• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Looking for thoughts post surgery

W

Willow819

New Born Pup
Joined
May 6, 2024
Messages
14
Reaction score
27
Points
130
Location
California
My 7 year old guinea pig Hazel had surgery 10/22 to remove a mammary mass. A year and a half earlier she had a uterine tumor removed but that operation took too long so the mammary mass was not removed. It had to be removed now because it grew. The day of surgery and the day after she was eating on her own but tired as to be expected. Day three she looked to be in increased pain so they gave her buponorphine and Reglan. 10/27 she looked horrible so we went to the emergency vet and he gave her fluids and an antibiotic (TMS) for a suspects uti. The next day we went to her regular vet and he kept her for the day to give her fluids and feed and monitor her. We went back yesterday because she was chewing weird. He used minimal anesthesia to file a few sharp teeth. Since day 3 after surgery, she has not really wanted to eat on her own except a few bites of lettuce and cucumber here and there. She is extremely tired and doesn’t seem herself. I had asked about whether she potentially had a stroke because she doesn’t use her left arm right and the left foot seems more floppy (surgery was on the right). He didn’t think so but couldn’t give me a strait answer. She seems like she is with it at times and totally not with it at other times. I’m at a loss and don’t know whether this is her new baseline and she needs to just rehab (assuming there was a stroke) or if it is just taking her a very long time to recover because of her age. It has been so heartbreaking. I’m just looking for others thoughts on this because we are all at a loss.
Thanks in advance. 💛
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5052.webp
    IMG_5052.webp
    85 KB · Views: 1
I hope Hazel starts to improve soon. If you’re worried about her I’d take her back to the vets. Good luck.
 
Sorry to hear about the lovely Hazel - I’d take her back to the vets if you’re worried - you could try a probiotic which might help
Sometimes a piggy’s appetite is diminished after surgery and with meds etc
Take of you as I know how upsetting and worrying this is ❤️
 
BIG HUGS

I am very sorry.

Post-op recovery is the other big hurdle with any operation and sometimes it sadly doesn't happen. Opiates may help but they can also affect piggies quite a bit with making them spaced out or very sluggish. 7 years is at the upper end of the average life span. The impact of a major operation or illness on an already frailer balance of ageing organs can sadly knock out more bricks in a wall where the mortar has gone brittle with age.

We tend to often forget that when the chips are down, guinea pigs are still small animals with a very fast metabolism that can turn against them because they are such great personalities.

The healing process - which would be noticebly slower at this age anyway - may not have kicked in and/or the use of even more GA drugs for another medical intervention could have made things worse. There is unfortunately no magic wand measure or medication that can pep her up.

Here are practical tips for looking after piggies that do not move around much, which includes post-op care, mobility issues etc.
Wiebke

Thread 'Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility'

Introduction
1 Why can guinea pigs stop moving around?
- Animal attacks, severe illness or pain
- Back leg paralysis with list of potential causes
- Post-op, sudden illness or acute pining after bereavement
2 Adapting the living space
- Bedding and cosies
- Everything within reach
- Warmth and stable conditions
3 Weight monitoring and feeding support
- Weighing...
  • Like

You can support Pigeon with feeding but there is sadly nothing you can do if the small, old body decides it cannot cope and is stsrting to close down, I am ever so sorry to say. I know myself just how gut wrenching this realisation can be. But clutching at increasingly thinner straws can unfortunately make the aftermath even more traumatic and soul destroying for you. Make or break operations are sadly exactly that. You can buy your frail piggies a last chance but you can never buy them a guarantee for success.

This guide here contains all our care guides and information for crisis care:
Wiebke

Thread 'Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment'

1 Statement
2 Emergency assessment and accessing vets
- How urgent is my guinea pig's problem?
- Finding an emergency vet
- Seeing a vet not familiar with guinea pigs (including lists of safe and dangerous medications)
3 First Aid care and easily available products
- General 'always have at home' stuff and comfort measures for very ill guinea pigs
- Improvising support feed; recovery formulas...
  • Like


I want to make clear that I am never happy having to link in this guide here, which has been by far the most difficult I have ever written; but it may give you some helpful guidance in this desperate, stressful time. It doesn't make for easy reading but it attempts to tackle an area that most prefer to skim over in a practical and constructive way to give you a bit of a handle when you feel so desperate and overwhelmed as you are right now. The guide contains a chapter on how to spot when your piggy is crossing the line of no return.

