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Loss of appetite - vet says fine

Hi, yes, it was on a Saturday but didn't count as out-of-hours - just £50 as it was an initial consultation, then she hydrated her subcutaneously, did an eye scan and prescribed a few meds + critical care - all added up. We've just got back from vets (another £45) and she said Clover is borderline - looking a bit brighter but she would like to see her gain some weight or she will suggest x-ray/CT scan on Monday. So we are back on Critical Care + upping Ranitidine to 3 x daily. She's mostly eating hay but I think I just saw her take a bit of pepper. Yesterday she had a bit of cucumber and today this morning she ate some parsley. So a little bit of veg, but not much. Re: Blossom vet said it could go either way and that she may prefer to have company, just make sure there are 3 water sources, 3 food bowls etc and keep an eye on them.
 
Update: Clover seemed much better yesterday and ate loads of fresh grass with vigour, gained 20g. Then today she's hardly eaten again - I read that too much fresh grass can give them indigestion - I didn't realise. Would a probiotic help? If so, do I need a prescription or can I buy from a pet store? I have another vet appt on Monday but would like to try to see if this helps over the weekend.
 
You can get Pro-C from Pets at Home for around a fiver. Just add a pinch to a bit of water, give it a quick stir round and syringe it up and then give it to Clover. You need to slowly introduce them to grass. When I introduce my lot in the Spring, I put them on the grass for 15 minutes for 2 days then half an hour for the next 2 days and so on until they are on the grass full time. It usually takes around a month or so until they are on the grass all day.:)
 
Betsy said:
You can get Pro-C from Pets at Home for around a fiver. Just add a pinch to a bit of water, give it a quick stir round and syringe it up and then give it to Clover. You need to slowly introduce them to grass. When I introduce my lot in the Spring, I put them on the grass for 15 minutes for 2 days then half an hour for the next 2 days and so on until they are on the grass full time. It usually takes around a month or so until they are on the grass all day.:)
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Thank you Betsy, I will go there tomorrow morning. I feel so stupid giving her the grass, I thought it was basically the same as hay and was so happy that she was eating with such enthusiasm. I hope I haven't finished her off.
 
Nicjones99 said:
Thank you Betsy, I will go there tomorrow morning. I feel so stupid giving her the grass, I thought it was basically the same as hay and was so happy that she was eating with such enthusiasm. I hope I haven't finished her off.
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I doubt that. How much did she have?
 
Betsy said:
I doubt that. How much did she have?
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Hard to tell as they were both eating it but she was certainly tucking in enthusiastically. She put on about 15g that day though, then was right back down in the morning. Hoping he probiotics will help. What a rollercoaster.
 
Good to hear that Clover is slowly improving.
That’s a tribute to your care.
It’s exhausting looking after a sick piggy.

I remember when Jemimah had surgery last year how excited I was when she deposited a load of poop in my lap!
Not perfectly shaped but proof she was eating better and well on the mend.

May Clover reward you for your care with a lap full of poop!

Keeping you in my thoughts
 
Merab's Slave said:
Good to hear that Clover is slowly improving.
That’s a tribute to your care.
It’s exhausting looking after a sick piggy.

I remember when Jemimah had surgery last year how excited I was when she deposited a load of poop in my lap!
Not perfectly shaped but proof she was eating better and well on the mend.

May Clover reward you for your care with a lap full of poop!

Keeping you in my thoughts
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Thank you - I do really appreciate the support - I would never have imagined I'd be getting so worked up over a guinea pig - or so excited about he prospect of a big pile of poop! She's still a bit up and down and struggling to keep her weight up - hoping the probiotics will help. We are certainly trying our best for her!
 
Hi, I now have ProC probiotic and have administered the first dose. Clover's weight was down this morning but has shown renewed interest in eating today. How many times a day should I give the probiotic? Also, I notice it contains vitamin C... Critical Care also contains vitamin C... Is it possible to overdose?
 
I used to put the Pro-C in the water bottles so it was available all day. My piggies still got vit C in their veggies.
Some people sprinkle it over food which also works.
Hope Clover starts perking up and putting her weight back on
 
Thanks. She is definitely perkier - she even wheeked when I opened the fridge today! Showing much more interest in food but still low in weight. If I wasn't weighing her I would be feeling fairly confident that she is okay again, but need to know she is getting enough food into her so still syringe feeding x4 daily and hopefully with the probiotics she will start to settle back to normal. I guess it doesn't harm if my healthy piggy Blossom also get a dose of probiotics from food/water bottle?
 
