Losing sleep over my piggies, I don't know how one died.

[RheMae]

Hi guys. Sorry in advance for the long post. Long time reader.
So I'm a newer guinea pig owner, my boyfriend had 2, and when I came into the fold, we got one together.
We have Guts, Bert, and Judo.
Admittedly, I knew very little about guinea pigs and trusted my boyfriend to handle most of it or teach me since he had them for a few years. Judo was my baby, and I did my best with him, and a few weeks back, I noticed his cheeks looked a bit puffy.
After nagging a bit, we scheduled a vet appointment. They were booked up for awhile, so it was about a week and a half before he could get in. I made sure he was eating/drinking, and the day before his vet appointment, he had stopped. My boyfriend rushed him to emergency, and they informed us he had slight pneumonia and his teeth needed surgery. Which is fine. They gave us 5 different medications, filed his teeth a bit, charged us 1,700 USD, and we finally got to take him home after 3 days.
At the vet, they said something odd though. He wasn't pooping like they wanted. I'm so mad at myself that I didn't Google anything, and I just trusted them blindly.
We gave him his medicine around the clock, it seemed to be a lot. I didn't understand gut stasis, and they never mentioned it, however they gave us the medicine for it.
When judo returned home, he seemed to be lively again. Wheeking every time he saw me, eating a TON. But his poops, I realized too late, were dry and clumped together.
Anyway, graphic warning ahead. Please stop reading here if it makes you uncomfortable.
I came in one night, about 4 days after he returned home, and he was just on his side. His eyes seemed to be flickering with white and he was breathing hard. I yelled his name and quickly went to him and he was warm. But very soon, we realized, my baby was gone.
I don't know how he went from wheeking and eating and happy, to gone. I've been searching and searching trying to find where I went wrong. I know I wasn't paying attention like I should have been, I know I wasn't doing what I should have been doing, tummy rubs and extra attention- but he was himself again, and I thought I had time.
Anyway, I noticed he had poop that seemed to be stuck in his bum. I wondered if he had an impaction, and if I had noticed sooner, maybe I could have done something. I know now he was definitely dehydrated, but the vets didn't tell me. They just didn't. If I knew, I promise I would have done anything they asked of me.
That was about 4 days ago now. And I noticed the next day, Guts was acting off. Immediately booked an appointment, insisted we get in the next day, and boom. He has gut stasis and bloat. It's 1 am and I've been rubbing his tummy and giving him floor time and trying to force feed him CC and mushed pellets, and just spending hours doing whatever I can do. Even baby antigas, since the vet only gave us antibiotics, gut stasis meds, and pain meds.
Neither guts or Bert will eat hay like they're suppose to. They're hardly touching it. Bert is a chunk though, and he's eating plenty of pellets and veg and occasional hay, but I just.
I'm really trying here guys. My heart is broken, I miss my Judo and I blame myself, I don't know what happened, and I don't want it to happen again. Does anybody have ANY idea what could be happening? Or how Judo suddenly passed when he seemed to be doing so much better?
Anything helps. Please be kind, I'm still learning, I'll do or spend whatever I have to for my boys.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m so sorry for your loss.
We most certainly will all be kind - we are very supportive and friendly forum and will do what we can to help and support you.

With Juno, we can’t know what sadly lead to his death - it sounds like there were a few things going on. Sometimes these issues can take a toll that they cant recover from.

If Guts is currently unwell with bloat, please do not feed him veg.
Ensure you weigh him daily so you can be sure you are syringing enough critical care to keep his weight stable in each 24 hour period. This is essential. Syringe feed as much as he take per sitting and in very poorly piggies that can be a very small amount meaning you need to feed more often.

Be careful with baby gas medications - they won’t be any good for acute bloat but also some baby gas medicines can make the gas more painful. Products containing simethicone can cause the gas to gather into one big bubble which is fine for human babies to pass but much more difficult and more painful for piggies to pass

The guides below will help you with syringe feeding and weight checks advice.
The bloat/stasis guide is also added below.

