Blood spots on Lacey’s bedding

Lisa12

Post   » Mon Nov 25, 2019 3:58 pm


I & Irie wish you both good luck (and that issue is fixable,of course)!!! I know you need it with vets;).

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Nov 25, 2019 4:02 pm


I wish you luck too!

rjespicer

Post   » Mon Nov 25, 2019 5:12 pm


If you can get it locally you could also try Wheatgrass. Our piggies love it and it seems to keep them regular, it may also get her back in to eating hay again and I am guessing has a fair bit of fiber and water content.

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Mon Nov 25, 2019 10:29 pm


What a difference in vet clinics! This vet got a weight, temp, listened to heart and lungs, thoroughly felt her gut, checked her privates, ultrasound of uterus, bladder, and stomach, motility injection, flavored CC, and flavored Albon. She’s very familiar with this forum, talked about general care and feeding, gave me advice on using the probiotic, and discussed calcium and stones. After all that Lacey decided she needed to poop a bit.

So tonight we’re going to have some CC and Albon. Then an hour later, some probiotic.

I do grow wheatgrass but like so many of her favorite things, she gets tired of it. So she was a huge fan for about a week, then not so much.

She does this with some veggies, too. A while back I had to freeze green peppers because right after I bought a pack of three large ones they were no longer on her list of favorites. Then she decided she liked them frozen.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Nov 25, 2019 11:14 pm


Glad to hear you got a thorough exam! Albon is pretty infrequently prescribed for guinea pigs. I believe Albon is given for coccidia. Was coccidia diagnosed? I imagine it could be helpful for some intestinal issues.

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Tue Nov 26, 2019 12:49 am


The Albon was a question I had as well. Apparently Albon doesn't attack and kill bacteria but somehow starves the bacteria preventing it from multiplying so the immune system takes over. I may not be understanding that process completely. It is used in dogs for coccidia, but also herbivores for a variety of infections including urinary.

The vet questioned if there was a UTI. Lacey was eating well and active when I noticed blood on her bedding. The spots weren’t wet like urine and blood, they were smears like an injury. The spotting stopped Thursday, after only 3-4 doses of Baytril. I stopped the Baytril last Friday (after 6 doses) when I noticed GI issues.

So we don’t know the cause of the spotting but we need to get the digestion back on track.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Nov 26, 2019 6:54 am


Agree; gut should be the first priority for now. I'm so glad this vet is knowledgeable and is trying to get to the bottom of things.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Nov 26, 2019 8:54 am


It is possible the spotting was related to her menstrual cycle. I recall one of my guinea pigs passing a few drops of blood for two or three days or so very intermittently. I think this intermittent spotting has happened to a handful of other guinea pigs too.

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Tue Nov 26, 2019 3:21 pm


Hindsight and all that, but she was feeling good before the vet visit so I kind of kick myself for taking her in. If the blood was menstrual or even irritation from grooming or sharp hay, it may have cleared on its own. Now my poor pig is sick. And I’m really no good with CC. I think half of it is on my clothes and furniture. If this continues my room will look like a moss-covered jungle!

But the good news is she pooped a little overnight which is the first overnight in a few days. She picked at her hay, ate a few pellets, she’s drinking water, and she pooped 3 more times. She wheeks when I open the fridge. She still eats the course artisan lettuce, corn husks, and grass that I’m finding outside so she’s getting some fiber. Her weight this morning was 2 lbs 5.5 ounces, which is 1 ounce less than last week at this time. And the clinic called to check on her this morning and offered a recheck if I had any concerns.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Fri Nov 29, 2019 10:25 pm


Update on Lacey, she’s eating more hay and still eating veggies. She’s not interested in her pellets, just picks at them. I’m weighing her each morning and she’s 2 lbs 4.5 ounces. Before she got sick she was 2 lbs 6.5 ounces. So I’m giving her Critical Care each morning. I don’t really know how much to give since she is eating and pooping, so I gave her 6 cc yesterday and 9 today. Once she gets the CC, she forages around in her pen and eats hay. She wheeks loud as ever for veggies and corn husk.

The vet wanted me to give the Albon once each day but yesterday I split it morning and evening followed by a probiotic an hour later. I think she may have been pooping more than I knew. Since her gut was messed up, I think she was eating some of it.

I went out and picked a bunch of fresh grass before the snowstorm moved in. I had to freeze it to keep it fresh, now she’s not sure she likes it frozen.

So I think her eating and digestion has slowly improved but I’m concerned about the drop in weight.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Nov 29, 2019 11:25 pm


I think it might have worked okay to refrigerate it. I think that's what I had done some time ago. I do remember going into a field and brushing off the snow to get grass for my three guinea pigs!

I think your plan of splitting the dose sounds reasonable. If you can get her to at least from here out maintain weight, you are doing good.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Sat Nov 30, 2019 2:35 pm


A good start today, weight was 2 lbs. 6 ounces. She likes the Albon since it’s butterscotch flavored, so that’s easy to give. I made the CC according to the package instead of thinner, and she took it better. She would chew up a little pea size bit in the front of her mouth. After a few of those, a little wet lettuce to wash it down.

I bought some Kaytee Timothy for a change and it’s coarser with lots of the fuzzy tops she likes. So that peaked her interest.

She’s so tired of being pestered she threatened to report me to PETA.

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