Guinea Pig Post Op - What Is Normal?

[pag1988]

Hello there,

My boy, Fluff, was castrated yesterday poor thing. The vet said that everything went well and that he seemed to be recovering well.

I am just a bit concerned as to what is normal behaviour after an op and also what is normal food consuption etc?

I gave him some spinach leaves, romaine lettuce and a little carrott last night along with his usual nuggets and fresh green hay. As far as I can tell, he has eaten a small amount of the green veg and taken two bites of the carrott. I have seen him take a few mouthfuls of nuggets and have also seen him eat a bit of hay. However I am not sure if he is pooping enough - there is about 8 to 10 droppings in his cage since we got him home last night. I have also seen him attempt to take a few swigs from his water bottle.

Does this sound like normal behaviour post op? Is he eating enough for now or do I need to get him some critical care food? It hasnt been 24 hrs yet so I dont want to jump to any conclusions.

Thanks!

 

[VickiA]

Does he have pain relief? Pain can be the cause of piggies not moving around and eating and drinking. If not please ask your vet for some straight away.
If he's not eating a normal amount you will need to step in with some syringe feeding until he's back to his usual self. Please see our syringe feeding guides. Your vet can provide recovery food if you don't have CC. In the meantime you can feed warm mushed up pellets to help get him started.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

 

[DM030819]

It's great that you're taking notice of what he's doing, so you'll be able to see if anything is going wrong.

He could still be woozy from the anaesthetic so it's not uncommon for them to be less active for a day or so after surgery. Sometimes they seem worse on the second day as the strong pain relief has worn off.

Were you given any pain medication for him?

If he's moving around and eating something then I wouldn't worry but definitely keep monitoring him. You'll need to keep a check on the wound too to make sure if's healing okay.

My pigs sometimes eat more food when I hold it for them so you can try to offer him some food, and also treat him to his favourites.

It'd always handy to have critical care in, just in case. But you can also use food pellets with a bit of water on them so they go mushy.

Monitor his poops and wee and if it stips, or if he stops moving around.

Oh, and don't worry if his poops still look healthy but smaller. Neutering changes the shape of poops so they're more like girls. Weird huh!

 

[Wiebke]

Hello there,

My boy, Fluff, was castrated yesterday poor thing. The vet said that everything went well and that he seemed to be recovering well.

I am just a bit concerned as to what is normal behaviour after an op and also what is normal food consuption etc?

I gave him some spinach leaves, romaine lettuce and a little carrott last night along with his usual nuggets and fresh green hay. As far as I can tell, he has eaten a small amount of the green veg and taken two bites of the carrott. I have seen him take a few mouthfuls of nuggets and have also seen him eat a bit of hay. However I am not sure if he is pooping enough - there is about 8 to 10 droppings in his cage since we got him home last night. I have also seen him attempt to take a few swigs from his water bottle.

Does this sound like normal behaviour post op? Is he eating enough for now or do I need to get him some critical care food? It hasnt been 24 hrs yet so I dont want to jump to any conclusions.

Thanks!

Hi and welcome!

Please be aware that poo production always runs a day or two late, depending on how well the guts are moving. What you are seeing now is what has gone in yesterday, so brace yourself for fewer and possible some funny poos courtesy of the operation drug cocktail.

You control the food input by weighing daily and - if it is 50g less or more - start offering additional syringe feed and water, as much as your piggy will take as long as it is still eating on its own.

Painkillers are part of the operation drug cocktail, but that is running out in the day after the operation. Have you been given some to help make your piggy feel better in itself for the first few days while the body is still sore and churned up and until the healing process is well underway? What has your boy been operated for?

You can find tips and information about post-op care via these guides here, which you may find very helpful:
Tips For Post-operative Care
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Since we have got members and enquiries from all the world, you can help us lot by please adding your country, state/province or UK county to your details so we can tailor any advice and recommendations straight away for what is available and relevant where you are and save us all time. Please click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. Thank you!
All the best!

 

[pag1988]

Hello there,

Thank you all for your advice.

The vet has given me some pain relief for him which I gave him by syringe this morning.

I popped down to my garden before I went to work to pick him some fresh grass and dandelion leaves which, to my surprise, he wolfed down straight away. I was so pleased to see him eating! Now I am just concerned about his lack of poops! But as Wiebke said, he may be just running a day or two behind, so I'll keep a close eye on him today and tomorrow.

I had a look at his castration wound and it seems like the vet has done a very neat and clean job. Thankfully she did not use chromic stitching and also she removed the fat pads so hopefully there should be no complications. He is being kept on fleece which I am changing daily to make sure he is in a clean area and to limit the chance of an infection.

Hopefully all will be well soon!

Thanks all x

 

[Wiebke]

Hello there,

Thank you all for your advice.

The vet has given me some pain relief for him which I gave him by syringe this morning.

I popped down to my garden before I went to work to pick him some fresh grass and dandelion leaves which, to my surprise, he wolfed down straight away. I was so pleased to see him eating! Now I am just concerned about his lack of poops! But as Wiebke said, he may be just running a day or two behind, so I'll keep a close eye on him today and tomorrow.

I had a look at his castration wound and it seems like the vet has done a very neat and clean job. Thankfully she did not use chromic stitching and also she removed the fat pads so hopefully there should be no complications. He is being kept on fleece which I am changing daily to make sure he is in a clean area and to limit the chance of an infection.

Hopefully all will be well soon!

Thanks all x

If your has got an appetite the day after the operation, I would be very pleased and relieved. It means that he is not feeling any ill effects from the operation drugs and that the guts are working just fine. it is inevitable that he is feeling a little sore for the next two days, but as long as he is tucking in at this early stage, there are no worries whatsoever! Your boy should hopefully feel better with every passing day and things should normalise within the next day or two. Any small weight loss is going to right itself once the body has recovered from the operation.

Take a deep breath and rejoice!

 

[pag1988]

Thank you so much @Wiebke ! Mind is more restful now! I just wished he would start pooping normally! Time will tell!