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3 out of 4 guineas suddenly only eating hay

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liquidmelancholy

liquidmelancholy

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Since Friday morning 3 out of my 4 guineas (2 in each cage) have not been eating their breakfast of veggies, showing barely any interest in going to their veggie bowl or pellet bowl. They will have a nibble on a piece of cucumber etc if offered a slice, and have had the odd pellet over the last few days, so it's not a dental problem.

They are pretty much only eating hay on a regular basis. I took 1, Peanut, to the vet on Saturday when I thought he was the only one who seemed to be off, and the vet just said he seemed "in distress" - he had pellets stored in his cheeks and had a tiny bit of diarrhoea when she put him back into the carrier. She gave him a pain killing injection, some medicine for bloat and a pro-biotic to put in water, but otherwise she didn't know what was causing him not to eat.

Since then I've been giving him critical care which has encouraged him to try and eat a little more. But 2 of my other pigs, Maggie and Lucy are now also not eating anything other than hay and the odd slice of veg/pellet if offered. Maggie will eat critical care if offered on spoon, Lucy has to be syringe fed. She is also harassing her cage-mate Hazel (who is fine) by following her bottom around trying to eat poos I assume. Who knows what effect this might have on Hazel.

I'm at a loss as to what is causing this outbreak (minus 1 pig) of non-eating. It's really worrying me, especially as the vet didn't seem to have a clue.

The only different thing that they have in common is that they all ate a couple of dandelions each on Thursday afternoon, but I thoroughly rinsed them, as I always do. And they were fine up until Friday morning when they wouldn't eat their breakfast.

I'm taking all 3 (will be Peanut's 2nd trip) to the vets tomorrow. I just hoped someone might have any clue as to this mystery? Especially if the vet is stuck on a diagnosis too. Thanks :(
 
How are their weights? How is the poo output?

The odds 3 pigs out of 4 getting dental issues so close together must be very low. Are any of them masticating when eating? Or having problems whe picking up food?
However piggies when poorly can stop eating too. Are they feeling bloaty at all?

Where do you live? Someone may be able to suggest a piggie savy vet close by.
 
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Oh no! How worrying. I hope you can get some answers from a guinea pig savvy vet and that Hazel remains fine. I hope it's nothing serious. xx
 
sport_billy said:
How are their weights? How is the poo output?


The odds 3 pigs out of 4 getting dental issues so close together must be very low. Are any of them masticating when eating? Or having problems whe picking up food?
However piggies when poorly can stop eating too. Are they feeling bloaty at all?


Where do you live? Someone may be able to suggest a piggie savy vet close by.
Click to expand...


Their weights are all stable. And the poo is slightly less than usual (to be expected with eating next to no veggies), but they have a shape close to normal, but look quite dark and softer than usual (surprising if they are hardly drinking either.)

Only Hazel (the sole healthy pig) and Lucy are related, so I'd agree with you that all 3 having dental problems at the same time is low. I can also hear them crunching away as per normal when they do go to eat a pellet, as well as managing to chew on bits of carrot. And hay obviously isn't a problem for them. They don't look or feel bloated. I'm a bit dubious as to the bloat medication the vet gave. I've had pigs with dental issues which has led to lack of eating, which in turn led to sicky tummies, but never been prescribed anything like that before - only probiotics and fibreplex etc.

I'm near Witham in Essex. I have a great vet I see at the practice I'm registered with, and he's very familiar with my pigs so I always go and see him. Unfortunately he's been off work due to illness and not sure when he'll be back.

If anyone knows of a really superb guinea savvy vet I'd be really keen to hear from you! I'd rather wait an extra day and see someone who's an expert.
 
Is Witham anywhere near Nazeing? I know Essex is a big county. There is a great vet at Vets and Pets in Broxbourne, Herts but it is literally just over the border into Essex. His name is Amir but Yordan also has a great knowledge of pigs.

www.vetsandpetsltd.co.uk

I help at a clinic there once a month and the next one is on Saturday, though we are chockablock but could possible squeeze in an emergency. All medical issues are referred to the vet for proper diagnosis.
 
liquidmelancholy said:
Their weights are all stable. And the poo is slightly less than usual (to be expected with eating next to no veggies), but they have a shape close to normal, but look quite dark and softer than usual (surprising if they are hardly drinking either.)

