Advice on Chronic Respiratory issue

Fantastic_Lurk1

Post   » Fri Oct 07, 2022 1:49 am


Hi Guinea Lynx forum members,

I'm new here and grateful for any advice I can get to help my poor Honey Pepper. She is special needs and has been for all/most of her life. She has a head tilt which we have been told is caused by a neurological issue, she also tends to be very "snorty" and congested sounding. However, despite this she is spunky and full of energy, seems happy and healthy... At least as healthy as she can be given her circumstances!

She recently had a bad bout of diarrhea and we quickly brought her in to the vet (not a small animal, exotic vet but the best option we seem to have). They did a fecal smear and found coccidia which we have been treating at first with Albon but now a week later we switched to Sulfatrim Pediatric Suspension. The coccidia is improving but not gone completely yet. Actually though, the reason I'm writing this post is because my vet and I seem to disagree on the course of action for her congestion/head tilt.

I am mad at myself for not standing my ground more but the vet convinced me to put her on Prednisone (to "fix" her tilt) and Baytril for her lungs. He expressed that it's very urgent that these issues get treated promptly - despite me saying that these are ongoing symptoms she's had for years. (In other words, let's treat the *ahem* more pressing concern about the coccidia... right?)

Anyway, so we found that the prednisone did nothing for her head tilt and that the baytril only exacerbated the GI issues and left her just as snorty as ever. The vet was dumbfounded that his treatment didn't work but it led to a disagreement where I told him I was taking her off of the Baytril until we got the coccidia and her gut issues under control. We're also weaning her from the steroids.

I was able to convince my vet to give her an x-ray so we could get a better idea of what's happening in her lungs and with her heart. However after the experiences I've had (and the fact that he's not a small animal specialist) I'm interested in getting a second opinion. I'm not sure that the vet even looked at the x-ray because his tech was the one who consulted with me. They can't seem to understand what's wrong with her lungs although they noted some bronchial inflammation. However given that baytril and steroids aren't helping... Should we consider asthma? Heart issues? Allergies?

I'm attaching photos of her x-rays here... Once I figure out how. I would love to hear what observations you folks can make of this. Otherwise I'd love to get advice on how to get a second opinion maybe via tele-health - I live on an island and don't have many options otherwise!

Thank you very much for your time if you made it this far through my post. I love my sweet girl very much and just want to do the very best for her... She's so challenging to love with all of her unusual health concerns keeping me up at night. Thanks again!

Fantastic_Lurk1

Post   » Fri Oct 07, 2022 1:57 am


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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Oct 07, 2022 9:28 am


It may be that the coccidia found is not what is causing the diarrhea.
https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewtopic.php?t=69638

I don't have a medical/veterinary background but rather think your focus on the diarrhea first is the more pressing problem. Have you read this page?
https://www.guinealynx.info/diarrhea.html

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri Oct 07, 2022 9:41 am


I would agree. Have you tried probiotics? Those images are not great quality, but it looks like she has a pretty significant pocket of gas there. Does she seem bloated?

I can't really tell anything about her heart or lungs, as the x-rays are just too grainy. A search on Google for "exotic veterinarians in Hawaii" yielded quite a few hits. They may not be specifically where you live, but you could certainly contact them and ask if they could do a consult by Zoom. Might be worth a shot?

She sure is a cutie. :)

Bookfan
For the Love of Pigs

Post   » Fri Oct 07, 2022 1:30 pm


Hilo is on the Big Island (aka Hawaii) if I remember correctly, and there were several hits for exotic vets. Zoom's a good idea too 'cause it looks like there are a bunch on Oahu.

Those front feet!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Oct 07, 2022 8:31 pm


Yes, a real heart-breaker!

Fantastic_Lurk1

Post   » Sat Oct 08, 2022 4:00 am


Thank you so much for your thoughtful replies! 💕

Wanted to send an update to say that today her energy came back 10 fold, her poops are still mushy but improving big time, and she even put back a bunch of the weight she lost (I've been weighing her every day since she starting having diarrhea). What we changed was taking her off baytril and Albon and putting her on Sulfatrim.

Interesting take on the coccidia possibly not being the cause of her GI issues.. I will keep that in mind if we feel like we need to revisit that. I hadnt been giving her probiotics because I didn't think it would help her while she's on antibiotics. So whoops... I'm giving her probiotics now about an hour after she gets her meds so I think that's helping her too.

Also... I reached out to a vet in Honolulu who will do a consultation with me - so thank you for the advice on that! We'll see if they alert me to any issues or possible quality of life improvements. In any case, it will be good for us to have a relationship with an exotics vet if we need advice in the future.

Grateful for you folks time and help with our sweet Peps. As I type this I can hear her chortling around in her pen and it's just music to my ears... :)

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Oct 08, 2022 7:50 am


Sounds quite encouraging! It is thought probiotics may help but shouldn't hurt. I sometimes but not always used them. If there are gut issues, more likely they are worth trying.

Glad she has her energy back!
https://www.guinealynx.info/probiotics.html

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sat Oct 08, 2022 9:27 am


Very encouraging indeed! Sending lots of good thoughts your way. Keep us posted!

Bookfan
For the Love of Pigs

Post   » Sat Oct 08, 2022 11:03 am


"I can hear her chortling around in her pen" :)

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Oct 08, 2022 10:59 pm


Such a lovely description. Sounds like a happy guinea pig!

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Sun Oct 09, 2022 2:03 am


Glad to hear your pig is feeling better. My Gidget has head tilt, just diagnosed a few months ago by a vet with exotics experience. Gidget had a couple of ear infections over a 6-month period, then the head tilt appeared. The vet prescribed Orbax to treat any inner-ear infection that may be present, and Metacam because apparently there can be some ear pain. This was long-term about 2 months.

She also prescribed Meclizine for vertigo and dizziness. Gidget seemed to be off balance and staring up with her head kind of going in circles.

I'm not sure what the Prednizone would be treating for your guinea pig, but I think you were right to focus on the digestion first before being concerned with anything else. I understand head tilt, ear infections, and respiratory issues can all go hand in hand. I hope she continues to feel good.

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