Guinea pig attacked by fox and now not eating - any advice?

[ToBeFair]

One of our guinea pigs was dragged out of their run by a fox yesterday, but the fox dropped her when DH ran out after it. We found the GP and brought her in. Immediately afterwards, she was extremely scared and making distressed high pitched noises. She seems to have some bite marks and wounds around her eyes, plus is moving with some difficulty (but she can move). I don't want to examine her too much in case of hurting her and scaring her even more.

I have left her in our indoor hutch and put the other two pigs out in the run. I have left all the foodstuffs she likes in the hutch: celery, lettuce, dandeliions, GP pellets plus a water bottle. She is just sitting there looking very sorry for herself and not eating. I put her on my lap and put celery to her mouth, but she didn't eat it. She is not making the distressed noises now, even when I lifted her up.

We have had a succession of GPs for years, so I do know that when they go downhill, they go downhill fast and that not eating is a bad sign.

Am I doing the right thing? What else can I do? I'm not sure that a vet could do anything for her, or am I wrong?

Oh no, poor GP (and poor you). It is a really hard call, but I'd probably have to take it to the vet. It could be shock & sometimes they just don't recover or it could be internal bleeding or even something broken.

Oh ToBeFair Poor guinea
In your shoes I would take GP to the vet.
Aside from the shock (it can cause a GP to literally die from heart attack) you have to consider the risk of infection from the bite.
It's not a bite from a fellow guinea-pig ( same germs IYSWIM) but a feral animal that you don't know what it's carrying bacteria wise.

Guinea-pigs not eating is a bad sign too.They are such greedy little creatures and their guts have to almost constantly process food to survive (I read their livers can fail if they don't eat for a certain period).

One of my hogs jumped out of my arms this winter- he was a bit I kept an eye on him and made the call not to go to the vet- no injury, he was fine by afternoon but didn't stop him eating.

But your GP could have puncture wounds, the not eating, risk of deeper tissue trauma/infection.

Vets please.

How did the fox get on? This is my 'thing' ATM as we have gp's/prowling fox!

Hope gp improves

*in

And the lack of noise isn't always a good sign. GP are prey animals so will hide any sign of injury or illness to stop themselves being lunch.
How did the fox get your GP? My blood ran cold when I read the line 'dragged out of her run'.
We have loads of foxes round here and it's one of my fears (that and cats).
Are you other GPs ok?

Oh please take it to the vet. This happened to our GP, we thought she was ok but she died 3 days later. I felt so guilty as she obviously had internal injuries or died of shock. I wish I had taken her to the vets as I hate to think she was in pain for 3 days.

Thanks for all your posts and advice. It took a bit of ringing around, but we have a vet's appointment at 5pm (earliest I could get).

To answer the question about foxes, we have an extremely heavy run, but the fox dug under the edge of the run and somehow grabbed the guinea pig. Obviously we didn't see exactly what happened, or we would have stopped it earlier. We have had the run with GPs in it for four years and this has never happened before. But we do have several very persistent and unafraid urban foxes around here.

PS The other GPs are fine - I think that they must have run to the other end of thr run from the fox, so unaffected. I hate to say this, but this is to their advantage, because she was always the dominant one and got to the food first etc.

Good luck at the vets ToBeFairs GP.

We have a chrome/steel rabbit run and because guinea-pigs are too lazy to dig not equipped with little diggy paws, I've not put a base in (If I had bunnies I'd have to put a wire base)
Our hog house has a wooden floor raised plinth.

With all the rain the ground would be ideal for foxes digging out a tunnel.
(Makes determined note to chase them when they wander into my garden.But they are so defiant.Just glare with their nasty amber eyes).

:( poor piggy.
Hope the vet appointment goes well.

Please ask your vet for sachets of critical care and a syringe as your GP needs to be hand fed asap - not eating can kill them quickly - I think in a matter or hours something to do with their anatomy. Ask about antibiotics as well just in case of infection but you will need to get probiotics from your vet to go alongside the antibiotics.

Look on the internet there are ways of crushing their dry food and giving with a normal Calpol syringe. When my Blondie pig was ill the first thing I did was hand feed her and the vets backed this up as not eating is v v serious.

I hope little piggie is ok.

Thanks to all of you for your posts.

