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Small pets

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Original poster

Poorly GP - what are his chances

13 replies

agnesf · 04/02/2012 18:16

Our male GP (aged 3) has suddenly gone downhill. Noticed he wasn't his normal lively self over last 2 days but today was looking very poorly, hardly moving and not interested in food. Don't think its anything to do with cold as he lives in a utliity room with a heater and its fairly warm in there.

Took him to vet who thinks is either a stroke or bloat. Gave him anti biotics, somthing to get his gut moving, painkillers.

has sent us home with some food you mix up with water and syringe feed.

he has managed to eat a little bit of cucmber and have squirted some of the food in his mouth. Now he his sleeping in his box, hidden under hay.

Does this sound like a situation that could be turned around or not?

other GP looking a bit worried as wondering where his chum has gone.

OP posts:
Selks · 04/02/2012 18:18

Not sounding good, sorry. But the vet will be able to tell you...did you not ask them?

Original poster
agnesf · 04/02/2012 19:01

Vet not very optimistic but DCs were there so maybe she didn't want to be too downbeat.

Was hoping someone might post a tale of miracle GP recovery to keep my hopes up esp as am meant to be giving him liquid food every 2 hours through night Sad.

Am v worried about what to about our other boy now. they are brothers and he will be very lonely. Can I get him done and get him a lady freind or is he too old to be castrated.

OP posts:
silver73 · 04/02/2012 23:33

Sorry to hear about your GP. I think you need to keep your piggie eating and hydrated. If it is bloat I think they need vibration and there are varies remedies on these two sites. In my experience a lot of vets don't know enough about GPs ...

You need to go onto this website asap and post someone will help you very soon.

[http://www.guinealynx.info/emergency.html]

also look at this one

[http://www.petergurney.com/]

Are you a member of Cambridge Cavy Trust? Vedra knows everything about how to turn a piggie around.

Thinking of you

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 04/02/2012 23:52

One of our sows (when I was a child) used to get very tender and constipated, she would not tolerate her sides being touched and used to jump about squealing when she got these attacks.

I don't know if this is the symptoms of bloat or what caused it.
Out of desperation we put her in a cardboard box full of hay and left her in peace overnight. By the morning she had eaten the hay, filled the box with droppings and was 100% again.
She did this maybe 4 times in her life (lived to be 6 IIRC). We thought she wanted to get away from her daughter, and TBH I don't think her DD would have wanted to be near her when she was like it.

Original poster
agnesf · 05/02/2012 04:02

He didn't make it Sad. I put him back in with his brother but brother just sat on him so ended up putting him in box next to cage.

Sat up feeding him but he really wasn't interested and in the end I just snuggled him up in the hay and left him in peace.

Think I may have to start new thread about finding friend for brother. We got them from a lovely rescue so think I will have to ring the lady there and ask her what the best plan is. Is he too old to be neutered?

The left behind brother was always the slightly mad and needy one of the two so not sure how he'll manage on his own.

OP posts:
louby86 · 05/02/2012 05:15

So sorry to hear your news Sad

Not sure if he's too old to be neutered as I've always had rabbits but they advise you to take your pet to an animal rescue place for the day where they'll introduce them to loads of 'suitable' friends and then yours sort of picks which one they like the most. It's what we're planning on doing when we've had our rabbit spayed.

Snowfire · 05/02/2012 12:07

Oh that's so sad, I've also got a poorly GP at the mo, Geoffrey. I found him by the side of the road abandoned in November 2010 just before the snow. He's a really sweet boy but hasn't been himself for a while. He had a uti which I treated with cranberry extract and he cheered up for a while but now he's going downhill again. I haven't taken him to the vet as ours are frankly useless with GPs and I know they'll just give pointless drugs or put him to sleep. Angry
We're just making an extra fuss of him do he knows he's loved.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 05/02/2012 12:50

Sad agnesf.
Guinea-Pigs really do seem to go downhill fast, I don't know if that's their vunerability to respiratory problems, or ,as it's been said on this site, they hide their illnesses well.

I think if you are there when your GP dies, at least you know they've had a peaceful passing.(One of my old GPs died completely out of the blue in the cage with her mum GP. Another was stretched out defiantly on the dining room floor.Again, completely unexpected.The others were all snuffly/cold-ey and passed within 24 hours)

WRT to your remaining boy. If he's healthy and fit it should be a quick operation.I was asking a lady in the local P@H, she paid £68 for hers. The man selling the GPs said it was best done early, but I suppose the risk gets worse as they get older.

I've never tried to 'pair' up GPs when they were older. We had a mum & daughter, I bought another female and the older sow didn't like her. The new sow was pg when I got her (had 1 female piglet). When the old sow died her DD got on fine with the newer ones. When we were down to a singleton, we just gave them more attention.

You could either : have your GP snipped and buy 2 sows (so that you are not in the situation of having another one alone if he goes first)

Or 2 baby boys. Older boars will accept a baby, but then when they get to 6 months, they get their Terrible Teens.

I've got 2 one year old brothers so it's a quandry I'm pondering too.

I think for now, see how he goes.He's got to realise that his cagemate is gone now Sad, he might not be up for surgery and/or a new friend.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 05/02/2012 12:53

Sad Geoffrey. Who the heck would abandon a GP at the side of the road? In winter?
They are the most ill-equipped animals to survive Angry Beggars belief. They could've dropped him at a rescue or at least in a shop or even a public toilet where he'd be found.

Snowfire · 05/02/2012 16:54

I know, it was awful poor little fella. I just don't want him to suffer now! I've given him some fresh grass which has cheered him up a bit but he hasn't said much today Sad

Snowfire · 05/02/2012 16:59

If its any help Agnesf, I've always kept Geoff on his own & he's been fine (spoilt rotten). He has always been a happy sociable sort though.
Why do pets have to die? Now I'm worried about the dogs and theres nothing wrong with them!!

didldidi · 05/02/2012 17:07

I'm so sorry to hear this agnes as the exact same this.g happened to one of our male.gp's who was only two and a half. we kept an eye on the other male half and a few days later he started to look the same. unfortunately we also lost him within the week Sad

alemci · 05/02/2012 17:13

I hope piggy is okay. It is horrible when they get ill and I have had this happen with 2 males before.

One did recover when he taken into the surgery but the other one didn't on another occasion. The vet will feed them for you.

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