Tiggy - See Xrays - heart pig??

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sat Nov 21, 2020 9:50 am


It's a balance. Pain will cause him to stop eating, and it just starts the cycle of slowed gut and more pain all over again. If you're keeping him well-hydrated, your vet will probably agree that he can be on the lowest effective dose of Metacam if he needs it.

dancbtmkr

Post   » Tue Dec 15, 2020 8:11 pm


Today is 12.15.20. Happy holidays GL.

He's struggling again, and very huffy puffy. He's on AB again, which is helping, his nose is now dry, but he's not happy. He was having trouble and showed signs of URI, so it's been a week ago that that change has been made. He's still on all the same meds, notably he's on 2mg/kg of Benz, but he's tailing off again. He's had zero lasix. Zero. He's never been raspy. No gurgle, no cough it out so to speak. I was under the impression the lasix was for fluid on the lungs, but that is not obvious or detected. Steth showed a little lung noise on one side a couple days ago but has since cleared.

He's lost weight again, and we are compensating with his syringe/special care treatment. A week ago he was right as the mail. Should I try some Lasix? Up the Benz? He is getting the normal dose of Vetmedin. I understand that med is not something you adjust.

We are running out of things to tweak to help him to be well. Advise appreciated. I'm very concerned about tiggy.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Tue Dec 15, 2020 8:40 pm


I'm no help with the heart stuff. Use the private mailer to contact pinta and make sure she sees this. You might also PM Talishan -- she's not on often, but has experience with heart pigs.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Dec 15, 2020 8:58 pm


Ditto bpatters. I take it you have discussed this with your vet? What ideas does he/she have?

dancbtmkr

Post   » Tue Dec 15, 2020 9:28 pm


Savvy vets around here are zero. We live in cat/dog world. Closest piggy vet that is competent is 75 miles away, and that vet doesn't believe in heart pigs. They always said it was URI, then then I educated myself and saved a pigs life, not including this one. Plus covid means you hand them a pig in a sack in the parking lot, and they hand you a bill with a pig in a sack and some meds and a piece of paper, in the parking lot. There is no dialogue. They say trust us, sign here.

I Trust no one. A 3 hour round trip with a 4 hour sit in the parking lot last time he went there came REAL close to killing him. I won't do that again to him. He's to fragile now.

I'm well versed in this, sadly. I could bore you. This isn't my first sick piggy.

Back to Tiggy. If he shows no signs of improvement in 24 hours we are gonna try him on a low dose of lasix. He has fight in him, but he's losing weight and lethargic. Heavy breathing, visibly, and via Steth scope. No lung noise at all, as per 30 minutes ago. He's been on AB for a week, no signs of URI, which WERE there a week ago. Boogy nose, sneezing. That's gone now.

His color is OK, just ok. Back feet are a bit purple if you ask me, fronts are kinda red? Nose is ok. Ears ok.

Keeping the faith. Thank you all.

pinta

Post   » Wed Dec 16, 2020 10:07 pm


Do the Lasix. I would suggest a mid dose to start. The thing with fluid on the lungs is that if the lungs are full of fluid you won't hear anything on the stethoscope. The gurgling means there is still air around for the fluid to gurgle.

My vet was off and I brought in a pig with heart failure. The locum said she couldn't hear anything on the lungs. I demanded an xray, She said it wasn't necessary. I got bitchy and she phoned my vet at home. My vet told her to do anything I said. She took the xray - lungs full of fluid. Pig had to have mass dose of lasix injected. That was one red-faced vet locum.

Our average dose of Lasix is 5mg per kg. That's what we start with. We move higher or lower depending on response.

User avatar
ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Fri Dec 18, 2020 1:57 am


Our dog is on lasix for his heart, and the vet said the fluid isn't always in the lungs. It can also be around the lungs and putting pressure on the heart. One of the side effects of Lasix is mild bronchial dilation, so if the issue is actually bronchial congestion, the lasix may show some improvement. I don't know if this applies to guinea pigs as well, but just throwing it out there.

dancbtmkr

Post   » Thu Feb 25, 2021 10:30 pm


Image

Just an update on an older thread, Tiggy died today.

For those who follow these threads, the "pink stuff", Benazapril, Vetmedin and Lasix (frusosimde) { spelling on all of them.} is critical in helping a heart pig live. Tiggy was classic heart pig, and it progressively got worse. He was on Doxy and Baytril for quite some time and finally got off of them when his lungs sounded clear. We even did nebulizer treatment with just saline to help his breathing/nose/sneezing/etc. Dry winter air. He was Geriatric, but was largely feeding himself but for the last 10 days or so where he was still eating, but loosing weight and seemed weak and frail. He had 2 seizures that we know of in the last couple weeks, (witnessed) but didn't seem worse for wear from it. His down turn seemed to pivot on those. It's impossible to say what the correlation is. He ate greens off his plate within 1.5 hours before he died. He left in the wee hours of this morning on his own terms. It's so much better that way. He was 6 years old in March.

We fluctuated the Benz from 1 to 2 mg/ml , vetmedin was the standard dose throughout, and the lasix was from .15ml to .7ml of a 12mg tab disbursed in 1ml of water. We were upping the lasix steadly in the last week as his condition got worse. He started to really struggle to breathe in the last 10 days even though his lungs were clear and he never rattled like past heart piggies. He started to prop himself up to sit up to rest and it seemed that way he could breathe easier. He had Benebac every day several times a day, gas otc med, Vit C injections as needed if he wasn't eating his vitC greens as he should. He also had Cisipride daily for motility. I would describe his breathing as huffy puffy. No audible fluid in the lungs. He would rest for a while and pop up and be acting normal. It got progressively worse.

We are both beside ourselves, and it doesn't seem real yet. The ground is frozen and there's a foot of snow on the ground but it's melted some. I'm dreading tomorrow for the final walk to a hole in the ground I haven't chipped yet. You only have to make that walk once, but it's just terrible every time. Best to all in piggyville land. Thanks for what you do here on guinealinx.info. You have helped me immeasurably.

For those that read this stuff to help their animals, I hope this info helps you. Best to you all. God bless Tiggy.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Feb 25, 2021 10:40 pm


What a handsome fellow he was. I am so terribly sorry you lost him, dancbtmkr. We grow so attached to our furry companions. You have all our sympathy.

dancbtmkr

Post   » Thu Feb 25, 2021 10:48 pm


He was a sweetheart. Thank you for your kind words. TY Lynx for what you do here. Many guinea pigs benefit from it.

User avatar
ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Fri Feb 26, 2021 10:04 pm


He looks like a sweet little guy with personality. I’m so sorry about his passing. It sounds like you were on top of things health wise and he was well cared for and loved, lucky little guy. Take care of yourself.

pinta

Post   » Sat Feb 27, 2021 5:49 am


I'm so sorry for your pain. It never gets easy. He lived a good life and you probably gave him a few extra months he wouldn't have had. That's years in pig years. And thru him you are now armed with skills to help the next pig with heart issues. He did good and you did good.

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