Got another, think he's dying

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Pat Shields

Pat Shields

Adult Guinea Pig
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USA MO, Ft. Leonard Wood area
I went to a shop today to look for some things for Redemption and possibly a friend for him. I saw a few lovely piggies, and they had all been brought in by owners and given up. One was a pregnant Peruvian who was just the sweetest thing and begging to be loved, and I was so tempted. But in the cage with two huge honkin' male Americans was a little one so scraggly and small that I thought he was a pup. Finally the big bully pig got out of the way and this little one was able to come over to my side of the cage. I got him out, and the poor thing had poor-quality hair and flaky skin all over. He has to be a lot older than he looks because his boar bits are bigger than his head and all fully developed. When I took him out he curled up on my chest and when I put him down (I was sitting on the floor) he nestled between my legs. He was obviously suffering from malnutrition and who knows what else he has got. But he has the sweetest, most angelic disposition (maybe because he is sick?), and I bought him to try to save him.

Alas, I think he got too cold on the way home, or maybe he is just too sick to begin with and was being kept active by the bigger pigs bullying him, but he is winding down now, barely responsive, hardly moving when I lift him. On the way home (maybe 40 miles away) he never wee'd once in his box, and I am not sure I saw any poops either, I'll have to go look again. Anyway, he probably wasn't being let near the water either and is very dehydrated.

I syringed some sugar water drops gently around his lips, and I was able to open his mouth with my fingers to place some scraped apple and carrot in after I warmed it in the microwave. He enjoyed the taste, swallowed a microscopic bit, but kept pushing the rest out with his tongue.

I have him now in the dog carrier with plenty of the necessities, and he is sitting inside a towel that has a plastic bottle full of hot water beside it. The carrier is on the bathroom floor next to the portable oil heater.

As of this writing he is still breathing, but I have seen dying animals before, and I am certain he is dying. The best I can hope for is that the warmth keeps the spark of life alive; I do not want to give any more water or food because it would probably go into his lungs and cause pneumonia and kill him anyway.

I made the mistake of naming him before I discovered if he is to live; his name is Salvatore. Poor little critter, he is so sweet. Of course I am already second-guessing myself and saying maybe if I hadn't taken him he would still be doing well at the pet shop with the other pigs.

But that would have changed tomorrow anyway as a breeder is coming to take the adult pigs and trade them out for some of his babies, and Salvatore would have gone with them.

I'll bet his owner brought him in and turned him over because of failure to thrive and acting ill. Of course I am keeping him quarantined from Redemption and will sterilize anything this little piggie has touched.
 
That is so terrible to hear, you poor thing, i hope the piggy will be okay if not not in any pain :(
 
I just now took some pix of him; he startled to sudden noise or movement, but did not move when I set him on the towel. Poor little guy. I wish I could get some water into him without choking him. That brown thing on his face in the first photo is just a shadow from the flash.

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Awww poor little guy. I really think if you didnt take him he would have been left to die. Whatever happens at least someone loves him and is willing to give him a chance.
Keep us posted - really hope he makes it.
xx
 
what a lovely little chap - if he doesnt make it at least he will have a peaceful passing x
 
Poor little boy, makes me cross hearing things like this. You are wonderful giving him this chance, I hope he recovers and is not in pain. So pleased that he's learning what love is :-)
 
On reading the title, I thought it was referring to Red :...

This poor little guy doesn't look well :(

Is he eating anything on his own?

If not, ideally he needs to be syringe fed a liquid herbivore food, but if you don't have any (worth getting some in incase Red is ever unwell), then for the time being, as it seems like time is of the essence, a fruit and/or vegetable based baby food would be ok, as long as it contains no meat, potatoes, rice etc. Here you can get baby food thats just like apples and strawberries, or apple and pear and stuff. It might be a good idea to add a crushed vitamin C tablet to it too.

Anything you can get into him is going to be beneficial to him, but there's obviously the risk of him choking on "hard" food if he's not eating. If you can't get any baby food, then you could purée up some veg to syringe feed him. I'd also syringe him water, if you have a small syringe (if not, the local pharmacy should be able to give you one), and syringe him tiny bits at a time (this also goes for the food), initially as little as 0.1mls per mouthful, just behind his front teeth, to minimalise the risk of choking or aspirating him.


Have you seen any pees or poos yet?

You're doing all the right things by keeping him warm, quiet, away from Red, keeping clean and stuff, so keep it up!

The world needs more people like you Pat!
 
this is so sad :( I'm so pleased that you decided to get him though otherwise no one would have loved him and he would have been left to die with no one to comfort him.

I hope that he takes a turn for the better and perks up, but keep us updated <3 xx
 
aww this is so sad, thinking of you at this horrible time. least you are able to comfort him and be there for him. good luck and keep us updated. x x
 
:( poor poor little guy. Hope someone comes along with more advice on anything you could do to help him. It does look like he has some sort of skin problem which will be draining him of all his energy too.
 
Oh the poor little boy, he does look like he has a few bald patches over this body and one on his head. I dread to think of the ending he'd have had if the breeder took him the next day. If the worst does happen then at least he has known a short time of being adored and cared for
 
how very kind of you to take him! poor little boy, he looks poorly too. i really hope that he makes a recovery, but if the worst happens at least he has you and wont be ferried around anymore. xx
 
that was lovely of you to take him in, hope he recovers. I'm sure he is much happier with you.
 
aw the poor guy looks depressed, thank you so much for giving him a chance.

