Guinea Pig Not Eating Subsequent To Being Attacked By A Terrier

[Forestgirl]

My dear guinea pig, Oscar, was attacked by a terrier whilst on holiday last week in Devon. Amazingly he has survived but cannot/will not eat on his own. Poor little thing was in shock and traumatized and I am doing everything in my power to bring him back from the brink. He is only 11 months old. He has suffered injury as the dog must have got a hold of him in his cage. He has puncture wounds to the side of his face and neck. A lot of his hair was ripped out. The vet put him on painkillers, anti-inflammatories and antibiotics. We are on day 11 now. He has finished the course of antibiotics and I have been syringe feeding critical care and also mashed up Excel pellets. I have a probiotic additive to put in the water and I have also been brewing him up some hay which he likes. He has lost about 230g but weighed in before the accident at a healthy 1.3kg. I saw him yesterday take a drink of water from a dish in his cage. He hasn't used the water bottle, maybe because he would have to stretch his head up to reach it. Wondered if anyone had experienced a similar accident with their pig and how long it took for the guinea pig to feel on his own again. He doesn't appear to have any strength to bite into things although he is able to chew albeit slowly but appears to be increasing in strength day by day. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[eileen]

maybe there are internal injuries,or his pain relief is not controlling the pain?I'm sorry your piggie was attacked.i would suggest you go back to the vets,maybe needs xrays and ultrasound to rule out unseen injuries.

 

[helen105281]

I agree that it would be best to get him back to the vets for more tests. He may have some bruising around his jaw. Where abouts are you? are you in the UK?

 

[Freela]

Oh no- poor little guy! Did the vet check his teeth at the initial assessment? I'm wondering if he had some teeth damaged or some jaw trauma that is still causing pain or difficulty chewing. Is he still on the pain meds at this point?

 

[Wiebke]

My dear guinea pig, Oscar, was attacked by a terrier whilst on holiday last week in Devon. Amazingly he has survived but cannot/will not eat on his own. Poor little thing was in shock and traumatized and I am doing everything in my power to bring him back from the brink. He is only 11 months old. He has suffered injury as the dog must have got a hold of him in his cage. He has puncture wounds to the side of his face and neck. A lot of his hair was ripped out. The vet put him on painkillers, anti-inflammatories and antibiotics. We are on day 11 now. He has finished the course of antibiotics and I have been syringe feeding critical care and also mashed up Excel pellets. I have a probiotic additive to put in the water and I have also been brewing him up some hay which he likes. He has lost about 230g but weighed in before the accident at a healthy 1.3kg. I saw him yesterday take a drink of water from a dish in his cage. He hasn't used the water bottle, maybe because he would have to stretch his head up to reach it. Wondered if anyone had experienced a similar accident with their pig and how long it took for the guinea pig to feel on his own again. He doesn't appear to have any strength to bite into things although he is able to chew albeit slowly but appears to be increasing in strength day by day. Any advice would be appreciated.

Has your vet checked/scanned the head/spine to see whether your boy has got any injury to the jaw/head/spine especially if he has been shaken by the terrier? Could you lower the water bottle so he doesn't have to stretch for it?

It is a good sign that your boy is still around; so many piggies die from the shock and from their internal injuries in the wake of an attack. It is also good that your boy is slowly getting stronger and better in himself. Try and see whether he can tackle grated or finely sliced veg, especially if you place them in his mouth. I would start with soft things first like fresh coriander, fresh grass, finely sliced cucumber and lettuce.
Otherwise hang on in there with syringe feeding. Offer him soft hay (not timothy) and see whether he can chew that. You may want to try some of the tips in our section for dental guinea pigs: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide