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Bereaved Piggy Is Struggling.

Kate187

Kate187

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Aug 8, 2014
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Location
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Hi everyone.

So as some of you know (I had another thread) my beautiful girl Primrose died on Tuesday after a very sudden illness (gut statis and a rupture) at only 3 years old.

I have 2 remaining guins: Katniss, who is 3 and was Prim's sister, and Finn, who I adopted about 10 months ago. Finn seems fine, honestly he is the happiest animal I've ever met.

Katniss I'm a bit worried about. She is eating and drinking but definitely not as much as usual, so I have been syringe feeding a bit too, to top her up. Her poops have been all over the place. First they were tiny and dry and tear shaped, but since late last night/early morning they have been soft. I've attached a picture next to Finn's normal poop (sorry if TMI but I see people asking for pics sometimes!). It's generally normal poo size and shape but a wierd light/greeny colour and very mushy if you touch it. It also smells really bad. She seems fairly alert and not in pain but a bit subdued.

I've booked her in at the vets early tomorrow just in case, as I couldn't cope with losing her so soon after Prim, but I was just looking for some support and advice. How does the poo seem to you? Is this likely to be the grief and something she will get over? I'm so worried about her.
 
Kate187 said:
Hi everyone.

So as some of you know (I had another thread) my beautiful girl Primrose died on Tuesday after a very sudden illness (gut statis and a rupture) at only 3 years old.

I have 2 remaining guins: Katniss, who is 3 and was Prim's sister, and Finn, who I adopted about 10 months ago. Finn seems fine, honestly he is the happiest animal I've ever met.

Katniss I'm a bit worried about. She is eating and drinking but definitely not as much as usual, so I have been syringe feeding a bit too, to top her up. Her poops have been all over the place. First they were tiny and dry and tear shaped, but since late last night/early morning they have been soft. I've attached a picture next to Finn's normal poop (sorry if TMI but I see people asking for pics sometimes!). It's generally normal poo size and shape but a wierd light/greeny colour and very mushy if you touch it. It also smells really bad. She seems fairly alert and not in pain but a bit subdued.

I've booked her in at the vets early tomorrow just in case, as I couldn't cope with losing her so soon after Prim, but I was just looking for some support and advice. How does the poo seem to you? Is this likely to be the grief and something she will get over? I'm so worried about her.
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It looks like a minor tummy upset. Take her off any fresh food until 24 hours after the poos have stabilised again. Weigh her once daily to monitor her food intake and to see how she is.

The death of a companion, especially a sudden death, can impact on the immune system and bring underlying issues to the fore or give opportunistic bugs a way in.

See a vet if she deteriorates further or if the poos are not starting to normalise once your syringe feed is coming out on the other end, which always takes a day or two. Keep her hydrated by offering her as much water as she wants, if necessary with some dioralyte added (follow instructions on the pack).
 
Wiebke said:
It looks like a minor tummy upset. Take her off any fresh food untl 24 hours after the poos have stabilised again. Weigh her once daily to monitor her food intake and to see how she is.

The death of a companion, especially a sudden death, can impact on the immune system and bring underlying issue to the fore or give opportunistic bugs a way in.

See a vet if she deteriorated further or if the poos are not starting to normalise once your syringe feed is coming out on the other end, which always takes a day or two. Keep her hydrated by offering her as much water as she wants, if necessary with some dioralyte added (follow instructions on the pack).
Click to expand...

Thanks. She's off the veg and I have a vets appointment booked for tomorrow morning as I'm too nervous after Prim to leave it!
 
Kate187 said:
Thanks. She's off the veg and I have a vets appointment booked for tomorrow morning as I'm too nervous after Prim to leave it!
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You are doing exactly the right thing for you and Katniss. Please let us know how she goes on.
 
Got Katniss on my knee having a syringe feed. She's being such a good girl <3

Had another question- should I take Finn with her to the vets tomorrow? A bit worried about them being separated for an hour or so after losing Prim.
 
Kate187 said:
Got Katniss on my knee having a syringe feed. She's being such a good girl <3

Had another question- should I take Finn with her to the vets tomorrow? A bit worried about them being separated for an hour or so after losing Prim.
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Mine almost always go to the vets in pairs. If they get on well together it helps reduce the stress for them.
 
Thanks, I think I will. The girls only ever went the vets once before together for an initial check up, so I wasn't sure. Finn can keep her company.
 
Hi everyone,

Had a productive vets visit this morning. As far as he can tell after looking at guts, heart, teeth, etc, there is nothing major wrong with Katniss, she is ill as a result of stress from losing Prim. I explained about the reduced eating/drinking/pooping and the mushy poos, unfortunately she didn't poop on the way or while there so he couldn't examine it.

He has prescribed the following to help get her eating/pooping better:
Metoclopramide 0.5ml 2x a day for 3 days
Zantac syrup 0.3ml 2x a day for 3 days.
Flagyl-S suspension 1ml 2x a day for 5 days.

He said to give her the weekend on the meds and bring her back if no improvement by then/if she gets worse before.

The vets is Manor Vets in Edgbaston, which is listed on this site as a good place.

He also found some cysts but that is a thread for another day, as I need to get her over this before any decisions are made.

Will keep you posted.
 
I hope she responds well to the meds and you see an improvement over the weekend.
 