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)

Hay is 80% of the daily food intake so all piggies need the fibre from hay (and in the case of illness the fibre being replaced from the critical care feed). The only way to know healthy piggies are eating enough hay is with routine weekly weight checks (switching to daily weight checks when there are health issues).
You say (when healthy) that they are eating plenty of pellets and veg. Do you know how many pellets you are feeding?
It is important you do not overfeed pellets in particular. Pellets are not healthy in high quantity. Too many pellets can mean they don’t eat enough hay (and lack of hay intake can cause problems from gut issues to dental issues). As pellets contain a lot of calcium, they can also contribute to bladder problems.
Ensure you only feed one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day.
Veg is one cup per pig per day.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[RheMae]

I’m so sorry for your loss.
We most certainly will all be kind - we are very supportive and friendly forum and will do what we can to help and support you.

With Juno, we can’t know what sadly lead to his death - it sounds like there were a few things going on. Sometimes these issues can take a toll that they cant recover from.

If Guts is currently unwell with bloat, please do not feed him veg.
Ensure you weigh him daily so you can be sure you are syringing enough critical care to keep his weight stable in each 24 hour period. This is essential. Syringe feed as much as he take per sitting and in very poorly piggies that can be a very small amount meaning you need to feed more often.

Be careful with baby gas medications - they won’t be any good for acute bloat but also some baby gas medicines can make the gas more painful. Products containing simethicone can cause the gas to gather into one big bubble which is fine for human babies to pass but much more difficult and more painful for piggies to pass

The guides below will help you with syringe feeding and weight checks advice.
The bloat/stasis guide is also added below.

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)

Hay is 80% of the daily food intake so all piggies need the fibre from hay (and in the case of illness the fibre being replaced from the critical care feed). The only way to know healthy piggies are eating enough hay is with routine weekly weight checks (switching to daily weight checks when there are health issues).
You say (when healthy) that they are eating plenty of pellets and veg. Do you know how many pellets you are feeding?
It is important you do not overfeed pellets in particular. Pellets are not healthy in high quantity. Too many pellets can mean they don’t eat enough hay (and lack of hay intake can cause problems from gut issues to dental issues). As pellets contain a lot of calcium, they can also contribute to bladder problems.
Ensure you only feed one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day.
Veg is one cup per pig per day.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

This was very educational, thank you. I had no idea. I open feed pellets and hay, they always have access to both but I can tell you, they always go to the pellets first. Would it be harmful if I took that away and instead put vitamin C on the pellets and included it in the veg? When I can give it to guts again at least. I did stop feeding him veg as soon as I heard what was going on. Because it was all he would eat, and I was worried about dehydration due to Judo, I was giving him leafy greens and cucumbers, however I do avoid veg that tends to cause gas but all piggies are different of course.
I will start weekly weigh ins immediately. Right now actually.
I just got done giving Guts another massage and he seemed to be grinding and crunching his teeth almost. Like he was chewing on something that wasn't there. I'm considering going to emergency, do you think I should? He has pain meds, and if he's grinding his teeth during a VERY gentle like barely there tummy rub- and even when I'm not touching him- I should take him to emergency right? I don't want to over or under react.
And thank you for responding, it means the world to me.
And I gave him half a half a dose because I was scared of the baby gas formula. Roughly about .03. it was extremely small but I don't know what else to do and I just want to do whatever possible but I'm also scared cuz I know they're fragile you know?

 

[Piggies&buns]

This was very educational, thank you. I had no idea. I open feed pellets and hay, they always have access to both but I can tell you, they always go to the pellets first. Would it be harmful if I took that away and instead put vitamin C on the pellets and included it in the veg? When I can give it to guts again at least. I did stop feeding him veg as soon as I heard what was going on. Because it was all he would eat, and I was worried about dehydration due to Judo, I was giving him leafy greens and cucumbers, however I do avoid veg that tends to cause gas but all piggies are different of course.
I will start weekly weigh ins immediately. Right now actually.
I just got done giving Guts another massage and he seemed to be grinding and crunching his teeth almost. Like he was chewing on something that wasn't there. I'm considering going to emergency, do you think I should? He has pain meds, and if he's grinding his teeth during a VERY gentle like barely there tummy rub- and even when I'm not touching him- I should take him to emergency right? I don't want to over or under react.
And thank you for responding, it means the world to me.
And I gave him half a half a dose because I was scared of the baby gas formula. Roughly about .03. it was extremely small but I don't know what else to do and I just want to do whatever possible but I'm also scared cuz I know they're fragile you know?

