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refusing to feed

  • Thread starter Thread starter aquablueangel
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aquablueangel

Iam desperate..... I have a rescue Guinea Pig, called Piglet, he's between 4/5 yrs old.
He is the most lovely natured little chap.
Piglet hasn't eaten or drank since last wednesday, 3 days, and believe me, he loves his food and greens.
Piglet has contracted an infection, the vet thinks it maybe in his intestines, he has a tempreture and his poo is watery and smelly, and he is refusing to eat or drink.

Iam giving him Antibiotics, and having to syringe feed him with liquid food, supplied by the vet, and also the same with water and vitimin c.

The first time we fed him this way it was not too bad, a bit messy, but we were getting some food & water down him, second time round he knew what was coming and almost refused to take anything.

I have to take him back to the vets on monday, but what can I do mean-time, has anyone out there got any crafty solutions that may get us through the weekend
 
your vet should of given you probiotics to give at the same time as antibiotics, ask your vet for some.
 
I"m syringe feeding Spice at the moment and he has got used to it know and will just sit on my knee as if to say here we go again.Have you tried towel wrapping him?Thats the only way that I could keep Spice still enough to get the syringe in his mouth.I also think that they feel more secure if they"re wrapped up.Hope that helps.
 
Thanks for all your advice, it really is appreciated, as iam not an expert when it comes to Guinea Piggies, and thats where my ignorance has failed me because I should have acted quicker.

My kids always had Ratties, now there iam an expert----

Piglet was dumped on me last year, and I hadn't the heart to pass him over, he is so lovely natured, black all over with little floppy silky ears.

I wrapped him up a bit tighter this morning, and managed to get a bit more food down him although I think he should be taking a bit more, anyway, there are 4 more feeds today, so, we'l see how we go, I noticed he had a little poo this morning, its still a bit smelly but more solid.

I feel really helpless, that I should be doing more, I was up at 4-30 this morning, just couldn't sleep, and peeping in his cage, he was fast asleep, typical!


We are back at the vets tomorrow, so we'l see what that brings Cheers
 
maybe he doesnt like the taste of the food? when i had to syringe gucci i used to boil up some veg then blend it all down once soft (inc the water you boiled it in) and mix the veg paste/thick soup in with the food..you may find he will eat it then as it will taste better hopefully, good luck at the vets :)
 
HELLO SPUDNIK
We didn't have a great weekend with piglet, he just didn't want to eat, then on sunday when I went to get him out to give him his third feed, he shook and shivered, I thought his little heart was going to burst, it was awful, so I put him back and covered him up and let him settle.
I hardly slept a wink, not that it did any good!

I took piglet back to the vets this morning, as arranged, (my normal surgery) last Saturday I had to take him to the parent surgery coz mine was shut.
I saw a different vet, who immediately opened his mouth and said ahhhh! (you know whats coming) iam pretty sure its his teeth, he has a lower front tooth that is broken, but the top took had really grown and the back teeth needed grinding down, so he couldn't grind, and they were digging into his tongue.

As I said earlier in my other post, that I know a lot about Ratties, we have had loads, but iam not well up on piggies, and I feel a bit ashamed that I didn't think about his back teeth, not that I could see them---- anyway its no good beating myself up, it wont happen again.

Any way, he is at the vets now, and having his teeth done, under anaesthetic, because he became really weak and stressed over the week end, and it is a risk, I know, I wont settle till I know he is ok, but if iam going to loose him I would rather it happen when he is asleep., I hope that doesn't come over as defeatest.

I dont know what time it is there, iam in the U.K. and its 14.02,

The other thing the vet said was, that when this kind of thing happens, apart from the obvious signs of not eating, she said, other tell tail signs are, weeping eyes and runny nose, I did pick up on that.

I wish that bloomin phone would ring, its driving me mad, anyway I will let you know the outcome, fingers xxxxx'd
 
Hi,

Has the vet phoned yet?.It is awful waiting I know,you cannot settle to do anything and evertime the phone rings your heart goes in your boots.

If a piggy is not eating the first thing to check is the teeth.The inscissors could be loose ot broken so they cannot pick the food up properly,or the molars could be overgrown trapping the tongue.There could also be a spur on the molors which is digging in to the soft flesh.Runny eyes can be indicative of dental probs. and so can dribbling.When it gets to this stage though the problem is quite severe.
The shaking you described is a pain reaction.For future reference ask your vet if she/he will let you have a bottle of Metacam to keep in your cupboard.This is a good pain relief.Daktarin oral gel is soothing for sore mouths as well.It would be a good idea to use this after the dental treatment for a few days.
Was it necessary6 for your vet to use aneasthetic for this?, dental work can be done without sedation.