If there is no improvement I would ask about adding in some pain relief too.
 
helen105281 said:
If there is no improvement I would ask about adding in some pain relief too.
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Thanks for the tip, I will do. She doesn't SEEM to be in pain but I know they are very good at hiding it. She did try to run away from the vet haha. If there is no improvement over the weekend I'll be taking her in on Monday.
 
Hi again,

My worry is just getting worse to be honest. She hasn't deteriorated but she is still as bad as she was on the day Prim died. Except a very occasional walk to nibble something or have a tiny drink, all Katniss does is lie in the house. She is eating and drinking very little, as far as I can tell, and I'm syringe feeding her (much as she hates it). She's lost between 50-100g over the 5 days, so it's slow weight loss but still. I've bought all sorts of different hays to tempt her and she will come out and have a tiny nibble then go back to bed. Yesterday her stomach had appeared to settle but this morning it was back to sloppy poos (have attached a pic- one is a big splat but I think that's where she's rolled in it, as it was in the house she seldom leaves).

She isn't necessarily getting worse but she's not good, and I'm not good. After losing Prim and the worry, I've not been sleeping well and I'm so run down. I'm due to go away for 5 days from Sunday 27th and I'm panicking about leaving her.

Should I go the vets again even though there's no change from yesterday? She's only had 3 doses of the meds so far.

Don't know what to do :(

DSC_0601 (1).webp
 
Kate187 said:
Got Katniss on my knee having a syringe feed. She's being such a good girl <3

Had another question- should I take Finn with her to the vets tomorrow? A bit worried about them being separated for an hour or so after losing Prim.
Click to expand...

Please always take a "paw-holder" companion with you if you can.
Tips For Vet Visits
 
Kate187 said:
I did when I took her yesterday. Any advice on my most recent post?
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See how she is on Monday and continue to syringe feed for the time being. It takes time for meds to work. Please also remember that poos reflect what has happened a day or two before, so you are not yet supposed to see any changes. ;)

Please try to de-stress yourself and make sure that you look after yourself, too. Your apprehensions can transmit.

The poos do not look great, but they also do not look alarming. Add a pinch of probiotics to the syringe feed to help support the guts.
 
Wiebke said:
See how she is on Monday and continue to syringe feed for the time being. It takes time for meds to work. Please also remember that poos reflect what has happened a day or two before, so you are not yet supposed to see any changes. ;)

Please try to de-stress yourself and make sure that you look after yourself, too. Your apprehensions can transmit.

The poos do not look great, but they also do not look alarming. Add a pinch of probiotics to the syringe feed to help support the guts.
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Ok..I know I'm stressing myself out but after losing Prim, feeling a bit poorly, and then not eating/sleeping well I'm in a right state. It's all so emotional and so hard to see Katniss just lie there all day on her side.

I think I'm going to ring the vets just to ask if they think I need critical care for her.
 
Kate187 said:
Ok..I know I'm stressing myself out but after losing Prim, feeling a bit poorly, and then not eating/sleeping well I'm in a right state. It's all so emotional and so hard to see Katniss just lie there all day on her side.

I think I'm going to ring the vets just to ask if they think I need critical care for her.
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I would strongly suggest to always have some critical care (ideally fine grind) at home, as well as probiotics. They are part of the first aid kit we recommend to any new owners.Being able to step in with syringe feed as soon as your piggy is off its food/losing weight is absolutely vital.
First Aid Kit For Guinea Pigs
 
Well the good news is she much prefers the critical care to mashed pellets, although her patience is wearing thin with being syringe fed.
 
Kate187 said:
Well the good news is she much prefers the critical care to mashed pellets, although her patience is wearing thin with being syringe fed.
Click to expand...

Would you consider trying to see whether she'll eat from a spoon or even a bowl by herself? As the meds kick in, it can well be that her appetite is also picking up.
 
Yes I'll try that shortly. She's still not eating anything in the cage though, even her favourite hay.
 
Sending lots of good wishes to you both. Does she like lap time? If so some cuddles without meds/feeding could be relaxing for both of you.

I do hope you see an improvement soon.
 
Wiebke said:
Would you consider trying to see whether she'll eat from a spoon or even a bowl by herself? As the meds kick in, it can well be that her appetite is also picking up.
Click to expand...

She's still refusing to eat anything given by hand, bowl, or spoon. Have barely seen her pick at hay, I mean virtually nothing all day and I've had my eye on her most of the time. No drinking from bottle either. Have hat to syringe CC and water with probiotics in. After a certain point she starts spitting all the CC out and I really don't think she's getting as much as she needs. However her weight does seem to have stayed stable somehow the last few days.
 
Could you tempt her with some dried herbs? I think mentioning pain relief to the vet would be a good idea.
 
Katniss appears to have given up..all she does is lie stretched out in the hidey, she doesn't come out, eat, or drink. I am syringe feeding and watering, using probiotics and CC. This is the last day of her gut stimulant medication. She seems to be maintaining weight but that must be from the syringe feeding. It is heartbreaking to see her like this.

Will go back the vets tomorrow. The other thing was that he found a single cyst on one ovary and a multi-cyst on the other. Could this be causing her pain/illness as well as the grief? I need to decide whether or not to spay her.
 
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