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Guinea Pig Dying

piggl

piggl

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Hello, I think my guinea pig might be dying.

He has no gut sounds, he’s refusing to eat and he’s struggling to move. His stomach feels like water. There’s no means to get him to a vet, there’s no emergency vets near us and no one to take me there.

Can I give him painkiller to make him more comfortable? He has painkiller for his arthritis.
He’s a 5 year old boar and he lives by himself.

Advice needed, please.
 
Hes still re-adjusting himself in my lap, but he just seems very tired.

Maybe i’m being over dramatic but something is definitely wrong.
His pooping has been on and off the past couple days and only just today have I noticed he hasn’t touched his hay.

Will a total shutdown of the gut kill him? Or will he be able to survive until the morning?
 
Do you have any critical care or recovery feed to try? Has he accepted any veggies? Has he had any painkillers already today? If he has I probably wouldn’t overdose him as it might make him even more uncomfortable.

And unfortunately a gut shutdown is fatal :( I don’t know exactly how long it takes, but one of my boys back in 2021 had a similar experience and one of my other boys this year had gut stasis and just general listless after a surgery and never recovered.
 
He has his normal dose, .3ml this morning but it’s been over 12 hours.

He won’t even look at his veggies and his stomach feels like water. He keeps going to close his eyes which he never, ever does.
 
He keeps readjusting and pushing his bum out, so I cant tell if i’m being over concerned or not.
 
piggl said:
He has his normal dose, .3ml this morning but it’s been over 12 hours.

He won’t even look at his veggies and his stomach feels like water. He keeps going to close his eyes which he never, ever does.
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I won’t advise on medication purely because I’m not versed in it at all, maybe someone with more experience like @Wiebke can advise on that.

If you can’t get him to a vet and he’s refusing everything all you can really do is keep him comfy and be with him. I’m so sorry you’re going through this and I’m sending you so much love
 
I got him to eat one piece of spinach but his eyes are closing and his stomach is deathly quiet.

It feels like water.

He’s chewing a little but his eyes are closing as he does it.
There’s two other guinea pigs in this room and his head perks up when he hears them, but then he puts it right back down and closes his eyes again. Or squints I should say
 
piggl said:
I got him to eat one piece of spinach but his eyes are closing and his stomach is deathly quiet.

It feels like water.

He’s chewing a little but his eyes are closing as he does it.
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His tummy being quiet, lack of poops and food intake and lethargy does sound like gut stasis. I’m so sorry for even having to say that. It’s a horrible position and whatever happens I’m sure he knows he is so loved and I’m sending you both so much love
 
Would he be sneezing/able to readjust if he was dying?
 
It doesn't sound good I'm afraid. If you normally only give him one dose of metacam a day, it's probably safe to give him another as piggies metabolise medication quickly.

Wonder if the symptoms fit with liquid bloat? Never experienced that myself, but it might be worth searching the forum guides for that.

Sending you hugs, it's awful when our piggies are so ill and we can't do anything to help :hug: :hug:
 
piggl said:
Would he be sneezing/able to readjust if he was dying?
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I think so. The readjustment could be from discomfort. Again I feel so awful even saying any of this but I don’t want to lie to you either :( I’m so sorry
 
He just yawned, he seems as if he’s just having a lie down…

Would he be this calm if he was passing?
 
He’s taken another piece of spinach and now he’s chattering his teeth at me, lol.

Maybe he’s not dying…?
 
If he’s unhappy I should maybe put him back in his cage, but I would really really hate for him to die on his own.

He doesn’t have an immediate cage mate, just the boys next door
 
I apologise for the constant messaging.

I’m just going to lay with him right next to me for an hour or so, letting him know i’m here but i’m going to watch a show or something so i don’t analyse every second.

If he’s ready to go, i’ll be with him but if not i’ll have to rethink where I want to go from there.
 
piggl said:
I apologise for the constant messaging.

I’m just going to lay with him right next to me for an hour or so, letting him know i’m here but i’m going to watch a show or something so i don’t analyse every second.

