Piggy not eating properly

[Piggypiggy96]

Hi one of my piggys got diagnosed with heart disease recently around 2 months ago. She’s been on fortekor 0.08ml once a day. She was making chest infection noises for a few months and we treated that until she got a x-ray and discovered her heart is double the size of what it should be. there was no fluid on the lungs and the vet said I’d done the x ray at the right time as if we would have tried when I first reported uri noises the heart wouldn’t have been big enough to diagnose her properly.
Anyway she’s been doing well but yesterday I noticed she was quiet around midday and as the afternoon came she wouldn’t come out for food at all she just slept a lot. If I bring cucumber and pepper right to her she will eat it as normal like she’s never been fed.
she won’t come out the bedroom no matter how much noise I make with the lettuce bag. Last night I decided to isolate her in their tipi with a compressed hey bale and her favourite food and she was fine she looked quite happy and was eating as she usually would.
I have to give them lots of veg as neither pig will drink out the water bottle so I keep them hydrated all the time. I called the vets as soon as they opened this morning and they said keep a eye on her as she is eating I don’t have to bring her straight in. But my vets shuts in around hour as it’s Saturday and isn’t open Tommorow. I’m panicking so bad. I’ve just put her back in the cage with her sister and she’s straight to bed not coming out for lettuce.
Also she had a bit of a freak out yesterday out of nowhere for a minute she ran very fast out the bedroom and was really scared for around 30 seconds jumping around hysterically it was like she didn’t know who I was when I was trying to calm her.
I’m worried that I’m going to lose another pig and my heart can’t take it. Thankyou

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this.
Please switch from weekly to daily weight checks so you can ensure she is getting hay. Hay is the largest part of the diet (80%) and if a piggy isnt eating enough hay, they will lose weight. It is the hay you need to replace by syringe feeding a recovery feed or mushed pellets. Veg isn’t enough as it is only around 15% of the daily food intake so without enough hay, their food intake drops dramatically.

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

 

[Piggypiggy96]

Thanks she’s back in with her sister now I’ve put the hey bale in her bedroom next to her and she’s eating it. I'm going to keep a very close eye on her and isolate her later in the tipi overnight with loads of food. I’ve also got critical care and fiberplex in my piggy first aid box if needed

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thanks she’s back in with her sister now I’ve put the hey bale in her bedroom next to her and she’s eating it. I'm going to keep a very close eye on her and isolate her later in the tipi overnight with loads of food. I’ve also got critical care and fiberplex in my piggy first aid box if needed

You need to use your kitchen scales and weigh her at the same time every day to make sure she is actually eating enough and not losing any weight. You must step in with syringe feeding if she is not eating enough hay to maintain her weight.
If by compressed hay bale you mean a little hay cookie, then that won’t be enough.
Please don’t isolate her in a small space - it’s not going to encourage her to eat, it’ll just stress her out. Leave her in her normal cage with her sister and don’t separate them. make sure there are large piles of loose hay available at all times.

 

[Wiebke]

I fully agree with @Piggies&buns ' advice.

Please follow it and please read our our how-to support feeding link. Your feeding care can make the difference between life and death because no medication can work if your piggy is too weak from lack of food.
Hay makes around three quarters of the daily food intake (that is basically the equivalent of a human breakfast, lunch and dinner all together) but it is often the first food group impacted when your piggy is not well. Veg and pellets only replace the supplementary role of wild forage in a pet piggy diet.

Unfortunately, you cannot control the hay intake just by watching your piggy nibble on a little food.
Use your kitchen scales as described in our support feeding guide to keep up your girl's weight and fighting strength as much as possible. Mush up some pellets with a little warm water; the syringe feeding guide tells you you how with pictures and videos once your piggy has lost more than 50g or is very apathetic and clearly not eating properly.
Here is the link again: All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

How to weigh and when to see a vet with all the how-to tips:
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely (videos)
Weight - Monitoring and Management

All about assessing and supporting your piggy through an illness: Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

 

[Piggypiggy96]

Thanks I did weigh her yesterday when I started to become worried she was 50gs under what she usually is which panicked me but not massively she’s always been a small girl but if she loses any more weight today or tomorrow I’m 100% getting her to the vets first thing Monday morning or even a emergency vet tonight or tomorrow I am taking this very seriously. I look at videos from when she was a healthy girl and shes not right at all. I am going to syringe her some critical care and keep her in the normal cage. Thankyou for your replies

 

[Piggypiggy96]

I’m panicking she’s been eating but I was just about to do critical care and it went out of date in December! I don’t give them pellets or have any in because my other girl had a bladder flush a year ago and they’ve been off the menu since then. Will the cc be ok for 1 day? Thanks

 

[Wiebke]

I’m panicking she’s been eating but I was just about to do critical care and it went out of date in December! I don’t give them pellets or have any in because my other girl had a bladder flush a year ago and they’ve been off the menu since then. Will the cc be ok for 1 day? Thanks

Hi

In real pinch, you can use the CC for a day or two but if you have any concerns, use mushed up pellets instead and follow our tips the syringe feeding guide on how to prep the syringe tip to allow the much rougher pellet fibre to pass through.
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

 

[Piggypiggy96]

Thank you

 

[Merab]

I can’t add any advice but just want to offer support

 

[Piggypiggy96]

She loves cc I’m so glad I don’t have to force feed her

 

[Piggypiggy96]

My girl is still the same no better or worse but she has put 50gs on so I hope I’m doing the right thing. I spoke to the vets before and she’s seeing them at 9.30 tomorrow morning

 

[Siikibam]

All the best for tomorrow. And it’s good she has put on weight.

