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Castration, Should They Eat?

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Kirsty

Kirsty

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20170114_160600000_iOS.webp 20170114_160612000_iOS.webp Hey, I have biscuit and buttons both booked in for neutering on Friday! And I'm just wondering what I should do before they go? I've heard a couple of things about them that they shouldn't eat 1-2 hours before etc?

Is there anything I should be making sure of before they go?!

Thanks xx
 
They can eat and drink as normal right up until the op.
Maybe also pack a box of their favorite foods for afterwards too.
The less time they are not eating the better for their recovery.
Good luck on Friday.
 
Thank you! is there anything I should be doing to prepare them?

There favourites are melon! so I'll get some yummy Mellon for after their surgery xx
 
Kirsty said:
View attachment 62201 View attachment 62202 Hey, I have biscuit and buttons both booked in for neutering on Friday! And I'm just wondering what I should do before they go? I've heard a couple of things about them that they shouldn't eat 1-2 hours before etc?

Is there anything I should be making sure of before they go?!

Thanks xx
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Hi! Rodents don't have a vomit reflex and therefore can eat. Most vets welcome some of their favourite food to offer when the piggies come round. If they like fresh herbs, then that would be ideal, as well as a little hay.

Here is our post-op care guide, especially if things don't quite go to plan:
Tips For Post-operative Care
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Here are some post-op videos and updates from my Nye's neutering op in January. He has made a perfect recovery.
Post-op Bum Wiggles (video)
Nye 9 Days After His Neutering Operation

All the best for your two boys! Are they going with girls after the end of their post-op wait?
 
Oh thank you all for the help :) I'm glad they can eat! I would feel so cruel taking their food away let alone there... manly hoods! Ha.

Yep I plan on pairing them with sows after the 6 weeks :) I'm really nervous about them having the op. Buttons has a lump also that they are hoping to remove at the same time.
 
I hope all goes well. I always send my piggies who are going in for surgery with a packed lunch of their own pellets and some of their favourite veg - cut into small pieces to tempt them to eat again after the surgery. A packet of fresh herbs can be a good thing to send in with them. And as stated above you do not need to starve them at all before they go in.
 
Hoping this all goes well, sending lots of recovery vibes x
 
Good luck to your boys. I agree with all the above. My boy was done 5 weeks ago abd he ate until he had the op and I packed him a lunch box of his fave things. He was actually enjoying the pampering and let them syringe feed him when he came round as they need to get the gut moving asap. X x
 
Argh I'm so nervous everyone! It's tomorrow morning at 8:30 and I literally don't think I will get any sleep tonight through worry! :(
 
Good luck, we neuter piggies regularly and they usually bounce back after the op.
As said before, syringe feed them post operatively until they are eating normally (some eat straight away others don't start eating for a few hours).
Make sure they are kept warm overnight after the op, nurse them on fleece or vet bed. Monitor their pooh output.
Make sure they are given adequate pain relief and have some gut stimulant to hand as they may need it if they don't start poohing.
Check their weight daily, they usually lose weight but should regain weight within a week.
Check their wound site twice a day at first, look for signs of infection, i.e. redness, swelling and make sure they are not nibbling the wound site.
Check the wound area daily for a few weeks as post op abscesses are not uncommon, a swollen hard tender lump forms.
Finally some boars get a bit of cystitis after neutering (squeaking when they pass urine) they just need metacam for a few days usually.
They are lovely boys!
 
Hi biscuit and buttons have come back from their op and they seem in so much pain! I rang them and asked whether they had pain relief and they said yes during the anaesthetic. They are in their cages now and not moving, but like twitching? I'm not sure what I can do to help them. The vet is closed now too! I rang them as they were closing.
 
Kirsty said:
Hi biscuit and buttons have come back from their op and they seem in so much pain! I rang them and asked whether they had pain relief and they said yes during the anaesthetic. They are in their cages now and not moving, but like twitching? I'm not sure what I can do to help them. The vet is closed now too! I rang them as they were closing.
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It is more likely a reaction to the GA than pain, but they should be more lively before they should be allowed to come home.

Please start with syringe feed and watering top up, little but often to keep the guts going as they have not eaten much all day. They will hopefully come round and pick up at some point.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Tips For Post-operative Care
 
Will do. How much does I be giving them?

