Post by SiLamb on Aug 4, 2014 16:57:19 GMT
Let me start of by saying, HALLELUJAH! I have now been to a vet office who knows about guinea pigs and is awesome in every way.
Here are the myriad of ways how they were better than the prior vet.
1. The front staff was extremely kind.
2. The "nurse" picked up and carried Weasley's carrier to the room.
3. They had the room prepped with a clean towel on the table and a guinea pig size scale
4. The nurse asked detailed questions and took typed thorough notes.
5. The nurse weighed Weasley and was interested in the last weight I had taken.
6. The nurse took Weasley's temp (the last vet didn't do that)
7. The nurse was interested in all of the information that I had to share and not limited to his allergies (i.e. she wanted to see my pictures of where I keep the piggies, asked what my bedding was, what food I use, about the veggies I give)
8. She then taught me about guinea pig digestion and how I should be feeding him.
9. The vet came in and was extremely thorough. He examined Weasley everywhere (i.e. eyes, inside of his mouth) and listened to Weasley through an adorable little stethoscope (the prior vet didn't have small one like this) for quite a while. Turns out he was measuring his heart rate and respiratory rate as well as listening to his lungs.
10. They gave me a brochure about guinea pigs
11. They gave me a printout of the vet's opinions (I don't have one from the prior vet)
I didn't feel rushed at all! I was there for an hour in the room and most of it was with the doctor or nurse examining Weasley or talking to me about Weasley.
I have definitely found the vet for my boys.
Okay, more importantly here is the update about Harry.
Some of what the vet typed:
"Ron's nasal noise could be due to an occult pneumonia versus allergies vs nasal or sinus foreign body vs sinusitis vs dental root disease vs laryngeal disorder. Diagnosis could be difficult. But I recommend starting with skull and chest rads {x-ray} under sedation. Future nasal or sinus flush may be needed but anesthesia and intubation generally required to prevent aspiration and intubation can be difficult. Referral may be considered for laryngoscopy.
"Please use benadryl as needed if effective and not causing side effects. His bright attitude, active status, and good appetite are all good signs."
Other tings that I learned about general guinea pig health...
1. Limit veggie to be no more than the amount equal to the size of their head per day
2. The only real purpose of pellets are to add weight on a pig and as a source of vitamin C. Therefore, they can healthily live only on hay. I'm to limit their pellets to no more than 1/4 cup per pig per day by giving 1/4 in the AM and 1/4 in the PM. Even 1/8 cup per pig per day is fine.
3. Parsley, Cilantro and Endive are excellent to give to the pigs (veggies that I said that I gave)
4. Carrots should be given in small amounts (imagine 1/4 inch slice of carrot) and diced up. She recommended that I only give it to them on a rare basis or as a training tool.
5. Veggies should be only considered as a treat not as a real part of their diet.
6. Foods that are high in carbs (i.e. carrots and fruits) are to be avoided or really restricted. The reason being is that these convert to sugars and allow bacteria to grow. A biproduct of bacteria is gas. Guinea pigs can burp or fart so a build up of gas isn't good.
7. Freshnews litter is fine
8. Towels washed like I do in dye and fragrance free soap is good
9. The Oxbow food that was recommended to me on this forum is the best out there, so keep using that.
10. Cat litter is fine for the piggies as long as it doesn't have a scent.
11. Don't use Vicks Vaporub. It isn't good if it gets ingested. I even explained that I was barely putting any on Weasley, but he wanted me to stop.
12. Benedryl can be used for more than five days and for a while as long as Weasley doesn't become lethargic and that it is still helping him.
13. Guinea pigs, if have regular access to food, store chewed up food in their cheeks. They don't have pockets (like hamsters) but they do store food. So if I do any further testings, they will need to put him on a fast to help clear out that food. The vet tried to clear some of it out, but he couldn't reach it all.
14. That some guinea pigs cough for reasons that are unknown to the vet profession.
They were encouraged by the fact that Harry and Weasley are sharing the same space and Harry is exhibiting no symptoms. They said that leads them to believe that it isn't an URI.
Least to say, I have a load taken off. Basically the doctor said that the testings he mentioned aren't really necessary if Weasley continues to behave normally. The x-rays with sedation would cost $229. We will continue to monitor Weasley and I've resumed giving him Benedryl. Lord willing, he will clear up a bit with the Benedryl.
