[Gpdd] [HEALTH] Sick piggie in France

[DebJonSara at aol.com]

Yes, I'm still here, lurking. I still cry at all the passings over The 
Bridge, and laugh at some of the piggie antics. But my 31 animals and part time job 
keep me so busy, I don't really have time to post. 

But today I went to visit a friend, and one of her piggies, Guinness, is very 
sick. She phoned me about him on 6th January, saying his back legs seemed 
paralized, and the vet had given him anti-inflammatories. I spent the evening 
surfing the net, and sent her everything I could find on paralysis in guinea pigs 
(disappointingly little) plus details of the DSN and the phone number of the 
Cambridger Cavy Trust.

When I next phoned her about him, she said he was a little better. She said 
he was eating and pooping and moving about a bit. I hoped he was on the mend. 
She said she had posted to the DSN but had not received any response. I found 
that extremely odd, but was pleased to hear he seemed better.

I dropped by today, and held him. I was shocked - he is skin and bone. He is 
chirruping and moving around a bit, but his back end is dry and kind of 
matted, and my friend says he isn't pooping much. I asked if he was eating, and she 
said he was eating well, and got me some lettuce to prove it. He ate it very 
slowly (for a piggie) and, I felt, with some difficulty. I asked her if she was 
weighing him, and she looked surprised and said no. I weigh my piggies once a 
month - I'm ashamed to say, they have usually put on weight, but most of them 
are still quite young, and the oldest three were rescued adults with Goodness 
knows what horrid kind of history, so I guess I spoil them. 

Anyway, he only weighed 452g - I think that's just under 1lb. He is about the 
same size as my 2 males, and they weigh around 800g. I didn't really need to 
weigh him though - I could feel his ribs, and where mine all have a tubby tum 
between their hips, he has a hollow.

I think he must have a dental problem. I'm quite sure the local vets are 
useless when it comes to guinea pigs. When I say local, I mean anywhere other than 
Paris, 3-4 hours' drive away. I have first hand experience of it - my Bâfreur 
died needlessly of pneumonia in the summer. My friend said she would take 
Guinness back to the vet after the weekend. I feel the vet needs advice. My own 
vet paid attention when I took her in a list of drugs recommended through 
Internet contacts. Hermann in Germany was very, very kind. But it was too late for 
Bâfreur.

Guinness is genuinely loved. My friend has 2 little boys who love him, and 
she and her husband do too. He is a friendly little guinea pig. I don't want him 
to die. But what on Earth can I do? I wasn't sure how to open his mouth to 
look at his teeth, and I didn't want to hurt him. I do have some Critical Care, 
but does he need that if he is managing to eat normal food, albeit slowly? 
Could the sticky rear end be related to the tooth problem? One eye was a bit 
crusty today - aren't I correct in thinking that this also could be related to a 
dental problem?

I'm off to search the Net for anything my friend could take to her vet. I 
realise it's impossible to make diagnoses without seeing the piggie. I have seen 
him, but I am no vet, so I can't diagnose, let alone treat. Has anyone out 
there experienced anything similar, and if so, how did you treat it? Can anyone 
refer me to useful information on the Web?

Condolences to all who have lost piggies. Brandi, I understand how you feel. 
I have never got over the death of my dear little paraplegic Cherub at 5 
weeks, not the massacre of my 5 last May. I look round at my 31 animals and think, 
how will I survive the 31 bereavements? But all my animals know they are 
loved, and as long as they are loved, I think they are OK. Don't give yours away. 
If you do, they may think you didn't really love them after all. And even if 
you gave them away, I think you would still worry about them, and if you heard 
they had crossed The Bridge, you would still grieve. I don't think we can 
escape the grief. It's the price we pay for loving. But if we didn't love, I fear 
we would be poorer beings for it.

Debbie (and her "Dolly Mixtures")