 

[Merab]

Hope all goes well tomorrow

 

[Roselina]

Hope all is good for tomorro

 

[Piggypiggy96]

My girl is ok they think it’s either a heart or dental issue so she’s on a diuretic for a week to see how she goes if that doesn’t work they might try teeth things I’m not exactly sure. But they said she hasn’t lost any weight so I’ve been doing the right thing even though the stuff is out of date. I’ve been given emeraid to give her instead of cc but I’ve been warned not to hand feed all the time because she will love it and become dependent. But she hasn’t got any worse I’d say her appetite is a bit better today actually so fingers crossed in a few days she willl be back to her cheeky self. Thanks everyone

 

[Piggies&buns]

My girl is ok they think it’s either a heart or dental issue so she’s on a diuretic for a week to see how she goes if that doesn’t work they might try teeth things I’m not exactly sure. But they said she hasn’t lost any weight so I’ve been doing the right thing even though the stuff is out of date. I’ve been given emeraid to give her instead of cc but I’ve been warned not to hand feed all the time because she will love it and become dependent. But she hasn’t got any worse I’d say her appetite is a bit better today actually so fingers crossed in a few days she willl be back to her cheeky self. Thanks everyone

I hope she is ok.

Keep up with your routine weight checks at home so you have real time information on her hay intake. You can only ease off with support feeding once you are certain she is maintaining her weight herself

 

[Merab]

Hope you see some improvement now

 

[Piggypiggy96]

She’s still in her bedroom hibernating but I’ve lifted the bedroom up with one of their toys so theres about 10cm gap and make sure there’s always fresh hey there so she doesn’t have to move to eat and I’ve been fully cleaning the cage out everyday.
I’ve also been out and bought all new hey I feel so bad that I’ve been giving them cheap hey all this time. She’s still loving her veg carrots, cucumber and she snatches pepper very quick.
She’s on 0.22Mls of frusol solution and still on her forkter 0.8mls. I’ve been giving her a few mls of water every few hours she’s not taking syringes very well now she’s a bit better.
But I’ve messed up big time I didn’t know how to mix the emeraid and it took me good few goes to be able to get the soup consistency so I’m prettymuch running out already. I wasted loads so am going to ring the vets at 8 when they open and ask for more. I much prefer the recovery plus & cc but the vets think this is best so I’ll stick with it. She’s not a massive fan of the emeraid but she will take around 5mls in one sitting, I’ve got no idea if that’s enough. Thanks guys I appreciate you checking in on my girl.

 

[Piggypiggy96]

She’s ventured out a few times to check the other bedroom but then returns to her own and stays in the same corner. I’m worried but seeing slight improvements

 

[Piggypiggy96]

Bought these small packs to see which one they like best then I’ll stock up

 

[Piggies&buns]

Whether 5ml per sitting is enough and whether she is eating much hay she is eating independently depends on what the scales tell you when you weigh her each morning.

 

[Piggypiggy96]

She is eating more hey now but not as much as usual. when I weighed this morning she was down 20gs but maybe her stomach was quite empty. I’m going to weigh her every morning and get as much emeraid in her as she will take I hate forcing my pigs to do anything they don’t want to do. I spoke to the vets and I’m picking up more emeraid in the morning as I’ve only got about 1/5 of the pack they gave me left.

 

[Siikibam]

Hopefully she will start putting on some weight. If she’s still losing then you have to try and get more into her. It’s not nice but it’s for their own good I guess. How often are you feeding her? Have you tried putting it in a bowl for her? Sorry if you’ve already said!

 

[weepweeps]

I hope your piggy starts to improve soon.

It sounds like you are doing all you can.

 

[JJW&Pigs]

I can’t offer any advice but I’m truly heartbroken
I cannot imagine how you must feel and I pray for you and your piggy.

 

[Piggypiggy96]

Hi I’ve been doing the emeraid around every 3 hours in the day I don’t get up in the night now she’s eating a little hey on her own. But now she’s a little better she’s being very moody and refusing syringes so I sort of have to force her which I hate but needs to be done. But she will only have around 5mls before I start feeling really guilty because she’s turning her head away and desperately trying to get out the burrito. I’m picking up more emeraid today and her repeat prescription for forkter. She’s deffo a bit better again today she’s just popped her head out the bedroom and chattered her teeth so I think she wants lettuce she’s already had cucumber and pepper 15 mins ago. I’m hoping she’s fully on the mend with this diuretic. The vets said wait 5-7 days but that seems a long time to me so if she’s not a lot better Tomorrow I’m going to take her vets again on Friday or the weekend I’ll get a emergency appointment they told me the prices and stuff the other day so that’s no issue. Thanks so much everyone I really believe my pig will pull through this.

 

[Piggypiggy96]

She was in the corner for 3 days so even just seeing her at the door makes me happy

 

[Piggies&buns]

What is this morning‘s weight check telling you?

 

[Merab]

Hope she really is on the mend.