it up like the directions say to use for nursing mothers or Queens. The vegtables and fruit will give her necessary vitamins and minerals that are found naturally in them, it will give her substanace to make her feel full. The milk replacer will give her the necessary fat and calcium to keep her body going. The Liquid vitamins will help her get better. Find a baby medicine dropper or a large eye dropper. Place into the side of her mouth behind her front teeth. Squeeze slowly, some will drop out that is okay, but when she is working her mouth too try to get the dropper out; she will eventually have to swallow what is trapped in the folds of her mouth behind her teeth. Repeat this till she either is struggling too much or seems full. Don't over feed or force it down.They can not vomit easily and could choke. Be patient and slow. Make sure the drink is not too runny, but that it easily drips out of the dropper when squeezed lightly, and not too thick that you can hardly squeeze it out. Make sure there are no large chunks left in there I would blend it on puree for at least 2 to 3 minutes. I hope I could help. I have used this drink many times in nursing a sick pig back to health and I have mostly positive results.

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CardiganCorgiLove

[gprohask]

Update! I have been giving Zari babyfood by syringe. Green Beans and carrots. She is doing better, I think. She eats some hay by herself and MAYBE a few pellets, I'm not sure. I also give her 1/2 capsule of Acidophilus mixed with her green beans twice a day. The vet was very careful as to what antibiotic he gave her. Cephalexin, Tribrissen (sp.), and Batril are the safest for cavies. I'm still giving her the oral Tribrissen and her tilt seems to be getting better, I think. I HOPE! The aciophilus is to replenish some of the bacteria in her digestive system. Lastly, she gets 50mg of Vitamin C tablet crushed in her water every day. I feel I'm doing everything I can for her. Now I just sit and pray that it works!! They are just so cute!! Her personality has melted my heart!! Thanks for the advice!!

[Trin]

Carrots don't cause liver cancer...an excess of them has been linked to liver disfunction. Keep syringe feeding the piggie, but make sure you get some fiber into him/her too. baby food is great but the pig needs fiber in the form of pellets too. A lot of experts feed their cavies a 'pellet slurry' made by mixing pellets with water and syringe feeding. Another person also tried breaking some wet fresh parsley up into small pieces and dipping it into small pieces of timothy hay. The hay stuck to the parsley and the pig got the needed fiber. Only penicillin based antibiotics are dangerous to pigs...Baytril is great, but not for baby pigs as it can affect their growth. Another good one I've used is Trimaphenicol. Sounds like you're doing a great job taking care of your piggie. http://petshub.com/ubb/smile.gif The only thing I would be concerned about is possible liver damage. When a pig goes without food for 48 hours, the liver starts to shut down. Hopefully you caught it in time and no irrepairable damage was done.

[gprohask]

Thanks for the latest info. Zari is getting enough fiber, I think. She will eat hay by herself. Actually, she eats quite a bit of it. That's the only thing she eats on her own, though, so I continue giving her the babyfood. The dilemna I have now is that she is done with her original 6 days of oral antibiotic tomorrow. Her head tilt is almost completely gone. http://petshub.com/ubb/smile.gif But I think it is just slightly tilted. I know the antibiotic is making her feel well. So I need to decide whether to go with more antibiotic to make sure she's cured, or quit so she can start to feel better. This is such an unexact science!!

With the carrots, is it ok for 2-3 baby carrots per day? That's what I had been giving her. Along with romaine lettuce, hay, pellets, and sometimes a couple of commercial treats. Before this she was quite the little eater!! I think her pellets, were her favorite!!

Thanks again for all the encouragement!!

[Trin]

Not sure if there is a set amount of carrots to give that would be safest. I've heard some people say half of a regular sized carrot every other day. Ever try giving your pig melon or things likr broccoli and seedless grapes? Piggies love variety! Just be sure to avoid Rhubarb and potatoes http://petshub.com/ubb/smile.gif

[gprohask]

My sweet Zari is gone. I thought she was getting better. Then she started refusing the baby food I was trying to give her and also stopped eating the hay and drinking water. She was getting pretty weak. We put her to sleep on Saturday. Very painful for me. She was so sweet all the way to the end. She was definitely happy to have me to comfort her. I'm glad I could make her feel a little better. She purred for me right up to when they took her. Now she's up playing with all her new piggie friends. I'm sure she's popcorning like crazy and running in all the fresh grass and dandelions!! She is sorely missed and will not be forgotten. Have fun my sweet Zari. I miss you.

[CardCorgiLuv]

Very sorry for your loss. I see you have found some comfort in knowing she is not in pain anymore and that she is in a better place. Hopefully your experiance has not scared you away from owning another one of these wonderfull creatures in the future.

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CardiganCorgiLove

[Porky]

http://petshub.com/ubb/frown.gif

Hope Zari is well and happy in piggie heaven. Take care gprohask.

[Bruno]

I am so sorry about your loss. I am sure Zari will be very happy now. Just like my dear little piggy too. Do take care.

[affection]

I'm not sure if any of you are aware of this, please correct me if I'm wrong. The following Medications to Avoid list is from this website: http:// .info/dangerous_medications.html


amoxicillin (Clavamox)
ampicillin
bacitracin
cephalexin (derivative: Cefadroxil)
cephalosporins
cephazolin
chlortetracycline
clindamycin
dihydrostreptomycin
erythromycin
lincomycin
oxytetracycline
penicillin
streptomycin


Please remember "All penicillin based drugs are toxic to pigs." Do not add any medications to your guinea pigs' water. They should be hand fed to ensure they receive the correct amount of their medication.