Only Hazel (the sole healthy pig) and Lucy are related, so I'd agree with you that all 3 having dental problems at the same time is low. I can also hear them crunching away as per normal when they do go to eat a pellet, as well as managing to chew on bits of carrot. And hay obviously isn't a problem for them. They don't look or feel bloated. I'm a bit dubious as to the bloat medication the vet gave. I've had pigs with dental issues which has led to lack of eating, which in turn led to sicky tummies, but never been prescribed anything like that before - only probiotics and fibreplex etc.

I'm near Witham in Essex. I have a great vet I see at the practice I'm registered with, and he's very familiar with my pigs so I always go and see him. Unfortunately he's been off work due to illness and not sure when he'll be back.

If anyone knows of a really superb guinea savvy vet I'd be really keen to hear from you! I'd rather wait an extra day and see someone who's an expert.
Click to expand...

If the bloat medicine is metachlopromide otherwise known as Emeprid, don't worry its just a gut stimulant that will make them want to eat more... It pushes everything through to help avoid gut statis.

Found these vets who claim to be cavy savy, maybe woth giving them ring also jsut to see.
 
helen105281 said:
Is Witham anywhere near Nazeing? I know Essex is a big county. There is a great vet at Vets and Pets in Broxbourne, Herts but it is literally just over the border into Essex. His name is Amir but Yordan also has a great knowledge of pigs.

www.vetsandpetsltd.co.uk

I help at a clinic there once a month and the next one is on Saturday, though we are chockablock but could possible squeeze in an emergency. All medical issues are referred to the vet for proper diagnosis.
Click to expand...


Sadly both those areas are on the complete other side of Essex from me - very far west from where I am here in the eastern side of Essex. But thanks for the info :)
 
The bloat medicine is called Infacol, which I looked up and apparently is used for babies with bloat. It was prescribed 3 times a day for 3 days, so I finished the course yesterday.
I wasn't able to get to the vets today, but there has been a very slight improvement in all of their eating. Except for Lucy still following Hazel around, worrying around her face, sides and bottom. I thought it was just the bottom area because she was trying to eat poos to make up for lack of food. But she almost seems to be bullying Hazel with her constant following and worrying at her. Hazel was getting really distressed so I've put a divide down their cage for now.

Does anyone have absolutely any idea as to what would cause piggies to go off eating veggies, but able and willing to eat hay and pellets? (albeit only a few pellets.) Would the dandelions I gave them last Thursday possibly have had something on them to "poison" their tummies? Even though I thoroughly rinsed them as I always do.

Will be able to take them to the vets tomorrow, but just would like any theories as to the cause of this odd behaviour, so that I can discuss them with the vet!
 
My 2 cents: has the weather changed? Hay is the best thing for them to eat. Could it be possible that your veggies were old? Did you change veggies or where you buy them? I would make sure they are pooing and water is a must. Dandelion is good for the kidneys, so if they are gravitating to that vegetable then great. Dandelion is also a mild diuretic. It's possible since the stool is a little soft that they may have a little bacteria in their gut. **I would go with some probiotics.** If you are worried about the water intake you could do a syring of electrolytes. You can also peel the vegetables with a peeler and see if they gravitate towards that. You could do a vegetable puree but the fact that they are eating hay is a good sign. If it gets worse I would get a stool smear done. If they have a parasite or a little bug in their tummy they ****. don't want veggies. I look forward to hearing what the vet has to say.
 
I'm completely baffled by this too! I have found with poorly pigs I've had that they go off pellets first, and pellets are always the last thing that they start eating again when they're feeling better. So it sounds like they just don't want to eat them, and not that they're unable too.

The only thing I can think of, other than what has already been suggested, is that it's some kind of airborne infection/illness? Though it would then be strange that one of your piggies is happy and well...
 
I would watch the water consumption and keep a close eye on their urine, stool and weight.
 