Definitely stop free feeding pellets and start to properly measure them out to one tablespoon per pig per day only. When they are gone, remove the bowls and only leave them with plenty of hay. Hay is the only food they should have constant access to. Pellets are the one thing that they can do without - my piggies only get pellets about three times a week - so cutting the amount you give your piggies down will only be good for them.

You don’t need to routinely give additional vitamin c at all - and we do not recommend you do so.
They get all the vitamin c they need from a good diet - unlimited hay, one cup of veg per day (safe daily veggies are lettuce, coriander/cilantro, bell pepper and a slice of cucumber - this is balanced to give them a good nutritional content and vit c needs), and one tablespoon of pellets. Most of us long term owners never have and never will supplement vitamin c.
Routinely supplementing vitamin c can also be harmful. Excess vit c is simply excreted in the urine so if you give supplements above and beyond the normal recommended diet, you are at best wasting your money as it is just coming straight out the other end!
At worst it can cause health issues. Their bodies become used to abnormally high amounts of vitamin c. If that level then drops (ie you suddenly stop giving it etc), even if the level it drops to is still considered within normal range, then their bodies can’t cope and the drop will cause them to get scurvy.

They can grind their teeth when in pain, but also do it to display displeasure. If you are worried then do see a vet

What meds has he been given?
What dosage of pain meds is he on?
Is he getting the pain meds twice a day?
Presumably it’s metacam is on - Is it cat (which is 0.5ml/ml strength) or dog metacam (which is three times stronger at 1.5mg/ml)?
How much does he weigh?

 

[Freela]

I'm very sorry about Judo. Unfortunately, pigs can go downhill really rapidly at times, even when you do everything you possibly can. The last pig I lost went from seemingly normal to passing away in just a few hours. Nothing obviously wrong except her age. So please don't blame yourself for anything that happened, you got him vet care and did everything you could for him. Unfortunately dental issues can take a toll, as pigs can eat less and become deconditioned before the owner can see an issue. Swelling in the cheeks can be abscess-related, which is a touch and go problem. I've had two pigs who developed dental abscesses... both got treatment, both got meds, both were syringe fed to keep them going. One made it, one didn't. You can only do so much, their body has to do the rest, and unfortunately sometimes they just aren't able to. ((HUGS)) to you. It's so hard when you love them and don't understand why, but please don't blame yourself.

Hopefully you'll get some better info about bloat and gut stasis from other posters... just wanted to offer some ((HUGS.)) I hope Guts feels better soon.

 

[RheMae]

Definitely stop free feeding pellets and start to properly measure them out to one tablespoon per pig per day only. When they are gone, remove the bowls and only leave them with plenty of hay. Hay is the only food they should have constant access to. Pellets are the one thing that they can do without - my piggies only get pellets about three times a week - so cutting the amount you give your piggies down will only be good for them.

You don’t need to routinely give additional vitamin c at all - and we do not recommend you do so.
They get all the vitamin c they need from a good diet - unlimited hay, one cup of veg per day (safe daily veggies are lettuce, coriander/cilantro, bell pepper and a slice of cucumber - this is balanced to give them a good nutritional content and vit c needs), and one tablespoon of pellets. Most of us long term owners never have and never will supplement vitamin c.
Routinely supplementing vitamin c can also be harmful. Excess vit c is simply excreted in the urine so if you give supplements above and beyond the normal recommended diet, you are at best wasting your money as it is just coming straight out the other end!
At worst it can cause health issues. Their bodies become used to abnormally high amounts of vitamin c. If that level then drops (ie you suddenly stop giving it etc), even if the level it drops to is still considered within normal range, then their bodies can’t cope and the drop will cause them to get scurvy.