Good news so far: the vet examined her and said that she seemed to have only external injuries and she would recommend treatment. She cleaned her up very carefully and gave her painkillers and antibiotics in the appointment, with a course of both for us to administer over the next few days. She also gave us some Critical Care (thanks for suggesting that, as I knew to ask for it). GP has had Critical Care via syringe twice this evening and seemed to be very keen - it was almost like feeding a baby again [distant memory emoticon].

Although I couldn't say she is full of the joys of spring, the GP seems a bit happier in herself now. I am keeping her in a travel box, away from the other two GPS, for the time being. So I don't think she is out of the woods yet, but is certainly better than she was this morning, plus presumably has a full stomach. I will look up how to prepare something from crushed GP pellets tomorrow.

glad your GP is doing well. You did the right thing taking her (though I'll bet your credit card needs a lie down in a dark room).

She'll need a bit of TLC and pampering for a few days.

Amazon is good to source GP supplies. I got next day deliver for alot of my GP First Aid Box (some things took 2 days).

Weirdly, before I read your post, I was trying to catch my GP1 boar.They'd been out in the run (first time since Tuesday when they managed a couple of hours). I caught GP2 -our little boar- and put him in the Pighouse. GP1 is quite distressed when he's away from GP2. He was squeaking but I couldn't catch him. 
I <strong>did</strong> consider leaving him out, but I thought "What if a fox comes by" but not really worried about it.
Your post has really made me realise that yes, they are a threat to GPs, and as you said, your run is safe, but they <span class="italic">still</span> managed to get your GP.

Speedy recovery, GP .

Hi ToBeFair

Your vet sounds lovely.

Have your vet given you probiotics to go with the antibiotics? GPs need to have probiotics 2 hours after antibiotics otherwise they can end up with upset stomachs which is another danger to them. If she did not go onto Guinea Pig Lynx and they have information on their emergency medical pages.

Also, are you giving her critical care every few hours? I think GPs need to be fed regularly until they eat by themselves. I think after 7 hours of no food it can be fatal - cannot remember exactly where I read it but it was something about liver cells breaking down. When my blondie pig was ill we were told to feed her every 4-5 hours even during the night.

I would think about putting her back with the other pigs as they can get very upset when they are alone. When Blondie was ill the other pigs took it in turns to cuddle her and look after her until she was well. They are lovely animals.

Just to update, the GP has now had four 'meals' of Critical Care, which she seemed to enjoy. Every time I fed her until she refused more, so I think I was keeping food levels up OK. Although still quite subdued, she seems a bit more active today. And started eating fresh grass this afternoon - the first 'real food' since she was attacked.

I kept her separate from our other two GPs last night on the advice of the vet, because the cleaning up that the vet did was pretty traumatic and she needed to recover in peace and quiet. Also, because she has always been the bully of the three in the past, I thought that the change in group dynamics might not work - a small chance that they might pick on her while she was very weak.

But all three pigs are out in the run this afternoon (with extra protection to stop a fox digging under again) and they seem to be OK.

Silver73, the vet didn't give me probiotics, but the pig is on twice-daily antibiotics and pain relief. I'll see how it goes with her and can go back for probiotics if I think she needs them. For the moment, her body is probably fighting the external infection more.

Thanks again to everyone for their help. Fingers crossed she may well pull through, which I didn't think she would when I wrote my OP.

Glad she is doing well - remember to give her water via a syringe as well. I have just found this article on GP Lynx about probiotics and how you can make up a DIY probiotic.

www.guinealynx.info/probiotics.html.

Keep an eye out for diarrhea as it is a medical emergency. We lost one of our beloved pigs to it a few years ago and have now become more careful.

Most vets sell probiotics in little sachets that cost very little or you can get Avipro from people like The Hay Experts but that will take several days.

Good link Silver
I can't believe I'm going to ask this but...
when it suggests a "half a fresh dropping from a healthy cavy"- would that be the soft eating pooh or the second pooh (firmer and less whiffy one)

There's a chore I don't envy, making a GP pooh into a soloution.
(But our GP2 often has a pooh in his little bottom and I ping it out of his bum before I cuddle him or wear it on my jumper.Then endure an evening of farting, pooh eating and glaring. Him, not me, you understand)

70 that really made me laugh your GPs sound like they are really hard core! I am not sure about the poo soup to be honest as always have probiotics in the house. When Blondie was ill we gave her Avipro 2 hours after every dose of antibiotic and put in their water bottle as well.