Wiebke

Thread 'A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs'

1 Your mental health, sensitivities and work commitments
- Mental health and support resources
- Sensitivity aspects
- When work and other commitments clash
2 Life or death emergency – Can my piggy be saved?
- Contacting a vet clinic at all times and link to life and death emergencies list
- What to do if I cannot access vet care instantly?
- The need to save up for emergency vet access
3 Is my...
  • Like

My thoughts are with you and I am keeping my fingers finger firmly crossed that Pigeon will perk up again.
 
Wiebke said:
BIG HUGS

I am very sorry.

Post-op recovery is the other big hurdle with any operation and sometimes it sadly doesn't happen. Opiates may help but they can also affect piggies quite a bit with making them spaced out or very sluggish. 7 years is at the upper end of the average life span. The impact of a major operation or illness on an already frailer balance of ageing organs can sadly knock out more bricks in a wall where the mortar has gone brittle with age.

We tend to often forget that when the chips are down, guinea pigs are still small animals with a very fast metabolism that can turn against them because they are such great personalities.

The healing process - which would be noticebly slower at this age anyway - may not have kicked in and/or the use of even more GA drugs for another medical intervention could have made things worse. There is unfortunately no magic wand measure or medication that can pep her up.

Here are practical tips for looking after piggies that do not move around much, which includes post-op care, mobility issues etc.
Wiebke

Thread 'Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility'

Introduction
1 Why can guinea pigs stop moving around?
- Animal attacks, severe illness or pain
- Back leg paralysis with list of potential causes
- Post-op, sudden illness or acute pining after bereavement
2 Adapting the living space
- Bedding and cosies
- Everything within reach
- Warmth and stable conditions
3 Weight monitoring and feeding support
- Weighing...
  • Like

You can support Pigeon with feeding but there is sadly nothing you can do if the small, old body decides it cannot cope and is stsrting to close down, I am ever so sorry to say. I know myself just how gut wrenching this realisation can be. But clutching at increasingly thinner straws can unfortunately make the aftermath even more traumatic and soul destroying for you. Make or break operations are sadly exactly that. You can buy your frail piggies a last chance but you can never buy them a guarantee for success.

This guide here contains all our care guides and information for crisis care:
Wiebke

Thread 'Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment'

1 Statement
2 Emergency assessment and accessing vets
- How urgent is my guinea pig's problem?
- Finding an emergency vet
- Seeing a vet not familiar with guinea pigs (including lists of safe and dangerous medications)
3 First Aid care and easily available products
- General 'always have at home' stuff and comfort measures for very ill guinea pigs
- Improvising support feed; recovery formulas...
  • Like


I want to make clear that I am never happy having to link in this guide here, which has been by far the most difficult I have ever written; but it may give you some helpful guidance in this desperate, stressful time. It doesn't make for easy reading but it attempts to tackle an area that most prefer to skim over in a practical and constructive way to give you a bit of a handle when you feel so desperate and overwhelmed as you are right now. The guide contains a chapter on how to spot when your piggy is crossing the line of no return.

Wiebke

Thread 'A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs'

1 Your mental health, sensitivities and work commitments
- Mental health and support resources
- Sensitivity aspects
- When work and other commitments clash
2 Life or death emergency – Can my piggy be saved?
- Contacting a vet clinic at all times and link to life and death emergencies list
- What to do if I cannot access vet care instantly?
- The need to save up for emergency vet access
3 Is my...
  • Like

My thoughts are with you and I am keeping my fingers finger firmly crossed that Pigeon will perk up again.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the above information. I will look over it all. I’m a physical therapist in the states and did acute rehab in a stroke unit for awhile and as each day goes by I’m more convinced it was a stroke. I have had many piggies I had to let go and if it comes to that, I will but she is making slow progress. At this point, I am going to try to build her strength back up and do some rehab. Thanks so much for all the above references. I appreciate them!
 
