Jack with abscess

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daj

Post   » Fri Jan 24, 2020 6:48 pm


Jack has seemed to be doing well for quite a while now. I was even using him as the donor for poop soup. But, lately his poops have gotten small and light colored, and I am not sure what to make of it. His diet hasn't changed. Is this something to be concerned about?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Jan 24, 2020 9:14 pm


How is he otherwise? Are you weighing him regularly? Weight really helps monitor health issues.

Other than that, I would increase fluids and see if that helps (syringe water, if he likes it; wet down leafy vegs).

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri Jan 24, 2020 10:11 pm


Odd. No changes in diet at all? Is he eating and drinking normally?

daj

Post   » Sat Jan 25, 2020 10:01 am


His weight is normal, but he is less active lately. Something occurred to me last night though. All three of my skinnies are dealing with an ongoing itching problem, and Jack recently developed the large flaky patch on his back again. I've been using coconut oil on all three, but I also put some double strength Desitin on Jack's flaky area to help soothe the itch. Last night I saw he bite at his back, and I wonder if he's ingested some zinc oxide.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Jan 25, 2020 2:07 pm


I think of zinc oxide as being relatively inert. I trust you applied it sparingly (always a good move with any topical treatment).

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sat Jan 25, 2020 3:17 pm


Zinc oxide is often used to treat diaper rash in babies. I imagine it gets accidentally ingested by babies quite often, since infants have a bad habit of putting all kinds of questionable things in their mouths. While it's good to use zinc oxide sparingly in order to help prevent accidental ingestion, it would take quite a bit of it to cause major harm in an infant or small animal.

That said...if Jack is repeatedly licking/biting his back and the area has been treated with coconut oil and/or baby rash medication over the last several days, I suppose it could be enough to cause a little bit of stomach upset.

daj

Post   » Thu Sep 03, 2020 8:25 pm


I haven't been around in a while. A lot of my previous posts on my threads for 3 pigs were dealing with itching. Just before Covid I got the results of a skin biopsy back. It ruled out all the usual suspects, but showed mild, chronic irritation. At that point, feeling I had explored all options and feeling burned out from what was perhaps a 2 year ordeal, I decided to just take a break from it all. I got serious about upping the humidity level in the house, and I also noticed that when I remove all dark leafy greens except green leaf lettuce, the dry scaly patch on the backs of all 3 pigs goes away entirely. Now I would say the itching problem is resolved.

Things have been good, or so I thought. Now Jack has started having blood in his pee and he squeals when pooping and peeing. On Monday we got an ultrasound that didn't show anything. The vet suspected a prostate infection, so we started him on Baytril. Today the blood was more concentrated so we went back, and the vet did another ultrasound. It showed bladder stones. We did an x-ray too. It seems to be 2 stones. After talking it over we decided to try potassium citrate to see if the stones will shrink, in the hope of flushing them out. Now I feel like kicking myself, because Jack drinks like a bird, and it didn't occur to me that it could be problematic. I always worried about another pig that drinks a bottle per day. I'm pretty sure his water intake or lack thereof, is the primary cause of the stones.

He seemed to do a little better when I stopped feeding lettuce for a couple days. I gave melon rind instead. When I thought stones were ruled out, I went back to lettuce, and then the blood increased. It may or may not be connected, but I am going skip lettuce for a while. I've been giving him water by syringe at least 3x per day, and I'm giving poop soup due to the antibiotic use. The vet also recommended laying off pellets due to their dryness. I am giving some, but only in the poop soup mush/liquid. I desperately want to avoid surgery. The vet did say there is concern that if the stones shrink there is the danger of them lodging in the urethra. I want to try what I can before the surgery option though.

