Continuously unwell piglet 😣

[GuineaMum21]

Hi all,

I'm desperately using all of the tools in my arsenal to help nurse my sick baby back to health. Ruby is an almost 4 year-old sow.

Starting on Dec 25, I noticed she was quite bloated and gave her infant gas drops intermittently to manage and she seemed fine in between.

On Jan 12, I took her to the Vet because I saw/heard her jump (not popcorning, done in pain) and scream when she was peeing. I figured she might have a stone. Nothing showed up on xray but the Vet gave her enrofloxacin antibiotic 2x daily and meloxicam for pain. Also started probiotics.

On Jan 20, I noticed her poo were same size and shape, but very light green instead of darker brown healthy poos. They were not ceacal poos. She also suddenly stopped drinking water and eating her pellets/kibble.

On Jan 21, I took her to the Emergency Vet when she started shivering and not acting like herself. All vitals (ie temp, etc) were normal. Emergency vet said her belly was full of food on xray, and took her off all previous meds, and started 3x daily metoclopramide for GI motility.

Since then (today is Jan 25), I don't really see improvement. She is eating very minimally, her poos are still the same pale color and are now becoming more misshapen and dehydrated. She is not drinking water, eating her pellets/kibble, eating her vitamin c tablet, etc. Belly does feel full but not super distended. I did "poop soup" yesterday with one of her sister's fresh poos.

Friends, I have spent nearly $1000 USD and so many hours trying to heal this sweet girl. I'm chronically ill & overextending myself to do everything I possibly can for Ruby. Does anyone have any advice or thoughts? I'm so desperate and I just want my little girl back.

Thank you so much for reading <3.

 

[weepweeps]

I’m so sorry to hear Ruby is unwell.

Are you syringe feeding her? And weighing her daily?

If there’s no improvement I’d take her back to the vets. Sending her healing vibes and a hug to you.

 

[GuineaMum21]

I’m so sorry to hear Ruby is unwell.

Are you syringe feeding her? And weighing her daily?

If there’s no improvement I’d take her back to the vets. Sending her healing vibes and a hug to you.

Thank you so much for the response. Now that I think about it, I may have some old critical care but hopefully it's better than nothing. Do you know how often/how much I should feed her and give syringes of water?

Thank you for the kind support, I'm really trying to do my best by her.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Not eating pellets doesn’t matter (they are the part of the diet they don’t need) - it’s not eating hay which is a big problem.

Have you switched from the routine weekly weight checks so instead weighing her daily? Those daily weight checks are essential way to ensure she is getting enough hay. Hay is 80% of the daily food intake so even a small reduction in intake can have a big effect. Whereas pellets don’t even need to be fed but given they are only one tablespoon per day not eating them will have very little impact.
If they are losing weight then you must step in with syringe feeding a recovery feed to replace the lost hay intake.

It sounds as if the vet has her in good medication.
Is she still on painkillers?

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

Thank you so much for the response. Now that I think about it, I may have some old critical care but hopefully it's better than nothing. Do you know how often/how much I should feed her and give syringes of water?

Thank you for the kind support, I'm really trying to do my best by her.

Please don’t feed old critical care. It will have lost all nutritional value so will not benefit her.
Please get fresh critical care but in the meantime use her normal pellets and mush them with water to make a slurry which will go through a 1ml syringe.

In terms of how much, it depends what the daily weight checks are telling you. If ahe loses weight each day then she needs to be fed more but you are aiming for a minimum of 60ml per day.
How often depends how much she takes at each sitting, and again the daily weight checks.
Eg If she takes 10ml per session she could need six feedings a day.

The green link I added in above details further

 

[weepweeps]

Thank you so much for the response. Now that I think about it, I may have some old critical care but hopefully it's better than nothing. Do you know how often/how much I should feed her and give syringes of water?

Thank you for the kind support, I'm really trying to do my best by her.

You sound like a very caring owner. Piggies&buns has attached the syringe feeding guide. Take a read. Everything is in there. I had to support feed my piggy for over 8 weeks last year when he stopped eating while on antibiotics. I weighed him every morning t the same time. If he’d lost weight then I’d feed more that day and so on. Good luck.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome

I am very sorry.

Please take the time to read our syringe feeding guide, including how to improvise in a pinch. Please do not use out of date formula.

Please keep in mind that the problem may not necessarily be the gut microbiome going wrong (dysbiosis) but that the problem could be caused by something pushing onto or pain radiating into the gut.

Here is our one stop crisis care information pack, which may also find helpful:
Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

 

[Claire W]

Aw I’m so sorry that Ruby isn’t well I can’t add to the advise already given but I do hope you can get to the bottom of what’s bothering her and that she feels better soon x