Willow819 said:
Thank you for the above information. I will look over it all. I’m a physical therapist in the states and did acute rehab in a stroke unit for awhile and as each day goes by I’m more convinced it was a stroke. I have had many piggies I had to let go and if it comes to that, I will but she is making slow progress. At this point, I am going to try to build her strength back up and do some rehab. Thanks so much for all the above references. I appreciate them!
Click to expand...

That is great to know. I hope that she can make it. It is always such an anxious time. Strokes do happen.

One of the drawbacks of giving remote support is that we do not have direct access and are dealing with very different levels of experience and people from often very different time zones and vet access. That is why I prefer to rather cover all possible bases in terms of practical support guides rather than too little. Nobody wants to dig around for urgent information in a panic; especially when it is the first encounter with a life or death emergency or a loss.

We also have a number of followers and searchers who may profit from coming across the extra information somewhere down the line. ;)

Anyway, my fingers are still firmply crossed!
 
I totally get that and really appreciate all the info. Sometime we fool ourselves into thinking it’s not the end so a refresher is always good. We do have an amazing very experienced vet (40 years exotic only) and he is a very skilled surgeon. He is just at a loss. She is still tired most of the time and is having some oral motor issues but is trying to eat some stuff on her own. It is almost like she needs a “sugar” boast. They gave her dextrose when they did subq fluids and it perked her up a lot. I have given Sherwood appetite restore today so we will see if that helps. It will be two weeks this Tuesday from the surgery and one week Wednesday since she had additional anesthesia for a tooth file. I’m just not super experienced with 7 year old guinea pigs and recovery time in terms of how long it takes to not be tired. She wasn’t the most active piggy prior to surgery but did get around ok and ate pretty good. She is maintaining weight with supplemental feeds but I would like her to gain some as well. Thanks everyone for their support and input
 
Willow819 said:
I totally get that and really appreciate all the info. Sometime we fool ourselves into thinking it’s not the end so a refresher is always good. We do have an amazing very experienced vet (40 years exotic only) and he is a very skilled surgeon. He is just at a loss. She is still tired most of the time and is having some oral motor issues but is trying to eat some stuff on her own. It is almost like she needs a “sugar” boast. They gave her dextrose when they did subq fluids and it perked her up a lot. I have given Sherwood appetite restore today so we will see if that helps. It will be two weeks this Tuesday from the surgery and one week Wednesday since she had additional anesthesia for a tooth file. I’m just not super experienced with 7 year old guinea pigs and recovery time in terms of how long it takes to not be tired. She wasn’t the most active piggy prior to surgery but did get around ok and ate pretty good. She is maintaining weight with supplemental feeds but I would like her to gain some as well. Thanks everyone for their support and input
Click to expand...

I am very sorry. Think of your lady as an 80 or 90 years old human granny if that helps you. Guinea pigs can live longer (I had a few over the years) but it is generally the upper end of the average life span outside dedicated not for sale breeding circles. The vast majority of pet piggies don't live as long.

Unfortunately all you can do is hang in there and try to stay aboard the tiger, wherever it takes you in these kind of situations. None of us has a crystal ball for a sneaky peek at the outcome.

What I can say from my own experiences with frail oldies is that when the end comes, it usually comes very quickly because the body has no longer got the resilience. You can never predict which part of the body or the immune system is giving way first. I hope that by having that in the back of your mind, it won't come as such a bad shock for you when it is 'her day', hopefully later than sooner. Bless every day she is there to greet you in the morning and make it special in a small way. I've had oldies who hung on for months and with others it was just a matter of days but I find that treating this as 'extra time' gives me more emotional freedom to make the most of it. My fingers are crossed for you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top