So, my plan is to modify his diet to greatly increase his fluid intake, reduce calcium and soften his poop with more fruit and vegetables, try the potassium citrate, keep up with the poop soup (I have 2 young rescues that I took in that seem to be great donors), finish out the Baytril and keep up with the water by syringe. I forgot to ask about putting him on Metacam. The vet is supposed to get back to me in the morning on this though. Can anyone offer thoughts on whether I am off track with this plan? Thanks for any help.

daj

Post   » Thu Sep 03, 2020 8:29 pm


I also wonder about whether I should be trying to keep his digestive system very active to keep things hydrated, soft and moving, or whether things like pepper skin make pooping more painful? I am also wetting his hay.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri Sep 04, 2020 9:59 am


I'm glad to hear that the itching has resolved (odd that dark greens would be a trigger), but sorry that you're now dealing with bladder stones. Bladder stones tend not to show up well on ultrasound, so it is a good thing that your vet decided to go back and have x-rays done to confirm. Is this vet experienced with exotics? The term "prostate infection" is odd to me. Guinea pigs get urinary tract infections (which are best treated with Bactrim rather than Baytril); I've not heard of one having an infection of the prostate.

Potassium citrate is, in my view, not a good idea. For one thing, it will not shrink bladder stones in guinea pigs. Bladder stones in these animals are almost always calcium carbonate and, unfortunately, nothing is known to shrink them. The other concern is that potassium citrate is has an alkalizing effect on urine pH, and herbivores like guinea pigs already have very alkaline urine. The theory is that the citrate will "bind" the calcium and thus prevent formation, but there is no evidence that this works and it is counter-productive to try to use a product that could increase alkalinity further---thus creating an even more favorable environment for calcium carbonate stones to form.

I think the idea of increasing fluid and lower overall dietary calcium is a good one. What pellets do you feed? I would not necessarily recommend stopping pellets altogether, particularly since it is hard to have a well-balanced diet on limited veggies alone, but depending on the calcium content of the pellets it may be reasonable to reduce the amount that you feed. Are you using Oxbow?

I would definitely advocate the use of Metacam in this situation. Bladder stones are painful, and pain can cause reduced activity and inappetence. How is his weight?

Good info can be found here:
https://www.guinealynx.info/stones.html

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Fri Sep 04, 2020 10:08 am


Also, he needs those stones removed. ASAP. If one falls into the urethra and blocks the flow of urine, you've got a full-blown, painful, expensive emergency on your hands.

I'd also be thinking about another vet, if the first choice of this one was an ultrasound rather than x-rays.

Bookfan
For the Love of Pigs

Post   » Fri Sep 04, 2020 10:23 am


Ditto. He's suggesting things I've never heard before. And a stone caught in urethra is not something you want to risk. Been there, done that.
Several links for exotic vets in your area on this page:
https://www.guinealynx.info/vet.html

daj

Post   » Fri Sep 04, 2020 5:44 pm


This vet is not trained in exotics, although she is an excellent general vet and owner of guinea pigs. She has considerable experience with them, but you are raising valid concerns. There is an exotics vet in town, but I didn't like some things there. They got a prescription wrong the last time I was there, and they make a fuss when an interesting pet comes in. On another visit, when they had my pig in the back for an x-ray and didn't bring him back when they had the results, I asked where he was. He was 'getting some love". Apparently any tech or desk staff gets their chance when they have the animal in the back. At this vet, nearly everything is done in front of me, and I participate when possible. When he's terrified and needs to be put on his back and held down, I hold his top end an cradle his face.

After the first ultrasound, when I thought he didn't have stones, I started feeding him more as usual, giving him lettuce and cucumber again. That was when his pain increased, and the blood became more concentrated. Now, when I removed all greens and up his water/poop soup/wet hay and the rest of the diet changes, he shows no signs of pain at all and no blood. He seems his normal active self. The change with greens v. no greens in night and day. He is obsessed with the new pigs and spends all day gazing at them and sitting near them. I am terrified of surgery. The thought of it just makes me sick to my stomach, literally.

His pellets are KMS. This article addresses potassium citrate in the last paragraph before Birds & Reptiles: https://www.dvm360.com/view/urinary-dis ... roceedings
I want to continue what I'm doing. Am I being irresponsible... or more accurately, making a wrong decision out of fear? How does it become apparent if a stone moves to the urethra?

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