Small poop/ less eating hay/ weight loss

[Sfluffkin]

Hi everyone
One of my guinea pig name Caramel (9months) has been sneezing so I went to the vet for checkup. The vet gave me antihistamine for 5 days(been giving him for 4 days now), but he has been eating less hay, less drinking and lose 60 grams weight as for today. His poops has become small than normal. He still eating hay but in small amounts. He eats his veges and pellets like normal. Been giving him green leaf, coriander, cucumber, bell peppers and carrots. I’m not sure whats going on. What should I do to make him eat more hay?

 

[Missy123]

did you go to vet again for check up?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Was he checked for a URI?
is he still sneezing, was he give any medication such as antibiotics? Or only the antihistamine?

Your piggy is losing weight and having small poops because he isn’t eating enough. He sounds like he is poorly, I don’t think antihistamine is going to help much.
Pellets and veggies only jointly make up 20% of the daily food intake so without eating hay, your piggy is not getting enough food so you must step in and syringe feed your piggy straight away. You will need to weigh him daily to ensure his weight stabilises. You will need to syringe feed between 40-90ml in a 24 hour period and this may mean syringe feeding small amounts round the clock. Weighing him is important as ita the only way to know you are syringe feeding enough food to him.

Is there another, perhaps more knowledgeable, vet you can take your piggy to?

These guides below will help you with how to syringe feed. You must step in and do this to prevent further weight loss and to ensure his gut stays functioning properly

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

 

[Sfluffkin]

did you go to vet again for check up?

No, I went last Wednesday and the vet gave antihistamine for 5days and monitor how it goes. They also gave me antibiotics if his flu still there. But the vet does not recommend to give antibiotics. His flu now is ok just he eating less hay and less drinking. Except for veges and pellets

 

[Sfluffkin]

Was he checked for a URI?
is he still sneezing, was he give any medication such as antibiotics? Or only the antihistamine?

Your piggy is losing weight and having small poops because he isn’t eating enough. He sounds like he is poorly, I don’t think antihistamine is going to help much.
Pellets and veggies only jointly make up 20% of the daily food intake so without eating hay, your piggy is not getting enough food so you must step in and syringe feed your piggy straight away. You will need to weigh him daily to ensure his weight stabilises. You will need to syringe feed between 40-90ml in a 24 hour period and this may mean syringe feeding small amounts round the clock. Weighing him is important as ita the only way to know you are syringe feeding enough food to him.

Is there another, perhaps more knowledgeable, vet you can take your piggy to?

These guides below will help you with how to syringe feed. You must step in and do this to prevent further weight loss and to ensure his gut stays functioning properly

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

I went to the vet last 2 weeks, they gave me antihistamine but so little the amount I managed to gave only for 2 days. So I went again to the vet but more experience vet. And she gave me antihistamine and antibiotics to see how it goes for 5 days. If still have flu, she told me give antibiotics. She suspected my piggy has rhinitis. I can see his flu is ok now but he is eating small amount of hay but eat alot of veges and pellets. His poops are small than usual but still in normal shape. I dont know how to make him eat more hay. His weight was 679, and now went down to 628 these 4 days

 

[Piggies&buns]

Guinea pigs do not get flu. They get respiratory infections that require a full course of antibiotics (usually 10 days worth). if your piggy cannot breathe properly then he will be reluctant to eat as the need to breathe comes first. This is why you need to syringe feed. If you’ve not even been given enough of Any of the medication then the problem isnt going to get better. Youll need to take him back to the vet.

sneezing can be because they’ve got an irritation in the airways (but a URI should be ruled out first given they can be fatal if left untreated). Is his hay dusty? What bedding is he kept on?

Guinea Pigs should not eat lots of veg and pellets - they should only have 50 grams of veg per day and one tablespoon of plain pellets per day. The rest of their daily food intake must be hay. Eating little bits of hay and not properly eating lots of it will be why he is losing weight and has small poops. He must be syringe fed to maintain his weight while he is not eating enough hay. He will not be able to maintain his weight on veg and pellets as they make up the smallest part od the diet. Veg and pellets will not keep the gut functioning properly, the fibre in hay will do that

the fact he has lost 50 grams of weight is reason to step in and syringe feed him now. Syringe feeding replaces the hay he is not eating for himself, until he is feeling well enough to eat hay

 

[Sfluffkin]

Guinea pigs do not get flu. They get respiratory infections that require a full course of antibiotics (usually 10 days worth). if your piggy cannot breathe properly then he will be reluctant to eat as the need to breathe comes first. This is why you need to syringe feed. If you’ve not even been given enough of Any of the medication then the problem isnt going to get better. Youll need to take him back to the vet.

sneezing can be because they’ve got an irritation in the airways (but a URI should be ruled out first given they can be fatal if left untreated). Is his hay dusty? What bedding is he kept on?

Guinea Pigs should not eat lots of veg and pellets - they should only have 50 grams of veg per day and one tablespoon of plain pellets per day. The rest of their daily food intake must be hay. Eating little bits of hay and not properly eating lots of it will be why he is losing weight and has small poops. He must be syringe fed to maintain his weight while he is not eating enough hay. He will not be able to maintain his weight on veg and pellets as they make up the smallest part od the diet. Veg and pellets will not keep the gut functioning properly, the fibre in hay will do that

the fact he has lost 50 grams of weight is reason to step in and syringe feed him now. Syringe feeding replaces the hay he is not eating for himself, until he is feeling well enough to eat hay

ok thanks! I will do that

 

[Siikibam]

Also make sure you weigh him at the same time every day. Hope he turns a corner.