I am sorry to hear you've got such concerns over Lily, I understand your worries. I agree that the teeth - molars - need checking to try to determine the cause of Lily's refusal to eat. The lumps, I honestly couldn't say what they are most likely to be, lumps on the outside of the legs are not something I have experienced or come across when advising others. If they were on the insides of the legs, I would have more ideas, but the outsides, I'm just not sure.
I agree that syringe-feeding does need to begin - I can email you a factsheet if you like, full of some tips that should help? If you are interested let me know on
[email protected] and I'll get it emailed across tonight.
Will look up vets in Derby for you now, are you able to travel at all?
bishpiggies said:
Do you think guinea pigs actually get worse the more they are force fed and man-handled?
Not necessarily...but it is obviously very different to what guinea pigs are used to. I suppose it depends on what context you are asking the question - physically they should be a lot better off for the feeds, even if they are not keen on the feeds emotionally. Emotionally - some pigs can be upset by syringe-feeds, but again they need to be in good physical condition to help them through their illness.
Some pigs adapt to regular feeds no problem, others are less happy with it. At the end of the day, there is usually some hope that they will recover from their problems - if they are showing some interest in life, making some effort to look around, sniff at some food, potter around a bit - then they're probably not quite ready to give up yet, however disgruntled they get when they need to be handled and fed.
There are some piggies who have been syringe-fed entirely for many months before they started eating again. Syringe-feeding will bolster them in the short term to help them through any transient illness, and syringe-feeding can carry them through long term illness too. If the pig is showing some normal behaviours and some interest then the syringe-feeding needs to be kept up; it is difficult when the pig struggles with each feed but the more confident you become with the technique and handling that particular pig, the less stressed piggie will be.
The only time I would question whether it is fair to continue syringe-feeding a piggie is when they are spending all their time curled/hunched/puffed up in a corner, not moving between feeds and not responding to any outside stimulus. The only time I would advise against syringe-feeding a piggie is if bloat is suspected and the pig is suddenly not pooping as well as not eating (in which case a blockage needs to be ruled out before syringe-feeding), and when the pig will not swallow anything put into their mouth (a difficult judgement to make online/over the phone, as sometimes the feeding technique or an underlying illness is the problem as opposed to the pig being genuinely incapable of swallowing).
I have one pig here, Nooshi, she has been reliant on syringe feeds for around three months now. She started off losing her appetite due to another illness, but after so long of not eating she finally developed dental problems which are appearing to be long term. She doesn't eat anything for herself, and it is strange seeing a guinea pig - notorious for their appetite and love of food - not tucking in and not really making any effort to either. But she's an active pig; she cuddles up to her cagemate, she throws her teddy around, she'll move around the cage sitting in different place, she runs around on the floor exploring the room, she even runs away from me when I need to pick her up for a feed! So although she's not able to be a real piggie the way most people know, she's not living a deprived or sad life.
I will try to syringe feed her anyway, thanks very much for the food advice.
