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Lump on back - vet trip booked!

Aww brave little fella.... I suspect my Winny has something similar to what you just described... it hasnt grown or changed in months...
 
Yeah @artcasper his didn’t change since we found it so must have been quite fast growing to start with and then slowed down after that and hardly grew until his op thankfully.
 
That’s a lovely neat wound he is sporting there. So glad it wasn’t anything sinister. He will just have to master the art of the comb over for a while. Plenty of fellows do that ;)
 
Thats good to know thanks @VickiA ! @alpacasqueak has already had a picture sent to her too and given it the stamp of approval too :tu: he still seems quite quiet today but is eating still. I’ve weighed him this morning and he is still the same as he was yesterday 1324g. He’s having 0.4ml twice a day of meloxidyl so hope it’s enough to keep him comfortable.

He isn’t moving around much in his cage but then he only had the op yesterday so I’m keeping a close eye on him and hoping that if his weight is staying the same that he’s comfortable enough! I did give him two syringes of feed just to give him a bit of extra liquid with his meds this morning and have him some probiotic in a couple of mls of water an hour or two after his meds.
 
DougalandDiego said:
Thats good to know thanks @VickiA ! @alpacasqueak has already had a picture sent to her too and given it the stamp of approval too :tu: he still seems quite quiet today but is eating still. I’ve weighed him this morning and he is still the same as he was yesterday 1324g. He’s having 0.4ml twice a day of meloxidyl so hope it’s enough to keep him comfortable.

He isn’t moving around much in his cage but then he only had the op yesterday so I’m keeping a close eye on him and hoping that if his weight is staying the same that he’s comfortable enough! I did give him two syringes of feed just to give him a bit of extra liquid with his meds this morning and have him some probiotic in a couple of mls of water an hour or two after his meds.
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With the exception of boar neuterings I generally find that most piggies who’ve had surgery have a ropey first night as the anaesthetic works its way out of their system and a rather quiet first day post surgery. But with adequate pain relief (as prescribed by your vet) by tonight/tomorrow he should pick up quite a bit.
 
VickiA said:
With the exception of boar neuterings I generally find that most piggies who’ve had surgery have a ropey first night as the anaesthetic works its way out of their system and a rather quiet first day post surgery. But with adequate pain relief (as prescribed by your vet) by tonight/tomorrow he should pick up quite a bit.
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Oh lovely thanks for the reassurance! 🥰
 
VickiA said:
But even as I typed that post to you I remember panicking even with all my experience after one of mine looked so sad and sorry for herself after surgery!
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Ah that’s good to know thanks for the reassurance. Yes it’s my first experience with guinea pig surgery but Dougal is being a very good patient so far (apart from when I try to syringe him his medicine and he bits the edge of the syringe hoping it’s my finger) 😂😂
 
DougalandDiego said:
@alpacasqueak has already had a picture sent to her too and given it the stamp of approval too :tu:
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Haha I don’t have a stamp! :))

But I do have to apologise to Dougal, I was naughty last night! 🙈 And may have tucked into my lovely bday present a couple of days early after my pizza! :doh::)) Sorry, was far too tempting for a sweetaholic like myself! :drool:
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Thanks so much, was so nice of you and your gorgeous boys! :luv:xx
(But feel free to tell me off! :)))
 
alpacasqueak said:
Haha I don’t have a stamp! :))

But I do have to apologise to Dougal, I was naughty last night! 🙈 And may have tucked into my lovely bday present a couple of days early after my pizza! :doh::)) Sorry, was far too tempting for a sweetaholic like myself! :drool:
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Thanks so much, was so nice of you and your gorgeous boys! :luv:xx
(But feel free to tell me off! :)))
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Hahahaha! 🤣🤣🤣 you could have opened it whenever, you didn’t have to wait til your bday anyway! It was a bit mean having it delivered on the Friday before your birthday on Monday anyway! 😝 glad you’re enjoying :tu: Dougal said he’s glad you’re enjoying and thank you for keeping his crazy mum half sane (at times!) 😂😂 :luv: Xx
 
DougalandDiego said:
Hahahaha! 🤣🤣🤣 you could have opened it whenever, you didn’t have to wait til your bday anyway! It was a bit mean having it delivered on the Friday before your birthday on Monday anyway! 😝 glad you’re enjoying :tu: Dougal said he’s glad you’re enjoying and thank you for keeping his crazy mum half sane (at times!) 😂😂 :luv: Xx
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Haha not at all, just don’t leave sweets around me, I’m weak, they will be eaten! :)) :))
Haha and I think me and your mum get on so well because I’m only half sane too Dougal! :)):Dxx
 
Really worried this morning Dougal was down from 1284g yesterday to 1249 this morning when I gave him his meds. I put him back in his cage to go downstairs and make a syringe mix up and he’s back in his cage eating hay and he’s eaten his veggies this morning. The vets open at 10 so going to ring and see what they suggest. He’s on 0.4ml of meloxidyl (metacam) twice daily does anyone think this needs to upped and that’s why he’s not eating? He was doing so well yesterday! 😢

Bit concerned as I’m meant to be working tomorrow and I’m concerned if he needs syringe feeding I won’t be there all day. Do you think it’s best if the vets can keep him for a couple of days that he stays there or stays with me and I syringe feed him around working?

