Penny's Med Thread
Thank you! It's good to know that I need to discard their wooden chew toys. I'm specifically wondering how far the spores can spread to the rest of the house. For example, can they stick to my clothing and spread to other parts of the house that way? I only noticed something was amiss five days ago, so from the time I brought Lily home until then I wasn't taking any precautions.
- Sef
- I dissent.
I washed my hands and changed my clothing after handling both pigs (they passed it back and forth before I got it cleared up), but those were my only precautions other than washing their fleece/towel bedding in warmer water and I think I may have used a little bleach in the piggy laundry as well.
Yes, we do use air conditioning. It's good to know that that helps, thank you! I do have one more question: Some of the sources we've checked say the guinea pigs will be contagious until they've been on their medication for 48 hours; other sources say they'll be contagious until the lesions are gone. What's the general consensus here? I forgot to ask my vet that question.
So today I discovered that Penny's nipples are huge (photo below). They looked normal yesterday. She's still eating and drinking normally, and her interactions with her cage mate, Lily (female, 1 year old) haven't changed. The only other symptom I can think of is that she might be a little bit constipated: She still poops, but I did see her go about an hour without pooping one day last week (there was a fence up to keep Penny from getting at Lily's veggies, and they had fresh bedding, so I could tell whose poop was whose), and sometimes she makes a sort of grunting sound when she poops. It's a sound I've heard from her and my previous guinea pigs before, but never with any regularity until the last week or two with Penny. Penny is about 4 years and 8 months old now, in case that's helpful information, and she isn't spayed.
So, what is happening? Is this a phantom pregnancy? Is it something that warrants a trip to the vet? (I'm sorry if the photo is too large. I am not very good at this kind of thing.)
So, what is happening? Is this a phantom pregnancy? Is it something that warrants a trip to the vet? (I'm sorry if the photo is too large. I am not very good at this kind of thing.)
- Lynx
- Celebrate!!!
The board software sizes the photos so you can see them fine.
Are they tender? Is there any crustiness? You might want to read over:
https://www.guinealynx.info/ovarian_cysts.html
Unless you see any other signs of illness, I would tend to just be observant for now.
Are they tender? Is there any crustiness? You might want to read over:
https://www.guinealynx.info/ovarian_cysts.html
Unless you see any other signs of illness, I would tend to just be observant for now.
No crustiness or tenderness. But upon reading the article on ovarian cysts I realized Penny has had some weight redistribution; I don't know why it didn't occur to me that that might be a symptom of something. Her butt has gotten bony, and her belly is more round, but her weight is stable.
My mom took Penny to the vet today (I am working on a take-home exam, so I phoned in to the appointment so that I could work while we waited for the vet to come in). Penny's belly "has a distended feel to it," according to the vet, but other than that and the enlarged nipples, he couldn't find anything wrong with her. The ultrasound showed nothing. The vet says this is most likely either a fluke or the very beginning of something like ovarian cysts, so I am to bring Penny back to the vet in a month and keep a close eye on her in the meantime.