They can grind their teeth when in pain, but also do it to display displeasure. If you are worried then do see a vet

What meds has he been given?
What dosage of pain meds is he on?
Is he getting the pain meds twice a day?
Presumably it’s metacam is on - Is it cat (which is 0.5ml/ml strength) or dog metacam (which is three times stronger at 1.5mg/ml)?
How much does he weigh?

He has started drooling a lot I'm really worried I've already started the car. He has been given sulfatrim suspension, metoclopramide, and meloxidyl .25 twice a day for pain.

 

[RheMae]

I'm very sorry about Judo. Unfortunately, pigs can go downhill really rapidly at times, even when you do everything you possibly can. The last pig I lost went from seemingly normal to passing away in just a few hours. Nothing obviously wrong except her age. So please don't blame yourself for anything that happened, you got him vet care and did everything you could for him. Unfortunately dental issues can take a toll, as pigs can eat less and become deconditioned before the owner can see an issue. Swelling in the cheeks can be abscess-related, which is a touch and go problem. I've had two pigs who developed dental abscesses... both got treatment, both got meds, both were syringe fed to keep them going. One made it, one didn't. You can only do so much, their body has to do the rest, and unfortunately sometimes they just aren't able to. ((HUGS)) to you. It's so hard when you love them and don't understand why, but please don't blame yourself.

Hopefully you'll get some better info about bloat and gut stasis from other posters... just wanted to offer some ((HUGS.)) I hope Guts feels better soon.

I really needed this. It's 4 am and my boyfriend wouldn't take me to emergency since it's a blizzard. I don't know what to do since he seems to be in pain. I'm trying not to bug him too much but also I feel like I can't take my eyes off of him and now I'm seeing things- like him breathing funny or moving weird- and I have to get closer to make sure it isn't happening which I'm sure isn't helping him rest. I'm just gonna step back, keep an eye on him, be here if he needs me, and try to syringe feed again in the morning.
Also hoping to get a second opinion tomorrow, I really believe the issue is more with his teeth than anything. He wants so badly to eat, he just can't. He also wants water, he just won't take it from the bottle. And fights anything from a syringe. So you know. Fun.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I really needed this. It's 4 am and my boyfriend wouldn't take me to emergency since it's a blizzard. I don't know what to do since he seems to be in pain. I'm trying not to bug him too much but also I feel like I can't take my eyes off of him and now I'm seeing things- like him breathing funny or moving weird- and I have to get closer to make sure it isn't happening which I'm sure isn't helping him rest. I'm just gonna step back, keep an eye on him, be here if he needs me, and try to syringe feed again in the morning.
Also hoping to get a second opinion tomorrow, I really believe the issue is more with his teeth than anything. He wants so badly to eat, he just can't. He also wants water, he just won't take it from the bottle. And fights anything from a syringe. So you know. Fun.

You must continue to syringe feed him (around every two hours) if he is not eating hay for himself.
Have you noticed any sign of dental issues before now?
Is he swallowing food when you syringe feed him?
Did you weigh him?

 

[RheMae]

You must continue to syringe feed him (around every two hours) if he is not eating hay for himself.
Have you noticed any sign of dental issues before now?
Is he swallowing food when you syringe feed him?
Did you weigh him?

He does swallow when we syringe feed him. And no, no dental issues before now. Right after Judo passed, he refused his usual treats and was hardly able to bite veg. And then stopped all together cuz he'd gag on it.

 

[Swissgreys]

You have had lots of helpful advice but I wanted to add my support.
It really does sound like you are a very caring owner and are doing everything possible for your piggies.
I know it is easier said than done, but try not to be too hard on yourself.
Sometimes despite our absolute best care we still can't save them.
I lost a young and perfectly health 2 year old piggy within hours, and we never really worked out what went wrong, but it took me a very long time to recover from the shock of his loss.

