Hello everyone I need help

[Jillian Deollos]

My skinny pig boar just had bladder stone surgery on the 9th. He has been eating on his own and pooping regularly as of date. He is still losing weight and he's been to the vet twice and again tomorrow. In may he started losing weight he was 2 pounds 12 ounces and in may stayed at 2 pounds 8 ounces several months. End november he dropped to 2 pounds 6 ounces I noticed signs of bladder infection. I took him to the vet on the earliest appointment as they said it wasn't an emergency. When I took him on the 9th they said he was 2 pounds 4 ounces. After I picked him up on the 10th he was 2 pounds 2 ounces he stayed that. He gained some 2.3.9 then i took to the vet Friday for his post op they said he was doing great and to stop critical care. Weigh every 3 days so I did but when I weighed last night he dropped to 2.1 so I weighed tonight and he looks skin and bones and now he is just over 2 pounds. My vet says this is okay but he looks like bones and very very sickly. But he acting normal. He's goes tomorrow but I am freaking out if this is normal. Any help would be nice.

 

[Piggies&buns]

If he is losing weight then he isn’t eating enough hay on his own. You need to weigh him every day (weighing every three days isn’t enough while they are poorly), and increase your syringe feeding so he isn’t losing weight from day to day.
Ive just done a quick conversion - it’s easier if all weights can be quoted in grams - and it looks to be over a 300g loss, which is a huge amount to lose.
Is there another vet you can take him to? I would think if your vet is saying that isn’t concerning then they may not know enough about guinea pigs.

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

 

[Free Ranger]

Hi, it's early here but there will be someone more knowledgeable online soon. I'll tag @Piggies&buns @Wiebke @Siikibam You are doing the right thing to monitor his weight so closely and it's great he's recovering well from his surgery (I assume the vet was talking mainly about how well the wound was healing) Could you let us know how he's pooping? Do they look normal and what is the quantity like compared to previously.

Could you also let us know how old he is? And how much critical care he was getting each day? He does seem slim for a previously hefty boar - how is his appetite on his own? And is he able to eat hay easily? Hay forms the main part of their diet and its other function is to keep the teeth in check. Perhaps you could ask the vet to check his teeth? Sometimes if the appetite is reduced for a while because of other illness the teeth might overgrow a little - but maybe just enough to make chewing more difficult so he would be OK on veggies or pellets but hay might be more of a challenge. Experts - what do you think?

Also did he get antibiotics after his op and has he had any probiotic... or perhaps he lives with a healthy cage mate and has had a chance to repopulate his gut with 'good' bacteria from them?

Good luck at the vets Oh Hi Piggies&buns - good morning!

 

[Jillian Deollos]

So he is almost 4 next month. He was given baytril 0.1 twice daily for 21 days we are on day 11 and metacam 0.7 twice daily for 10 days so his last day was yesterday. He getting at least 10 cc of critical twice a day but I stopped for two on vets advice that's when the weight dropped so low. He is eating on his own and pooping nice healthy poops. His pee spots look pink though in color and dry orangish. When I weighed him earlier he was 912 grams from 956 yesterday but was 1044 before. I did call another vet in a different town they said to take him tomorrow to the vet that did the surgery and if they do nothing I can take him there Weds. I also added a heating pad to his cage to keep him warm.
Is it possibly the baytril. He has timothy hay and doc said no pellets I am filtering his water and he's eating fresh veggies still. So weird the weigh just is falling off.

 

[Piggies&buns]

10ml twice a day - so 20ml in a 24 hour period is nowhere near enough if his weight is continuing to drop. You are looking at needing towards 60ml in a 24 hour period - - what happens with his weight his weight is the determining factor - and that can mean feeding a few ml every few hours throughout the entire day, if he is still eating some hay for himself. He clearly isnt eating enough hay though otherwise he wouldn’t be losing weight. Veggies are only 15% of their daily food intake so won’t do much for his weight, it’s hay that will.

Antibiotic can upset their tummies, so it’s a case of syringe feeding and giving a probiotic either an hour before or an hour after the antibiotic as it can help settle things down.

 

[Free Ranger]

It seems a low volume of Baytril but perhaps you have a stronger solution than we get... we have had antibiotics for 3 weeks before (for UTI) and did not lose significant weight. The only thing I can offer is that if the poops look OK I would feel confident about the antibiotic being OK - soft, sloppy poops would be the worry there.

 

[Jillian Deollos]

And yes a probiotic benebac I requested I give it to him an hour after meds. Also thank you for helping I've been so stressed I've lost 3 other piggies this year. My first was bear he had genetic teeth issues and the second surgery he didn't make it. Then I lost his cages mate Frodo 6 uri 5 days in hospital and he passed. Then Logan he had heart disease. I want to do everything possible so I don't lose anymore.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry for your losses.

