Sudden thirst increase, urine scald, high calcium, diet

daj

Post   » Tue Nov 16, 2021 10:46 pm


The vet wasn't too concerned. He was really inflated looking Fri. night, but he kept his appetite and activity. His gut was soft and he was pooping fine. I gave him Metacam for a couple days, but didn't today. Today he looks better, but his appetite is way down. He's mostly eating only hay. I wonder if this is cause for concern? Are vegetables usually an ongoing problem after a bout of bloat? Can they be reintroduced?

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Wed Nov 17, 2021 1:23 am


I would avoid vegetables until the bloat is down and he is back to normal. Then very small amounts of just one vegetable at a time, since there may be one thing that triggers bloat. When Lacey had bloat, the exotics vet recommended gas drops for babies - simethicone. It helped and after a couple of days the gas bubble went down. However, some people on the forum have had bad experiences with simethicone, so I'd follow what the vet recommends.

daj

Post   » Wed Nov 17, 2021 8:50 am


She said simethicone wouldn't hurt so I did try it, but didn't find it to help, so I stopped. I am pretty sure this happened because I fed orange, then carrot. I think he ate the carrot fisrt and the had a piece of orange that he went back to. I will never assume they will eat things in the correct order again. That was stupid of me.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Nov 17, 2021 10:14 am


Oranges are kind of sugary. If you are looking to increase vitamin C, lots of greens will do that. Sort on this page, note that the comparisons are for 10 calorie amounts.
https://www.guinealynx.info/chart.html

daj

Post   » Thu Nov 18, 2021 8:58 pm


Henry took a turn for the worse. The bloat went down since friday, but by Wed. he was having trouble breathing, had lost his appetite, and his poops dwindled. I took him in, and the x-ray showed a lot of fluid in his lungs and he's impacted. The vet did a shot of subcutaneous fluid with a first dose of Baytril for lung infection. She mentioned another antibiotic, not Bactrim, but another broad spectrum that I don't recall. I would have gone to get a prescript. filled v. her starting the Baytril right away, so I opted to get the antibiotic into him asap. He was taking little quick breaths that made a slight whistle. He's been refusing water from a syringe and any food but the lettuce and cilantro I gave him. Now he seems a bit bloated again. He's also refusing the poop soup I'm trying to syringe. I don't know how much to fight him over getting the fluids/soup into him. He's been nibbling a bit a hay. The vet said if the AB is going to work he should show improvement in about 48 hrs. I thought I was going to loose him today. He was listless and barely breathing. Any suggestions on getting his gut moving and getting fluid into him much appreciated. I guess I am holding off on the lettuce now too, so he's on an AB that tends to constipate, not drinking or eating much and refusing the poop soup... all bad trends for his recovery.

daj

Post   » Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:21 pm


And now, late at night, when he is due for his Baytril, the prescribed dose seems off the charts. I don't have his accurate weight now, but can get it tomorrow. But the dose prescribed is 100 mg/ml and 1/2 ml every 12 hours. So this is 50 mg every 12 hrs? I have another pig on Baytril now too from another vet, and his dose is 50 mg/ml and .12 ml every 12 hours. These seem insanely different to me. One seems too low, and one seems way too high. The pigs are the same weight.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:41 pm


I am so sorry he has taken a turn for the worse. I don't know what to say about the Baytril - but wonder if the concentration was written properly? I totally agree it seems like a very large dose. The guide here has 2.5-10.0 mg/kg q12h. I think sometimes it is more than that but unlikely to be 5 times more (was he around a kilo last time you weighed him?).

You mention bloat but also fluid in his lungs. Bloat would be air. Was he given any lasix?

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:52 pm


I was thinking the same thing. If there is fluid in the lungs a diuretic would seem appropriate. And I thought the high end of Baytril dosages was 10mg / kg every 12 hours. Is there an emergency vet you can consult with?

daj

Post   » Fri Nov 19, 2021 6:10 am


I called a 24 hr. animal hospital and talked to someone. They did a calculation and said it doesn't make any sense. He said the high end is 15 mg. Either way, even 15 is not in the range of 50. They recommended giving the same dose my other pig is on, so that is what I did, and I will call the vet in the morning. This has been such a nightmare. He was not given lasix. The bloat was down when we were at the vet's. I gave him lettuce and cilantro bcs he wasn't eating. I think that's what brought it back, even though he did OK with it earlier.

daj

Post   » Fri Nov 19, 2021 6:23 am


It's 4:30 AM here. I just checked he and was afraid he would have passed in the night. He was sound asleep, and his bloat has gone back down. I didn't realize he was sleeping and startled him, but I think he breathing is a little better too. His poops were smaller than peas and just a few of them. He took some water, and I replaced his hot water bottle. Tomorrow I need to get water and poop soup into him somehow. I hope he will take some of the formula I make up. I have to take my bladder stone pig back to the same vet. It's difficult when they give bad info. I will see how it goes when I call.

daj

Post   » Fri Nov 19, 2021 10:36 am


I got the vets office, and they explained to 100 mg/ml is the concentrate, which is compounded to 20 ml/mg and I am to give .5, so the prescription is for 10 mg per 12 hrs. This is a relief, but still a high dose.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Fri Nov 19, 2021 5:12 pm


Glad you got an explanation about the Baytril prescription. Since the bloat is recurring, I would avoid fresh veggies. There seems to be 2 issues going on. Bloat, which is gas and air in his abdomen, and the URI and fluid in his lungs. The fluid buildup could be due to a respiratory infection, but also could be heart related. So if it were me, I would ask the vet if a diuretic would be helpful.

Most importantly will be getting food into him, such as Critical Care or pellet mash so he gets nutrients and fiber. And a probiotic like BeneBac or other non-dairy probiotic an hour or so after the Baytril will help with digestive issues.

You have your hands full with medical care right now, and I wish you the best. You're doing such a good job caring for these guys and I understand how exhausting that can be.

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