mammary tumor removal and anesthesia on senior guinea pig

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Mon Aug 30, 2021 12:54 am


Yes, the one-handed draw is an acquired skill. Tonight I put the syringes back together and drew the CC into the syringe with one hand and a piggy burrito in the other. I watched a video of Saskia giving syringe food. She does a burrito wrap and then tucks the piggy under her arm and syringes the food. So I'm learning that skill and it seems to work well.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Aug 30, 2021 12:00 pm


I was trying to remember more about it. I think I used my little and ring fingers to hold the syringe and thumb and forefinger to draw the plunger up. You need a plunger that moves freely. The middle finger for this operation was a non-performer :-)

Luna1

Post   » Sun Sep 19, 2021 11:51 pm


Thank you all for your feedback. I have a new issue with Gerbil. As he is getting older he is not cleaning his face area as well as he used to. I was cleaning his mouth area and noticed some food stuck around his lips, and it looks like the lip fold areas are cracked. I am attaching a picture here. [

I emailed my vet and he said it looks like mild dermititis, and recommended using douxo chlorhexidine wipes for 10 days and take him in person if it doesn't improve by then. Has anyone had an issue like this with their guinea pig and used these wipes?

Thank you!

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Mon Sep 20, 2021 1:58 am


I have only used chlorhexidine on a dog, but it worked very well for dermatitis. I would use a healing moisturizer after the chlorhexidine since the skin looks dry and cracking. Something like coconut oil or vitamin E oil applied with a q-tip might work.

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Lynx
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Post   » Mon Sep 20, 2021 10:12 am


You might want to look this over too, in case it gives you any additional ideas or gets worse.
https://www.guinealynx.info/cheilitis.html

Luna1

Post   » Mon Sep 20, 2021 11:44 pm


Thank you, I saw this page before, the second vet I sent the pictures to said he has cheilitis, and use the wipes first but if it doesn't go away he will need antibiotics & antifungal medications...

Luna1

Post   » Wed Sep 22, 2021 6:08 pm


Just to update, I ended taking Gerbil to a vet in person to make sure he gets the best treatment. It turned out that not only did he have those small cuts by his lip, but there is a big cut and swelling and inflammation under his jaw area. They saw it when they shaved his hair in that area. I have no idea why this would happen :( The doctor said it's not an abscess but inflammation of the skin itself. He is on bactrim, antibiotic cream and micanozole cream for now. We are waiting for culture results.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:25 pm


Sounds like having him seen was a good idea. I hope the inflammation clears up.

Luna1

Post   » Sat Oct 09, 2021 12:55 pm


Update, Gerbil is doing much worse...

His wounds were all healing, but a week ago they started opening up (the one in his lip corner), the one under his chin healed, but a new one formed. Culture results showed that there are 6 different bacteria, some very resistant to antibiotics she said. No fungus was found she said but I see him itching under his chin alot. Doctor suggested we use Chloramphenicol, but I am worried it will give him another GI stasis. (Baytril gave him a very bad GI stasis couple years ago) Instead they are formulating a special topical cream with this antibiotic but it will take 2 weeks to arrive... He spends a lot of time puffed up in a corner in the last month, but vet said his abdomen is soft and doesn't look painful to touch. HIs weight has been sort of stable until last week.

Anyway, I took him back to the vet tuesday and they shaved his hair under chin near mouth to take a better look at his wounds. I realized later that they shaved his whiskers too which I was very upset about...Since he came back from the vet he lost 55 grams in 4 days, 70 grams in a week. He is still eating hay and pellets, but I noticed a drop in drinking water, and how much hay he is eating. At this rate of weight loss, I know something is very wrong, but I don't know what the vet can do about it. Could a shave have such an effect? Everytime I take him there I feel he gets worse...I am so worried that I will lose him very soon...Do you have any advice? Thank you for your support.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Oct 09, 2021 9:57 pm


I am so sorry to hear he is not doing well. He may have a systemic infection that is contributing to his problems. I understand your reluctance to use Chloramphenicol, though if it is effective against the bacteria that have been identified on his skin, it could help.

I do not know if shaving his hair would cause weight loss but do know that in humans, with regrowth of shaved hair, sometimes the hair becomes ingrown and painful.

Is he on any pain medication?

I wish I had more useful advice to offer.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Sun Oct 10, 2021 12:53 am


I'm sorry to hear Gerbil is doing worse. When I look up Chloramphenicol for guinea pigs, it's also used for gastrointestinal bacteria including C. Diff, and it's added to eye ointments. It might be worth trying to see if it works on the bacteria. And it would also be worth finding out if they have anything to control the itching, since scratching the skin open just makes the infection worse.

I hope you find some answers.

Luna1

Post   » Sun Oct 10, 2021 1:06 pm


He is on metacam 0.2ml twice a day for the last 2 moths for his arthritis. He spent most of yesterday puffed up in his igloo, and eats hay when I make him get out of there, but definitely not very comfortable. I went to check on him around 4am, and he ate some hay and drank some water. However, there was not much poop in his cage this morning compared to normal, I gave him cisapride this morning. Also gave some yellow bell peppers to get him a bit hydrated since he is definitely drinking less water than couple of days ago. I tried to give him critical care with a syringe but I can't keep his head still to get it inside his mouth, he resists me so much and I worry about stressing him even more. HIs weight is same as yesterday, but I worry that is because he didn't poop much.

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