If he’s ready to go, i’ll be with him but if not i’ll have to rethink where I want to go from there.
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Don’t apologise for posting, it’s so stressful knowing something isn’t right and we all understand. Maybe leave some hay beside him and some veggies as an option and just be with him like you said ❤️
 
I’m in the exact same boat, my Fudge is on her last few days I can see it. No sleep for me tonight and up at 5 for work, I think she has terminal cancer the vet suggested. She’s going downhill very quickly. I’ve been grieving for a couple of weeks now because I know the time is coming. I’m hoping yours is OK and I know how it feels. All the best
 
Now he’s eating his veggies, but his stomach feels like a mix between air and water.

I’m going to put him in his own cage, with somewhere very warm to snuggle up in and just pray he makes it though the night. Thank you for all your help and advice.

I hope my sweet boy makes it :(
 
lauryn1289 said:
Don’t apologise for posting, it’s so stressful knowing something isn’t right and we all understand. Maybe leave some hay beside him and some veggies as an option and just be with him like you said ❤️
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:agr:
Does he have a favourite cosy to rest in and keep him warm and more comfortable?
If he's still nibbling at veg, see if you can get something fibrous into him - if not hay, warm mushed pellets perhaps. Maybe he might take a little from a dish or spoon.
💓🙏
 
Gadzy said:
I’m in the exact same boat, my Fudge is on her last few days I can see it. No sleep for me tonight and up at 5 for work, I think she has terminal cancer the vet suggested. She’s going downhill very quickly. I’ve been grieving for a couple of weeks now because I know the time is coming. I’m hoping yours is OK and I know how it feels. All the best
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Sending you and Fudge so much love ❤️
 
piggl said:
Now he’s eating his veggies, but his stomach feels like a mix between air and water.

I’m going to put him in his own cage, with somewhere very warm to snuggle up in and just pray he makes it though the night. Thank you for all your help and advice.

I hope my sweet boy makes it :(
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Thoughts and prayers for you and your piggy ❤️
 
piggl said:
Now he’s eating his veggies, but his stomach feels like a mix between air and water.

I’m going to put him in his own cage, with somewhere very warm to snuggle up in and just pray he makes it though the night. Thank you for all your help and advice.

I hope my sweet boy makes it :(
Click to expand...
🙏:hug:
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
:agr:
Does he have a favourite cosy to rest in and keep him warm and more comfortable?
If he's still nibbling at veg, see if you can get something fibrous into him - if not hay, warm mushed pellets perhaps. Maybe he might take a little from a dish or spoon.
💓🙏
Click to expand...
I mainly have wooden items but he has my old dressing gown to snuggle up in.

Aside from his belly feeling very, very wrong hes changed to seem completely fine in himself. He’s walking about, eating hay and eating his veg.

As if I didn’t just spend the last two hours cuddling him and crying… lol.
Anyway, thank you for the advice. I really hope my babies okay overnight
 
I hope he is ok.

Please do see a vet and syringe feed him a recovery feed or mushed pellets. Picking at veggies isn’t enough if there is an issue going on.

Please do have him checked out today in case there is a treatable issue
 
He made it through the night!

I managed to get some pellet support feed into him before I headed to bed, but he seemed to just have a change of heart and started acting “normal” after being very lethargic and refusing to eat for most of the day.

There’s still something wrong, he’s sitting all hunched up and his poops are coming out tiny and stringed together. He has an appointment today, later this afternoon.

Thank you everyone for your replies and support. I do apologise for the panic messages but I did genuinely think I was going to lose him, but I greatly appreciate the support I received. :luv:
 
piggl said:
He made it through the night!

I managed to get some pellet support feed into him before I headed to bed, but he seemed to just have a change of heart and started acting “normal” after being very lethargic and refusing to eat for most of the day.

There’s still something wrong, he’s sitting all hunched up and his poops are coming out tiny and stringed together. He has an appointment today, later this afternoon.

Thank you everyone for your replies and support. I do apologise for the panic messages but I did genuinely think I was going to lose him, but I greatly appreciate the support I received. :luv:
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Let us know how things go with the vet.
Continue with offering support feeding and keep up with the weight checks

And please don’t apologise for the messages - you are worried about him and we are here to support
 
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