[Gpdd] [HEALTH] artie & oral thrush

[Cazza177]

Dear all

I have needed to take Artie to Cambridge Cavy Trust again as he has stopped
eating altogether.  I have been told he has oral thrush, also known as
candida.  I have been able to find out hardly anything about this from the
internet (just a couple of references for guinea pigs).

His symptoms are that he has stopped eating, he is drolling, breath and
substances from his rear end smell of fish.  He is bright and alert and so
wants to eat ordinary food but cannot even pick it up.  He is part-way
through a course of Baytril (2 times a day), is having Daktarin Oral Gel (3
times a day) and is on probiotics (a third of a capsule of acidophilis once
a day).  I am syringe-feeding him Recovery Science (he does not like
Critical Care) and water (with added vitamin C).  Once I have finished a
feed, I am cleaning out his mouth with water from a syringe, and then
swabbing it with a cotton bud soaked in water with a little probitic on it.

If anyone has had experience of their own guinea pig with this condition and
can help with ideas for food and treatments -- and how long it may take to
clear up, any signs it's getting worse not better, or knows some good
website references for guinea pigs with this condition, please email me.
Poor Artie is really not feeling himself but is being so tolerant of the
problem, but I really need to get him to rights fast, as even with all the
syringe feeding I am doing (and I am doing LOTS -- once every 3 hours from
his last feed, day and night), I cannot maintain his weight.

Very many thanks

Carole
BG and Artie

P.S.  I have been assured this is not a teeth problem (Artie has a teeth
problem and is receiving regular treatment for this, and I have taken him
back to CCT 3 times this week to double-check his teeth are ok, and I am
being told they are).