he very eagerly just ate some critical care so he must have been hungry. he refuses to eat out of a bowl but will make me syringe it to him lol
he had some floor time and peed on the rug. i’m just glad he finally peed! he didn’t seem to be in any pain while he peed.
we did just check him after and he had about a one centimeter long sperm rod
enlarged heart
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Talishan
- You can quote me
Bless you and thank you for adopting them both. You saved their lives.
Sperm rods, boar glue etc. are very common. You have a normal, vigorous, uhh ... virile male. :-) Check him as you have been and keep him clean as best you can. Some make more of this than others, but other than being an aggravation it's normal.
While your sister is, um, down there also check occasionally for impaction (or developing impaction) and gently clean him if necessary. Older males in particular are sometimes prone to this:
https://guinealynx.info/impaction.html
How's he doing?
Sperm rods, boar glue etc. are very common. You have a normal, vigorous, uhh ... virile male. :-) Check him as you have been and keep him clean as best you can. Some make more of this than others, but other than being an aggravation it's normal.
While your sister is, um, down there also check occasionally for impaction (or developing impaction) and gently clean him if necessary. Older males in particular are sometimes prone to this:
https://guinealynx.info/impaction.html
How's he doing?
he’s been pretty sleepy today but otherwise he’s had a very good appetite. he keeps trying to take my syringe when i’m feeding him lol
he’s never had impaction (so thankful) but he does get poops up in the little pocket(?) sometimes multiple times a day and she cleans him up and checks him often :) especially when his poop is softer.
he’s still pretty gassy so he’s not getting any veggies anymore. just lots of critical care and hay
he’s never had impaction (so thankful) but he does get poops up in the little pocket(?) sometimes multiple times a day and she cleans him up and checks him often :) especially when his poop is softer.
he’s still pretty gassy so he’s not getting any veggies anymore. just lots of critical care and hay
he is pooping but kind of not frequently? his poops are larger and they all seem to be coming like at one time if that make sense and then there’s none again for a little bit.
we called his vet because she had said to call thursday to check in. she seemed irritated that we called. we told her that we didn’t feel like we were seeing improvement and she said that she was running out of options other than referring us to uc davis for more advanced diagnostics for “a possible heart issue”. ifeel like we already know that though?
we asked if it could be because his dose seemed low and she asked what his dose was. she said “i’m confused” and said he’s supposed to be getting 2.5ml a day. a tech called back and said he should be getting 2.5ml a day max. i’m honestly feeling really irritated. it was barely them telling us his dose but saying was his max dose is. like does he need that dose?? or something lower. it just feels like she’s not wanting to do her job
again, benazepril concentration is 0.1mg/ml
we called his vet because she had said to call thursday to check in. she seemed irritated that we called. we told her that we didn’t feel like we were seeing improvement and she said that she was running out of options other than referring us to uc davis for more advanced diagnostics for “a possible heart issue”. ifeel like we already know that though?
we asked if it could be because his dose seemed low and she asked what his dose was. she said “i’m confused” and said he’s supposed to be getting 2.5ml a day. a tech called back and said he should be getting 2.5ml a day max. i’m honestly feeling really irritated. it was barely them telling us his dose but saying was his max dose is. like does he need that dose?? or something lower. it just feels like she’s not wanting to do her job
again, benazepril concentration is 0.1mg/ml
this means that this bottle will only last 4-5 days? it was supposed to last a month. it’s 80$ because it’s compounded too
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Talishan
- You can quote me
In my experience, some older males do the larger poops, a bunch at one time thing. As long as he's pooping, and the poops look normal (or relatively normal), in my opinion, you're good.
Imma take a really, really wild guess here and speculate that the vet sounds irritated (and giving unclear instructions) because 1) she's got too many clients and too little time and 2) she feels like you annoying kids are pushing her.
Heart disease in guinea pigs wasn't even recognized as a thing as 'little' as 15 years ago. If she's not really a true exotics vet, but she knows the basics, and appears to be a pretty good surgeon, but hasn't really kept up with the latest in disorders and treatments for small exotics like guinea pigs.
