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conjunctivis in guinea pig - not eating pooping after medication

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worried val of york

worried val of york

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Hi I am new to this site. I have 3 guinea pigs. Two 2 year olds and one 6 year old. I returned to GP ownership 2 years ago. All was well until one of my male 2 year old started having discharge from his eye. I took him to vet on Friday 9/8/13 and was prescribed Fucithalmic Vet after a dye had been used in his eye to show any potential scratches. I was told he had conjunctivitis and should use the prescribed medication twice a day for 5 days. I was advised not to start until 2 hours after the dye test. I noticed my GP as very subdued. I decided to have him on my knee on a fleece and felt his body shaking slightly every now and gain. I decided to start his eye drops at 10 pm ( about 4 and half hours after the test). On Saturday he did not eat or drink. I noticed his bottom was dirty and wiped it clean. There does not appear to be any poop or pee from him. I have managed on Sunday to give him water by hand from a bottle and also fed him by hand guinea pigs nuts which I had soaked in water. He is a bit stronger today but still subdued.

Has anyone got any experience and advice to give please.
 
I'm sorry to hear your pig is unwell, what medication has he been prescribed? If it is an antibiotic i think it can be quite hard on their stomachs which may be why he's off his food. You might want to pick up some recovery food from your very to syringe feed him, guinea pigs need to keep their guts moving or it can cause serious problems so if he isn't eating at all syringe feeding might be your only option. Try giving him his favorite foods, when mine are off their food they'll often still eat grass and their favorite veg, i find it helps to cut the veg very thin. You could also try and get some probiotics from your vet or pet shop which should help his stomach too. I hope he starts feeling better soon.
 
I am sorry he is poorly, did the vet give any pain relief? the shuddering could well be a pain response. I would get another vet appointment and request pain relief which hopefully once he is pain free he will start to eat. You will most likely be given Metacam but make sure you ask for some to bring home if it is given by injection. However, as he is not eating and pooing you are doing right by syringe feeding. Try to get as much as you can into him, a pig that is not eating at all ideally needs 120ml of syringe feed over a 24 hour period. It is possible though that due to him not eating his gut may have slowed down so is is worth asking the vet about a gut stimulant such as Emeprid. Is he ducking down at all and eating any poos?
 
thanks so much for the 2 responses. I went back to the vet with my GP today. I have now been given Baytril to put in the drinking water. I am still using the eye drops. I have been advised to use a juicer for vegetables and fruit to try and get food to him. I have ordered some Critical Care food which will be delivered in 2 days. It is a worrying time. I will let you know the outcome. Val
 
I agree I was given metacam when my piggy had conjunctivitis as a pain reliever and it worked wonders within a few hours. Whilst your waiting for the critical care if you do need to syringe feed you could mash some of his usual pellets up soak them in walk and feed him that way. A probiotic would be good to add to his food or water too to keep his gut in check especially if he is on baytril :)
 
Did the vet give you any probiotics? Baytril is notoriously harsh on the gut and if he is not eating already adding Baytril into the mix may not help. I can see why the vet has given you it but I think probiotics are needed. Do you have any pellets (not sure what you normally feed) as these can be mashed up with some hot water and used as syringe feed until your critical care arrives? You would just need to let it cool first. This would be better than veg in a juicer. Did the vet not give any pain relief this time either? Also adding Baytril to the water is not the most effective way of giving it.

Probiotics are sold either at the Vets (typical brands are Bio Lapis and Fibreplex) or Pro C from Pets at Home. I use Avipro which I get from VetUk.
 
Hi Helen I go some Pro C from Pets at Home this afternoon. I haven't used the baytril yet as when I scoured the internet since Friday I found many adverse comments. I have just given my GPs some celery and all 3 are munching. The sick one is a bit less enthusiastic but he's doing his best. I am off to Tescos this evening to see if they have a juicer in stock that I can bring home. I don't have a syringe but like you described I mashed a few Pets atHome GP Pellets up and made him eat. I tried to do the same today but he refused quite strongly. Which I see as a hopeful sign as yesterday he just let me feed him with the soft GP Pellets. If you think there is anything else I can do suggestions welcome.

Thanks also to degu-rock. My GP did not offer any pain relief just the Baytril and advice to get Pro C.
 
If you go to a pharmacy they will sell you a syringe, a little bigger then what is needed but if you haven't go one its useful. Chop the end off for better feeding is my top tip, makes it easier to suck up the food. The pro-c will be good for the gut if he's on antibiotics, I usually syringe them a small amount of the water an hour after giving the antibiotics. I agree the mashed up pellets would be better for him then juiced veggies as the pellets will keep his gut going. Swaddling them helps a lot when feeding them too, I like to feed every couple of hours a small amount at a time (some take more then others) so in a 24 hour period I have fed around 120ml. I would ask your vet about pain relief too :)
 
Here is our list of recommended guinea pig vets; as we don't know where you are located, we can't help you better.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?105349-Guinea-Pig-recomended-vets-List-and-Map

Please do NOT give antibiotics in a water bottle - baytril tastes awful and no piggy will drink it voluntarily! You always need to syringe any medicines to make sure that the required amount arrives in the right place.

