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Syringe feeding piggie

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aurvandil

New Born Pup
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my little 2 year old girl has suspected bladder stones, she’s dropped about 400g in a few weeks, our first vet said nothing was up, second has given me medication for her, and referral to an X-ray, my concern is that the critical care they gave me says on the front “give 2mls, every 2 hours” this seems like a very small amount, she is eating veggies- but not nuggets and hay, is this enough to get her weight back up to healthy range?
 
aurvandil said:
my little 2 year old girl has suspected bladder stones, she’s dropped about 400g in a few weeks, our first vet said nothing was up, second has given me medication for her, and referral to an X-ray, my concern is that the critical care they gave me says on the front “give 2mls, every 2 hours” this seems like a very small amount, she is eating veggies- but not nuggets and hay, is this enough to get her weight back up to healthy range?
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I'm not sure but that seems rather a low amount for a piggie that isn't eating any hay or nuggets. If it were me I would up it to 4 or 5 mls every two hours but I'm sure someone else will have more information on this on the forum.
 
aurvandil said:
my little 2 year old girl has suspected bladder stones, she’s dropped about 400g in a few weeks, our first vet said nothing was up, second has given me medication for her, and referral to an X-ray, my concern is that the critical care they gave me says on the front “give 2mls, every 2 hours” this seems like a very small amount, she is eating veggies- but not nuggets and hay, is this enough to get her weight back up to healthy range?
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Hi and welcome

You are right that this is not enough for a guinea pig that is not eating hay (which makes over three quarters of what a guinea pig eats in a day and which is what you are basically replacing with your syringe feeding care). Veg and pellets together replace the supplementary role of wild forage in the original grass (fresh and dry) based diet on which guinea pigs have evolved and on which both their digestive system and their dental growth rate is laid out for.

You are aiming for ideally 60 ml in 24 hours but try to get at least 40 ml in; also offer water but do not force it in. You need to feed the more often the less your piggy is taking on board in one session. Make sure that you plan in rest time for yourself during the night as well as otherwise sleep deprivation will catch up with you badly at the worst time possible if this is dragging on. Control the feeding support via weighing daily first thing in the morning for best day to day comparison and to help you plan out the day ahead accordingly.

Please take the time to read our new very practical and comprehensive feeding guide which contains all the little useful how-to tips and necessary information to help you support your piggy through this crisis as best as you can.
Here is the link: All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

Please accept that at this point you are looking at slowing down the weight loss due to the immense pain/discomfort your girl is currently in. Your primary aim is to keep her as stable as you can pre-op. Recovery can only happen once any stones are out and your girl is healing, and it may take up to several months to recover fully. The good news is that as soon as the stone/stones are out, the worst of the pain is instantly gone and the relief is palpable as soon as the healing process is starting to set in about 2 days post-op. All the best for her having her op soon!
If she is suddenly deteriorating before her next appointment, please see an out-of-hours vet.
Tips For Post-operative Care
Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

For the longer term please review your diet. Keep in mind that most calcium in a piggy diet actually comes from the water (especially in a hard water country like the UK) and from the pellets (even no added calcium pellets contain significantly more calcium weight per weight than even the veg highest in calcium, kale and spinach), and not necessarily from the veg which is what most people are focussing on as they see it as the mainstay of the piggy diet. Any changes will however take several weeks to filter through the body since the calcium absorption process is complex and lengthy so please don't expect instant results. It is however crucial for the future.
Our diet guide will help you both with the general diet and any little further tweaks based on our general diet (see special diets chapter). Be aware that it is not about cutting out all calcium but about finding the sweet spot in the diet between too much and too little.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Fingers crossed for your poorly girl!
 
Has she had the X-ray yet? What other symptoms has she got other than the weight loss?
 
weepweeps said:
Has she had the X-ray yet? What other symptoms has she got other than the weight loss?
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no she gets it tommorow, she has blood from her behind, vet sent me home with medication, she’s not moving at all now, even on pain meds, she happily takes her food from me-but i haven’t seen her go to the bathroom in a while, she appears to be shaking as well- she’s clearly lethargic but has an appetite- i hear her squeaking in pain and hunching over everynow and then, another commenter said the pain will go away after her surgery- but she’s in a bad state
 
What medication have you been prescribed?

Syringe feed her as much as you can until tomorrows vet appointment. Will they operate tomorrow if they find a stone?
 
What do you mean by shaking? Does she live inside?

Sorry for all the questions just trying to get some more info
 
aurvandil said:
no she gets it tommorow, she has blood from her behind, vet sent me home with medication, she’s not moving at all now, even on pain meds, she happily takes her food from me-but i haven’t seen her go to the bathroom in a while, she appears to be shaking as well- she’s clearly lethargic but has an appetite- i hear her squeaking in pain and hunching over everynow and then, another commenter said the pain will go away after her surgery- but she’s in a bad state
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Hi

Are you keeping her warm but not hot re. shaking?
Please keep in mind that the poo output is reflecting what has gone into the mouth 1-2 days before. Think of the gut as a massive conveyor belt. You are now in the gap before you started to syringe feed more. Our syringe feeding guide link in my previous post explains this all as it is a common misconception. Please take the time to read; it will hopefully help allay some of your worries and allow you to put them into pesepctive.
 
weepweeps said:
What medication have you been prescribed?

