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Suddenly Ill, Unresponsive Young Guinea

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Liz47

Liz47

Junior Guinea Pig
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Leeds, West Yorkshire
I've just gone to give Bertie and Arnie some parsley and noticed Bertie was nowhere to be seen, a normally very greedy guinea pig, so I lifted up the igloo and just knew something was wrong. He just looked wrong, his fur is slightly puffed up and his eyes slightly closed. He went to walk but was stiff and unsteady, leaning more towards the left side I think. I've picked him up and he feels hard and he's very unresponsive, he sometimes doesn't even blink when I touch his eyes. I have no idea what has happened to him, there's nothing he could have injured himself on, nothing has changed around them and he is only 2 years old. He won't eat and I have no idea how to help him. I've rang my usual vets and they sounded very unconfident and said they wouldn't know where to start, but there's an emergency vets I'm waiting for them to ring me back. :cry:
 
When you say he feels hard - do you mean his tummy feels hard? if you tap the side of his tummy does it sound hollow? If this is the case it could be bloat - which means he should be seen asap as bloat can kill in a short time - in the meantime you can gently massage the tummy - take piggy for a ride in the car (the motion can help ) or I have seen someone on here pop piggy on a towel and put him inside a washing basket and place the washing basket on the top of a washing machine as when on spin the vibrations help - this is the only thing I can think of to help if it is this - hoping someone might come on over night who can help you - good luck
 
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Thank you for your reply, it doesn't sound hollow and it's more his entire body feels stiff and he's all hunched up. I'm not sure if it's a tummy issue or not? :(
 
There is not really much I can advise except that he needs to see the vet tonight. If they don't call back soon I would call them again. It sounds like a pain response so the vet will need to at least give Metacam. If he is not eating try mashing up his pellets and give them to him off a spoon to keep his guts going. In caring for a poorly pig we have a syringe feeding guide but I can't link on my phone. Keeping everything crossed.
 
Liz47 said:
I've just gone to give Bertie and Arnie some parsley and noticed Bertie was nowhere to be seen, a normally very greedy guinea pig, so I lifted up the igloo and just knew something was wrong. He just looked wrong, his fur is slightly puffed up and his eyes slightly closed. He went to walk but was stiff and unsteady, leaning more towards the left side I think. I've picked him up and he feels hard and he's very unresponsive, he sometimes doesn't even blink when I touch his eyes. I have no idea what has happened to him, there's nothing he could have injured himself on, nothing has changed around them and he is only 2 years old. He won't eat and I have no idea how to help him. I've rang my usual vets and they sounded very unconfident and said they wouldn't know where to start, but there's an emergency vets I'm waiting for them to ring me back. :cry:
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Please keep him quiet, calm and warm (but not hot). It sounds like he could have had a stroke or a very bad seizure.

Please start syringe feeding and watering him. Start with only very little at first (about 1/5-1/4 of a 1 ml syringe) to make sure that he can swallow and always wait until he has swallowed everything before giving more. Do so little but often, the more often the less has gone in. If your boy is too apathetic to swallow, then stop. In that case, he is sadly dying.
Our step-by-step guide contains tips on what you can do with what you have got at home in an emergency. Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Here is our piggy savvy recommended UK vets link (which is our default as you have not listed any location). You may want to contact the clinic that is closest to you for more advice if your own vet is not able to: Guinea Pig Vet Locator
 
Sorry I haven't updated sooner, he was seen in the early hours and kept comfortable with pain medication, fluids and being syringe fed with Arnie there for company. The vet had a good feel of his stomach and bladder and he was squealing when she felt his bladder so it looks like bladder stones or a blockage. I'm just on my way to work after being at the vets this morning to speak to the vet, he is having x rays this morning and depending on the result either medication or potentially surgery. I will be at work all day so my partner is taking the call after he's had his x rays and I will be checking my phone when I can for a text from him. Poor Bertie but I hope its treatable compared to something neurological like I was worried about. I hope he will be ok :( Thank you for all the thoughts and advise x
 