Really hope he makes it, hes beautiful x
 
I think follow advice and try and feed him, mushed up hay based pellets or some baby food, maybe even some unsweetened porridge, he does look a poor thing, best wishes x
 
Poor boy. I know you'll do your best for him and finger's crossed it helps him to pull through but if he's too far gone then at least you know he's spent his last moments with someone who cares. Sending huge amounts of positive vibes for Salvitore. :laluot_29::laluot_29::laluot_29:
 
Amanda1801 said:
Is he eating anything on his own? ♥ If not, ideally he needs to be syringe fed a liquid herbivore food, but if you don't have any (worth getting some in incase Red is ever unwell), then for the time being, as it seems like time is of the essence, a fruit and/or vegetable based baby food would be ok ♥ Here you can get baby food thats just like apples and strawberries, or apple and pear and stuff. ♥ It might be a good idea to add a crushed vitamin C tablet to it too. ♥ syringe him tiny bits at a time (this also goes for the food), initially as little as 0.1mls per mouthful, just behind his front teeth, to minimalise the risk of choking or aspirating him.
Toffeewoffee said:
I think follow advice and try and feed him, mushed up hay based pellets or some baby food, maybe even some unsweetened porridge
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Thanks so much for the instructions. It is a few hours since my last post and he is still alive. I woke up from sleep and checked on him. I tried a drop more of water but it wouldn't go in, just ran out his mouth. There is a good selection of puréed infant food at the grocery store about 2 miles away, I will get a jar of fruit and a jar of vegetable in a few hours when they open for the day. There is no such thing as a special liquid herbivore food around here; I'd have to order it on the Internet. Thanks for the information on where to place the food in his mouth.
piggyfan said:
Will you take him to a vet?
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Yes, if he lives I will certainly take him. I have found with Red that my regular vet sees guinea pigs (The vets are all farm animal and dog and cat vets around here) but there are no specialists. Tomorrow (well, today now) which is Saturday they are only open half a day and then not again until Monday. They are extremely well booked so it probably will not be possible to get him in sooner than Tuesday, poor thing.

Before I put myself down for the evening I took Salvatore out of the cage and held him against my chest under my shirt for about half an hour; he snuggled in to my neck and enjoyed that warmth. I thought that some close contact where maybe he could feel my heart and warmth would be invigorating and at the least reassuring. (I just hope that if he has mites or ringworm that I cleaned myself well enough afterward!)

I'm going to go refresh the hot water in the bottle and then go back to bed myself. Thank you all so much for your good wishes.
 
The title of your post is ' Got another, think he's dying' If the pig is suffering then he needs to see a vet as a matter of urgency in my opinion. Surely if you explained how ill he was then they would see him as an emergency? I'm sorry but I don't agree with just 'seeing how he goes' If he is suffering then you must take him to a vet asap. He may well need antibiotics, pain meds etc. It's not right to just let him die.
 
cavykisser said:
The title of your post is ' Got another, think he's dying' If the pig is suffering then he needs to see a vet as a matter of urgency in my opinion. Surely if you explained how ill he was then they would see him as an emergency? I'm sorry but I don't agree with just 'seeing how he goes' If he is suffering then you must take him to a vet asap. He may well need antibiotics, pain meds etc. It's not right to just let him die.
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i do think pat is doing a good job,she took him after all from a horrible situation, paid for him as well, i think she needs applauding, i dont get the impression she is just letting him die, she needs encouragement for what she is doing.if i was pat,though i would contact the shop, tell them he is very sick, and would they pay for him to see the vet?
 
This made me cry :'( I do so hope the poor little man is going to pull through, well.done to you for taking him on keeping fingers crossed xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
That pig is extremely sick and needs to see a vet. In this country you would be prosecuted for failing to provide veterinary treatment for what is obviously a very ill animal. I'm sure Pat is doing a sterling job and wants what's best for him. He needs veterinary medicines - he won't get better on his own with just kisses and cuddles!
 
cavykisser said:
That pig is extremely sick and needs to see a vet. In this country you would be prosecuted for failing to provide veterinary treatment for what is obviously a very ill animal. I'm sure Pat is doing a sterling job and wants what's best for him. He needs veterinary medicines - he won't get better on his own with just kisses and cuddles!
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i wonder if the pet shop she brought him from would have taken him? she has nt said she wont take him, has she? i dont want to get into an argument just want to support pat x
 
Also there is a sticky on this forum 'Warning to those who don't seek veterinary care for sick pigs' Is this sticky still valid? And yes, he should never have been sold in that disgraceful condition so I would personally report that pet shop for selling sick animals.
 
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harold_the_pig said:
This made me cry :'( I do so hope the poor little man is going to pull through, well.done to you for taking him on keeping fingers crossed xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Me too 8...8...
Bless you Pat, really I have no words other than thank you and keep us updated xxxxx
 
aww this is so sad :( You are doing a great job Pat, please take him to a vet as soon as you possibly can. Although I know how hard it can be to get them to a vet RIGHT NOW. sometimes thats just not possible when you live miles away from one, you can't just turn up with a sick piggie and expect them to treat him straight away :( be nice if you could but I know from experience that it doesn't work that way. keep doing what you doing hun, I hope he pulls through
 
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