Do hope your vet rings soon with good news.
 
Hi Maryh
The vet has rung, piglet has come through pheeeeew! He is very dozy, a bit more than normal, its because he wasn't at all well, but they were expecting that!

They put him under anaesthetic because he was so poorly.

They said it would take longer before he would eat, because of the drowsiness, they have put food in and greens and they will keep an eye on him for now, and hopefully ring me a bit later to collect him.

The waiting has been awful, I just cant wait to get him home, hehe.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted, and let you know how things go, I really appreciate your support, as goes for anyone else who has replied to my posting, I have really felt out of my depth here
 
Oh I am so glad/.Give piglet a gentle hug from us when you get him home.He will feel better when he gets back home to familiar surroundings.
Dont forget to use the Daktarin oral gel for at least 3 days.A blob the size of a pea,straight into the mouth will help a lot.You can do this up to 3 times a day.Give the gel 10 minutes or so to get round the mouth before feeding.
Cut veggies into slithers and put them into the side of his mouth,he may chew on them.For today though,I would syringe feed him because his mouth will be very sore.Try and get him to nibble some hay though because this is necessary for the digestion. The vet may have given an injection of Rimydal for pain relief but ask for a bottle of Metacam which you can start using tomorrow for a few days.Metacam is useful to keep in stock anyway.The dose is one drop per day.
Keep piglet on a vetbed in a warm place because aneasthetic can produce some shock.Make sure he drinks,because again ,the aneasthetic can cause dehydration.Best to give some water by syringe.I always get up in the night at least once to give water to post op pigs and check that they are warm.Make sure he is pooping and peeing o.k/
I am sure he will be fine.If you are worried there is always someone around on this forum to help you.
 
Hi Maryh,
You obviously know your stuff, about piggies, the vets haven't rung back yet, so iam still waiting.

You know what really worried me, when I took piglet to the vets the first time, last Saturday, I saw a different lady vet, yes she took his temperature, and it was a bit high, and she said he had an infection in his intestines, but do you know, she didn't even look in his mouth, I tell you maryh, iam catching on quick-----

Now the vet I saw this morning another lady vet, went straight to the problem, I did tell her about the first vet, she didn't say anything, and I didn't expect her to, ethics etc, but she did look a bit surprised.

More to the point, piglet has suffered for 2 days longer than necessary.

The vet I saw this morning (the very good one) is married to another vet (also a very good one) that I used to take the ratties to,
this couple are really in tune with what they do, and that's what you need, If you know a lot about a particular type of pet, Like I did with the ratties, well you are more than half way there---- but because I dint know a great deal about piggies I fell short, so there is a lesson to be learned there.

Anyway, iam going to ring the vets now and see how piglets doing, cheers for now.
 
I do hope Piglet will be ok. Maryh gives excellent advice :)
 
Thanks Lavenderjade.I am on a learning curve as much as anyone else with piggies.They are so complex and seem to suffer with so many "mystery" problems.
My mob amaze me every day with something or other new in the behaviour pattern.
 
Youre not far from me actually Mary, I am in Surbiton, Surrey. Could I ask which vet you use? I have been to O`Meara`s in Chessington but that was only a consultation although she seemed to know her stuff :)
 
lavenderjade

Thanks for asking about piglet, he is still at the vets, the vet has just rung me, they are keeping him in over night, she said that anaesthetics are a lot for guinea pigs to handle at any time but because piglet wasn't very well, he is still a bit dozy and weak, and they are trying to encourage him to eat and drink through a syringe, he's taking little amounts, but they need him to be brighter and feeding more.

The vet did say that because he hasn't eaten properly for so long his gut may not be working properly, so she has given him some medication to try to get things moving.

Anyway, they are keeping him nice and warm, tomorrow is the vets day off but she said she will call in the morning to see how he's doing.

Earlier, when the veterinary nurse rang me I felt so relieved that he had come through ok, and things were looking up, but now iam not so sure, iam just hoping that its just the anaesthetic taking its time to wear off-----and the fact that he is weak.