Liz47 said:
Sorry I haven't updated sooner, he was seen in the early hours and kept comfortable with pain medication, fluids and being syringe fed with Arnie there for company. The vet had a good feel of his stomach and bladder and he was squealing when she felt his bladder so it looks like bladder stones or a blockage. I'm just on my way to work after being at the vets this morning to speak to the vet, he is having x rays this morning and depending on the result either medication or potentially surgery. I will be at work all day so my partner is taking the call after he's had his x rays and I will be checking my phone when I can for a text from him. Poor Bertie but I hope its treatable compared to something neurological like I was worried about. I hope he will be ok :( Thank you for all the thoughts and advise x
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Fingers very firmly crossed for this poor boy! Thank you for updating!
Here are our tips for post-op care if you need them: Tips For Post-operative Care
 
Oh no... I cannot add anything useful but I have my fingers firmly crossed. :hug:
 
Thank you everyone :)

I picked them up this evening so he could settle better at home as they're both nervous pigs. The X rays showed no stones or a blockage, so the vet thought he could've got rid of the blockage with the medication he was given throughout the night or it may have been a seizure, although that wouldn't explain his bladder sensitivity. I was allowed to take him home as he has been moving around and nibbling bits and drinking, he's looking a lot better but still quiet and not himself. He's got metacam and emeprid (think that's how it's spelt, a gut stimulant) to last until tomorrow and he has another appointment at 3pm tomorrow to check how he is. Hopefully if it was tummy/bladder issues he will keep improving but if not we will investigate further. Thank you again for the thoughts x
 
Liz47 said:
Thank you everyone :)

I picked them up this evening so he could settle better at home as they're both nervous pigs. The X rays showed no stones or a blockage, so the vet thought he could've got rid of the blockage with the medication he was given throughout the night or it may have been a seizure, although that wouldn't explain his bladder sensitivity. I was allowed to take him home as he has been moving around and nibbling bits and drinking, he's looking a lot better but still quiet and not himself. He's got metacam and emeprid (think that's how it's spelt, a gut stimulant) to last until tomorrow and he has another appointment at 3pm tomorrow to check how he is. Hopefully if it was tummy/bladder issues he will keep improving but if not we will investigate further. Thank you again for the thoughts x
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Please keep weighing him daily at the same time to monitor his food intake and if necessary, step in with topping him up with syringe feed and water. It is important to keep up his fighting strength and keep the guts going.
Here are our step-by-step tips including what you can do with what you have got handy at home in an emergency: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
Thank you, he is only picking at bits of certain foods so I will be syringe feeding, thank you for the link I have read it and will follow it. He is also not using the water bottle, I don't think they can have a little bowl due to it getting messy and the bacteria can make them poorly? So I will be syringing him water as well. He has had a dose of pain killer and gut stimulant for this evening, so I was hoping he would be more perky and interested in food by now. :(
 
I make hay and veggie smoothies in my blender to help supplement. My boyfriend almost drank one once he said it looked good and healthy :) maybe try favorite treats and give cardboard toys to chew for extra fiber.
 
Liz47 said:
Thank you, he is only picking at bits of certain foods so I will be syringe feeding, thank you for the link I have read it and will follow it. He is also not using the water bottle, I don't think they can have a little bowl due to it getting messy and the bacteria can make them poorly? So I will be syringing him water as well. He has had a dose of pain killer and gut stimulant for this evening, so I was hoping he would be more perky and interested in food by now. :(
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Please offer him water by syringe, as much as he will take each time. it is important to keep him hydrated.
 
Thank you both. He is taking lots of water by syringe which I am offering regularly until he stops taking it willingly, I've popped a little bowl next to him too which I am keeping an eye on to make sure it's not getting dirty but will take this out before I go to bed and keep getting up every 1-2 hours to water and check on him. I will mash some hay and veggies up to give him something different from critical care, he seems to be eating celery the most which isn't his usual choice.
 
Liz47 said:
Thank you both. He is taking lots of water by syringe which I am offering regularly until he stops taking it willingly, I've popped a little bowl next to him too which I am keeping an eye on to make sure it's not getting dirty but will take this out before I go to bed and keep getting up every 1-2 hours to water and check on him. I will mash some hay and veggies up to give him something different from critical care, he seems to be eating celery the most which isn't his usual choice.
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Please make sure that up to 80% of syringe food is fibre to keep the guts balanced. It is not unusual that with pain etc. some food groups get dropped and the favourite food changes.