Be kind to yourself and don't blame yourself for trusting the vet - this is exactly what you should have been able to do, and his mistakes are not your mistakes.
Your piggies are very lucky to have such a great owner.

 

[RheMae]

You must continue to syringe feed him (around every two hours) if he is not eating hay for himself.
Have you noticed any sign of dental issues before now?
Is he swallowing food when you syringe feed him?
Did you weigh him?

Oh and sorry I didn't weigh him. We ended up taking him to emergency and he's staying for a bit. I just couldn't see him like that anymore, no matter what I did I couldn't make him feel better and he was getting irritated with me.

 

[wheek!guinea]

Hi guys. Sorry in advance for the long post. Long time reader.
So I'm a newer guinea pig owner, my boyfriend had 2, and when I came into the fold, we got one together.
We have Guts, Bert, and Judo.
Admittedly, I knew very little about guinea pigs and trusted my boyfriend to handle most of it or teach me since he had them for a few years. Judo was my baby, and I did my best with him, and a few weeks back, I noticed his cheeks looked a bit puffy.
After nagging a bit, we scheduled a vet appointment. They were booked up for awhile, so it was about a week and a half before he could get in. I made sure he was eating/drinking, and the day before his vet appointment, he had stopped. My boyfriend rushed him to emergency, and they informed us he had slight pneumonia and his teeth needed surgery. Which is fine. They gave us 5 different medications, filed his teeth a bit, charged us 1,700 USD, and we finally got to take him home after 3 days.
At the vet, they said something odd though. He wasn't pooping like they wanted. I'm so mad at myself that I didn't Google anything, and I just trusted them blindly.
We gave him his medicine around the clock, it seemed to be a lot. I didn't understand gut stasis, and they never mentioned it, however they gave us the medicine for it.
When judo returned home, he seemed to be lively again. Wheeking every time he saw me, eating a TON. But his poops, I realized too late, were dry and clumped together.
Anyway, graphic warning ahead. Please stop reading here if it makes you uncomfortable.
I came in one night, about 4 days after he returned home, and he was just on his side. His eyes seemed to be flickering with white and he was breathing hard. I yelled his name and quickly went to him and he was warm. But very soon, we realized, my baby was gone.
I don't know how he went from wheeking and eating and happy, to gone. I've been searching and searching trying to find where I went wrong. I know I wasn't paying attention like I should have been, I know I wasn't doing what I should have been doing, tummy rubs and extra attention- but he was himself again, and I thought I had time.
Anyway, I noticed he had poop that seemed to be stuck in his bum. I wondered if he had an impaction, and if I had noticed sooner, maybe I could have done something. I know now he was definitely dehydrated, but the vets didn't tell me. They just didn't. If I knew, I promise I would have done anything they asked of me.
That was about 4 days ago now. And I noticed the next day, Guts was acting off. Immediately booked an appointment, insisted we get in the next day, and boom. He has gut stasis and bloat. It's 1 am and I've been rubbing his tummy and giving him floor time and trying to force feed him CC and mushed pellets, and just spending hours doing whatever I can do. Even baby antigas, since the vet only gave us antibiotics, gut stasis meds, and pain meds.
Neither guts or Bert will eat hay like they're suppose to. They're hardly touching it. Bert is a chunk though, and he's eating plenty of pellets and veg and occasional hay, but I just.
I'm really trying here guys. My heart is broken, I miss my Judo and I blame myself, I don't know what happened, and I don't want it to happen again. Does anybody have ANY idea what could be happening? Or how Judo suddenly passed when he seemed to be doing so much better?
Anything helps. Please be kind, I'm still learning, I'll do or spend whatever I have to for my boys.

