Mystery ailment?

[aly13]

Hi all !

I got a male pig 3 weeks ago. He was neutered 2 weeks ago and recovered just fine from that. However this week he has gone off his food. Stopped eating hay and pellets. I have since stepped in with critical care and he is still eating his salad and some grass.

One not guinea pig savvy vet diagnosed him with a URI yesterday and said his chest sounded terrible and gave me three days of antibiotic injections..I felt iffy about the treatment and the diagnosis too as he is showing no signs of a URI at all. So he didnt improve at all after the antibiotics and still not eating so i brought him to a different vet. They said his chest sounded fine and found no sign of any infection. She thinks it could be related to lack of vitamin C although i give pellets containing it (grain free science selective) and he gets bell pepper everyday. I dont know if he got enough vitamin C at his last home though. She also checked his teeth thoroughly and ruled out any issue with that which is what i was most concerned it could be.

Either way..has anyone ever had a guinea pig show no other symptoms and not have an infection but not eat? She gave him a pain relief injection and gut mobilitiy help injection too and we go back on monday if he has no improvement..In the meantime I'm trying to get enough critical care into him (he accepts it ok so he seems to have an appetite still ) its very strange! Oh and hes 18 months old just

 

[Claire W]

I am sorry your boy has stopped eating Did the vet check his back teeth (molars) as well as the incisors at the front? Are you weighing him daily?

 

[Merab]

Sorry I can’t offer advice but offering support

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this.
It’s very difficult when there isn’t a specific symptom. Gut stimulants and pain meds would be the go to things at this point.

Is he currently living alongside other piggies for interaction?

Make sure you weigh him daily so you can monitor he is getting enough food

Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

 

[aly13]

I am sorry your boy has stopped eating Did the vet check his back teeth (molars) as well as the incisors at the front? Are you weighing him daily?

Yes she did, twice in fact. She said theres a very small spur developing on one side and to keep an eye on that but it wouldn't be causing this issue. I havent been weighing daily no but ill start

 

[aly13]

I’m sorry to hear this.
It’s very difficult when there isn’t a specific symptom. Gut stimulants and pain meds would be the go to things at this point.

Is he currently living alongside other piggies for interaction?

Make sure you weigh him daily so you can monitor he is getting enough food

Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

He is in the same room but up on a table because he had hay mites which i want fully gone before he gets close to the others, and all the others are girls and i dont want him getting really excited and desperate to get in with them if he was right beside them. But he can definitely hear them and knows theres piggies here

 

[Piggies&buns]

He is in the same room but up on a table because he had hay mites which i want fully gone before he gets close to the others, and all the others are girls and i dont want him getting really excited and desperate to get in with them if he was right beside them. But he can definitely hear them and knows theres piggies here

Single piggies need to be side by side for full interaction. It’s never recommended for single piggies to be above others as the full ability to interact is removed. He won’t be able to smell them easily (their scent won’t be travelling upwards towards him) he can’t read their body language etc
Plus living beside the girls can assist in the bonding process.
I would recommend you move him down to be on their level, but ensure his cage is secure so he can’t escape it (eg lidded).
You can always leave a bit of a gap between the two cages until he has been fully treated for mites if you are worried

 

[Wheekallweek]

You may find if he can see the other piggies close up and watch them eating, it may encourage him to eat himself!

 

[Claire W]

I would also suggest that you move him next to the girls but in a secure cage so he can’t escape and physically get to the girls. You may find that he’s just lonely but seeing the girls may perk him up a bit x

 

[Piggies2023]

Have they considered an internal infection from the surgery?

 

[aly13]

Single piggies need to be side by side for full interaction. It’s never recommended for single piggies to be above others as the full ability to interact is removed. He won’t be able to smell them easily (their scent won’t be travelling upwards towards him) he can’t read their body language etc
Plus living beside the girls can assist in the bonding process.
I would recommend you move him down to be on their level, but ensure his cage is secure so he can’t escape it (eg lidded).
You can always leave a bit of a gap between the two cages until he has been fully treated for mites if you are worried

The scent not travelling upwards is precisely why i have him on a table lol we always have at least two girls in season at a time so didn't want him to get crazy trying to escape. The girls cages dont have lids either so if he somehow got out he could easily get in to them. He was living totally on his own out in a shed in his previous home and was obviously eating fine then so I'm not sure if its just loneliness causing this but i will consider moving him nearer

 

[aly13]

Have they considered an internal infection from the surgery?