The vet's best guess was that the dandelions may have just been a little too green for their tummies, this early in the season and them not being used to them. Peanut's poo is becoming more solid and normal shaped, but still not eating his veggies like he used to. She said he doesn't need anymore treatment, other than a little critical care to keep firming up his poos.

Maggie has still got a sicky tummy, so she's been prescribed some fibreplex. And been told to keep them off fresh veg, even though obviously they've barely been touching it anyway, which was the initial cause for concern!

Lucy has problems though. When the vet felt her abdomen she said it felt very tender and was causing her pain, so she gave her a painkilling injection. What she could feel is a growth/lump in the abdomen, pressing up near her spine. Her initial diagnosis is either that she's eaten a foreign body of some sort and it's blocked her inside (very unlikely in my opinion), or it's a lump/growth of some sort :( She said if the painkilling injection and critical care doesn't perk her up to eating more normally and stop the bullying of Hazel (which must be because she's been in pain) in the next day or two, I'll have to bring her in for an x-ray so they can ascertain what the lump is. If she does perk up, I'll obviously still need to bring her in for an x-ray, but maybe next week, so the stress of having a sicky tummy doesn't add to the stress of having the x-ray etc.

I questioned whether it was likely to be ovary related (Lucy is 4 now), but she said not likely as the lump is higher up and cystic ovaries feel different to this lump which felt "long/lean and fibrous". Does anyone have an idea what this could be?
 
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Thanks for the info. I would get the xray as soon as possible, if, after that it's still unclear go with an ultra sound. p.s. does lucy's stool smell more than the others?
Please keep us posted! :) L
 
Poor Lucy :( I hope it's nothing serious & I hope she and the others feel better soon. :)
 
I'm so confused and worried. I phoned up the vets this morning to say there's been no improvement in Lucy's eating and bullying of Hazel and asked about coming in for an x-ray today or possibly tomorrow (like the vet said to do if no improvement after yesterday's appointment), and the receptionist read the vet's notes which said bring Lucy in in 2 weeks for the x-ray! At the most she said next week, if there was improvement in her tummy etc.

Also apparently she must have an anaesthetic for the x-ray. I've taken pigs many times for x-rays there before and not needed anaesthetic, I think they used "blocks" to pen them in on the table and keep them still? I just wish my usual vet was working, but he won't be back for a few weeks :(

I really don't know what to do.. can you make an appointment with another vet to have an x-ray done, even though registered with another practice? I really think she needs this x-ray asap and without anaesthetic! How can you possibly leave an animal with a mass in their abdomen that could be a foreign body, let alone a growth/lump for 2 weeks before taking an x-ray?! Advice please :(
 
I do think an xray needs to be done ASAP, the vets I linked to can do conscious xrays, they either tape the pig to the table or use a little restraint bag.
 
gosh liquidmelancholy, what was the vets reasoning for waiting since it's your money? Hmm, I would call around and ask. I agree with helen105281. Keep us posted. I'm sorry they are being so difficult. Hang in there.
 
I have no idea why her notes said 2 weeks! She told me during the appointment to only wait as long as the beginning of next week if Lucy was improving, eating wise. And if she wasn't (which she isn't), to bring her in the following day or Friday. Her theory was that we should wait for her tummy to get better so she doesn't have the stress of an x-ray on top of a sick tummy. Which I think is silly anyway, an x-ray isn't especially stressful. Lucy has come through pneumonia and lung draining under anaesthetic when she hadn't been eating for a while due to her URI!

But anyway, I've managed to book her in for her x-ray first thing tomorrow morning, and should go in later in the afternoon to pick her up and discuss findings. The only thing that worries me is that the vet said they'll try not to use an anaesthetic to do the x-ray, but will have to if Lucy moves too much or they can't get good x-rays due to positioning.. :( I guess I'll have to say "yes" to that, because right now she's eating next to nothing and clearly in pain because of her harrassing Hazel, so there isn't really an alternative. She needs the x-ray to determine what the lump is that's stopping her from wanting to eat, and if she doesn't have one, she'll not last long anyway :(
 
My vet let me hold my guinea down for the xray. Is it possible you could ask them? Sometimes its better if you take someone with you. I'm so glad she is going in. Good for you for being persistent! Let me know how it goes. I'm sending good thoughts.. xo Lara and the gang
 
If she isn't eating you can move to critical care, and put some hay, pellets and veggies in a blender, mix it w the critical care and put some healthy yummy juice in there and syringe feed her. Otherwise you could try some organic baby food w no junk in it, my skunkers liked the banana.
 
