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Small pets

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Original poster

Sick guinea pig - what to do?

39 replies

ChocolateLover2000 · 17/10/2021 19:07

One of our guinea pigs was losing weight so on Wednesday I took him to the vets. Two separate vets said he had overgrown molars which needed to be trimmed. On Friday he had his molars trimmed at the vets who seemed more confident with guinea pigs. Unfortunately he's really not eaten much since then, not drunk any water and barely pood. We got liquid food for him and guinea pig laxatives but he's not really improved. He only eats the liquid food, very little else. I feel that surely this is only going one way and we are going to end up having to have him PTS. I know the lack of poos is a bad sign in guinea pigs.

Husband is more inclined to persevere than me. I feel I can't be hand feeding a guinea pig several times a day with two kids and while working - can I? Especially when it's probably just going to prolong things.

Piggy is only 2.5 years and currently lively enough while we keep with the liquid food, so I feel awful about this. But from everything I've read it's just not likely to get much better. Even if he survives this and goes back to eating normally his molars might well get overgrown again quite quickly.

What am I meant rto do?
W

OP posts:
Original poster
ChocolateLover2000 · 17/10/2021 19:08

No idea what happened at the end of that post!!

OP posts:
twointhemorning · 17/10/2021 22:08

Oh poor piggy. What medication and liquid food is he on? Is the food called Critical Care? It is very time consuming to administer. My vets took my poorly piggy in every day for the nurses to Syringe feed him. He pulled through. We weren't feeding him enough!

Has he got painkillers such a Loxicom (also called Metacam)? Are the vets aware he's not pooping? He may need some medication to get his guts moving as well.

Maflingo · 17/10/2021 22:18

He’s probably sore from the trimming. Did they give you any pain relief? see if you can tempt with “treats” like strawberry tops/parsley/ apple, but if he’s not eating hay/pellets there is only so much that critical care can do. So I’d be back at the vets ASAP. Hope he improves Flowers

twointhemorning · 17/10/2021 22:20

If you are near Northampton, vet Simon Maddock is an expert in guinea pig dental care Northlands Vets

Original poster
ChocolateLover2000 · 17/10/2021 22:24

Thanks. He's on Science Selective Recovery and Emeprid (laxative). He really seems quite perky now but the liquid food the vets gave us has run out so not sure what happens next if he doesn't start eating hay and pellets. The only fruit/veg he will attempt are the treats like strawberry tops and carrots.

OP posts:
Original poster
ChocolateLover2000 · 17/10/2021 22:25

He's finally done some poos but they're not really normal

OP posts:
Sillydoggy · 17/10/2021 22:26

Often vets trim the teeth too short and they can't grab the food. Keep syringe feeding up but you need to do it frequently. They also need water by syringe. If piggie is eating critical care but not pooing then you are not giving enough or frequently enough. Needs to be 3-4 times a day while recovering. Don't give up just yet

Original poster
ChocolateLover2000 · 17/10/2021 22:27

Thanks. I've read about this guy. I live in the south east though and this isn't an option.

OP posts:
RamblingFar · 17/10/2021 22:28

Can guinea pigs have baby food pouches? They are quite good for ill hamsters who need a soft diet.

Sillydoggy · 17/10/2021 22:28

Mash pellets in warm water and either feed like that or mix with something yummy like stewed apple or mashed banana. You can also mix it with carrot juice if you have a juicer.

SoftSheen · 17/10/2021 22:28

Try offering some parsley, spinach, red pepper, cucumber to get him eating. And maybe ask the vet for pain relief if he doesn't already have any. 2.5 years is young for a guinea-pig.

Original poster
ChocolateLover2000 · 17/10/2021 22:28

Thanks. Where can we get more critical care from? It seems cheap enough online but vets was very expensive.

OP posts:
Sillydoggy · 17/10/2021 22:30

Critical care is available in big bags from Amazon

Sillydoggy · 17/10/2021 22:32

Baby food pouches are fine for gps as long as they are just mushed fruit/veg

Original poster
ChocolateLover2000 · 17/10/2021 22:33

Thanks everyone. I have to admit I had no idea that guinea pigs could require this level of care. We had some when I was a kid and as far as I recall they just lived for 6 years then died very quickly, no vets needed at all.