Hi guys. Sorry in advance for the long post. Long time reader.
So I'm a newer guinea pig owner, my boyfriend had 2, and when I came into the fold, we got one together.
We have Guts, Bert, and Judo.
Admittedly, I knew very little about guinea pigs and trusted my boyfriend to handle most of it or teach me since he had them for a few years. Judo was my baby, and I did my best with him, and a few weeks back, I noticed his cheeks looked a bit puffy.
After nagging a bit, we scheduled a vet appointment. They were booked up for awhile, so it was about a week and a half before he could get in. I made sure he was eating/drinking, and the day before his vet appointment, he had stopped. My boyfriend rushed him to emergency, and they informed us he had slight pneumonia and his teeth needed surgery. Which is fine. They gave us 5 different medications, filed his teeth a bit, charged us 1,700 USD, and we finally got to take him home after 3 days.
At the vet, they said something odd though. He wasn't pooping like they wanted. I'm so mad at myself that I didn't Google anything, and I just trusted them blindly.
We gave him his medicine around the clock, it seemed to be a lot. I didn't understand gut stasis, and they never mentioned it, however they gave us the medicine for it.
When judo returned home, he seemed to be lively again. Wheeking every time he saw me, eating a TON. But his poops, I realized too late, were dry and clumped together.
Anyway, graphic warning ahead. Please stop reading here if it makes you uncomfortable.
I came in one night, about 4 days after he returned home, and he was just on his side. His eyes seemed to be flickering with white and he was breathing hard. I yelled his name and quickly went to him and he was warm. But very soon, we realized, my baby was gone.
I don't know how he went from wheeking and eating and happy, to gone. I've been searching and searching trying to find where I went wrong. I know I wasn't paying attention like I should have been, I know I wasn't doing what I should have been doing, tummy rubs and extra attention- but he was himself again, and I thought I had time.
Anyway, I noticed he had poop that seemed to be stuck in his bum. I wondered if he had an impaction, and if I had noticed sooner, maybe I could have done something. I know now he was definitely dehydrated, but the vets didn't tell me. They just didn't. If I knew, I promise I would have done anything they asked of me.
That was about 4 days ago now. And I noticed the next day, Guts was acting off. Immediately booked an appointment, insisted we get in the next day, and boom. He has gut stasis and bloat. It's 1 am and I've been rubbing his tummy and giving him floor time and trying to force feed him CC and mushed pellets, and just spending hours doing whatever I can do. Even baby antigas, since the vet only gave us antibiotics, gut stasis meds, and pain meds.
Neither guts or Bert will eat hay like they're suppose to. They're hardly touching it. Bert is a chunk though, and he's eating plenty of pellets and veg and occasional hay, but I just.
I'm really trying here guys. My heart is broken, I miss my Judo and I blame myself, I don't know what happened, and I don't want it to happen again. Does anybody have ANY idea what could be happening? Or how Judo suddenly passed when he seemed to be doing so much better?
Anything helps. Please be kind, I'm still learning, I'll do or spend whatever I have to for my boys.

Hello, first of all I just want to say that I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s never easy losing a fur baby.

While none of us on here can say for certain what happened, at the end of the day, please know you did the right thing and did what you could with what you knew at the time.

Poor fella probably wasn’t feeling good for a long time. Why did they recommend a dental procedure? Was this an infection or trimming? Also you said they prescribed 5 medications, this is really excessive. Were these exotic veterinarians experienced in working with guinea pigs? Did they offer to do any x-rays or bloodwork?

Guinea pigs are experts at hiding their illness, so while he may have been eating and drinking ‘just fine’ in-front of you, his symptoms were telling a different story. Please don’t beat yourself up over this, as it’s very difficult to know what to look out for, especially if you’re a new owner.

It could have been a mix of things he had going on. This is not medical advice whatsoever, again I don’t know, but in my opinion it sounds like Judo’s gut wasn’t moving, and like majority of other herbivores, their GI tract is very sensitive to any changes. The fact that he wasn’t having normal bowel movements, and then went home and ate a lot makes me think that he was blocked and this inevitably made his death sudden.

Also, certain medications to treat pneumonia for guinea pigs can cause further constipation, so did they provide any critical care or instructions on how to administer treatment at home?

