Urgent enquiry, can I syringe feed pellets

[Josie_lg]

Hello, I am new to the forum so hope I’m doing this right. I have had my almost 18 week old guinea pigs for over 5 weeks now. We went to the vets Tuesday due to increased sneezing, squeaky sound from nose (it was not vocalisation) and rather smelly poop which I decided to get tested for parasites and infection. I work in a vet practice myself so have a fair amount of knowledge on Guinea pigs. Due to the pandemic vet practices are limited. And the vet I would have preferred to see isn’t working at the moment. This vet checked them over and prescribed Baytril to be on the safe side. I asked if we needed a probiotic, he said only is they react to the antibiotic. We started the medication Tuesday evening, it’s currently Thursday afternoon and one of the piggies who happens to be the heaviest so has the biggest dose has been reacting quite badly to it. Straight away we took them all off the antibiotics and have been monitoring closely. she is naturally a quiet piggie and fussy with her food. However, she is being fussier than usual (due to the Baytril) and the poops have been slightly abnormal (a little bit squishy aswell as some smaller ones) which the vet has seen pictures of. She pooped a good few normal ones after having a snuggle with me.
what my main query here, is syringe feeding. She’s eating hay on and off but I wanted to feed some critical care I had in my cupboard , only to find the best before was January 2020, is this safe to use or not? If not what can I do urgently instead, Will soaking some pellets and syringe feeding some of that help her at all? I’m ordering some benebac to come ASAP as I know Baytril can upset their gut bacteria.
does anyone else have any experience with this, I love them all so much and I’m terrified I’m going to loose her.
appreciate any answers.
josie x

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’s absolutely fine to feed mushed pellets in place of critical care - mix them with some boiled water, let it cool and then syringe as you would critical care.

I’m not sure stopping the antibiotics is a good idea though.

 

[Claire W]

Hello and welcome. Please take your piggies off of fresh vegetables for 24 to 48 hours until the poos firm up just feeding hay and pellets and fresh water.

I wouldn’t use the CC but yes, you can soak the pellets in warm water and syringe feed those. There is a syringe feeding guide in the sticky part of the health and illness section. Sorry, I can’t link in the thread as I am currently on my phone.

Please do not stop giving the baytril without consulting your vet

 

[Josie_lg]

It’s absolutely fine to feed mushed pellets in place of critical care - mix them with some boiled water, let it cool and then syringe as you would critical care.

I’m not sure stopping the antibiotics is a good idea though.

Amazing thank you so much for your quick response. She’s just been munching on hay pellets and drink some water. The vet advised to take off of the antibiotics. And I heard that Baytril should only be given to adult Guinea pigs, and Bactrim to young ones, so if this is true they shouldn’t be having it anyways. I will try soaking some pellets thanks x

 

[Josie_lg]

Hello and welcome. Please take your piggies off of fresh vegetables for 24 to 48 hours until the poos firm up just feeding hay and pellets and fresh water.

I wouldn’t use the CC but yes, you can soak the pellets in warm water and syringe feed those. There is a syringe feeding guide in the sticky part of the health and illness section. Sorry, I can’t link in the thread as I am currently on my phone.

Please do not stop giving the baytril without consulting your vet

Hiya, thank you! Two of the piggies aren’t even phased by it and their poops are fine. One of the other piggies has had smaller poops and obviously this one that’s reacting to it. So I will try taking them off veggies maybe. And I’ve just had a read through the syringe feeding guide so thank you! Have you ever had any piggies on Baytril yourself? Josie x

 

[Josie_lg]

Also I must ask if you guys suggest Bene-Bac, as a probiotic for young Guinea pigs just to help her gut bacteria maybe? Or any other probiotic you suggest? :/ xx

 

[Claire W]

Hiya, thank you! Two of the piggies aren’t even phased by it and their poops are fine. One of the other piggies has had smaller poops and obviously this one that’s reacting to it. So I will try taking them off veggies maybe. And I’ve just had a read through the syringe feeding guide so thank you! Have you ever had any piggies on Baytril yourself? Josie x