If you want to go to Davis and can get there, they're excellent from what I have heard. (2nd hand only; I've been west of the Rockies once in my entire life, lol.) I suspect they won't be cheap. Otherwise, if you're in the Bay Area/Sacto, there should be (or at least used to be) a number of very good, true exotics vets in that general area.
Try contacting this rescue --
https://www.facebook.com/littleheartsrescuegroup/
Explain your situation and ask them for a good vet referral in your area. Even if you're not in the Bay Area, small animal rescuers are a pretty tight-knit group and they may be able to refer you to someone closer to you.
Alternatively, you could get your mom to call, question the dosing discrepancy/seemingly screwed-up instructions, and see if they're more responsive to her.
In the meantime: if this were my pig I'd double the dose and see how he responds. Benazepril lowers blood pressure. If it's way too much, he'll become sleepy, lazy, lethargic and inactive, just like a human whose blood pressure, for whatever reason, drops too low. It has a wide range of dosing, which is why the tech said UP TO 2.5 mL.
How's he doing otherwise?
Imma take a really, really wild guess here and speculate that the vet sounds irritated (and giving unclear instructions) because 1) she's got too many clients and too little time and 2) she feels like you annoying kids are pushing her.
Heart disease in guinea pigs wasn't even recognized as a thing as 'little' as 15 years ago. If she's not really a true exotics vet, but she knows the basics, and appears to be a pretty good surgeon, but hasn't really kept up with the latest in disorders and treatments for small exotics like guinea pigs.
If you want to go to Davis and can get there, they're excellent from what I have heard. (2nd hand only; I've been west of the Rockies once in my entire life, lol.) I suspect they won't be cheap. Otherwise, if you're in the Bay Area/Sacto, there should be (or at least used to be) a number of very good, true exotics vets in that general area.
Try contacting this rescue --
https://www.facebook.com/littleheartsrescuegroup/
Explain your situation and ask them for a good vet referral in your area. Even if you're not in the Bay Area, small animal rescuers are a pretty tight-knit group and they may be able to refer you to someone closer to you.
Alternatively, you could get your mom to call, question the dosing discrepancy/seemingly screwed-up instructions, and see if they're more responsive to her.
In the meantime: if this were my pig I'd double the dose and see how he responds. Benazepril lowers blood pressure. If it's way too much, he'll become sleepy, lazy, lethargic and inactive, just like a human whose blood pressure, for whatever reason, drops too low. It has a wide range of dosing, which is why the tech said UP TO 2.5 mL.
How's he doing otherwise?
he’s seeming more sleepy today which really worries me. he’s eating critical care and moving around and now it’s been a pretty long time since he’s pooped. could it be the meds?
we gave him the bigger dose 1.5 hours ago
thank you i’ll try contacting that rescue
we gave him the bigger dose 1.5 hours ago
thank you i’ll try contacting that rescue
we’re in a small town about an hour away from sacramento. we usually drive about 50 mins to his current vet for reference
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Talishan
- You can quote me
It could be the meds, yes, but in my experience benazepril does not slow the GI.
Watch him carefully (I know you will anyway). If the larger dose lowers his blood pressure too much, he'll get more lethargic and inactive, but it shouldn't be dangerous per se, just an indicator. If that happens, reduce his next dose.
How is his breathing?
Watch him carefully (I know you will anyway). If the larger dose lowers his blood pressure too much, he'll get more lethargic and inactive, but it shouldn't be dangerous per se, just an indicator. If that happens, reduce his next dose.
How is his breathing?
his tummy is still moving up and down. it’s a little slower? but he’s also pretty calm right now because he’s eating but it does get a little faster when he’s in a deep sleep or when it starts to get a little warm ive noticed.
it’s less frantic though if that makes sense
it used to rise up and down pretty sharp and fast
it’s still abnormally fast though
is his dose still pretty low? everything i see on here is a minimum of 1mg a day or even twice a day. i dont know im just feeling nervous about it
it’s less frantic though if that makes sense
it used to rise up and down pretty sharp and fast
it’s still abnormally fast though
is his dose still pretty low? everything i see on here is a minimum of 1mg a day or even twice a day. i dont know im just feeling nervous about it
SHOP AMAZON