No shade or unkindness towards your boyfriend, but 3 boars living together have a low success rate. I know you said he has owned them in the past and you’re trusting him to know the information but it’s always good to know too, because there’s so much information to learn.

 

[RheMae]

Hello, first of all I just want to say that I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s never easy losing a fur baby.

While none of us on here can say for certain what happened, at the end of the day, please know you did the right thing and did what you could with what you knew at the time.

Poor fella probably wasn’t feeling good for a long time. Why did they recommend a dental procedure? Was this an infection or trimming? Also you said they prescribed 5 medications, this is really excessive. Were these exotic veterinarians experienced in working with guinea pigs? Did they offer to do any x-rays or bloodwork?

Guinea pigs are experts at hiding their illness, so while he may have been eating and drinking ‘just fine’ in-front of you, his symptoms were telling a different story. Please don’t beat yourself up over this, as it’s very difficult to know what to look out for, especially if you’re a new owner.

It could have been a mix of things he had going on. This is not medical advice whatsoever, again I don’t know, but in my opinion it sounds like Judo’s gut wasn’t moving, and like majority of other herbivores, their GI tract is very sensitive to any changes. The fact that he wasn’t having normal bowel movements, and then went home and ate a lot makes me think that he was blocked and this inevitably made his death sudden.

Also, certain medications to treat pneumonia for guinea pigs can cause further constipation, so did they provide any critical care or instructions on how to administer treatment at home?

No shade or unkindness towards your boyfriend, but 3 boars living together have a low success rate. I know you said he has owned them in the past and you’re trusting him to know the information but it’s always good to know too, because there’s so much information to learn.

I wanna make sure I address everything because these are really good questions, and I am so grateful to know.

The vet who treated Judo did not mention gut stasis at all. As somebody kinda new to guinea pigs, I trusted the vet to inform me of anything I might need to know. He was on a painkiller, GI stasis meds (I found out later), antibiotic they told us was for the slight pneumonia but I don't think so now, and 2 types of laxatives. This was an emergency exotic vet, and they told us his teeth needed a trim, and that they had filed them down, but he would need dental surgery and to schedule a follow up for about a week. We did. He didn't make it. He was wheeking and eating a lot, like more than normal. I thought it might be the laxatives, and I blame myself for not checking his poops. The vet at emergency told us "he wasn't pooping like they wanted." And then the next day that he had been pooping, he'd just been eating it. I don't know if I believe that anymore, but it is what it is now. They never told us about gut stasis, and I didn't do the research. So it was the perfect storm, and I'm still sick over it. They did X-rays, no blood work though. Didn't send us any CC, I guess because he was eating again. They just told us when to give the meds, and how much. And we did.

And I didn't know that 3 boars can't live together. They seemed to get along well. It took them a bit, because Judo and Bert kept trying to gain dominance, but they never really bit or actually attacked. I made sure to keep an eye out for any marks or odd behaviors around this, and eventually, they all seemed to become close. They'd sleep in a pile. They did the night before Judo passed, and I remember being so happy looking at my little boy with his brothers.

I'm just trying to do better. I'm planning on switching to grain free pellets, and only hay, and slowly introducing veg and picking out what could be bothering guts. Bert is doing well, I'm watching him like a hawk, but it feels odd to me. Since Guts is in the hospital, Judo has passed, and he's by himself. I thought I'd notice a difference. But he's eating a lot of hay, chewing his toys, drinking plenty of water. I'll be weighting him tonight, I just know they've had a stressful week, and I wanted to give him a little bit with me watching from a distance, since he's started chattering at me. I think he could be bored, or irritated, because he shows no signs of being in pain at all. No tenderness in his belly, eating/drinking even when I'm not around, and playing with his toys.

Sorry if this was a lot, it's just been all I've been thinking/reading about. We dropped Judo off today to be cremated, Guts is at the hospital and they said his tummy sounds like a 2/4 so not good, but not terrible, and they're feeding him with CC regularly and have feed open for him in case. He's also pooping, 6 smallish pellets, no block as of right now.