Definitely look to keep going/increase his syringe feeds (You can’t stop feeding a piggy who is losing weight) and see another vet if you aren’t satisfied with the help from the other vet.

(also, if you could just change your location to be your state, I’m assuming you’ve put your full address which is not good for your own security but it’ll be easier for us who only have a basic knowledge of US states!)

 

[Jillian Deollos]

He is also eating hay and when I do critical we do both hay and critical care he's eating lots which is why it's so weird. I fill a toliet paper roll with hay gone in the morning and again I fill gone also pile gets low putting more every time I notice it's low. I will try to get more critical care but between the hay and that he stops at about ten. That's why I am so confused.

 

[Free Ranger]

Oh you poor thing. Sometimes there seems to be a run of bad luck but it's more to do with all the piggies being a similar age. I hope your boy manages to pull through... but remember that for piggies it's not the number of years it's the happiness in their days, and you sound like such a caring owner that they must have had a very happy time on this earth

 

[Piggies&buns]

He is also eating hay and when I do critical we do both hay and critical care he's eating lots which is why it's so weird. I fill a toliet paper roll with hay gone in the morning and again I fill gone also pile gets low putting more every time I notice it's low. I will try to get more critical care but between the hay and that he stops at about ten. That's why I am so confused.

Stopping at 10ml is fine but he need to be given 10ml more than twice a day - as I said, it’s all down to what is going on with his weight on a daily basis. It’s great he is eating some hay for himself though.

 

[Jillian Deollos]

Thank.you my hubby says that same thing. It's just our luck 2020 hasn't been kind for sure.

 

[Jillian Deollos]

Stopping at 10ml is fine but he need to be given 10ml more than twice a day - as I said, it’s all down to what is going on with his weight on a daily basis. It’s great he is eating some hay for himself though.

I will definitely give him more. More often thank you for the tip I didn't think it was enough but he starts fighting and trying to hide so I give up.

 

[Jillian Deollos]

I’m sorry for your losses.

Definitely look to keep going/increase his syringe feeds (You can’t stop feeding a piggy who is losing weight) and see another vet if you aren’t satisfied with the help from the other vet.

(also, if you could just change your location to be your state, I’m assuming you’ve put your full address which is not good for your own security but it’ll be easier for us who only have a basic knowledge of US states!)

I also changed location it auto filled didn't even notice so thank you soich for that. I am going to go to this vet one more time if she doesn't seem concerned I am going to the other one farther Weds.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I will definitely give him more. More often thank you for the tip I didn't think it was enough but he starts fighting and trying to hide so I give up.

that’s why giving as much as they will take per sitting, but doing more sittings in a 24 hour period is the way to go - if he takes 2ml then you’ll need to feed more often than if he will take 15ml For example
Keep a chart of how much and how often he takes it, that way you can keep an eye on the total amount given in a 24 hour period along with his weight each day so you know what is the right amount to stabilise his weight loss.

 

[Free Ranger]

Some people just mix it up and leave it in a bowl in the cage for piggy to help themselves... unless there's a greedy cage-mate of course!

 

[Jillian Deollos]

So I took Dobby to the vet this morning for a drop off. They called me at 10:30 am and the vet said he was fine the discoloration was oxidation in the pee. He lost weight she said when she weighed on Friday he was 999 grams today he was back up to 979 grams which she said was fine. She assured me he was fine and to quit being a helicopter mom. She was a trained eye and looked so good after surgery for an inbreed guinea pig as he is a skinny pig. So I brought him home at around 2 pm he's was acting normal and eating fine seemed happy. So I thought maybe she right leave him alone for awhile. So I went back to work and got home at 515. I checked on him out eating hay no discomfort or anything out of the ordinary. So I decided to let him eat. At 6:30 I take veggies and huge blood spots in spots thick blood. Of course vet closed so I left a message and emailed the photos. I am posting my concern I took him for and the ones from today. There is also more blood in the litter box. What should I do until tomorrow?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Can you take him to the other vet today?

 

[Jillian Deollos]

I have to call at 8 am as it is 1135 pm where I am at now. I did email attached photos and call and leave a message for the vet he saw today as well. However. Since the blood he has been eating non stop on his own. I gave him some rosewood salad forage he scarfed it down. Does anyone know how often they can have it. I give it usually once every week on Saturdays normally but he seems to be eating it and that something.hes also been eating hay non stop since the blood is this a good sign. No more blood yet since.

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’s great he is eating lots of hay.
Ive just looked the forage up, it contains dandelion and carrot which shouldn’t really be given everyday, so I’d keep it to once, perhaps twice a week, as a treat. There are forages which can be given every day though but when buying in a mixed pack it makes it a bit trickier if it contains things which aren’t really and every day thing