They havent..i guess seeing as the area looks well healed and not swollen or anything but I'm not sure if internal infection would even cause visible swelling? Its something i could mention to them tomorrow. Ive also been worried about some kind of delayed reaction to the anaesthetic or something i dont even know its thats possible though

 

[Piggies&buns]

The scent not travelling upwards is precisely why i have him on a table lol we always have at least two girls in season at a time so didn't want him to get crazy trying to escape. The girls cages dont have lids either so if he somehow got out he could easily get in to them. He was living totally on his own out in a shed in his previous home and was obviously eating fine then so I'm not sure if its just loneliness causing this but i will consider moving him nearer

You‘ve misunderstood my point.
Boars only need to be away from sow pheromones if they are in a bonded boar pair - a bonded pair can fall out over sow pheromones if they aren’t used to them.
As a single piggy, scent is a vital part of communication and interaction - he needs to be able to smell, see and hear the others 24/7 for all round communication and interaction. He should not be on a table above others as now he has lost the ability to interact with them (being above others is only able to be done with bonded pairs - they have the piggy they live with so don’t need the through bar communication with others in different cages).
He also needs to get used to being near the girls, securing the cages (two grids high or having a lid) and having them side by side is what should happen until he is safe to be bonded with them. It can also aid the bonding process - when the day comes, they already ‘know‘ each other.

It’s not necessarily loneliness causing this, and medical issues always need to come first but communication is a vital part of life for them at all times whether this is an illness or not.

It’s too long ago for it to be a reaction to anaesthetic. An abscess is a possibility and can occur from around week 2. The vet would need to check the area - any heat or swelling would be a warning sign. An abscess would get worse quite quickly.

 

[aly13]

You‘ve misunderstood my point.
Boars only need to be away from sow pheromones if they are in a bonded boar pair - a bonded pair can fall out over sow pheromones if they aren’t used to them.
As a single piggy, scent is a vital part of communication and interaction - he needs to be able to smell, see and hear the others 24/7 for all round communication and interaction. He should not be on a table above others as now he has lost the ability to interact with them (being above others is only able to be done with bonded pairs - they have the piggy they live with so don’t need the through bar communication with others in different cages).
He also needs to get used to being near the girls, securing the cages (two grids high or having a lid) and having them side by side is what should happen until he is safe to be bonded with them. It can also aid the bonding process - when the day comes, they already ‘know‘ each other.

It’s not necessarily loneliness causing this, and medical issues always need to come first but communication is a vital part of life for them at all times whether this is an illness or not.

It’s too long ago for it to be a reaction to anaesthetic. An abscess is a possibility and can occur from around week 2. The vet would need to check the area - any heat or swelling would be a warning sign. An abscess would get worse quite quickly.

Ah alright..i had read up on having boars in the same room as sows and i guess i misread something that was talking about multiple boars instead of a lone one. Ive never had a boy in a room with girls so i was just worried about him getting overexcited and tearing his cage apart to get to them lol. Apparently he was with his mother (idk how..maybe beside her? i doubt she was spayed) for a while before she died so hopefully hes familiar and wont get too excited by girls.

I will move his cage beside them later and hope it goes well

 

[aly13]

Just an update. He didnt improve at all over the weekend so back to the vets today, he had an ultrasound which she was nice enough not to charge me for! To rule out bladder stones/issues and he was all clear from what they could see. His "area" from neutering seemed fine to them too. She listened to his lungs again and checked his teeth again too in case she missed anything. She said there must be something going on somewhere that we cant figure out so we are trying a last ditch effort of a course of baytril to see if that helps in case he has some infection. Fingers crossed this will be the solution because both me and the vet (its a new one and we are liking them so far!) agree theres nothing much else we can try after this.

 

[Claire W]

Poor little man I hope it’s just an infection that the baytril will clear x

 

[Merab]

Mystery illnesses are so difficult to cope with.
Hope the Baytril works.
He’s a lucky piggy to have such a caring owner.
Holding you in my heart

 

[aly13]

Mystery illnesses are so difficult to cope with.
Hope the Baytril works.
He’s a lucky piggy to have such a caring owner.
Holding you in my heart

Thank you Ive had him for such a short time and i really dont want to lose him already. He wasnt use to handling at all when he arrived but hes already improved by miles and enjoys a chin and face massage after his critical care. he seems so sweet. although I'm not sure if the girls will think he's sweet if he gets to meet them properly

 

[weepweeps]

Yes she did, twice in fact. She said theres a very small spur developing on one side and to keep an eye on that but it wouldn't be causing this issue. I havent been weighing daily no but ill start

Maybe the tiny spur is enough to affect his eating.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi all !

