Dental disease/GI stasis

[Angela99]

Hi I rushed my Truffle to emergency today bc he wasn’t eating pooping was lethargic and hiding not moving for a day. His regular vet is away and there are no other exotic vets around so I had to take him to emergency which doesn’t specialize.

He was rehydrated and given pain meds with a drug to stimulate pooping (I syringed him water, pellet mush, his brothers fresh poo this morning for good bacteria) But upon examining she found he winced in rear mouth area… I was there. He is 5 and half years old so as I wait to hear from his Vet (I informed him of his condition) I’m very concerned because he can’t get anaesthesia or he may die, so would I syringe feed him for life? I’m feeding him critical care from Oxbow. What else can I do while I wait to hear back?

Thank you

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this.

All you can do at home is weigh him daily and syringe feed him accordingly to keep his weight stable. He will obviously need to be seen by a vet to find out what the problem is.
Poop soup (you don’t actually feed the poops, it’s the water a companion’s fresh poops are soaked in) will help if his gut microbiome has been affected

I hope he is ok

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

 

[Angela99]

I’m sorry to hear this.

All you can do at home is weigh him daily and syringe feed him accordingly to keep his weight stable. He will obviously need to be seen by a vet to find out what the problem is.
Poop soup (you don’t actually feed the poops, it’s the water a companion’s fresh poops are soaked in) will help if his gut microbiome has been affected

I hope he is ok

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

Thank you we are going to his Vet tomorrow thankfully! But he hasn’t pooped. I’m syringe feeding, plus poop soup and he is eating a bit of
cilantro and dill and a bit of hay. He just isn’t wanting to move at all so I’m worried. The emergency vet said he should be ok until tomorrow appointment

 

[Piggies&buns]

There is 1-2 day delay between food intake and poop output. He needs to be getting enough food into him, and this is where you weighing him daily is so important, and hopefully he will start pooping again.
I hope your vet is also able solve his issues.

 

[Swissgreys]

It is great you had him seen so quickly - it really does sound like you are doing everything possible for him right now.

What I would say is that please don't assume he can't have an operation because of his age.
While 5 years old is a great age, we have had members on here who have piggies who have had surgery at this age and older, including invasive procedures like spaying operations.
He could certainly be a candidate for dental surgery with an experienced vet.
Good luck at the vet and please keep us updated.

 

[Qualcast&Flymo]

Thank you we are going to his Vet tomorrow thankfully! But he hasn’t pooped. I’m syringe feeding, plus poop soup and he is eating a bit of
cilantro and dill and a bit of hay. He just isn’t wanting to move at all so I’m worried. The emergency vet said he should be ok until tomorrow appointment

Sending your piggie lots of healing vibes x

 

[Bill & Ted]

Yes, lots of healing vibes coming his way x

 

[Angela99]

It is great you had him seen so quickly - it really does sound like you are doing everything possible for him right now.

What I would say is that please don't assume he can't have an operation because of his age.
While 5 years old is a great age, we have had members on here who have piggies who have had surgery at this age and older, including invasive procedures like spaying operations.
He could certainly be a candidate for dental surgery with an experienced vet.
Good luck at the vet and please keep us updated.

Ok thank you I’ll consider all that is best for him He is my heart

 

[Angela99]

Hi my Truffle has GI stasis. He is 5 years old. He’s on morphine, metacam, and laxative meds. I’m syringe feeding for last 7 days… but he still can’t eat hay. It’s worrying me! He eats the tiny bits of cucumber, and peppers I cut for him and dill only. How long til I should see an improvement? He doesn’t move and I haven’t seen him sleeping at all! He sits only on all fours… he only lies down and falls asleep on my lap but not in cage. I just don’t know how painful it is for him and I want to see him get better

 

[Piggies&buns]

I'm sorry to hear this.

are you weighing him daily so you know you are syringing enough to him?
what ‘laxative‘ meds has he been given?
are there any underlying health issues contributing to the stasis?

Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’ve just noticed your new thread about stasis is about the same piggy with potential dental issues so I have merged your threads together so we have full background.

I’ve asked in my previous post about underlying issues, so I’m assuming now that the underlying issue is the pain in his mouth. You said you were waiting for the vet to get back to you - have you heard from them about the issue with his mouth?

 

[Angela99]

I'm sorry to hear this.

are you weighing him daily so you know you are syringing enough to him?
what ‘laxative‘ meds has he been given?
are there any underlying health issues contributing to the stasis?

Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)

Thank you he’s on Cisapride… he started eating late last night dill and parsley and orange pepper. He started pooping a little as well now, but it’s been 8 plus days. How long does it last? He doesn’t move much. A little chase of his brother for a minute or two is about it.
The Vet didn’t find a dental issue and root cause they don’t know. We are treating the stasis only. I’ll have to get a scale to weigh him. He lost weight from what the Vet said. I’m feeding every two hours 5-15 mil really depends on how he feels but I’m always with him.

 

[Piggies&buns]

It depends on the severity and any underlying causes ing, there is no set time for them to recover.

Please do get scales. Piggies need to be weighed every week as part of routine care but when unwell and during syringe feeding they need to be weighed every day so you can be sure they are getting enough syringe feed and not continuing to lose weight.