Guinea Pig Is Not Eating Or Drinking

[OhYehChocolate]

Hi, i had 4 male guinea pigs which i bough last July from the pet store, over a week ago two of them got ill. after taking them to the vets i found out they both had ulcers on the top of their tongue's making it hard for them to eat and drink, so i then had to feed them with a syringe and give them water, few days after one of the males died. The other guinea pig is still alive and a few days ago showed some signs of eating a little on his own, however now he won't really attempt as much as he did before. I'm getting really worried, it's been almost 2 weeks now since we saw the vet and a week since the other passed away. Is he not eating because his companion died? or should i go back and see the vet? I haven't put him with the other two ( They both had separate cages as one would fight with the one who passed away ) yet as we are worried in case he has something contagious and the other two will catch it. What can i do?

Steph

 

[Jerrybelly]

It is possible that he is sad and missing his friend, and not eating because he misses him. It may also be because he is unwell. It is essential that he keeps eating. Piggies need to eat regularly or their stomachs will stop working properly. I think a vet visit is needed as a matter of urgency to rule out any physical problems.

When did he last eat anything? If he is not eating at all for himself then you will need to feed him. You can soak his nuggets with water and feed him with a 1 ml syringe (with the end cut off).

Is he still pooing?

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/looking-after-a-bereaved-piggy.110463/

 

[OhYehChocolate]

thank you for replying, i also thought that may have been the case but they wasn't very friendly with the other in the first place. The where fine together although sometimes he would chatter his teeth but never violence. He is getting food and drink regularly from a syringe from me with both water and blended veggies. He is also pooing however it is not his normal one bor diarrhea, more inbetween.

It is possible that he is sad and missing his friend, and not eating because he misses him. It may also be because he is unwell. It is essential that he keeps eating. Piggies need to eat regularly or their stomachs will stop working properly. I think a vet visit is needed as a matter of urgency to rule out any physical problems.

When did he last eat anything? If he is not eating at all for himself then you will need to feed him. You can soak his nuggets with water and feed him with a 1 ml syringe (with the end cut off).

Is he still pooing?

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/looking-after-a-bereaved-piggy.110463/

 

[Jerrybelly]

thank you for replying, i also thought that may have been the case but they wasn't very friendly with the other in the first place. The where fine together although sometimes he would chatter his teeth but never violence. He is getting food and drink regularly from a syringe from me with both water and blended veggies. He is also pooing however it is not his normal one bor diarrhea, more inbetween.

It is possible that the watery veg is causing the diarrhea. Piggies need large amounts of fibre, which they usually get from their hay. Is he eating any hay on his own? It would be far better to offer him soaked nuggets in a syringe, rather than the veg, as this contains fibre too.

I would still recommend a vet visit asap to rule out any physical problems.

 

[sport_billy]

Sorry you are having an awful time, I agree with JerryBelly, a definite visit to the vets is needed again in my opinion. We have a recommended vet finder here for vets in the UK https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-vet-locator/

I would recommended weighing him daily so you can see how much food he is getting in and Syringe feed something like Critical Care food or mushed up pellets.

 

[OhYehChocolate]

It is possible that the watery veg is causing the diarrhea. Piggies need large amounts of fibre, which they usually get from their hay. Is he eating any hay on his own? It would be far better to offer him soaked nuggets in a syringe, rather than the veg, as this contains fibre too.

I would still recommend a vet visit asap to rule out any physical problems.

I've just given him some nuggets like you sggested and he seems to have taken them down fine, he does eat some hay but not a lot. I also plan to take him to the vets on Tuesday as i cant tomorrow as its a bank holiday. Hopefully he will get better soon, thank you for the help! I will keep you updated

 

[Jerrybelly]

I've just given him some nuggets like you sggested and he seems to have taken them down fine, he does eat some hay but not a lot. I also plan to take him to the vets on Tuesday as i cant tomorrow as its a bank holiday. Hopefully he will get better soon, thank you for the help! I will keep you updated

Piggies should not go any longer than 4 hours without eating, so if he is not eating at all on his own then you will need to feed him throughout the night too. Some piggies will eat the softened pellets off the back of a spoon, so it may be worth trying that if he doesn't seem keen on the syringe. Keep trying to encourage him to eat as much hay as possible.