Thanks in advance!
 
I’ve just managed to get 4 and a half (nearly 5 but he was getting fed up) in one sitting and 2ml of water syringes with pro c in. Will wait til the vets open at 10 and see what they say and do another 4ml/5ml before that hopefully!
 
He’s obviously eating some hay etc but not enough, So I would switch to feeding him every 3 - 4 hours with syringe feed to help fill him up. And speak to the vets when they open, to see what they suggest.
Is he moving around or sitting still looking sorry for himself? And is he puffed up looking?
 
Yeah he’s definitely eating bits but not enough like you said! He will lie and sleep for a long time then when he’s woken by something he will wake up and nibble then fall asleep again. He doesn’t look puffed up to me. I have attached a picture I’ve just taken. Do you think he might need another injection of pain killer so it gets into his system quicker? How much do you think I should aim
To feed in 24 hours if he’s still eating a bit? I’ve read the syringe guide which says 40-60ml but not sure if that’s the same if he needs topping up? He’s definitely not drinking either but then he has had cucumber throughout the day (only small pieces of his usual daily amount so he doesn’t get a bad tummy) but I have spread throughout the day to give him a bit of extra fluid in between when I syringe feed/water him. As I type this he’s having a good munch on the different hay in his cage 🤞🏻
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I would feed him as much as he will take every 3-4 hours. It will stimulate his appetite - you often find after a syringe feed that they will go back into their cage and eat some hay. How is his wee and poo output?
 
Yes @VickiA i have noticed that once I put him back he starts eating lots so glad that’s normal.

I have just got through to the vets who have asked me to keep feeding every couple of hours and he’s booked in to see the specialist tomorrow. They’ve said to keep the pain killer dosage at 0.4ml twice daily for now. I managed to get another 3ml into him just now but it’s a struggle because he hates it. Biting me and everything!
 
Wee output fine I think (difficult to tell) and poo output better than yesterday but still look strange. He’s definitely pooping more since I’ve started syringe feeding
 
Hi everyone,

Looking for a bit of advice on where to go next with Dougal’s syringe feeding. Saturday morning he weighed 1324 and Sunday he weighed 1249. Me and my partner have managed to get nearly 40ml syringe feed into him in 24 hours and when I weighed him this morning he only lost 12g and weighed 1237. Does this mean the amount we fed him maintained his weight and the small weight drop was a wee/few poops or that we need to be feeding him more? If he’s maintained do we keep feeding the same amount?

The syringe feeding definitely increases his appetite and he has a good munch on the hay when he goes back in his cage and he was drinking for himself last night (so sad I could have cried happy tears!) he’s also happily eating his veg (I’m spreading his usual daily amount throughout the day so it’s not too much for his little tummy all at once).

We’ve got the vets at 11:20 so will be hoping that we can up his painkiller slightly as he’s at 0.4ml meloxidyl twice daily.

I should also add that once he’s had a feed he seems more like his usual self squeaking at me for veg etc. But does get a bit tired during the feeds when we’re snuggled up.

Thanks!
 
Yes keep feeding the same amount, perhaps try to get a little more if he wants it but if he eating hay for himself and the syringe feeds are stimulating his appetite then that is great. Whether the drop is be due to him going to the toilet, we can only guess, but this is why weighing needs to be a daily. If he drops more again tomorrow then id try to get a little more syringe feeds into him. Ideally you’d want to see little gains in weight rather than the downward trend (fully regaining lost weight can take some time). On its own a 12g loss isn’t a huge amount but it’s the downward trend which you need to watch
let us know what the vet says
 
That’s brilliant thanks @Piggies&buns. Yeah I was gutted to see he’d lost a little as I felt like he was doing really well yesterday. We will try to get more into him today and see how he goes. I’ve taken the day off work today to syringe feed him so a bit worried about tomorrow as to whether I can have more time off or not. 😫
Yep I’ll keep you all updated about what she says! 👍🏻
 
Hello. @DougalandDiego .
Just notice this thread.
Not taking away your story . . I had a boar who had a lump removed and on his back also. He was groggy for couple days after. . Then slowly he came good.
You doing great guys.
 
Thanks for your kind wishes everyone. Just got back from the vets and doing a syringe feed. Managed to get another 6ml down him so already on 18ml today which is good.
Kristina was quite concerned with his weight loss but said that because of the lump removal it might not be that he’s lost as much as we think. She said his wound and everything was healing nicely and that he hasn’t got much bruising. She said his dose for the meloxidyl at 0.4 x2 daily is quite high so doesn’t want to up it so to ring on Wednesday when he’s due to finish and see if we need to reduce it or stop it. She has given me some gut stimulation medicine because she listened to his tummy and said it was fairly quiet and doesn’t want him to go into GI stasis. Going to keep syringe feeding him every couple of hours and Hope we can get more into him today. She thinks that he isn’t in pain due to the high dose of painkiller but thinks he’s not coped very well with the anaesthetic. (She’s an exotics specialist so trust what she says)
 
Hope the little man perks up soon and gets eating better. The gut stimulant Usually works well and makes them very hungry in my experience x
 
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