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Sick guinea pig

jrascon

jrascon

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I have a male guinea pig around 5 and he is barely eating, he eats when we feed him from a syringe and doesn’t fight it. His coat is puffed and fluffier than usual. He has less energy and is making very few sounds. I’ve had two guinea pigs that have gotten sick before we took them to a vet and they got “Oxbow Critical care” but it was too late to save them and they passed away. But with him we gave it to him today as soon as we noticed he seemed sick. What else should I do?
 
Please take him to a vet for diagnosis and treatment. Being puffed up can be a sign that he is experiencing some pain,

Well done for stepping in and syringe feeding him. This is an emergency measure to keep the guts functioning. The syringe feeds replace the hay he is not eating for himself. You need to feed him 90ml of feed in a 24 hour period. You also need to weigh him daily to ensure you are feeding him enough. If he loses weight, then you need to feed him more food.

Let us know how you get on at the vet

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
Just to add - dont delay in seeing a vet. Get an emergency appt as soon as you can. It is permitted to travel during lockdown to a vet - even a specialist exotics vet further afield if your pig is already registered with one. If not, use your usual general vet but be sure to get an appt today. Pigs go down so fast, please dont delay and all the best for a good outcome.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Please take him to a vet for diagnosis and treatment. Being puffed up can be a sign that he is experiencing some pain,

Well done for stepping in and syringe feeding him. This is an emergency measure to keep the guts functioning. The syringe feeds replace the hay he is not eating for himself. You need to feed him 90ml of feed in a 24 hour period. You also need to weigh him daily to ensure you are feeding him enough. If he loses weight, then you need to feed him more food.

Let us know how you get on at the vet

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Click to expand...
Thank you for replying! He still is drinking water which is good, he won’t eat hay or pellets but will eat the critical care. I’ve been trying to convince my mom that we need to bring him to the vet so they can diagnose what is wrong with him. But she isn’t wanting to take him since we’ve had guinea pigs in the pass that have passed away from getting sick and it was too late even with bringing them to a vet. We’ve been checking on him often and feeding him and giving him water.
 
He needs to see a vet, syringe feeding him is an emergency measure to keep the guts functioning but alone isn’t going to cure whatever is making him ill. Weigh him daily so you can ensure your getting enough into him.
A piggy who wont eat for themselves is very ill and needs help. It is a legal responsibility that he is provided with vet care when he needs it.
 
Hey everyone, he sadly passed away before we could take him to the vet. 😢 We are thinking that it was probably a respiratory infection that had turned into pneumonia.
 
I am sorry for your loss. If you do have other pigs, or get others in future, get into the habit of weighing them weekly. Often that is the first sign of illness, even when they look well.

If you get pigs to the vet at the very first hint of illness - they can have a good outcome. But speed is always of the essence with pigs. They hide illness so well and if you are not weighing regularly, by the time you notice it can be too late.

Like you, i learned this lesson the hard way a few years ago. Take care.
 
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