Yes I’ve had piggies on baytril before but they’ve never been affected by it. I did give them a probiotic at least an hour after the baytril though so I suggest you get hold of a probiotic if you can. I’ve never heard of bene bac but it should be fine if it’s a probiotic

 

[Josie_lg]

Yes I’ve had piggies on baytril before but they’ve never been affected by it. I did give them a probiotic at least an hour after the baytril though so I suggest you get hold of a probiotic if you can. I’ve never heard of bene bac but it should be fine if it’s a probiotic

Thank you, I believe it’s normally in the USA? Do you know what probiotic you used when giving the medication x

 

[Claire W]

Thank you, I believe it’s normally in the USA? Do you know what probiotic you used when giving the medication x

I used Pro C from pets at home or fibreplex x

 

[Josie_lg]

I used Pro C from pets at home or fibreplex x

Thanks. I’ve just ordered some fibreplex to come tomorrow. Thank you for all the advice x

 

[Killeroc]

Sorry to interrupt the thread, but a little overwhelmed by our sick pig if anyone might have any suggestions. Do you know how long it takes for fibreflex takes to work? Our little pig has had diarrhoea which start towards the start of the week. We took him off all veg but it hasnt gone away. The vet gave us Fibreflex and Critical Care yesterday and took a stool sample but just want it to kick in asap. He loves snuggles but now he seems just to hide all the time and his weight has dropped a little.

 

[Siikibam]

@PigglePuggle @Piggies&buns @VickiA

 

[Piggies&buns]

Sorry to interrupt the thread, but a little overwhelmed by our sick pig if anyone might have any suggestions. Do you know how long it takes for fibreflex takes to work? Our little pig has had diarrhoea which start towards the start of the week. We took him off all veg but it hasnt gone away. The vet gave us Fibreflex and Critical Care yesterday and took a stool sample but just want it to kick in asap. He loves snuggles but now he seems just to hide all the time and his weight has dropped a little.View attachment 142369

Fibreplex and critical care are a fibre source, they help to rebalance the gut in a poorly piggy and cc acts as a food source for a piggy who isn’t eating hay for themselves. You just need to give it until he starts to eat for himself. Once his guts rebalance he will hopefully start to feel better and start to eat for himself, but it will likely be a while, certainly not within a day.
This guide below provides further information . I hope he feels better soon

Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

 

[Killeroc]

Fibreplex and critical care are a fibre source, they help to rebalance the gut in a poorly piggy and cc acts as a food source for a piggy who isn’t eating hay for themselves. You just need to give it until he starts to eat for himself. Once his guts rebalance he will hopefully start to feel better and start to eat for himself, but it will likely be a while, certainly not within a day.
This guide below provides further information . I hope he feels better soon

Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

He's still eating pellets, hay and taking water. Thanks for the advice and the peace of mind.

 

[Piggies&buns]

He's still eating pellets, hay and taking water. Thanks for the advice and the peace of mind.

It’s great that he is eating hay. Weigh him daily (at the same time each day) to ensure he is getting enough food hay and top up syringe feeds into him and not dropping weight

 

[Killeroc]

It’s great that he is eating hay. Weigh him daily (at the same time each day) to ensure he is getting enough food hay and top up syringe feeds into him and not dropping weight

Thanks. Will do. Do you know is it possible to mask CC with something like mint or advise against it?

 

[Freela]

Baytril affects some pigs and not others. I've had a pig on long-term Baytril who thankfully was just fine with it, but it gave two of my other pigs probably upset stomachs and weird behavioral issues (one of them compulsively tried to eat non-nutritive items like my drywall and my carpet, probably in an effort to rebalance her gut flora... that was a rough couple weeks!) Giving a probiotic supplement can help. In the absence of that, it's also possible to make 'poop soup' by syringe-feeding the poops of a healthy guinea pig... guinea pigs with gut flora imbalances may naturally try to eat the poop of a healthy guinea pig and you are just helping them out there. It's gross, but it does work, and guinea pigs naturally balance their digestion this way.

 

[Killeroc]

Thanks for all your input. Pan has definitely started to have a change with his poo being almost all formed now, but still soft. He's really not a fan of syringes or CC but hopefully it will bring him back to himself soon. Thanks again.