Measuring meds in a syringe

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CenterFielderNo5

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 9:25 pm


I live in NY, about 40 miles north of the city. The breakdown is as follows:

Tribrissen $7.00

Aspirate Fine Needle (AKA vet poked the lump/cyst/abcess with a needle and saved the fluid that came out) $40.00

General checkup $85.00

LabWork - Culture $65.00

LabWork - Cytology $73.00

Liquid Vitamin C (extremely high in sugar) $24.00

I know this place is outrageously expensive, but the exotics vets working at this clinic split time between here and the NYC Animal Medical Center, which has a reputation of being the best of the best in vet care.

I don´t doubt that another, much cheaper vet could have obtained the same success in treating this one specific problem. The main reason why I use this vet is because there is always an exotics specialist on hand 24 hours a day and it´s only a mile from my house.

Even if I went to a cheaper vet for routine checkups, I would still probably go to this place in a REAL emergency, and it will definitely be helpful for them to have full medical records of my pets in such a situation. I don´t like paying their crazy prices, but if you have human children, you´ll understand.

As far as the vitamin C goes, I´m not sure about the niacin. If your guinea pigs aren´t showing any side effects, then I guess it´s ok, but I´m extrememly conservative when it comes to any supplements I give them. I´d rather pay $24.00 a bottle for the vitamin C, despite the fact that it´s extremely high in sugar and will make them fat, than give them more of a B vitamin than is safe for a lot of humans. And even though it´s expensive, it will give me a full supply of C for all five of my piggies for the next six weeks.

Scott

pinta

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 9:42 pm


I never mix meds with flavoured syrup. I give pills straight and liquids straight. Some of our pig meds are compounded at a pharmacy, usually in grape suspension. but I don´t think the pigs care what the frlavour is. The pharmacy gave us cherry suspension once but we sent it back when we realised drops of the med looked like blood. Too confusing to deal with.

Considering pigs love dandelions(bitter), I don´t think a quick 0.2 squirt of a bitter med is going to be a big deal. In fact, the more volume of fluid, the stronger chance they will let some dribble out. It is much harder to get 1cc of liquid in a pig tham 0.2cc.

If you give the meds straight then you don´t have to worry about the pigs dribbling out some of the dose or that they are getting too much sugar.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 10:07 pm


It does at least seem they are thorough. If there is something to worry about, if anyone is going to catch it, they will. Often vets guess at the meds without doing a workup. Doing it that way, they should know if the med they provided you with will work.

You certainly are fortunate having them a mile from your house!

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CenterFielderNo5

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 10:22 pm


Thanks for the advice, but 2 of my 5 pigs are EXTREMELY picky eaters. The only reason I deal with liquid C at all is because they won´t eat the chewable tablets. Usually, I keep the tablets on hand for the other 3 less picky eaters, but I occasionally give the liquid to them too.

Believe me when I tell you that it´s a lot easier to get a full cc of a sweet syrup that they actually want to eat into their mouths than to force ANY amount of a bitter, sour, grainy formula. They just back away and I usually can´t even get the syringe into their mouths unless I hold their heads so tight I´m practically choking them. Then they still dribble. I´ve tried at least 4 different liquid C formulas, and this sweet one is the only one they like. One of them was so bad that even my other 3, who will all eat ANYTHING, didn´t like it.

How much sugar can actually be in .75 cc of the syrup? I figure it can´t be more than half a gram of sugar max, which has 2 calories. Considering that a small piece of red pepper has about 5 to 10 calories, the extra sugar shouldn´t be a big deal.

Scott

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 11:09 pm


You´re not worried about cavities? ;)

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cmtigger

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 11:17 pm


I can go to the vet school at UC davis for my animals too. Does that mean that I will? not always. Only if it is an emergency, and the one emergency clinic who treats cavies within a half hour doesn´t have their exotic vet in. The vet school actually reccommended this clinic to me. I have found that most of the vets in the area do keep up on the info from UCD anyway, and in extreme cases will refer you there. The test bills sound right, but the exam seems high, I don´t think that I have paid over $40 or $50 for an exam, $60 for the emergency.

I´ve also found that you can get just about anything down with a syringe, whether or not the pig likes the taste.
Last edited by cmtigger on Thu Mar 07, 2002 11:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

pinta

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 11:18 pm


Hmmmm....your pigs are able to back away? I hold my pigs to give meds and don´t give them an option to leave. Only one really likes the C tablets. For the rest of them I just chuck the sectioned pill in behind the teeth and back to the molars and I´m done.

Dealing with 12 syringes, 3 drops and the occasional antibiotic pill(last week baytril and sulfa)daily I can guarantee you it´s easier and faster to get a tiny bit of liquid in than a full cc. Maybe it takes experience but I´ve yet to meet a pig I couldn´t dose AND get all the meds inside. Even skittish rescue pigs.

The problem with larger volumes of meds is that you have to make sure they are chewing while you syringe. Otherwise they "close" their throat and the med dribbles out. This is time-consuming with particularly stubborn pigs. When you do it every day(some meds twice daily), you want to do anything possible to save time.

https://www.guinealynx.info/guinealynx/findingavet.html#tips

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KarasKavies
For the love of my girls!

Post   » Fri Mar 08, 2002 12:22 am


I do have to say, I get the .03 Ivermectin in them with NO problem! I am fast and take them by surprise! In it goes and nothing comes out but their cute, little, pink tongues! I only use the vit c as a "chaser" as Teresa puts it! As long as they don´t smell the Ivermectin coming, I just steady their head and open their mouth and in it goes. I think it is important not to let them smell it. The only time I had a little fight with Tubbit is when she "knew" it was coming!

Kara

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KarasKavies
For the love of my girls!

Post   » Fri Mar 08, 2002 12:23 am


cmtigger your pig is BEAUTIFUL!!!!! Details... boy/girl? Name?

Kara

User avatar
cmtigger

Post   » Fri Mar 08, 2002 12:37 am


Thank you! Her name is Rosie, purebred, showable himi teddy sow. The funny thing is that I also own her littermate sister, who I bought at a show about 4 months later from her second owner... Only to find out a month later when asking for the pedigree that they were littermates. (I did suspect it as soon as I brought Noel home.) Right now I am expecting both of them to have litters any time now.

She is a little diva, and wants everything her way- but when it comes to taking meds, she loves it. She once let me give her a double dose of ivermectin when I thought I had her sister- I need to remember to check the ear tags sometimes. (really, though, I usually can tell them apart, barely.)
Last edited by cmtigger on Fri Mar 08, 2002 12:42 am, edited 1 time in total.

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KarasKavies
For the love of my girls!

Post   » Fri Mar 08, 2002 1:13 am


Babie piggers!! I hope you don´t live close to me! She is a beauty. I should have known she was a purebred. She is absolutely beautiful.

Any more pictures? And when those babies come, I really want to see pictures!
Last edited by KarasKavies on Fri Mar 08, 2002 1:14 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
KarasKavies
For the love of my girls!

Post   » Fri Mar 08, 2002 1:18 am


Oh, God! You live in CA too! I am in San Jose. You are a youngster to boot!

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