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Please help! My Guinea Pig is dying!

Welcome to the forum.
Glad you found us and even happier that your little one is pulling through.
Mistakes are part of learning.
I still cringe when I think of some of the mistakes I’ve made.
Hope all settles down, a vet trip proves nothing is seriously wrong and you can relax
 
cutelittlepiggies2 said:
Hi, I’m new here. I just created this account so I could get help on my piggie. Her name is Pepper. I started seeing weird yellowish, light colored looking poos in their cage. I separated Peachy (my other Guinea Pig) into a playpen to see and her poops and Peppers poop was very dry, and they weren’t drinking out of their water bottles so I made a terrible decision of trying to syringe feed water. I didn’t do my full research. I slowly gave Peachy’s hers but the syringe wasn’t working. So, for Pepper I decided to try a different one. It was a lot faster so it shot down Pepper’s throat. Now Pepper is shaking and can’t breathe very well. She is coughing and wheezing. I think she spit out most the water onto me but she still isn’t okay. What should I do? I’m such a terrible pet owner. Is she gonna die? I should’ve never gave them water through a syringe but tried a water bowl. I can believe my self, I feel so guilty this is all my fault. Please help!
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Update: She has really small poos now, does that have anything to do with it?
 
Small poos could be because she’s not eating enough. When did you last weigh her? I’d switch to daily weighing (once) at the same time each day. And offering topup on a spoon or in a bowl if she is losing daily.

Have you managed to get her booked in yet? Though I think it’s still a holiday there?
 
Siikibam said:
Small poos could be because she’s not eating enough. When did you last weigh her? I’d switch to daily weighing (once) at the same time each day. And offering topup on a spoon or in a bowl if she is losing daily.

Have you managed to get her booked in yet? Though I think it’s still a holiday there?
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Okay I’ll definitely start weighing her daily. The vets office is closed now, I can hopefully get her in tomorrow. She is improving I think. She ate some veggies and hay, just no water. Thanks for your help!
 
Remember that they do get some of their water from veggies. Some drink more than others. If you’re really worried you could rinse the veg.
 
Siikibam said:
Remember that they do get some of their water from veggies. Some drink more than others. If you’re really worried you could rinse the veg.
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Yes. I’m starting to believe she has had something going on before this incident. She has always been really skinny and not been able to gain weight and she seems like she hasn’t been eating and drinking enough in the last couple of days as her poos are really tiny. Thank you for your help and advice.
 
Has she been gaining any weight at all in the time you’ve had her? And how old is she? Sorry if you’ve already mentioned these things. Let us know how you get on.
 
Siikibam said:
Has she been gaining any weight at all in the time you’ve had her? And how old is she? Sorry if you’ve already mentioned these things. Let us know how you get on.
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Yes, maybe a little. You can still feel her ribs pretty prominently. Peachy was also skinny but she is perfect and healthy now. I feed them plenty of hay, they get Oxbow adult Guinea Pig pellets, they get 2 cups and a little extra veggies everyday, and they have two water bottles and now a water bowl that are all cleaned out and refilled often. I believe she is 6 months give or take a month. I have never understood why she is so tiny and skinny. She is doing a lot better today, she is wheeking and eating treats and coming up to the cage. Her breathing has eased a little but too. Thanks for your concern and help. ❤️
 
cutelittlepiggies2 said:
Hi, I’m new here. I just created this account so I could get help on my piggie. Her name is Pepper. I started seeing weird yellowish, light colored looking poos in their cage. I separated Peachy (my other Guinea Pig) into a playpen to see and her poops and Peppers poop was very dry, and they weren’t drinking out of their water bottles so I made a terrible decision of trying to syringe feed water. I didn’t do my full research. I slowly gave Peachy’s hers but the syringe wasn’t working. So, for Pepper I decided to try a different one. It was a lot faster so it shot down Pepper’s throat. Now Pepper is shaking and can’t breathe very well. She is coughing and wheezing. I think she spit out most the water onto me but she still isn’t okay. What should I do? I’m such a terrible pet owner. Is she gonna die? I should’ve never gave them water through a syringe but tried a water bowl. I can believe my self, I feel so guilty this is all my fault. Please help!
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So here’s a little update! She is no longer breathing like she was. (She has normal breathing.) I weighed her and she’s a little below average. I weighed Peachy and she is average weight. Both of their poos have returned to their normal oval shape and dark brown color. Pepper is drinking and eating. Thank you guys for all your help!
 
There is no average weight. You have to go by what they themselves weigh individually. Have they put on/maintained weight from when you last weighed them?
 
Siikibam said:
There is no average weight. You have to go by what they themselves weigh individually. Have they put on/maintained weight from when you last weighed them?
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I should definitely not go off google then. Google says a female adult should weight 1.5 - 2.5 pounds? Peachy has put on some weight but Pepper has stayed about the same.
 
cutelittlepiggies2 said:
I should definitely not go off google then. Google says a female adult should weight 1.5 - 2.5 pounds? Peachy has put on some weight but Pepper has stayed about the same.
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It’s their heft which tells you what is right for the individual piggy, not their weight. I have two boars, unrelated, a month between them in age but their weights vary hugely. One usually weighs 1500-1550g, the other around 1250-1300g. What is crucial here and the thing which tells me they are healthy is that their hefts are good for each piggy even though their weights are so very different.

Weight - Monitoring and Management
 
Piggies&buns said:
It’s their heft which tells you what is right for the individual piggy, not their weight. I have two boars, unrelated, a month between them in age but their weights vary hugely. One usually weighs 1500-1550g, the other around 1250-1300g. What is crucial here and the thing which tells me they are healthy is that their hefts are good for each piggy even though their weights are so very different.

Weight - Monitoring and Management
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I guess that makes more sense?
 
Vegetable_Monster said:
I had two brother pigs, one weighed 1.4kg and the other 1kg. Both healthy weights and same diet.

Now got a boar who weighs 1.4 and a sow that's 950g. She's a midgit though, small framed, a lot shorter in length
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I wasn’t comparing their weights, I was comparing it to a healthy weight. It’s makes more sense that, similar to a human, we don’t harbor all of the same genetics, therefore we won’t all be the same weight.
 
Piggies&buns said:
It’s their heft which tells you what is right for the individual piggy, not their weight. I have two boars, unrelated, a month between them in age but their weights vary hugely. One usually weighs 1500-1550g, the other around 1250-1300g. What is crucial here and the thing which tells me they are healthy is that their hefts are good for each piggy even though their weights are so very different.

Weight - Monitoring and Management
Click to expand...
Reading up more on it, it makes quite a bit more sense, thank you. This will really help in the future.
 
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