Have you tried fresh herbs and grass? In my experience, that is usually something that goes down best with piggies with an iffy appetite.

If your boy is not moving around, please spot clean or change the cosy/bedding once or twice daily depending on the amount of soiling. If necessary, give a gentle bum bath with a damp wipe.
 
Wiebke said:
Please make sure that up to 80% of syringe food is fibre to keep the guts balanced. It is not unusual that with pain etc. some food groups get dropped and the favourite food changes.

Have you tried fresh herbs and grass? In my experience, that is usually something that goes down best with piggies with an iffy appetite.

If your boy is not moving around, please spot clean or change the cosy/bedding once or twice daily depending on the amount of soiling. If necessary, give a gentle bum bath with a damp wipe.
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Thank you again for your detailed and helpful replies. I am giving Oxbow Critical Care and I have some made by Supreme which just says recovery food on the sachet, will check fibre and have been adding hay and veggies although he is unwilling to swallow and a lot ends up down his chin. I have been offering coriander and parsley, which is usually a favourite, but he has not eaten any. I sadly don't have access to fresh grass although they have readigrass but he isn't eating any. He moves around a bit but not much so will keep an eye on his bottom and cage, they were cleaned out today whilst they were at the vets and use fitch which I find is quite absorbent.

If it is a gut issue, although his X ray was clear, how long do piggies take to recover? I am concerned he should be doing better than he is given the meds he has had, he has eaten barely anything and shows no interest. I don't know what else it could be unless he has had a seizure or something like a stroke which the vet mentioned, although he did squeak when she felt his bladder which he is not doing now. Is there any further scans/tests I could ask for at his appointment tomorrow?
 
Liz47 said:
Thank you again for your detailed and helpful replies. I am giving Oxbow Critical Care and I have some made by Supreme which just says recovery food on the sachet, will check fibre and have been adding hay and veggies although he is unwilling to swallow and a lot ends up down his chin. I have been offering coriander and parsley, which is usually a favourite, but he has not eaten any. I sadly don't have access to fresh grass although they have readigrass but he isn't eating any. He moves around a bit but not much so will keep an eye on his bottom and cage, they were cleaned out today whilst they were at the vets and use fitch which I find is quite absorbent.

If it is a gut issue, although his X ray was clear, how long do piggies take to recover? I am concerned he should be doing better than he is given the meds he has had, he has eaten barely anything and shows no interest. I don't know what else it could be unless he has had a seizure or something like a stroke which the vet mentioned, although he did squeak when she felt his bladder which he is not doing now. Is there any further scans/tests I could ask for at his appointment tomorrow?
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I still think that it could have been a stroke or seizure, and in that case, there is sadly not a lot you can do. The bladder can be an unrelated issue that has come to light.

All you can do at the moment is to support your poorly boy as best as you can. You can give any recovery food, mushed up pellets (for familiar taste) or a mix of them, whatever goes down best. If a piggy is totally off food, then you have to feed little, but often - the frequency depends on the amount you can get into him in a session. If you can, try to feed around every 2-3 hours during the day, so you have to get up only once or twice during the night. Also make sure that you syringe as much water as he will take to rpevent dehydration. it can help to give hand warm water or recovery food to a very ill piggy.
Give everything slowly, in the rhythm that he can cope with - whether that is 1/10 of a syringe with a very weak guinea pig that struggles to swallow or half of a syringe with one that is more alert, but not yet eating on its own and actively sucking from the syringe. Right now, you are mostly aiming at keeping him alive and the guts moving.
There is no fixed time limit; it takes as long as it takes. I sincerely hope that your boy will rally round and be a bit brighter by tomorrow, but he may rely on syringe feeding for a while more. You just can't tell - especially as long as any diagnosis is just guesswork.

I am very sorry; it is always such a stressful and upsetting time, as well as emotionally and physically very tiring. :(
 
Thank you. Bertie has been fitting this morning and is unable to move his body, taking him to the vets now. :(
 
He was given oxygen but he had no feeling in his feet or legs so he's been helped to the bridge. My poor boy. Thank you everyone for your help and thoughts x
 
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