Syringe feed her as much as you can until tomorrows vet appointment. Will they operate tomorrow if they find a stone?
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my vets changed to thursday, piggie is doing well, but still not pooping much- and it smells very bad, she’s on metacam and a medicine to get her gut working- also critical care
 
aurvandil said:
my vets changed to thursday, piggie is doing well, but still not pooping much- and it smells very bad, she’s on metacam and a medicine to get her gut working- also critical care
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All the best for tomorrow.
 
coco has declined rapidly today, despite my efforts with feeding she is loosing weight still, she is lethargic and tired, not lost her appetite but i don’t think the prognosis for my girl tommorow will be a good one, my girl is in pain and i think is losing her fight- thank you all for your advice, hopefully there’s a miracle tommorow <3
 
aurvandil said:
coco has declined rapidly today, despite my efforts with feeding she is loosing weight still, she is lethargic and tired, not lost her appetite but i don’t think the prognosis for my girl tommorow will be a good one, my girl is in pain and i think is losing her fight- thank you all for your advice, hopefully there’s a miracle tommorow <3
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HUGS

I am so very sorry. Can you contact an out-of-hours vet? They are not cheap but they are there for situations like yours.
How to contact a vet out of hours

Our practical care information for guinea pigs in crisis: Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

For the worst case scenario, here is our very practical and detailed guide to help you if you are at home with a dying piggy and there is nobody around who can guide you through the process: A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs

I am keeping my fingers very firmly crossed for your poorly piggy.
 
i can’t access my emergency vet hospitals due to the time and my health, her appointment is in 7 hours, hopefully i can at very least keep her comfy until then, i’ve read that linked page and she’s showing all signs but fitting, do you have more information on fitting if it should occur?
 
Hi, I'm so sorry this is happening. When I lost 2 of my babies this year the fitting was the final stage before they passed away. Now, in my experience as this happened with both my girls, it wasn't until they completely stopped eating for at least 24 hours and stopped pooping that this occurred. Of course, this may not be the case for every piggie.

They also went very limp, their whole body went floppy and they could not even walk due to being so weak. They also began breathing crackly as if pneumonia or something was setting in. I really am praying 🙏 for you and your little one x
 
All I could do was keep them comfortable, snuggled in my arms until they passed. When they began to fit I kept hold of them, cuddled and talked to them until they left for Rainbow Bridge. It truly is devastating x
 
aurvandil said:
coco has declined rapidly today, despite my efforts with feeding she is loosing weight still, she is lethargic and tired, not lost her appetite but i don’t think the prognosis for my girl tommorow will be a good one, my girl is in pain and i think is losing her fight- thank you all for your advice, hopefully there’s a miracle tommorow <3
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I’m so sorry to hear that. Hoping for a miracle for her. 🤞🏻
 
hello everyone, coco was put to sleep this morning at 9, she’s not in pain anymore, thank you all for your continued support, I'm sorry i couldn’t save her
 
Oh I’m so sorry. Popcorn pain free over the bridge gorgeous Coco. Take care ❤️
 
aurvandil said:
hello everyone, coco was put to sleep this morning at 9, she’s not in pain anymore, thank you all for your continued support, I'm sorry i couldn’t save her
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BIG HUGS

You can sadly not win every battle because that is not in your countrol; but you can always do your best for a well ill and struggling pet in your care. You have not failed Coco.

Please accept that feelings of failure, guilt and intense soul searching are characteristic of the onset the onset of your grieving process. You wouldn't feel them if you weren't a loving and responsible owner in the first place. This is usually stronger after losing a major battle in which you have given so much of yourself and forged a much closer bond.
And of course, it doesn't help that it is so close to Christmas and you are so not in the mood and very exhausted in the bargain. I am there myself at the moment and I feel for you. :(
If you struggle with strong but unexpected feelings and need help to make sense of them, then you will find our grieving guide helpful for yourself; especially if the free Blue Cross pet bereavement services are closed over the holidays: Human Bereavement: Grieving, Processing and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children

If Coco has a companion, then here is what you can do for them right now and in the coming days: Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig

You may find that it helps you to light a candle for Coco (in safe dish) during any festivities as a symbol that she is present with you in your thoughts but that you can also laugh and enjoy the company and food and not have to feel bad about it. Be kind to yourself; it is OK not to be OK for you right now and not to be in the mood, either!
We have done this every year for my dad, who passed away not all that long before Christmas; it helps to acknowledge the white elephant that is in the room but also leave space for whatever else is going on.
Make sure that you get some sleep and pamper yourself; you deserve it!
 
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