Well in the end the vet managed to take 2 x-rays without anaesthetic. The main issue seemed to be that the whole of her abdomen/tummy was absolutely full of gas. Because she hadn't been eating, nothing was passing through to keep her digestive system ticking over, and gas was building up, making her very tender.

Because of all the gas on the x-ray, the lump on the x-ray was barely identifiable. The vet said it doesn't appear to be causing any problems, whatever the nature of it is, and she said it would probably need an ultrasound to get a better view of it. But even then, the gas has to go before being able to get a clear image from an ultrasound. To be honest, as the lump doesn't seem to be causing any distress or pain, I'm not going to investigate further with it until the point it may become an issue.

So I took her home with some painkiller - Metacam, to give once a day and had some of Peanut's Infacol for bloat left, and used that 3 times a day. Now she is eating her veggies, not as much as before, but I'm hoping she'll keep improving. She seems brighter in herself too, so very happy about that. The vet did say if she didn't pick up to the point where she was eating of her own accord and the gas didn't go away, I'd pretty much have to consider having her put to sleep. So fingers crossed things keep improving for her :)

Now the worry has gone back to Maggie. She has only been doing "cow-pat" poos for the last few days, although she's eating hay, pellets and the occasional bit of veg. Peanut, her cage-mate is completely back to normal with his tummy and eating of veggies now. So no idea why she seems to be going backwards with her tummy. I've been giving her some Fibreplex and a probiotic sachet in the water.

I have read on this forum that for diarrhoea to give a quarter of a Diocalm tablet powered down with water, so will be going out later to get some of those and see if that improves her tummy. If not, I suppose she may have a tummy bug which will need the vet and antibiotics? :(
 
If her tummy is full of gas, it can be very serious. Did the vet not give any gut stimulant at all? If you can, start syringe feeding small amounts of Recovery or Critical Care, I even use pellets like Harringtons softened with boiled water, left to cool then syringed fed every 2-3 hours including throughout the night. Gas/bloat can be fatal, so you need to start doing this straight away. I also used a car back massage cushion & sat my piggy on that as the vibrations help shift the gas. You will really need Zantac & Metoclopramide as well. Fibreplex will firm up her poops so will also help. Let us know how she gets on.

With regards to Maggie she may also have bloat, so she also needs to get a vet check up & possibly gut stimulants too. If they have all been affected it's best to take all of them to the vets at the same time.
 
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I am very sorry for the bad news. Did your vet give emeprid or metoclopramide gut stimulant to get the guts going again? If all your piggies are not eating properly, I would have checked them, too - the sooner the better.

You will also need to top Maggie up with Critical Care or mushed pellets, and keep her hydrated if she's not drinking. Please be very careful with veg for a bloated piggy; they can cause more gas. Bloat is a very serious issue in guinea pigs.
 
I'm sorry to hear the bad news, i don't have any more advice to add (theres some brilliant ones above) apart from giving mags cc and/or mushed pellets. Sending healing vibes and love x
 
The vet prescribed Infacol, an anti-bloat medication for Lucy. Apparently it encourages gut activity too. She seems pretty much back to normal now :)

With Maggie, for the law few days I've been laying off the veg (Peanut her cage-mate not *too* happy with this..) giving an occasional bit of Fibreplex, and a daily dose of Imodium to help firm her poops up. She has no issue with not eating anymore, and in fact is back to squeaking for food!

Her poops seem to be improving, but if they get "cow-pat" like again, especially when I stop the Imodium, I'll take her back to the vet, where I assume she will be given antibiotics due to a bug in her tummy most likely?
 
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