Biscuit has munched a very small amount. But buttons hasn't eaten nothing ☹️
 
Is it normal for them not to move? Like they have just stayed in there beds the whole time. I just syringe fed them, and they went back into their beds after and literally haven't moved
 
I have some Bio-Lapis i purchased. Should I give them some? And how much?


Wiebke said:
It is more likely a reaction to the GA than pain, but they should be more lively before they should be allowed to come home.

Please start with syringe feed and watering top up, little but often to keep the guts going as they have not eaten much all day. They will hopefully come round and pick up at some point.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Tips For Post-operative Care
Click to expand...
BU
 
Either you give a pinch 1-2 hours before or after you give an antibiotic, or you can mix a bit into their syringe feed, so they get it that way whenever you feed them.

I am very sorry, but you have to brace for some rather sleepless nights and days in the near future, if it isn't an easy ride. You care can make a difference in pulling your poorly boys through, though! :(
 
I don't understand why they are like this though. I've not heard of it before, is this normal? Do you think the anaesthetic hasn't worn off properly yet? They had the op around 11 o'clock this morning I think.

Will I need to syringe feed in the middle of the night?

I just want them bouncing around again :(
 
Kirsty said:
I don't understand why they are like this though. I've not heard of it before, is this normal? Do you think the anaesthetic hasn't worn off properly yet? They had the op around 11 o'clock this morning I think.

Will I need to syringe feed in the middle of the night?

I just want them bouncing around again :(
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Yes, you need to syringe feed and check through the night.

It sounds like your vets have misjudged the GA; your boys shouldn't have been sent home. I would seriously consider complaining in the morning.
I have had post-ops like this in the olden days when operating on small animals was not something that most general vets were comfy with and it was always a toss up whether your piggy would make it. It should not happen these days.

But you need to get them through this if at all possible. There is unfortunately not a lot you can do. You can ring a 24 hour service to enquire whether there is anything you can do if they are really apathetic.
Please do NOT accept any steroid injections; they slow down the organs in rodents and make things worse instead of better.
 
My vet is really experienced with guinea pigs though.

They are awake, and try to wiggle away if I pick them up. But just have no appetite, and just chilling in the same spot.

"You need to get them through this, if at all" are you insinuating that they might die?!
 
Kirsty said:
My vet is really experienced with guinea pigs though.

They are awake, and try to wiggle away if I pick them up. But just have no appetite, and just chilling in the same spot.

"You need to get them through this, if at all" are you insinuating that they might die?!
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I hope that they pick up at some point during the night; until they start eating on their own, you need to syringe feed and water. it can take some time for the GA effects to wear off.

I sincerely hope that it is not as bad as the old days when I piggy might not pull through! I've grown up with piggies since the 70ies - that is seriously stone age, as far as vets are concerned.
 
If they were given too much anaesthetic, does that mean it should ware off at some point and the twitching and everything stop? They still haven't moved much :( I'm so worried. All I wanted was to pair them with sows so they didn't live their lives lonely.. and now there lives are at risk ;(
 
Take a deep breath ! I am guessing your boys had a jab of Buprenorphine; it is an opiod painkiller that is commonly given after procedures, it can make them extremely droopy in some cases, one or two of us on here have had piggies that have had an adverse reaction, but it is rare. They are probably "spaced out" a bit still ! However vet's are obliged to make sure they are eating, weeing & pooping before they release animals back into the owner's care. This is one reason I never choose to have elective surgery on a Friday, unless it is a medical emergency. You need to keep a close eye on them, leave food near where they are likely to sleep etc so they can easily reach it. Hopefully in a couple more hours they should start to move around more. You do need to get some pain relief from your vet tomorrow morning though; they will need some for a good few days that you can give at home.
 
I've just rang the out of hours vet and they have told me to give them some banana. And then they are going to ring me back in an hour :( if they haven't started moving around yet then I'll need to take them quite far away to see a emergency vet. As neither pigs have pooed since coming home :(
 
If I end up going to the emergency which I think is going to happen- what kind of things should I be asking? Doing? It's the out of hours vets for the vets I go to :( I'm scared everyone
 
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