Please be aware that a guinea pig needs to eat and drink; if it doesn't for more than 24 hours, the guts will start to close down. You can feed mushed up pellets; cut the tip off a 1ml syringe to feed it. it is usually rather a fight getting it into a sick piggy, so don't despair and persevere with getting as much into him as you can, ideally 120ml in many little portions over the course of 24 hours, but during the acute phase you are just trying to get as much in as you can in one go. Offer a bit of fresh grass first. Also syringe water if he doesn't drink; hydration is as important.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...dministering-Medications-and-Wrapping-Piggies
http://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html
 
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Thanks so much for this information. Before I registered on the site I did look at your Vets Map. There are none really near where I live unfortunately. My GP is still lethargic and really didn't touch his celery after I left him. As you say I will have to persevere. I have put some Pro C in a bottle and fed it to him as he is still unwilling to eat or drink. I will try and get a syringe as you recommend to get something in him as it is a serious concern for me.
 
Please don't put anything in the water; syringe it directly. Vitamin C will go off very quickly, and you just can't control the intake.

I hope that you can get through it; your persistence can make all the difference. Has your vet given you metacem (painkiller and anti-inflammatory)? It can make a real difference to his appetite if he feels a bit better in himself.

Weigh him daily at about the same time please, so you can see how much he is actually eating.
 
I would ask the vet for pain relief (they may agree over the phone), if not I can tell you a human pain relief they can have until you can get it from a vet but would rather your vet gave you Metacam.
 
This morning I have taken Alex to a vet shown on the Forum's recommended vets. I feel that he needs a Vet who has been recognised as good with GPs. The practice fitted me in and I have left Alex for x-rays and blood tests. I have taken this action as Alex still wasn't eating and drinking without being force fed which he and I found extremely stressful. I am back at work on Thursday and I need to try and get him back up and running (if possible) by then. Alex is having to have a GA which I realise in itself carries risks. But I feel without this action I would watch him slowly pass away. Even so I a realistic about his situation but I am hoping for the best for him. He's only 2 years old and is a real character which has disappeared since Friday.
 
Hoping you get get some answers on what is up with Alex. keeping everything crossed for him, please let us know how your little boy gets on.
 
I'm glad you have found a better vet who hopefully will get to the bottom of what is wrong with Alex, fingers and paws crossed for you both, please keep us posted x
 
degu_rock said:
I'm glad you have found a better vet who hopefully will get to the bottom of what is wrong with Alex, fingers and paws crossed for you both, please keep us posted x
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I went back to the vets today to check on Alex's progress. He has had x rays blood tests and is on pain relief. His anti biotics have been increased in strength as the vet is worried about possible glaucoma behind one eye. His is not eating other that syringed food at the vets and has not pooped yet.The Vet told me that all x rays blood tests are OK and his is wanting to take another x ray. I have advised the vet I do not want to prolong Alex's suffering. The vet says everything looks OK but his stomach seems to be full of wind. The vet will phone me about Alex tomorrow. I am having to leave him at the vets as he still needs syringe feeding and I am back at work. Alex does not look well and has no vitality anymore. Very sad.
 
I'm glad you managed to find a piggy savvy vet from the recommended list - you have given Alex the very best chance by getting him seen promptly. Thinking of you both and I hope the vet has some better news for you tomorrow.
 
Thanks so much for the kind thoughts. The vet phoned me at 8 pm he is on call tonight. He has up Alex's medication up to the maximum - but there is little change in his health. He will contact me again tomorrow. I don't hold out much hope now as he did look ill. But I would love to know what has caused this situation. He is only a 2 year old and is extremely well cared for and thought of. If he was older I could possibly accept it more readily as a natural end to a life.
 
I have some bad news. I had to accept that the vet had done all that could be done and as Alex was not showing any signs of improvement I agreed that euthanasia was the best choice for Alex. I am still concerned about what had caused his rapid decline. The vet did an autopsy at my request and could not find any problems. I have agreed that he should send samples for a clinical test. I am doing this as I hope the vet can find a cause that could possibly help in any future cases like Alex. It would be nice to think that Alex's short (but happy) life could go on by him able to help another sick guinea pigs if the vet can use the knowledge gained from his case in the future.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss, you did all you could and hopefully you might get some answers from your sad loss, pop corn free Alex over the bridge x
 
I'm so sorry, it sounds like you made the right decision. My friend always has a post mortem done on her pigs in the hope that it will help other pigs. I hope you get some answers. Night night little Alex.
 
The vet was very good and informed me of my choices. But I felt he had gone through enough and I didn't want the vet to do surgery to investigate a potential blockage. I decided ending his obvious suffering was the best. I feel that I did the right thing as the vet couldn't find anything abnormal when he did the autopsy. If he had the surgery then he would have had to get over that as well as deal with the ongoing problem that had caused the need for the operation. He would have been miserable. I will not let an animal suffer unnecessarily. I hope someone will do that for me when I am beyond medical help. Its is strange but I realised later that is 2 years exactly to the day that I got Alex and his cagemate Sergei. Sergie seems to be OK at present and is eating etc and I hope he stays that way. I left work early today to put my 2 remaining guineapigs outdoors near each other to enjoy a bit of uncut grass. I gave them some treats when I sat them on my lap later. They do help with the loss but it is too early to not feel Alex should still be here.
 
I really am so sorry. You made the kindest decision for your little one.
 
Really sorry to read about Alex, you made the bravest kindest choice for him. Massive hugs

RIP Alex
x x
 
Thanks so much for the messages. I still cannot believe what has happened within a week. I tried to give Alex and my 2 other guinea pigs anything they needed - I still want to know where I went wrong.
 
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