Help with Melvin

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Sep 20, 2019 10:49 pm


See if your vet has any suggestions. I definitely do understand how one becomes alert to a condition and just naturally monitors it - noticing things that it would take a vet a while to notice.

You are a very good guinea pig caretaker.

Lisa12

Post   » Sat Sep 21, 2019 12:55 am


The vet can take nasal discharge from his nose if he has it and do baccterial culture.
It s better if pig is not on AB for a week before it if i remember correctly so results are clearer.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Sat Sep 21, 2019 4:32 am


What was prescribed for my guinea pig with a URI is Trimethoprim Sulfamethoxazole (SMZ-TMP, DiTrim, Bactrim, Tribrissen). It is what appears to be a "cocktail" of antibiotics, so I would have to say yes, antibiotics can be mixed. Watch out for loss of appetite and diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration. Make sure he's eating and drinking and start him on critical care if he isn't eating right or if his weight drops dramatically. I'm sure you are already aware of this, but it doesn't hurt to be reminded. I am currently going through this with one of my pigs.

daj

Post   » Sat Sep 21, 2019 7:12 pm


Thanks all. He doesn't currently have nasal discharge, so I will be watchful to see if it comes back. I do have him on Critical Care and poop soup, a bit from each of his two mates.

daj

Post   » Mon Nov 18, 2019 8:14 am


Under the section on UTI it says urine is taken via a needle. Is this dangerous? Is it a routine procedure? Melvin is leaving urine spots on the fleece that look brown. I've not seen what looks like obvious blood, but something seems to be going on.

daj

Post   » Mon Nov 18, 2019 8:31 am


Something seems to be up with his pooping too. He's making perhaps twice what he normally does. And during the overnight he is making a liquid poop on his bed. His others are normal, there's just an unusual amount. For about 5 days now though, his bed cover has a large brown stain on it in the morning. I don't know what the connection might be with his urine being dark too?

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Mon Nov 18, 2019 8:54 am


The vet should be able to free-catch urine for a sample without having to resort to cystocentesis. The sample will be viable enough to look for red blood cells and determine if this is blood in the urine vs. discoloration due to diet or other causes.

Remind me, what pellet brand is he on?

I wouldn't be as concerned about the higher poop output as with the mushy poops. Has anything at all changed with his diet?

daj

Post   » Mon Nov 18, 2019 2:11 pm


We eat KMS Hayloft pellets. And I don't see where their diet is any different. They are accustomed to getting some melon rind in the morning. I was giving watermelon at the time it started, which seems obvious enough a cause, but we haven't had issues with it in the past. One thing I did notice was that he was leaving the green and only eating the flesh.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Mon Nov 18, 2019 3:21 pm


Watermelon is, as the name implies, largely water. Have you cut it out of the diet to see if the soft poos clear up?

daj

Post   » Tue Nov 19, 2019 8:39 am


Not entirely. I will keep it from him today. It's hard because I want them to be getting Vitamin C. This morning I counted the poop each made overnight Henry: 64, Jack 36, Melvin: 132. That's a whole lot of pooping in about 9 hours. Suddenly he has a voracious appetite, and he's covering his pen in poop. This morning it was all normal, except for his bed, there was one spot of diarrhea. It seems to me, there is something going on. Like I said, he's had no problems on this diet previously, and the other two are not having this issue.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Nov 19, 2019 9:50 am


Watermelon is only moderately high in Vitamin C. See:
https://www.guinealynx.info/chart.html

It is, however, very high in sugars, and it's possible that he has a bacterial overgrowth as a result of those sugars (which might not have been problematic at first, but has had a cumulative effect). It's just a hunch, but it might also explain his increased appetite as an upset in digestive flora can impact absorption of nutrients.

I'd switch to better sources of vitamin C, keeping an eye on sugars and calcium. You could also try adding a probiotic such as acidophilus, which comes in a capsule form and can be sprinkled on his lettuce. That will help re-populate the gut with "good" bacteria. However, if the problem persists or worsens, I'd definitely have a fecal float done and have him evaluated by your veterinarian to look for other possible causes.

daj

Post   » Tue Nov 19, 2019 8:29 pm


will do, Thanks!

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