Sudden thirst increase, urine scald, high calcium, diet

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daj

Post   » Fri Oct 25, 2019 10:11 pm


OK, thanks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

daj

Post   » Thu Oct 31, 2019 12:45 am


Once again, false hope. It wasn't working, so no more of the med. I took Henry to a different vet. He listened to the history, and his thought turned the light bulb on in my head. He questioned the vitamin C level. I realized he hasn't been eating his fruit and vegetables like he used to. He hardly eats pepper anymore. He loves greens, but I limit them bcs they seem to give him skin issues when he gets too much. I started giving him a supplement with a syringe, and I'm trying to get him to eat more fruit. In the past he refused to eat the biscuit-type supplement. It will be a challenge to boost his intake. Is there any problem with using a human supplement, as long as the dosage is right? Also, might anyone know how long it might take to know whether lack of C was the issue? Are we talking days, weeks, a month?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Oct 31, 2019 11:09 am


No, no problem using a human vitamin C only supplement. Look for the lowest dose you can find so you can cut it (if it's in pill form) into perhaps 25mg doses. You might start out giving him 50 mg/day for a few days.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Thu Oct 31, 2019 11:38 am


I have had newly adopted guinea pigs with significant scurvy turn around in less than a week on a daily dose of around 50 mg of vitamin C.

daj

Post   » Sat Nov 02, 2019 1:55 pm


The new vet suggested doing culture from the skin. I felt it's worth a try, so I took one of my three in today. Although Henry's vitamin C level is probably low, this shouldn't be the case with the other two, since they eat all their fruit and vegetables, and they still itch. There most likely is something else going on. It will be up to ten days to get the results back. The vet is leaning toward Ivermectin injections, 3x, seven days apart. Does anyone have an opinion on this? They had two doses of Revolution, and more recently, three doses of topical Ivermectin. The vet is thinking there could be something parasitic going on that topical treatments are not getting at. They've all had ringworm twice. After the last time I changed out my entire set up, got rid of all wood and paper bedding in favor of C&C and fleece.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Nov 02, 2019 3:05 pm


It would be a continued effort to assume it is parasitic. By injection does treat slightly different parasites though the topical method should have worked.

I hope you start seeing some results. Demodetic mites are particularly hard to get rid of (another type of mite). Keep in mind that if he has them and the other two guinea pigs are not concurrently treated, you might see slight improvement but not permanent improvement if not all carriers or potential carriers are treated.

daj

Post   » Sat Nov 02, 2019 8:44 pm


Do you know how common it is to treat by injection? Are there side effects I need to watch for? Already, his appetite is not what it used to be. Also, I asked about giving the injections myself. It would be difficult to take three at once, given they need to be kept separate, and the alternative of making three separate trips is tough too. He was open to me doing the second and third treatment after I watch him the first time. I've done injections of insulin to a cat before.

daj

Post   » Sat Nov 02, 2019 10:11 pm


Also, a puzzling thing is that they don't have any lesions, just flaky skin. I suppose this could be due to mites, though, is this correct?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Nov 03, 2019 11:42 am


The other guinea pigs could be treated topically. I don't think there is anything magic about doing it by injection - although it is worth a try.

Since mites are generally in/on the skin, topically should work. Your one pig may have a much more difficult case, if indeed it is parasitic.
www.guinealynx.info/mites.html
www.guinealynx.info/ivermectin.html

Unless your guinea pig is severely ill or compromised (or given the wrong dose), there should be no side effects. Side effects I think are listed or linked to on the ivermectin page.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sun Nov 03, 2019 4:26 pm


It just seems odd to me that dry skin is the only issue, if it's a severe mite problem. I'd really expect to see sores, scabs, incessant itching/scratching. I suppose injections are worth a try, but I would have thought that multiple doses of Revolution followed by multiple topical doses of Ivermectin would have cleared it up.

daj

Post   » Sun Nov 10, 2019 10:27 pm


It's extremely frustrating that there is no clear indicator or telltale sign. This week it will have been 10 days on the skin culture. Last week it was still negative. If it's negative after 10 days, I suppose that rules out a fungal cause. The vet's opinion is that we should try the Ivermectin injections. I've been hesitant. I would hate to put them through it if it's going to be like everything else so far. The only symptoms they have are the itching and the dead skin build up which comes and goes.

Is it even possible that it could be mites at a low, chronic level that doesn't cause lesions? Could it be an allergic reaction? The house is dusty, and there is wall to wall carpet throughout.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Nov 11, 2019 9:42 am


For a dusty house, frequent vacuuming can really help. Is it a sandy dust?

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