I don't think he is out of the wood yet ------
 
Hi Lavenderjade,

Did not realise you were so near.My vet Anne Taylor is based at O!mearas on the Ewell-By-Pass.She is a piggy expert.
Anne was taught by Peter to do the dental work without aneasthetic and is now very proficient with this.She is very interested in gps and is an excellent surgeon.She will not give up on a pig and will pull out all the stops to save one.Peter used to take his pigs to her and they would exchange information.Anne has taught another vet in the practise3Andy Bradnock how to do the dentals and he also is very good and very interested in piggies.The Ewell practise has just taken on a new vet nurse who is a cct trained rodentologist. Andy does volunteer work for a local wildlife hospital which is often on tv.
Gp owners from all over the country come to Anne and she will always give advise on the phone(which a lot of vets will not do).
 
Oh,I do hope he will pull through,what a worry for you.
I am still wondering if the vet should have tried to do the work without aneasthetic.I can understand him thinking that the stress of the work might be a bit much as he is weak,but aneasthetic is not a good idea for a weak pig.Guinea pigs are grazers so the digestive system needs food to be passing through the gut most of the time.The system will start to break down after about 5 hours without food,possibly sooner in an already sick pig.The damage will be irriversable after about 8 to 10 hours.For this reason gps should not be starved before surgery.They are unable to vomit so there is no problem there.
AQny pig that is seen not to be eating properly must be hand fed or syringe fed straight away.

Hugs from The Epsom Mob
 
maryh said:
Hi Lavenderjade,

Did not realise you were so near.My vet Anne Taylor is based at O!mearas on the Ewell-By-Pass.She is a piggy expert.
Anne was taught by Peter to do the dental work without aneasthetic and is now very proficient with this.She is very interested in gps and is an excellent surgeon.She will not give up on a pig and will pull out all the stops to save one.Peter used to take his pigs to her and they would exchange information.Anne has taught another vet in the practise3Andy Bradnock how to do the dentals and he also is very good and very interested in piggies.The Ewell practise has just taken on a new vet nurse who is a cct trained rodentologist. Andy does volunteer work for a local wildlife hospital which is often on tv.
Gp owners from all over the country come to Anne and she will always give advise on the phone(which a lot of vets will not do).
Click to expand...

Wow thats excellent to know, better I go to the one on the Ewell by pass rather than the Chessington branch? Fingers crossed I havent had a sick piggy yet but the time will come and it is reassuring to know they are so good with guinea pigs.
Thanks Mary!
 
If Chessington is easier to get to and you need a vet anytime,give them a ring because Anne does sometimes do surgeries there.Probably better to go to Ewell though because she is there mostly,and if you needed an urgent appointment and Anne was day off,you could see Andy who is almost as good.
If you do ever go there you are welcome to call here for a coffee,we are only 4 or 5 minutes drive from the surgery.
 
I am probably in between the two, so it doesnt matter really and a coffee sounds great if I am down your way ;)
 
hello MARYH
The vet rang this morning, piglet passed away about 9-30 am, he woke, then just quietly went, he was so weak. I cant keep going through this with pets, it tears me apart.

My hubby is allergic to fur so he doesn't have anything to do with them, but has always been there for me and supportive, but for obvious reasons he doesn't get involved with them because of his allergy unlike me, I think I get too close.

Anyway, thanks again to everyone, for the support and kindness you have shown me, it did help really
 
I am so sorry Piglet has gone to the bridge. RIP little man 0:). You did your best for him, so dont feel bad.
Big hugs....we all have to go through this one day with our dearly loved pets but they touch our hearts and enrich our lives so much :smitten:
 
So sorry you have lost Piglet.,you did all you could. ,be consoled by the fact that the vet said he went quickly and peacefully.

It is always heartbreaking to lose a piggy,and it never gets any easier.


Hugs from The Epsom Mob
 
Thanks for all your kind wishes, I needed those hugs yesterday, iam moping around a bit today, piglet was the last of my pets, it really feels odd because this is the very first time in 21 years that we have been without pets and kids--------

When Piglet first stopped feeding, I dipped my toes into this forum, to read up, get some advice, and ask for help, and you were there for me, along with all your kind thoughts and wishes.

Although it has been a short experience, I can see that some of you are SO dedicated to our little friends, and just want to help anyone in difficulty, like myself, with your vast knowledge, I TAKE MY HAT OFF (IF I HAD ONE) TO ALL OF YOU.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. my very best wishes go out to you all
 
Once you have had your grieving time for Piglet, perhaps you could get a couple of young piggies from a rescue? So many need loving forever homes and you are obviously very caring and could come on here lots for a chin wag :)
 
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