Nope not at all. I'm giving mine breakfast of forage with ProC sprinkled on top of it 2-3 times a week atm. Where they are outside I think it may help them to stave off something nasty. It won't do them any harm anyway. :)
 
Don't want to tempt fate but I think Clover has turned a corner... Until yesterday she was still losing weight and we just couldn't get more than a few ml of Critical Care into her, then somehow she just started eating it and now takes 15ml at a time! She also seems to be eating hay more regularly. So now my question is: is it possible to overfeed Critical Care? How do we know how much to give or should we just be led by her? I bought some alfalfa hay for her as I heard it was good for recovering piggies... Is there anything I need to know about this hay or can she eat as much of it as she likes? Thanks so much for all your help in this forum x
 
Nicjones99 said:
Don't want to tempt fate but I think Clover has turned a corner... Until yesterday she was still losing weight and we just couldn't get more than a few ml of Critical Care into her, then somehow she just started eating it and now takes 15ml at a time! She also seems to be eating hay more regularly. So now my question is: is it possible to overfeed Critical Care? How do we know how much to give or should we just be led by her? I bought some alfalfa hay for her as I heard it was good for recovering piggies... Is there anything I need to know about this hay or can she eat as much of it as she likes? Thanks so much for all your help in this forum x
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I think I you can feed 120ml a day to a piggie who isn’t eating for itself so you should be fine. Pleased she is sounding better and hopefully on the up now 😁 I’ve been feeding oats and baby corn to try and get weight back on Chunk 😊
 
Reggie&Chunk said:
I think I you can feed 120ml a day to a piggie who isn’t eating for itself so you should be fine. Pleased she is sounding better and hopefully on the up now 😁 I’ve been feeding oats and baby corn to try and get weight back on Chunk 😊
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Get well soon Chunk! Didn't know you can feed them oats. I just read that alfalfa hay can cause UTIs in adult pigs.... Is that something I should be worried about? Clover is about 6 months old, so not sure if she counts as adult or not. I also read that you shouldn't feed guinea pigs the same veg two days in a row ... Is that true of all veg? Is there any veg that IS safe to eat every day? X
 
Betsy said:
I feed my lot the same veg 2 days in a row. It all depends what's in the fridge!
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That's what I've been doing (mostly a combo of cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, kale, carrot peelings, parsley) and it seemed fine... Until it wasn't fine... So was wondering if I overdid something. Do you think the 'alfalfa ring treat' (actually 70% meadow hay, 30% alfalfa) is okay or should I remove?
 
Betsy said:
Never bought alfalfa so can't answer that one:soz: I'm sure someone will be along soon who will though:D
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Person in the pet shop recommended it as good for recovering piggies... But pretty sure they weren't an expert
 
Actually I think it is bladder stones that are the worry with alfalfa hay (not UTI)... Don't want to leap out of the frying pan and into the fire so may just remove it to be on the safe side.
 
Nicjones99 said:
That's what I've been doing (mostly a combo of cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, kale, carrot peelings, parsley) and it seemed fine... Until it wasn't fine... So was wondering if I overdid something. Do you think the 'alfalfa ring treat' (actually 70% meadow hay, 30% alfalfa) is okay or should I remove?
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I know alfalfa is high in calcium as well as kale so should only be fed occasionally.Glad to hear she's picking up x
 
Glad Clover is picking up.
Some information is just confusing when you’re trying to do the best for your piggies.
Stick to a sensible diet for her.
I believe oats are good for recovering piggies although I’ve never tried them.
Hope the improvement continues
 
Merab's Slave said:
Glad Clover is picking up.
Some information is just confusing when you’re trying to do the best for your piggies.
Stick to a sensible diet for her.
I believe oats are good for recovering piggies although I’ve never tried them.
Hope the improvement continues
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Thanks, yes it is confusing - I feel like I should have done a PhD in guinea pigs before getting some, but am learning fast. Keep it simple and don't overdo anything (except meadow hay) seems to be the best option.
 
Nicjones99 said:
Don't want to tempt fate but I think Clover has turned a corner... Until yesterday she was still losing weight and we just couldn't get more than a few ml of Critical Care into her, then somehow she just started eating it and now takes 15ml at a time! She also seems to be eating hay more regularly. So now my question is: is it possible to overfeed Critical Care? How do we know how much to give or should we just be led by her? I bought some alfalfa hay for her as I heard it was good for recovering piggies... Is there anything I need to know about this hay or can she eat as much of it as she likes? Thanks so much for all your help in this forum x
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Be careful not to give too much alfalfa hay, although she’s only 6 months so your coming up to teenager time with her, it is high in calcium (bad for formation of bladder sludge amongst other kidney problems) and fat (good for weight gain which is what you want). Just feed this in moderation and maybe once or twice a week. Discontinue after a couple of weeks and watch for sludge. So pleased she’s on the mend :)
 
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