Please keep checking his poos to make sure that he is going regularly. If he stops pooing, or stops eating completely, please do not hesitate to take him to the vet before Tuesday. These are both emergency symptoms and need to be dealt with straight away. If you usual vet is not open tomorrow, then they will still be able to direct you to an emergency vet (the details are usually available on your vet's answerphone).

I am keeping everything firmly crossed that he will perk up soon. Please keep us updated.

 

[helen105281]

Hi welcome to the forum. You have had some great advice above so I will just reiterate that you need to make sure he has food at least every 4 hours by syringe as needed and he needs to see the vet again as soon as possible. He is likely to need pain relief, was he given any before? Please could you also confirm your location?

 

[GPTV]

Hi there & welcome to the forum

try contacting Debbie at @furryfriends - the-excellent-adventure-sanctuary (TEAS) she is a font of knowledge regarding teeth issues, this sounds like it could possibly be part of the problem, as you said they have had ulcers this may have caused them.

what area are you in? are you local to northamton? as Simon maddock at the cat & rabbit clinic vets is a guinea/teeth specialist.
if you could add your country & general area better advice can be given to you.
If further away then ,try the vet locator at the top of the page if you need a cavy savvy vet... which it sounds like you do, keep up the syringe feeding/nuggets & if he's eating hay then get him to keep it up, even if it means feeding a few strands at a time. His guts mustn't stop working as the consequences could be devastating & the hay will help to grind his teeth down too.

I agree he will need to see a vet ASAP if you could mention pain relief such as metacam for your piggy (as if he's in pain with an ulcer in his mouth then that will deter him from wanting to eat too). i know i'm a big wuss when it comes to mouth ulcers!

Healing vibes & a speedy recovery.

xx

 

[OhYehChocolate]

Thank you all for your help, I'm going to keep up with the pellets and hopefully he should get better soon. He did have some kind of pain relief when i last saw the vet, i also took him their to day after ao he could check on it and he said it was healing fast and should of been healed in a few days. He also mentioned that he could get attached to me feeding him, could that be the cause? I will deffo go see him and ask for him to check for any more problems. And I'm located in Banstead in Surrey

 

[helen105281]

He would need continuous pain relief given at home if he still has issues, the vet should be able to give you this.

 

[GPTV]

Glad he has seen the vet, the pain relief would have worn off by now i expect, i would ask the vet if you could have enough to last a few days or longer.
would have thought your piggy would eat on his own if able to do so, no matter how attached he is to you as it is a survival mechanism, guineas are prey animals, they hide illnesses very well, but have to do life's basics of Breathe Eat, Drink, pee & poop to survive!
If he's given pain relief so not in pain when eating, he's more likely to eat more regularly by himself, building up his body strength, healing ability & natural immunity in the process too.

Good luck & keep us updated. xx

PS thanks for location, so much easier for appropriate advice to be given. x

 

[Pebble]

I notice you're in Banstead -(I used to live next to the Drift Bridge!)

You're very lucky as your nearest cavy vet is Anne O'Meara at Goddards Vet group in Ewell.
I'm not sure who you;re going to see on tuesday but suggest you please consider making your next appt with her

x

 

[OhYehChocolate]

Thank you all for your help but i feel i should let you all know he passed away this morning, he seemed like he was getting better as he ate some hay last night but obviously not. I'm going to take my other two to the vets to see if it was a disease and they have it.

 

[Jerrybelly]

I'm so very sorry to hear this. You are very welcome to leave a lasting tribute to your boy in our Rainbow Bridge section.

Sleep well little one x

 

[helen105281]

I'm so sorry, night night little one.