Is this Bumblefoot?

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Hedra2

Post   » Sun Feb 03, 2019 12:23 pm


My question was not about Bumblefoot it was about Amoxicillin and if I should be worried after a few doses, and which meds would be safe for the vet to call into the pharmacy. So far he seems ok but I’m really worried.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Feb 03, 2019 3:20 pm


You can ask your question about amoxicillin in the topic you started on the guinea pig that was given it.

The medical forum is almost exclusively used to ask questions concerning problems with individual guinea pigs so a history is extremely important. In the past, we have even suspended the accounts of people who do not follow these guidelines, so please do follow them. The people who are likely to answer your question read every new post in the medical forum so it will not be missed. A very few questions go unanswered if we have nothing to add.

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Hedra2

Post   » Mon Feb 04, 2019 7:32 pm


The vet sent me an e-mail saying "amoxicillin is safe to use in Guinea Pigs at low doses for short time periods, such as prescribed. Source: Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, along with exotic veterinary training in veterinary college, and checked on VIN." so now I don't know what to do. I'm not giving him the amoxicillan but she thinks I should. There are no other vets here that see guinea pigs.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Feb 04, 2019 8:21 pm


That is a bunch of crap. Absolutely, positively wrong. NEVER give amoxicillin. He will not find a vet on VIN to recommend amoxicillin unless it is not a very knowledgeable vet.

A quick search turned up all my warnings on Guinea Lynx and a pdf on vin that also warns against its use:
https://www.vin.com/apputil/content/def ... 17&print=1

Pharmacotherapeutics in Exotic Small Mammals: An Update and a Review by James W. Carpenter, MS, DVM, DACZM (who has published the well-respected Exotic Animal Formulary, with multiple editions). I highlighted some info below:
Inappropriate antibiotic treatment can also result in enteritis and antibiotic-associated clostridial enterotoxemia in rodents, especially when antibiotics with a primary gram-positive spectrum are given. Incidence is higher when agents are given orally. Chinchillas, guinea pigs, and hamsters are most susceptible. Also, direct toxicity from streptomycin and dihydrostreptomycin occurs in gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, and mice. Procaine, included in some penicillin preparations, can be toxic to mice and guinea pigs. Guinea pigs and chinchillas are highly susceptible to the ototoxic effects of chloramphenicol and aminoglycosides at dosages above those recommended clinically. Antibiotics implicated in antibiotic associated clostridial enterotoxemia in rodents include:
...
Guinea pigs: penicillins (including ampicillin, amoxicillin), cefazolin, clindamycin, erythromycin, lincomycin, dihydrostreptomycin, streptomycin, bacitracin, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, tetracycline, tylosin.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Feb 05, 2019 7:39 am


Ditto on Carpenter's Formulary. Page 460 of the most recent edition (5th Edition, 2018) states: "Amoxicillin - Do not use orally in hamsters, guinea pigs, chinchillas; may cause enterocolitis." If you like, I can scan and send you the page, if you want to shoot me a message through the GL mailer.

If you can't switch to another vet, contact this same vet and ask to speak to her directly. I'd say something along the lines of, "For my own peace of mind, since I'm concerned about this particular drug and don't want to take any chances, can you please substitute Baytril? I'll be happy to pay extra for it." If she's any decent vet at all, she'll respect your concerns and make the switch.

User avatar
Hedra2

Post   » Tue Feb 05, 2019 9:49 am


Oh thanks so much guys, those are great references to show her.

Self 1268 - yes please to a copy of the page. Not sure what the GL mailer is though but my e-mail address is ckereliuk@hotmail.com if that works!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Feb 05, 2019 10:15 am


When your vet wrote, "amoxicillin is safe to use in Guinea Pigs at low doses for short time periods, such as prescribed" what was the dose prescribed (concentration in mg/ml along with the weight of your guinea pig, along with the amount you were giving in cc so we can calculate the dose she claimed was a low dose) and how long did she prescribe it for?

I wonder if she is just covering her tracks, badly.

p.s. we have had several new members lose their pets because unknowledgeable vets prescribed this drug.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Feb 05, 2019 7:12 pm


I'll scan it and send it to you in the morning. In the meantime, are you doing foot soaks or any other non-drug treatment for the foot? That picture you posted was last month...how does it looks now?

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed Feb 06, 2019 8:07 am


You should have an email from me this morning. Let me know if you haven't received it; I had to sent via my work address.

User avatar
Hedra2

Post   » Fri Feb 08, 2019 12:11 am


I already threw out the antibiotics but I think it was around 0.1 6 mL twice a day (or thereabouts) and my guinea pig is only 2.25 lbs (he is still underweight from his previous teeth injuries).

I had a friend headed there today so the vet let her pick up a prescription for us. This time she gave us metronidazole for 10 days (which was RIDICULOUSLY expensive, I used to work as a receptionist at a vet clinic and it was never that much). I remember we always prescribed that for dogs with diarrhea so I am hoping it will be easy on his tummy (which has been a bit runny on and off lately - we are giving probiotics). She also recommended epsom salt foot soaks?

Thank you Sef I got it. I didn't end up needing it to get a new RX but I am going to print it off and bring it to our appointment in a few weeks so she knows that yes it is indeed toxic to guinea pigs.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri Feb 08, 2019 7:07 am


I don't know that I've heard of using metronidazole for bumblefoot, but maybe someone else here can weigh-in on it. I apologize if I missed it, but was there a reason why the vet didn't want to use Baytril? Has it been used in the past with this guinea pig and it caused issues?

That link to the GL medical reference on foot issues has some useful info on foot soaks:
https://www.guinealynx.info/pododermatitis.html

How does the foot look today?

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Feb 08, 2019 9:28 am


I am totally unfamiliar with using it on pododermatitis too.

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