Not eating

[JasmineA99]

Hi everyone,

My boar Charlie has not eaten today. He only had 2 bites of a piece of romaine lettuce. He has a vet appointment tomorrow morning but he is declining quickly… I have tried to syringe feed him but he will not chew or swallow the food and I am worried about choking him. There are also no stores near me that carry the oxbow critical care, so I had to use pellets and water. He has become really wobbly and is barely able to walk… After setting him back down he wasn’t able to get his legs back underneath him without help and struggled to get to his favorite hidey place. There are no emergency vets in my area. The closest is about a 3.5 hour drive and I am unsure on if they even see small animals. I am at a complete loss… I don’t know if he’ll make it through the night. He appears to be bloated but I cannot see any impacted poop in his butt. I am worried to massage his tummy because I don’t want to hurt him. What do I do?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m so sorry to hear this. Sending hugs

Bloat is a serious issue (impacted poop is a different issue - it’s caused when the anal muscles lose strength due to age usually. It’s not to do with bloat) which causes pain. Severe bloat is an emergency situation.

Please do get him to a vet as soon as you can.

The home care advice is to switch to daily weight checks and step in with syringe feeding but if they refuse to swallow, sadly that can mean the system is shutting down.

Thread 'Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)'

Oct 23, 2017

1 Not eating (anorexia) and the importance of syringe feeding fibre
2 Soft poos and runny diarrhea
3 Acute bloat (severe dysbiosis) - blockage - twisted gut - persistent milder bloating
4 GI stasis (no gut movement)


Severe runny diarrhea, bloat, blockage or a twisted gut, GI stasis and excessive salivating in guinea pigs that are not eating are absolute life and death emergencies that need to be seen ASAP by an out-of-hours vet at any time of the day or night or that should be seen by a vet as soon as you can get an appointment outside the UK...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 2
• Forum: Wiebke's Home Care Guides

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

Mar 14, 2019

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...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 4
• Forum: Emergency Information and Care

• 

Thread 'Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support'

Jun 20, 2024

1 Weight and Weight Loss
- Why regular weight monitoring matters
- How weight changes over a lifetime
- How to weigh on your kitchen scales (with video)
- The weight loss rules
- How critical is the weight loss for my piggy?
- Possible causes for weight loss
2 Body Mass Index (BMI) or 'Heft'
- Why is understanding your piggy's weight so important?
- 'Average' weight vs. individual weight - the big trip up
- How to check for the BMI
3 The...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 5
• Forum: Health & Illness Support Corner

• 

Thread 'How to Improvise Feeding Support in an Emergency'

May 31, 2024

1 Feed
- Important crisis management resources
- When is improvising necessary?
- Which food group am I replacing with my feeding support?
- How much and how often should I feed and water?
- What can I use that I have already got at home?
- Other possible easily available foods with their pros and cons
- How do I prep a syringe for rougher pellet fibre?
- What can I do without a syringe?
- The role of lukewarm water
2 Probiotics
- Probiotic products...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Emergency Information and Care

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