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Emergency Guinea Pig Losing Lots Of Weight - Help!

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helen105281 said:
I think the key is to keep him fed round the clock, do you know what the injection was that the vet gave him? was it painkiller? if so it may wear off pretty soon so you would need to get him seen locally over the next few days before going to Northampton.
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No, I don't. I think it was some sort of supplement or steroid. He said that it will help to build him up and will last for a month so won't run off too soon.
 
I'm sorry to hear that Marley is unwell, Marley'sMum!

I'm also in Middlesex - Hounslow area.

I have been to a few of the local veterinary practices, and, to be quite frank, would not allow any to treat my guinea pig for suspected dental issues.

Although, I have had guinea pigs seen by Anne O'Meara (Ewell), and Jenny Towers (Reading) - Both of whom I would recommend if you want a second opinion. However, Simon, and Kim are probably Marley's best chance at recovery/survival, considering his current condition/health.
 
Another tip when booking the appointment with Simon or Kate is to suggest they contact the vet Marley has already been seen by to get his history. That way they will know exactly what injection Marley has had.
 
Has a poo analasis been done yet ?
Some vets will do a float , that is fine for lager paresites , but a full spectrum poo profile
will show up the smaler tummy bugs that can be responsible for eating nutreants and causing
weight loss,

if not , perhaps you could talk to him about it,
NB, a full spectrum usualy costs in the reagon of 60 pound mabe more , but it is mony
well spent
 
NB , some of the protaza type tummy bugs require extended tretmemt protercols , single doses of ivermev will only kill the developed parresite
there life cycle is devided into stages and cysts and eggs will be untouched by the meds , so your vet may be wise to read up on protazoa infectecyions
 
Best wishes for you and Marley, I really hope you can keep him going!
If he looks like he is getting much worse or suffering then I'd say don't wait until Tuesday but go back to your original vet or the closest on the forums recommended locator. Simon and Kim are brilliant but if he begins to suffer you'll need to take immediate action.

The fact you say he is otherwise quite happy and normal in himself reminds me of my poor Cash who we watched slowly lose large amounts of weight despite all our efforts and him still being his normal cheeky chappie self. He was finally diagnosed with a thyroid problem. I'm not saying this is at all what is wrong with Marley but it's another thing to consider. When we lost Tango to kidney failure he also lost weight but you could tell he was unwell and not his normal self otherwise.

Lots of healing vibes and a massive high five your brother - what a hero!
 
Completely agree with @Tbag. Aim to get him to Simon and Kim and book the appointment but see how he goes over the weekend and see your local vet if needed.
 
Marley went downhill very rapidly overnight. By this morning, he was no longer eating anything except the food supplements I've been getting into him through a syringe - although I'm worried that a lot of it was dribbled out and wasted. He didn't wheek for food this morning and just sat in his cage hunched over.
Given his sudden decline, I was afraid to wait until Tuesday so I took him back to my local vet which is a 5 min walk from my house. I wanted to take him to the nearest vet on your vet locator but didn't know how to get there alone, my brother is working and my Mum wouldn't take me. So I hope that I did my best under the circumstances.
The vet said I had done the right thing to bring him back because we might otherwise have lost him over the weekend. They are going to put him under anaesthetic and do his teeth and an x-ray. They think it will either be his teeth or a tumour. If it is a tumour, they said there probably wasn't much they could do. Is this true - can't they operate?
Thank you so much for telling me about the blood tests and poop analysis. These were not offered to me until I expressly asked the vet for them and they seemed surprised that I would want to go to the costs. However, since the results would take a week to come back they are going to wait until after his procedure to see if he still needs them.
I'm very scared that he won't wake up from the anaesthetic as they told me this was a possibility, especially in his current state. But if we left it longer he could decline further and then it would be even more dangerous.
I left Marley at the vets at 9:40. They are going to try and phone me by 2pm to tell me how it all went.
Many prayers and or healing vibes required please!
 
You didn't have a choice really, sometimes these things are taken out of our hands :( You have tried your best for him & that's all you can do xx
 
I'm so sorry but you did the right thing getting him seen. With a tumour they can operate but not always and they need to take the likelihood of recovery into account. It also depends where the tumour is and if is easy to remove. If it is cancerous it can make the tumour spread rapidly too I have heard. Keeping everything crossed.
 
My thoughts and prayers are with you and Marley at this difficult time.

