[Gpdd] [HEALTH] Spooky and diarrhoea

[Ann Evans]

Dear Spooky,
I want you to get better fast. This is what I do for any of my piggys 
that have diarrhoea.

Diarrhoea is extremely dangerous. The first thing that needs to be done 
is to stop the diarrhoea. This can be done be giving orally 0.8 ml of 
children’s Imodium. A second 0.8 ml dose can be given 8 hours latter. Do 
not give more than 2 doses. Children’s Imodium = Loperimide HCL 1.0 mg 
in 5.0 ml. Secondly fluids must be given. Spooky needs a minimum of 40 
ml of fluids/day. You mentioned he is drinking, but is he drinking 
enough?? You can syringe feed him Lectade or put it in his bottle and 
see if he will drink it on his own. Lectade = 20 ml liquid Lectade to 
250 ml water. You can also use Pedialyte which is found in the baby food 
section of the grocery store. You can use it undiluted. If he is not 
getting enough fluids by syringe or bottle then it is best to take him 
to the vets and have subcutaneous fluids administered. 10.0 ml of body 
temperature 5.0% Glucose with 0.9% saline can be administered at one 
site. A total of 40 ml of this fluid can be administered over 24 hours. 
Hopefully he will stabilize after he has the Imodium and the fluids. I 
would feed him only hay and dry food and Fibreplex. You can also make a 
mush out of his dry food and water any syringe feed him. Now you will 
need to address the cause of the diarrhoea. Has he been eating too much 
grass or green veggies? When was the last time he was treated for 
internal parasites? I am a member of the Cambridge Cavy Trust (CCT) and 
Veterinary Hospital but I know they will help anyone that calls. The 
help line is 7721026401. If he has never been treated for internal 
parasites I would immediately give him orally 0.4 ml 2.5% Panacur = 
fenbendazole or 0.4 ml 2.5% Valbazen = albendazole. Both are POM’s. I 
always give piggys with diarrhoea one dose of the Panacur for 5 days in 
a row. It will not only kill internal parasites but also helps to 
re-establish the normal gut flora. Hopefully this will cure him. If the 
diarrhoea is bacterial or fungal in nature then the CCT is the best 
place to get advice on what are the medications you should use. I am 
praying for you and your piggy family.

Ann and the rescued piggys of Piggyville Tampa Florida USA