OP posts:
Warmduscher · 17/10/2021 22:33

OP, it’s really worth persevering with this. I’ve brought two guinea pigs back from the brink with critical care food. You’re right, once their gut is empty it’s game over really - they have to have food constantly moving through their gut to survive. But your pig isn’t ill - he’s just recovering from his tooth-trimming so please don’t have him pts when he could so easily recover.

There is a very knowledgable poster called @70isalimitnotatarget who might be able to offer more advice.

lochmaree · 17/10/2021 22:34

you can get critical care online or soak some pellets into a syringable mush. the nurofen/calpol syringes work quite well.

it's a good sign he has pooed now even if not normally shaped, hopefully that will improve. give him whatever he will eat (within reason!) - anything particularly tasty that he loves. just to get him eating. hope he gets better!

Warmduscher · 17/10/2021 22:35

@ChocolateLover2000

Thanks everyone. I have to admit I had no idea that guinea pigs could require this level of care. We had some when I was a kid and as far as I recall they just lived for 6 years then died very quickly, no vets needed at all.
This is the deal when you have a pet, really. You have to do your absolute best to care for them - he’s relying on you to pull him through!
Newfluff · 17/10/2021 22:36

Critical care from amazon or any pet supermarket, it's the same but a fraction of the price the vets charge. I am a lot harder than most on this forum, I have no qualms about pts if they are suffering but if he is happy and doing well I would persevere.

Original poster
ChocolateLover2000 · 17/10/2021 22:38

Thanks everyone.
Last question: we've had him separated from his buddy during this period. Is it time to bring his buddy back to join him do you think?

OP posts:
Sillydoggy · 17/10/2021 22:40

You might need to cut some cucumber, or similar into long thin strips to make it easier to eat. If he is willingly eating the food it is just a case of getting enough in there until he recovers.

Blossomandbee · 17/10/2021 22:41

Did he have it done under anaesthetic? If so sometimes the anaesthetic can depress them and they don't recover.
It's worth persevering of course unless he's suffering. Guinea pigs are graze animals and need almost constant food including hay to keep their digestion functioning. They shut down very quickly if this becomes compromised in any way.
Also worth noting that overgrown teeth often re occur so if he makes it through this episode you will need to keep an eye on them and possibly need this treating again.

Sillydoggy · 17/10/2021 22:43

I think they are always Happier with their friends but even once he isn't syringe feeding he might be slower to eat and friend will steal all the food before him so make sure he is getting his fair share!

twointhemorning · 17/10/2021 22:52

Guinea pigs are tricky creatures. In my experience non-savvy guinea pig vets always seem to diagnose a dental issue when it isn't. Your piggy could have another underlying issue e.g. bladder stones or cystitis. My 3 year old piggy stops eating and pooping when stressed. Along with Loxicom, Emeprid and Metaclopramide, the vet prescribes Nutracys+ which lines the bladder and contains Tryptophan to reduce stress and anxiety. Guinea pig bladders are very similar to cats.

Regalhen · 17/10/2021 23:26

Sorry to hear about your little pig; dental problems are hard to treat. I'm in the same position with one of mine, but as a pp mentioned, dental problems are usually secondary to something else going on.

My little piggy has heart failure which i have daily meds for, but also had a uti on top which pushed her over the edge last week.

If you are syringe feeding, piggies need a lot of mls per day - if he isn't eating at all he needs minimum of 40 - 60 mls per day. Is he eager to eat the syringe feed? That's a really good sign if he is. I feed mine every three hours during the day in a fairly relaxed ten minute slot in front of the tv

I use emeraid and critical care - got both from Amazon as well as syringes. Emeraid is much easier to feed than critical care as it doesn't get stuck so much in syringe, but fibre content in Critical Care is better

I've also got D Mannose powder for pets for uti support. Probably the best thing for my piggy was getting Fibreplex tube gel and giving 1ml twice a day - my piggy was fighting syringe feeding. I think she had abdominal discomfort / nausea and wasn't interested in any feeding, but after a couple of doses seemed so much happier to take food