You have done everything you can for now. Well done to your Brother though for stepping up and for helping out. Any animal has the right to be loved and
looked after no matter how big or small.

We are all thinking about you both. Sending healing vibes to Marley and have everything crossed for you. xx
 
MarleysMum said:
Marley went downhill very rapidly overnight. By this morning, he was no longer eating anything except the food supplements I've been getting into him through a syringe - although I'm worried that a lot of it was dribbled out and wasted. He didn't wheek for food this morning and just sat in his cage hunched over.
Given his sudden decline, I was afraid to wait until Tuesday so I took him back to my local vet which is a 5 min walk from my house. I wanted to take him to the nearest vet on your vet locator but didn't know how to get there alone, my brother is working and my Mum wouldn't take me. So I hope that I did my best under the circumstances.
The vet said I had done the right thing to bring him back because we might otherwise have lost him over the weekend. They are going to put him under anaesthetic and do his teeth and an x-ray. They think it will either be his teeth or a tumour. If it is a tumour, they said there probably wasn't much they could do. Is this true - can't they operate?
Thank you so much for telling me about the blood tests and poop analysis. These were not offered to me until I expressly asked the vet for them and they seemed surprised that I would want to go to the costs. However, since the results would take a week to come back they are going to wait until after his procedure to see if he still needs them.
I'm very scared that he won't wake up from the anaesthetic as they told me this was a possibility, especially in his current state. But if we left it longer he could decline further and then it would be even more dangerous.
I left Marley at the vets at 9:40. They are going to try and phone me by 2pm to tell me how it all went.
Many prayers and or healing vibes required please!
Click to expand...
Many prayers are with you both, you have done everything you can for your precious Marley!
 
Thank you everyone for your kindness and well wishes.
The vets have called and say that Marley has woken up and is recovering from the anaesthetic. On closer inspection, it turns out that his teeth are fine so they weren't the problem at all. The X-ray didn't uncover any tumours either. At this point then, we still don't know what is wrong with him. However, apparently he has been eating the food which I sent along with him to the vet so I guess that's good.
They have sent off samples of his poop and blood for tests, the results of which should be in on Tuesday or Wednesday next week. In the meantime, I can take Marley home at 6pm today and I need to keep feeding him the food supplements in addition to his normal food.
I'm so glad that he woke up but I was really expecting some answers. Given all this, what do you think is wrong with him?
When I go to the vets at 6, are there any other tests I should ask to have done? Or any questions I should ask in general actually?
 
glad he has come round well and can come home soon. it's frustrating you have no answers yet but good in a way that at least some things have now been ruled out. sometimes ruling things out is still a way forward.

i can't remember if you said he seemed in any discomfort but if he did/does, then perhaps ask the vet if they think he should have any pain relief whilst at home, until the tests results come back. ask if was given anything after the GA and then if they give pain relief or anything else, when you should start giving it to him.

just continue with the syringe feeding for now and hopefully the tests will give some more answers. it's hard to say what it could be because quite a few illnesses will have similar symptoms so i think best wait to see what the tests show and go from there.

bet you can't wait to have him home again :)
 
So happy he has come through the opp . I bet you are so relieved :hug:

Re the samples ,
l may be wrong , but the last time l had poop analized , it required a 3 day sample
to take acount of egg to adult time span ,

Things may have changed , but it may be worth asking as you have come so far, and asking
your vet would cost nothing
 
Thank you all for your help and kind words. I just got back from the vet. Marley died while I was there. They thought he was coming round alright but he suddenly just started dying and there was nothing they could do to save him. I'm completely heartbroken. I could never have dreamed of owning a more beautiful, lovely guinea pig. I know he is in a better place now.
 
Oh no I am so so sorry :( Sending you massive ((hugs)) as everyone on this forum will know how you feel right now. Please take comfort that he is at peace & free from pain & you did everything you could (and more) for your sweet boy xx
 
Ohhh I am so so sorry for the devastating loss of your little boy Marley! He was a lucky piggie to have such a loving and caring mommy and I'm sure he is popcorning and healthy now and knowing he was well taken care of while here!
 
Oh no!!
I am so so sorry :no:

How awful for you to have that happen. Big hugs. I can't imagine much more of a worse outcome after you were all ready to bring him home.

You did everything you possibly could have, but these things are beyond our control.

Run free lovely Marley, you were and still are much loved x
 
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