[Gpdd] HEALTH: Baby Truffles needs healing wheeks

[warmbreath at comcast.net]

Dear Corrine,    I am so sorry Baby Truffles is doing poorly.  I am 
suggesting one last thing, a thing to heal th things whee cannot see. I want 
you to take her to the best vet, or who ever you can blast out their holiday 
reverie and treat her with 2 medicines, they are not expensive

Give her and her ailing sister an injection each of Ivermectin, to be 
followed in 7 to 10 days by another. Second I want you to put her on 
Baytril, an antibiotic.  Also male sure she is on a pain killer,  Metacam or 
Rimadyl, which ever your doc will prescribe, I dont want there to be an 
argument about which with your vet, the fact is pain itself is a number #1 
killer of piggies but cause they have no concept of "If I just take these 
meds, I will feel better later"  to a piggie, everything is in the now as 
they have no future sense at all, and when in pain they cant see their way 
out of it so they slowly give up.

The ivermectin is to kill a broad spectrum of internal and external 
parasites and those often cant be detected and pass from one to another in a 
group of cavies. It is worth a shot at this point, whee cant stand to loose 
another if a $10 shot will fix it, and parasites again are likely thing to 
be floating around and entire caviary, esp when you are feeding many feral 
cats and maybe attracting animals with parasites with that food onto your 
property, so please just do it. Take them both.

For supportive care she should be getting that yogurt , just feed a half 
teaspoon to a teaspoon, 2 to 3 times a day on an opposite schedule from the 
antibiotics and continue with the cranberry juice, 100% unsweetened.

Force feed very thin pellet mash, several times a day, you can use the 
cranberry juice to thin the pellets and the yogurt too if she likes it. Make 
sure the antibiotics are on an opposite schedule so the antibiotics dont 
kill off the gut flora as soon as you feed it in.

If she hasn't improved allot in a week, then instead of the second shot of 
ivermectin put her on panacur and keep up the baytril and the pain killer 
that is also an anti-inflammatory, This must continue for 28 to 30 days. In 
Rabbits bicillin is used as it crosses the brain-blood barrier, but I dont 
think this antibiotic is safe in guinea pigs. This would be a last ditch 
treatment for e.c. which may be running through your caviary since there are 
neurological symptoms present. Down load the protocol  for e.c. from Dana 
Kremples, I have sent previously, it is for buns, but the vet can adjust the 
dosages to fit piggies. There is not one written for piggies that I know of. 
Although it's rare in piggies it is present in most rabbits so I think it is 
a parasite of opportunity and with her neurological symptoms it cant be 
ignored.  We have had at least one confirmed death from it on this list just 
a few months ago. It absolutely requires the panacur, baytril, and 
anti-inflammatory pain killer.Here is the link 
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/tilt.html  the main page is 
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/rabbithealth.html

Without the histories that whee have begged for there is no way for us to 
find a common thread among your pigs so we are left with no approach except 
a shotgun type approach.None of us here, thinks you are a piggy murderer, 
but mysteries require digging and you have given us precious little soil to 
do that digging. A parasite disease, or tumor, female cystic disease all 
progress unrelentingly and must be treated according to established 
protocols that are administered after the mystery is solved. Since 
apparently that wont happen her, remember to your vet doesn't co-operate, 
all the prayers in world cant fix some disease, but a good disease might.

If the worst happens again, then for your own sanity and the health of your 
other animals I strongly suggest you get a necropsy. To do this you must 
take her body and refrigerate it, not freeze it, and get it to the best vet 
there is, I think you mentioned a better one further, perhaps he is willing 
to do the necropsy, insist on slides from the brain and spinal column.

at this point this is the very best advice I can give and my prayers will 
include a sincere wish that you make these suggestions happen. I care about 
You, your husband, and your piggies deeply and this is my best shot   Good 
luck and God speed to a solution
Sandy and Shipwreck Sam, sailing