Here are the myriad of ways how they were better than the prior vet.
1. The front staff was extremely kind.
2. The "nurse" picked up and carried Weasley's carrier to the room.
3. They had the room prepped with a clean towel on the table and a guinea pig size scale
4. The nurse asked detailed questions and took typed thorough notes.
5. The nurse weighed Weasley and was interested in the last weight I had taken.
6. The nurse took Weasley's temp (the last vet didn't do that)
7. The nurse was interested in all of the information that I had to share and not limited to his allergies (i.e. she wanted to see my pictures of where I keep the piggies, asked what my bedding was, what food I use, about the veggies I give)
8. She then taught me about guinea pig digestion and how I should be feeding him.
9. The vet came in and was extremely thorough. He examined Weasley everywhere (i.e. eyes, inside of his mouth) and listened to Weasley through an adorable little stethoscope (the prior vet didn't have small one like this) for quite a while. Turns out he was measuring his heart rate and respiratory rate as well as listening to his lungs.
10. They gave me a brochure about guinea pigs
11. They gave me a printout of the vet's opinions (I don't have one from the prior vet)
I didn't feel rushed at all! I was there for an hour in the room and most of it was with the doctor or nurse examining Weasley or talking to me about Weasley.
I have definitely found the vet for my boys.
Okay, more importantly here is the update about Harry.
Some of what the vet typed:
"Ron's nasal noise could be due to an occult pneumonia versus allergies vs nasal or sinus foreign body vs sinusitis vs dental root disease vs laryngeal disorder. Diagnosis could be difficult. But I recommend starting with skull and chest rads {x-ray} under sedation. Future nasal or sinus flush may be needed but anesthesia and intubation generally required to prevent aspiration and intubation can be difficult. Referral may be considered for laryngoscopy.
"Please use benadryl as needed if effective and not causing side effects. His bright attitude, active status, and good appetite are all good signs."
Other tings that I learned about general guinea pig health...
1. Limit veggie to be no more than the amount equal to the size of their head per day
2. The only real purpose of pellets are to add weight on a pig and as a source of vitamin C. Therefore, they can healthily live only on hay. I'm to limit their pellets to no more than 1/4 cup per pig per day by giving 1/4 in the AM and 1/4 in the PM. Even 1/8 cup per pig per day is fine.
3. Parsley, Cilantro and Endive are excellent to give to the pigs (veggies that I said that I gave)
4. Carrots should be given in small amounts (imagine 1/4 inch slice of carrot) and diced up. She recommended that I only give it to them on a rare basis or as a training tool.
5. Veggies should be only considered as a treat not as a real part of their diet.
6. Foods that are high in carbs (i.e. carrots and fruits) are to be avoided or really restricted. The reason being is that these convert to sugars and allow bacteria to grow. A biproduct of bacteria is gas. Guinea pigs can burp or fart so a build up of gas isn't good.
7. Freshnews litter is fine
8. Towels washed like I do in dye and fragrance free soap is good
9. The Oxbow food that was recommended to me on this forum is the best out there, so keep using that.
10. Cat litter is fine for the piggies as long as it doesn't have a scent.
11. Don't use Vicks Vaporub. It isn't good if it gets ingested. I even explained that I was barely putting any on Weasley, but he wanted me to stop.
12. Benedryl can be used for more than five days and for a while as long as Weasley doesn't become lethargic and that it is still helping him.
13. Guinea pigs, if have regular access to food, store chewed up food in their cheeks. They don't have pockets (like hamsters) but they do store food. So if I do any further testings, they will need to put him on a fast to help clear out that food. The vet tried to clear some of it out, but he couldn't reach it all.
14. That some guinea pigs cough for reasons that are unknown to the vet profession.
They were encouraged by the fact that Harry and Weasley are sharing the same space and Harry is exhibiting no symptoms. They said that leads them to believe that it isn't an URI.
Least to say, I have a load taken off. Basically the doctor said that the testings he mentioned aren't really necessary if Weasley continues to behave normally. The x-rays with sedation would cost $229. We will continue to monitor Weasley and I've resumed giving him Benedryl. Lord willing, he will clear up a bit with the Benedryl.