[Gpdd] [HEALTH] Donald and his teeth problems
Ann Evans
ann.evans at hintlink.com
Tue Sep 1 14:24:25 EDT 2009
Dear Julie and the GPDD family,
I was afraid to write to you because I thought that you might of decided
to euthanize Donald and did not want to tell the GPDD community about
your decision. Only you can make the right decision for Donald. He has
two things going for him....You and his healthy weight. You are the best
cavy mom in the world. Your dedication is an inspiration to us all.
Donald would not be alive today if it was not for your around the clock
care and sacrifices that you make for him. He is at a good weight
because of your devotion to feeding him and getting him the best of
veterinary care. However, there are two other things that are on my
mind. Has Donald been routinely wormed every 3 months with ivermectin
1.0% solution 0.1 ml given orally plus 2.5% Panacur or Valbazen
suspension 0.4 ml orally? This is referred to as worming but treats both
ectoparasites and endoparasites. Worming is stared at 3 months of age
and every 3 months for life. If he has never been wormed then you would
give him the ivermectin on day 1 and 7 and the Panacur or Valbazen 0.4
ml for 5 days in a row. Then in three months he would only get one dose
of 0.1 ml ivermectin and one dose of 0.4 ml of Panacur or Valbazen.
Cavies eat the same food as sheep have very similar digestive systems to
sheep and get the same parasites as sheep. Parasites tend to burrow into
their favorite organ be it the liver, kidney or lungs or pancreas or
gut. When the cavy gets ill is when they start to multiply and can do
damage not only to the organ that they are living in but then spread out
throughout the body. They also produce toxins that damage tissue and the
natural gut flora of the cavy. In addition, if Donald went off of food
for longer than 24 hours before you caught that he had teeth problems he
may have developed fatty liver infiltration. I am sure you are aware
that cavies always hide the fact that they are sick, so please do not
blame yourself for his natural behavior. There is no way to determine if
liver damaged has occurred without doing a urinalysis using a reagent
strip such as Multistix 10 SG Reagent Strips for Urinalysis.
Multistix 10 SG Reagent Strips for Urinalysis may be used to test urine
for Glucose, Bilirubin, Ketone, Specific Gravity, Blood, pH, Protein,
Urobilinogen, Nitrite and Leucocytes.
Urinalysis strips are used to determine if further investigation needs
to be done such as a blood chemistry test. I rarely do blood analysis
since a urinalysis often gives me all the information I need. If blood
collection is needed this can be achieved by over clipping a hind nail
and allowing blood to flow into an uncapped vacutainer vial that
contains the correct anticoagulant for a blood chemistry profile. A cavy
only has approximately 7.0 ml of blood / 100 g of body weight.
Therefore, the maximum amount of blood that can be taken is 0.5 ml of
blood / 100 g of body weight. This amount of blood can be taken from a
healthy non-dehydrated non-anemic cavy. I have never taken more than 3.0
ml of blood from a 1.0 kg cavy. Blood collection is never done using
anesthesia. Venipuncture of the lateral saphenous veins is another site
that can be used. A tuberculin syringe with a small 25 to 27 gauge
needle to prevent collapse of the vein should be used.
I do not suspect that Donald has major liver damage since he is not
continuing to loose weight. That does not mean that he does not have
damage. What you described for Archie is the scenario of a cavy that
possibly had fatty liver infiltration. One of the advantages of using
Panacure is that it not only kills parasites but it also tends to kill
off foreign gut bacteria that can lead to bloat and stomach upset. I am
not a vet nor should any of my advice take the place of competent
veterinary care. My suggestions are to worm Donald, do a urinalysis and
keep up the good work, devotion and love that you have been giving him.
I always look forward to your posts and personal emails.
Cheers,
Ann and the Rescued Piggys of Piggyville, Tampa Florida USA.
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