Gidget Medical Thread

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Mon May 01, 2023 1:25 pm


I think something’s going on with Gidget again. Last night and this morning she’s kind of wobbly. Even when just sitting she seems unsteady. I gave her Meclizine last night and this morning I gave her meloxicam in case there’s any pain involved.

She’s been off antibiotics for 3 days, I don’t think I should start another round of sulfatrim. She had 2 rounds of that already for the URIs. I’ll have to check with the vet about trying Orbax. If this is ear related, Orbax can be given longer term, and that helped last year when she had an ear infection.

It’s just so frustrating. I’d love to see her healthy again.

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Lynx
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Post   » Mon May 01, 2023 1:37 pm


No kidding! I'd love to see her healthy again, too!

On again off again issues can be so difficult.

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Mon May 01, 2023 10:22 pm


Since it clears up after a few days of sulfatrim, I have to believe it’s a stubborn bacterial infection. A neurological problem, an injury (when she thinks she can fly), a fungus or virus, or anything tumor-related wouldn’t respond to antibiotics.

I’m going to try the Orbax to see if there is any improvement. That was our first choice for her ears, but we switched to Sulfatrim when the URI started. Hoping we don’t have a URI again.

She still has a tummy bubble so I’m doing simethicone and massages. Input and output are still good but I’m supplementing with CC.

And I wasn’t giving enough Benebac. I was using the little scooper that’s in the bottle, and giving 1 of those every other day. Looks like she should have been getting 2 of those.

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Lynx
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Post   » Tue May 02, 2023 9:54 am


Sound analysis (all we have to go on). Hoping the Orbax kicks the likely bacterial infection.

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Fri May 05, 2023 3:18 pm


I had a chat with the vet today. I let him know about the tummy bubble earlier in the week and that I stopped the Sulfatrim at 15 days. Then she started with the wobbles again, so I started Orbax on Monday. He said if the Orbax doesn't kick the infection, the next step would be surgery to open and flush the ear canals. He thinks there must be bacteria that the antibiotics are not reaching. Their clinic doesn't do this type of surgery.

Last summer it took about 5 days to see any improvement with Orbax, so I was really hopeful this time. Her tummy bubble is pretty much gone, she has good input and output, and her weight is up a little more than an ounce since her last vet visit. But the wobbles continue, so I guess I'm going to be looking for a specialty clinic. The only one in my area is the one I was going to originally. I'm not sure they even do this kind of surgery, but I'll have to do some research.

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Lynx
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Post   » Fri May 05, 2023 10:59 pm


Gee, this is tough. I sure hope the Orbax works. It sounds like an unusual surgery. I would have all kinds of questions (as I'm sure you would).

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Fri May 05, 2023 11:49 pm


I haven’t found much on this particular surgery in guinea pigs, just dogs, cats and rabbits. I don’t know what other treatments are available. There are a couple of specialty clinics in the metro area I plan to contact. They are quite a ways to drive, but if they can offer some treatment it would be worth it.

I’m just really disappointed in the exotic vet I was seeing previously. I thought they were so thorough but all they do is a lot of expensive lab tests. I think if they would have treated the first ear infections more aggressively, we wouldn’t be in this situation now.

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Lynx
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Post   » Sat May 06, 2023 8:59 pm


It is hard to know. I expect that any clinic that could perform this surgery would thoroughly test for bacteria types in the ear canals. You sure want to know what you are up against.

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Tue May 09, 2023 10:15 pm


Gidget has been on Orbax for 8 days and I don’t see any improvement with the wobbles. She shakes her head once in a while, but what’s most noticeable is she is unsteady and her balance is off. Today she is more wobbly than yesterday, and just looks like she feels ill. I don’t know if I want to continue the Orbax. She’s been taking antibiotics now for about 6 weeks, with just a few days off in between 2-week courses. Even though I give her Benebac, I have to think her digestive tract is messed up.

I contacted the specialty clinic that was recommended by the vet I’ve been seeing and we have an appointment on Friday the 19th. It’s about a 2-hr drive, so even though they have us on the cancellation call list, it’s unlikely we would be able to make it there for a last-minute cancellation.

It’s a long time to wait, and I’m thinking of trying the local exotic vet again. I don’t really like her but if there’s a chance she could figure something out, it would be in Gidget’s best interest.

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Thu May 11, 2023 11:10 am


Road trip to the specialty clinic this afternoon. They had a cancellation at 4:30 so we’re getting ready. Gidget is wobbly and shaky even when she’s just sitting and eating hay, and her balance is pretty bad. I don’t know what her chances are, but let’s hope they have some ideas to help her.

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Lynx
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Post   » Thu May 11, 2023 3:52 pm


Anti-dizziness medication? Meclizine? Dimenhydrinate?

I hope they can come up with something that can help.

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Thu May 11, 2023 11:36 pm


Well, I have to say Dr. Anderson at Valley View Hospital in Burnsville, MN, is very knowledgeable. She looked deep in Gidget’s ears and saw lots of debris, and that her ear drums were not intact. She took a cytology and cleaned the ears with an anti fungal rinse. She removed debris and pus that will be sent in to culture and determine the type of bacteria present.

Dr. Anderson said Gidget will need to be sedated to have the debris and pus removed from her ear canals. She is going to contact the vet here to see if he feels comfortable sedating her and cleaning her ears. I don’t think he will, so we’ll probably be going back down there for a day next week.

She said pigs with multiple ear infections and head tilt usually have lifelong problems. These infections go deep into tissue that antibiotics usually don’t reach, similar to bone infections and tooth abscesses. So the antibiotics she is taking might be the right ones, but the infection is just too deep. She did mention an antibiotic that is toxic to people, and can be compounded for guinea pigs and is fairly well tolerated.

She also said that small pigs, under 1 kg, have more ear issues and head tilt than the larger pigs. It seems to be something genetic. At her heaviest, Gidget weighed 852 grams, so definitely on the small size.

She said Gidget was in excellent shape and probably the most well-cared-for pig she’s seen. So at least I can feel good about something. Now I have to keep up the CC, pain meds and Sulfatrim, and hopefully get a surgical appointment next week.

I wish we could have helped Gidget more today. She was not happy with the ear cleaning, but I hope it relieved some discomfort.

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