I don't think I have ever heard or smelt a GP fart and never seen any poo eating either maybe female GPs are a little more refined? Although one of them does a mean spin wee when another GP upsets her. She aims for the face and gets them full on every time.... Had a bit of glaring after the vet gave her an injection and then she waited until she saw him again and bit him although she did enjoy the x-ray and used it as an opportunity to lie on her side banana like.

silver - I've had a jet stream pee from the boys. They pee in little spots at the edge of their hayboxes ( I steamed the Pighouse today.GP1 went into overdrive marking his territory). Their disagreements are more face-to-face like 2 male walruses.

My sows were more discreet pooh recyclers and didn't pass gas come to think of it.

I did get woken up with the unpleasant task of washing out GP2 eye (his fatty eye) because he had it part closed. I used boiled salt water and gauze and found a piece of hay 1cm long in his eye.
Did he thank me? Did he Heckers like.
The eye is back to normal thankfully.He managed to get a bite in when I wasn't looking.
I think I'd buy body armour if there were injections or X-Rays involved.
I'm just visualising how a GP would squeal with an injection Poor little souls.

One of mine had a fatty eye and Vendra at Cambridge Cavy got rid of it. Took my little piggie up there hoping to be able to stay with her when she had the procedure but Vedra declined so went shopping in a lovely little town and came back a few hours later to find my piggie grazing in a run in the sun.

Vedra can get rid of fatty eyes with local anaesthetic. So worried about when she leaves the UK she is fantastic.

My GP that had an injection did not squeal but looked very angry. When she saw the vet a weak later she bite him to tell him off about the injection. She is wonderful a real little character...

sorry *week later

His fatty eye gives him such a doleful look, like a bloodhound on one side.
He has a little porquipine face -very blunt nose, with a longer area from nostril to lip- than GP1 little rat face.

I'm going to book my boys in for a check-up at the Vets and Pets Guinea-Pig Clinic.
Should I ask for Amir (is that the right name) or a Rodentologist?

They've no health issues (Touch Wood) but I'm sure the Rescue I got them from requests that they have a Guinea MOT.

But no injections- they wouldn't cope as well as Blondie.

(They are Wusses IRL)

I would give Vets and Pets a ring and ask them. When we got two of our rescue GPs we took them up for an MOT with the rodentologist before we introduced them to our little herd. Amir was there in case she wanted him to take a look if she was worried about anything. Maybe just check that Amir is around at the same time as the rodentologist? I think the GP clinic is usually a Saturday afternoon.

Or if you are a member of Cambridge Cavy Trust you could book them in for an MOT with Vedra. Vedra said it was best to do something about the fatty eye before it got bigger and made my GP start to worry it and cause infection. Rodentologist also said the same when she saw her so maybe something to think about. I was unsure but decided to bite the bullet and glad it was sorted out. It stopped the intermitent watering in that eye which one vet thought was infection.

GP looking better again today, and back in the hutch and run with the other two from yesterday. Thanks for the tip about water via a syringe, which the GP really appreciated - she had several syringes full the first time. I am just treating here like a toddler, i.e. feeding her the food slurry and then water until she turns her head away. I assume that this is right. (I am too old for Baby Led Weaning - it don't think it had been invented when I had toddlers!) What we really need is a guinea pig bib too, as the food overflows out of her mouth sometimes.

I followed the instructions on Guinea Lynx about a pellet slurry, but adapted them. I soaked the pellets overnight, but found they were still rather too lumpy to get into a syringe, so pureed it in the food processor! This has produced a smooth pellet puree, coarser than the Critical Care, and that was very popular with the pig.

That is brilliant news ToBeFair. Really made me laugh that GP poos are in a food processor to make a probiotic for you piggie! That is the way to make the probiotics according to GP lynx.

The problem with GPs is that their anatomy is quite complicated and more like a horses (they cannot vomit either) and they have a reputation for being hardy when actually they are not as they need a lot of attention to get over illness.

Blondie pig did not start to recover until she had been on antibiotics and probiotics for 4 days. This meant feeding round the clock with critical care and giving her water. She is now very well thank goodness.

Forgot to mention. It is a good idea to weigh your GP before food twice a day to get an idea of her weight. If her weight stays the same or goes up she is having enough food. If her weight is going down (very dangerous for a GP) then you need to feed her more often. I know what you mean about them turning away when they have had enough. Blondie would put her paw on the syringe and push it away.

I would keep an eye on GP lynx they are brilliant. They have info on syringe feeding here in this link as there is a knack to it.

www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html