Antibiotics causing loss of appetite?

[isabelbella]

My two guinea pigs are both on antibiotics for a URI. They are still eating, but are definitely not as eager to eat as usual. i.e. usually they will run up to me to get their veggies and will popcorn around the cage whilst I'm refilling their hay or pellets. But now they take longer to eat their food. When i gave them their morning pellets they usually will eat them in about 30 mins or less, but yesterday they still hadnt finished them 5 hours later. Its difficult to track their hay intake as i use meadow hay as their bedding alongside the timothy hay for feeding so I'm not sure how much of that they are eating. Although I do sometimes see them nibble on some hay in their bedroom.

I'm going to start weighing them daily (I already do this weekly) just to be sure they aren't loosing weight. But is this normal for piggies to lose their appetite and excitement for food whilst on antibiotics or could this be the illness getting worse?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Antibiotics kill the good gut bacteria as well as the bad, illness causing bacteria. So yes, seeing a decrease in appetite while on antibiotics can be normal. It is recommended to give a probiotic while piggies are on antibiotics. Give it an hour after a dose of antibiotics. Also though as the need to breathe comes before the need to eat, while a piggy is struggling to breathe due to a URI, seeing a Decrease in appetite can also be due to that

You cannot gauge hay intake by eye which is what their weekly weight checks, switching to daily weight checks while unwell, is for. Those weight checks will tell you how much hay they are eating. Veg and pellets are merely snacks and don’t have a significant impact on their weight gain/loss. As hay is 80% of their daily food intake, any reduction in intake is shown on the scales. Daily weight checks allow you to monitor the previous 24 hours worth of hay intake. Stepping in with syringe feeding to replace the reduction in hay intake (again syringe feeding according to the weight checks, and adjusting syringe feed frequency/amount accordingly)

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre

 

[isabelbella]

Antibiotics kill the good gut bacteria as well as the bad illness cause bacteria. So yes, seeing a decrease in appetite while on antibiotics can be normal. It is recommended to give a probiotic while piggies are on antibiotics. Give it an hour after a dose of antibiotics. Also though as the need to breathe comes before the need to eat, while a piggy is struggling to breathe due to a URI, seeing a Decrease in appetite can also be due to that

You cannot gauge hay intake by eye which is what their weekly weight checks, switching to daily weight checks while unwell, is for. Those weight checks will tell you how much hay they are eating. Veg and pellets are merely snacks and don’t have a significant impact on their weight gain/loss. As hay is 80% of their daily food intake, any reduction in intake is shown on the scales. Daily weight checks allow you to monitor the previous 24 hours worth of hay intake. Stepping in with syringe feeding to replace the reduction in hay intake (again syringe feeding according to the weight checks, and adjusting syringe feed frequency/amount accordingly)

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre

thank you (:
I looked at those links you put, but i'm not sure which probiotics would be best for them? Syringe feeding ones would probably be best so i know how much they are getting exactly.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’ve used both Fibreplex and Pro c.
Fibreplex comes in a syringe, you just turn the dial accordingly and press the plunger to dispense the correct amount.
Pro C is a powder which can be mixed with some water and drawn into a syringe to be syringed directly to the piggy. If you are having to syringe feed mushed pellets/recovery feed due to reduced hay consumption, then it is easier to simply mix a pinch of Pro C into the mashed pellets/recovery feed

 

[isabelbella]

Sorry for another question! but I found this fibreplex, is this the one you were referencing? it says its for rabbits but i cant find a guinea pig one anywhere. would this be okay for them?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yes thats the one

 

[Wiebke]

View attachment 169927Sorry for another question! but I found this fibreplex, is this the one you were referencing? it says its for rabbits but i cant find a guinea pig one anywhere. would this be okay for them?

Most piggies don't like the taste of Fibreplex and having it squirted into their mouths as it has not been designed for their species. I find that it goes down best mixed with a little recovery formula or some mushed up pellets to cover the taste.

 

[isabelbella]

Update: they have pretty much stopped eating entirely now I think. Haven't touched their hay or pellets from what I can see. I've ordered both probiotics and critical care which is arriving tomorrow so fingers crossed this will help them out. I'm getting quite worried now but just hoping they will be okay for the night.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Update: they have pretty much stopped eating entirely now I think. Haven't touched their hay or pellets from what I can see. I've ordered both probiotics and critical care which is arriving tomorrow so fingers crossed this will help them out. I'm getting quite worried now but just hoping they will be okay for the night.

Please mush their normal pellets with water and syringe that to them as an emergency measure. They must have food going through their system if they are not voluntarily eating hay, then stepping in is essential

 

[isabelbella]

I mushed their pellets to give them last night. But now the critical care and probiotics have arrived but I have another issue I think. Alaska does swallow what I syringe in his mouth but Coconut doesn't. Instead coconut just lets it sit in his mouth and just dribbles out most of it. I don't want to have to take them to the vets again as that stressed them out loads. The antibiotics they are on finish on monday so would they probably start eating more again after that?

I'm going to keep trying with the critical care and probiotics (mixing them together) and hope they start eating on their own soon. I'm not sure what else to do. I think they are eating a little bit of the meadow hay I've given them. I've also offered grass which yesterday and overnight they ate 2 bowls of (I've given another 2 bowls of grass which they haven't yet touched today)

I'm also not sure what the best amount of the critical care and probiotics to give. I'm aiming for how much it says on the pack but it is so dificult to get them to take it. I managed to only get 1ml into alaskas mouth and 0.5ml into coconuts before they were really not happy and seemed quite scared.

I'm worried this is really damaging me trying to bond with them as before this they were only just getting used to me but now seem even more scared ):

Sorry for the long update but I just don't know what to do.

 

[Piggies&buns]

You must weigh them daily as it is the only way to know they are getting enough critical care and hay if they are eating it themselves. You need to feed as much as necessary to keep the weight stable and replace the hay the aren’t eating for themselves. That can be as little as 40ml In a 24 hour period if they are eating some hay for themselves, or as much as 90ml in a 24 hour period if they are not eating anything voluntarily.

Itnis absolutely essential you feed them if their appetite has been affected, and as I said, the only way to know is with the daily weight checks. Once their tummies settle after the treatment, then they will start to feel better and start eating for themselves again.

They will only be able to take a small amount in their mouth at a time.

 

[Wiebke]

Only give a piggy as much as thay they can hold in the mouth/swallow if they are not actively taking it from the syringe. That can be between 0.3-0.5 ml for an uncooperative adult piggy but as little as 0.1 ml (1/10 of a small syringe) in a guinea pig that struggles to swallow.

NEVER just squirt any food in - it can go down the wrong way into the lungs or up the nose and cause pneumonia if you are very unlucky.

 

[isabelbella]

update:
i’ve made sure to only give around 0.1ml each time to make sure they swallow it.

also i just wanted to check their weight gain is normal. yesterday coconut was 557g & today is 570g. yesterday alaska was 606g & today is 611g.
is this a normal weight gain for a day? i know they are definitely eating some grass as i’ve given them lots of big bowls of grass which they have eaten most of. coconut has gained a lot more than alaska in a day, but thankfully neither are losing any weight. didn’t eat much veg or pellets but have been eating grass and some hay i think.

i’ve been giving them probiotics since yesterday i think so that may be causing them to eat a bit more?

also should i still be giving critical care or is that not necessary? thanks (:

 

[Piggies&buns]

Their weights are fine, you only need to be concerned if they lose.
If they are eating enough for themselves to maintain their weight then you don’t need to syringe feed. However, If you stop syringe feeding and their weight drops too much then they are not eating enough for themselves after all and you need to continue to syringe feed.