 

[wheek!guinea]

I wanna make sure I address everything because these are really good questions, and I am so grateful to know.

The vet who treated Judo did not mention gut stasis at all. As somebody kinda new to guinea pigs, I trusted the vet to inform me of anything I might need to know. He was on a painkiller, GI stasis meds (I found out later), antibiotic they told us was for the slight pneumonia but I don't think so now, and 2 types of laxatives. This was an emergency exotic vet, and they told us his teeth needed a trim, and that they had filed them down, but he would need dental surgery and to schedule a follow up for about a week. We did. He didn't make it. He was wheeking and eating a lot, like more than normal. I thought it might be the laxatives, and I blame myself for not checking his poops. The vet at emergency told us "he wasn't pooping like they wanted." And then the next day that he had been pooping, he'd just been eating it. I don't know if I believe that anymore, but it is what it is now. They never told us about gut stasis, and I didn't do the research. So it was the perfect storm, and I'm still sick over it. They did X-rays, no blood work though. Didn't send us any CC, I guess because he was eating again. They just told us when to give the meds, and how much. And we did.

And I didn't know that 3 boars can't live together. They seemed to get along well. It took them a bit, because Judo and Bert kept trying to gain dominance, but they never really bit or actually attacked. I made sure to keep an eye out for any marks or odd behaviors around this, and eventually, they all seemed to become close. They'd sleep in a pile. They did the night before Judo passed, and I remember being so happy looking at my little boy with his brothers.

I'm just trying to do better. I'm planning on switching to grain free pellets, and only hay, and slowly introducing veg and picking out what could be bothering guts. Bert is doing well, I'm watching him like a hawk, but it feels odd to me. Since Guts is in the hospital, Judo has passed, and he's by himself. I thought I'd notice a difference. But he's eating a lot of hay, chewing his toys, drinking plenty of water. I'll be weighting him tonight, I just know they've had a stressful week, and I wanted to give him a little bit with me watching from a distance, since he's started chattering at me. I think he could be bored, or irritated, because he shows no signs of being in pain at all. No tenderness in his belly, eating/drinking even when I'm not around, and playing with his toys.

Sorry if this was a lot, it's just been all I've been thinking/reading about. We dropped Judo off today to be cremated, Guts is at the hospital and they said his tummy sounds like a 2/4 so not good, but not terrible, and they're feeding him with CC regularly and have feed open for him in case. He's also pooping, 6 smallish pellets, no block as of right now

I’m so sorry to hear all of this, it sounds like you’ve had such a rough time with your boys, but you’re willing to do everything right and doing what you can. As Guinea pig owners we can only learn from our previous mistakes and go forward from there.

And yes, it’s really stressful for 3 males to be together because it’s not natural for them, and eventually in their teenage hormonal years they fall out. I believe it truly only works with herds of predominately females in large spaces with 20-30+. I’m sure there are people who have successfully bonded 3 boars but in general it is strongly advised against just because the fall out rate is usually guaranteed.

How is guts doing?

 

[Wheekallweek]

Aw you've had such a rough time with your piggies lately, I'm so sorry

 

[lauryn1289]

So sorry about your poor Judo. I hope Guts is doing well I completely understand your ruminating about what happened to Judo. One of my boys Kip was PTS a couple of weeks ago after a vet (not exotic) said she saw fluid in his abdomen along with bloating and that either heart failure or liver damage would’ve caused the fluid, and she said she didn’t think the prognosis would be good so we had him PTS there. He was still spritely and alert for the most part apart from not eating and clearly uncomfortable, but all we can do is listen to vets for the most part and it’s difficult to know information was left out or not explained. It’s so hard to not ruminate on what could’ve been done differently but at the end of the day it only harms you to constantly be upset over it. You really did everything you could for Judo with the knowledge you were given. And for what it’s worth, it sounds like Judo had a truly wonderful home for the time he got to stay in it. I wish it was more time for you however, but at least he was loved as much as he was