I got a male pig 3 weeks ago. He was neutered 2 weeks ago and recovered just fine from that. However this week he has gone off his food. Stopped eating hay and pellets. I have since stepped in with critical care and he is still eating his salad and some grass.

One not guinea pig savvy vet diagnosed him with a URI yesterday and said his chest sounded terrible and gave me three days of antibiotic injections..I felt iffy about the treatment and the diagnosis too as he is showing no signs of a URI at all. So he didnt improve at all after the antibiotics and still not eating so i brought him to a different vet. They said his chest sounded fine and found no sign of any infection. She thinks it could be related to lack of vitamin C although i give pellets containing it (grain free science selective) and he gets bell pepper everyday. I dont know if he got enough vitamin C at his last home though. She also checked his teeth thoroughly and ruled out any issue with that which is what i was most concerned it could be.

Either way..has anyone ever had a guinea pig show no other symptoms and not have an infection but not eat? She gave him a pain relief injection and gut mobilitiy help injection too and we go back on monday if he has no improvement..In the meantime I'm trying to get enough critical care into him (he accepts it ok so he seems to have an appetite still ) its very strange! Oh and hes 18 months old just

Hi

Please have your boy checked for a potential infection or abscess at the back of the operated area where it doesn't show. 2 weeks post-op is the classic peak time for these things to make an appearance.

My Hywel actually developed a - very rare - band of swelling at the back of the area (cause by bacteria in the blood) which caused gut adhesion. Thankfully, we got him through the critical weekend with feeding support and painkillers after he had been basically given up by the totally stumped local general vets who had done the operation for a temporary local rescue but paid by me. A forum friend then got me an emergency appointment with a guinea pig specialist after the weekend who put him on a very strong antibiotic and who upped his analgesics. Charismatic Hywel lived for another 5 1/2 years leading up to 13 sows and passing away 2 weeks short of his 7 birthday. But without our round the clock feeding support he would not have made it.

How exerperienced are your vets with guinea pigs and neutering ops?

More information on possible post-neutering complications here: Neutering operations: Considerations, post-op care and complications and a successful recovery example

Crucial feeding support: All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

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

 

[aly13]

Hi

Please have your boy checked for a potential infection or abscess at the back of the operated area where it doesn't show. 2 weeks post-op is the classic peak time for these things to make an appearance.

My Hywel actually developed a - very rare - band of swelling at the back of the area (cause by bacteria in the blood) which caused gut adhesion. Thankfully, we got him through the critical weekend with feeding support and painkillers after he had been basically given up by the totally stumped local general vets who had done the operation for a temporary local rescue but paid by me. A forum friend then got me an emergency appointment with a guinea pig specialist after the weekend who put him on a very strong antibiotic and who upped his analgesics. Charismatic Hywel lived for another 5 1/2 years leading up to 13 sows and passing away 2 weeks short of his 7 birthday. But without our round the clock feeding support he would not have made it.

How exerperienced are your vets with guinea pigs and neutering ops?

More information on possible post-neutering complications here: Neutering operations: Considerations, post-op care and complications and a successful recovery example

Crucial feeding support: All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

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

They apparently gave all that area a really good look and feel yesterday while they were also ultrasounding his bladder and urethra and didnt find anything of concern.

This vets is a different one than who did the op and they do seem relatively knowledgeable. Its the best I'm going to get in rural ireland unfortunately.

He seems to be maintaining his current weight of 1.1kg right now. He was 1.2 before this issue started but has stayed at 1.1 since over the weekend

 

[aly13]

Maybe the tiny spur is enough to affect his eating.

Possibly, not seeing it myself i cant say what it was like. If baytril doesn't do anything for him as another last ditch effort i may ask if they could trim it

 

[Wiebke]

They apparently gave all that area a really good look and feel yesterday while they were also ultrasounding his bladder and urethra and didnt find anything of concern.

This vets is a different one than who did the op and they do seem relatively knowledgeable. Its the best I'm going to get in rural ireland unfortunately.

He seems to be maintaining his current weight of 1.1kg right now. He was 1.2 before this issue started but has stayed at 1.1 since over the weekend

Hi

Just hang on in there and try your best. It is a good sign that the weight is stable. A certain weight loss in the wake of an operation is acceptable as long as the overall weight is still good, which yours is.