[Gpdd] HEALTH: Hershey's latest crisis

[warmbreath at comcast.net]

Yes I did my prev. reply to the GPDD,  Ear gunk is an important clue.  It's either ear mites or an in ear infection, if she has an inner ear infection then the ear drum has broken, but it can be just an outer ear infection, although an inner ear infection accounts for disruption of the sense of balance, which brings on dizziness, head tilt and possibly nystigmus. But the e.c. is still a real possibility.  Check guinea lynx for a list of permissible antibiotics in cases the vet doesn't know that some antibiotics will kill a g.p. , she can be treated for all three conditions at once, an ear infection would use up her tiny reservoir of Vit C (remember you said she wasn't eating many pellets, plus she's off veggies) so she's certainly short on Vit C, has an ear infection, and may have e.c.  All three are survivable, but need meds. Keep syringing water, and encouraging her eating pellets, hay and Critical Care. If she gets dizzy and quits eating she could end up in stasis again.  

You may be learning now how all these symptoms and conditions hang together, one occurs and cause another to pop up.  Its troublesome to fight a cascade of conditions, but treatable. Stasis usually occurs AS THE RESULT of another condition that causes her to quit eating, which causes the gut to shut down, ferment ensues causing gas, then pain, less eating etc., causes stasis, no  eating causes Vit C deficiency, may cause a dormant infestation of e.c. to pop up  and so it goes.  So you just now may be getting to the core cause of why she had stasis in the first place.

Please remember I said there were 3 motility drugs, and one was Reglan????  Well Reglan is given to reduce nausea also so it may be a better drug for her now, because the gut is working much better, but the ear infection causes a feeling of unbalance, the head may drop to one side, dizziness is worse, nystigmus may occur, so controlling nausea is a good option. Ask the vet or pharmacist if she has to be off Cisapride before she goes on Reglan, I have no clue but there may need to be a gap, safer to check. 

That's what I can think of tonight. I'm not happy she has an ear condition, but it helps to get to the bottom of things, why certain things happened.  Good luck  Sandy and Shipwreck Sam
  Joanie said

        My husband noticed that her left ear is gunked up. That would've slipped past me. That's the ear she tends to keep to the ground. She's going to the vet as soon as the office opens, poor darling. Your email has given me a lot of hope!
        Joanie