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Help needed - Piggy not responding after operation

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Piggy Planet

Piggy Planet

Junior Guinea Pig
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Can anyone offer any advice please? Ruby, the 2 year old piggy, has had an exploratory operation on her bladder. This was after a suspected bladder stone. She didn't have one after all, but had a 'thickening of the bladder wall' instead. A sample will have to be sent off for further tests to work out what's causing this.

In the meantime, she seems to have given up the will to live. She sits on her front with her chin very flat on the floor, and won't eat or drink. I've syringed water into her mouth every so often to keep her hydrated, and she's on anti inflammatory pain drops, plus antibiotics.

I was given some Critical Care, but am struggling to administer this as the syringe clogs when I try to fill it up. (One third powder to two thirds water - is this right?)

Any advice would be much appreciated...
 
Hi & Welcome,

Sorry to hear your probs, with critical care there is no rule with mixing it, but the mix you are using sounds ok, have you cut the end off the syringe? if so and its still to thick just make it more runny, she may try to refuse it but it is vital you force it into her, it will save her life, without food they go downhill so quickly as they dont have any energy and their digestive system packs up, so please aim to get 120mls into her over a 24 hour period. Is she eating anything atall by herself?

Are you giving any probiotics whilst she is on meds? Meds can be very harsh on the gut so probiotics will help.

Good luck and healing vibes xx
 
Thanks

Thanks for that really useful advice! I hadn't cut off the end of the syringe, so will do that. Will go and get some into her now.

She had nibbled a few dandelion leaves when we put her piggy best friend next to her for a bit, but that was yesterday. Could you tell me more about probiotics please? xx
 
No worries,

this is the one i have used when my piggies have ben on med's.

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/proc-probiotic-100gm-by-vetark-15796

usually just disolved into their water, sometime sysringed, othertimes just sprinkled over their food. There are others available though i am not sure of their names. Poopsoup is another option, mashing up poo's from a healthy piggy with some water and syringing this, it sounds vile, but piggies love it!

What Critical care do you have? If she wont eat the critical care you could ty mashing up some of her pellets, Burgess blackcurrant and oregano are popular, if you put some in a dish, poor hot water over, leave to stand and coool, then syringe this, hopefully she may take to them more easily.

Weigh her daily to monitor her weight loss/gain.

Anything else, please ask x
 
Hi! I am very sorry that the op hasn't gone well. Please contact your vets again.

You will have cut off the end of the syringe to just before the thin bit ends or - if that is possible - use a dog metacam syringe. You are aiming for 120ml over the course of 24 hours, little but often around the clock, even if it is very much a struggle. Add some probiotics as well. Give vitamin C with the water you are syringing. A good probiotic for bladder piggies is avipro plus, which you can order over the internet or hopefully get a bit from your vet to tidy you over.
Thickened bladder walls are unusual for piggies who are suffering from interstitial cystitis.
http://www.guinealynx.info/uti.html

Here are more tips on hand feeding and post op care:
http://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/postop.html

PS: I will send a personal message to our medical wiz, as you haven't posted in the health/illness section which she usually monitors.
 
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Thank you so much to both members for those massively useful replies. I'm still getting used to navigating the site, so didn't know how to post a new thread in the health section.
xx
 
Fingers and paws crossed for you and your little girl, please keep us updated xx
 
Piggy Planet said:
Thank you so much to both members for those massively useful replies. I'm still getting used to navigating the site, so didn't know how to post a new thread in the health section.
xx
Click to expand...

Click on "The Guinea Pig Forum" under the gree top bar. That brings up all the sections. Then click on the section you want to post in. When it opens, you will find a blue button "new thread" on the top left.
 
Thank you so much, Wiebke, for those articles, which I've just read - they were so helpful. i feel i can do something positive now. I have some guinea pig guides to basic guinea pig welfare on the internet. I will create a new one, and put the advice given by both you and Toffeewoffee in it - attributed to both of you of course, and mentioning the Guinea Pig Forum.

Thank you so much Toffeewoffee too. I force fed her some Critical Care and piggy poo soup! Guess what? It seemed to kick start her system, and she ate two dandelion leaves! Thank you all so much. I'll keep you posted on progress. xxxxxx
 
HI
You can also stimulate the gut by gentle massaging of her tummy. Obvious care is needed to avoid any sore areas, but this could help to kick start things as well.
 
Many vets severely underestimate the importance of home care and of keeping the piggies' guts going at all times. Sadly, many piggies die unnecessarily because their owners have not been told how important it is to hand feed round the clock if a piggy is not eating well. I have lost one of my first piggies because of that.

I hope that your piggy can pull through!
 
Wiebke said:
Many vets severely underestimate the importance of home care and of keeping the piggies' guts going at all times. Sadly, many piggies die unnecessarily because their owners have not been told how important it is to hand feed round the clock if a piggy is not eating well. I have lost one of my first piggies because of that.

I hope that your piggy can pull through!
Click to expand...

This is too true, my boy had dental issues earlier this year, and luckily i knew i would have to step in if he didn't eat himself,(from the advice and support i had on here) the vet didn't say anything to me, no doubt if i had of brought up the subject they would have told me, but they should have confirmed i knew about feeding etc.

I had to feed my boy every 2 hours around the clock, for 4 weeks, (he was so poorly and had lost so much weight, he was so weak) he really fought it to begin with, and so many times i thought its not fair on him, he is clearly suffering and doesn't want to carry on, but i stuck at it, and he is now an example of a perfectly healthy happy 4 year old piggy! I think in the end he knew i wasn't being cruel but i was actually helping him and he co-operated, only with me though, he would not take it from the OH - oh no!

The force feeding and around the clock care saved his life, and needless to say i would do it all over again if necessary. xx
 
Re: wiebke's comments about vets - Yes I completely agree with that. Ruby was kept in overnight, and left with some unappetising dried food (some sort of dried grass/hay in a tube) when she really needed something like a handful of fresh grass etc. She was giving up completely. The vets did their best, but I didn't feel they really understood guinea pigs very well at all.

I asked to take her home because I thought she needed familiar surroundings to overcome the massive trauma she'd just undergone - and that proved to be very true. She didn't perk up at all till she'd had some contact with another piggy who she has a close bond with.

If anyone can recommend a piggy friendly vet in the Derby area, I'd love to hear from them. Does anyone know if Vets at Pets at Home tend to have more piggy experience?
x
 
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P@h vets tend to be general vets, and what I have heard of them from forum members has not impressed me.

Ideally, you want to see an exotics (i.e. small animal) vet.
 
So helpful

Toffeewoffee said:
This is too true, my boy had dental issues earlier this year, and luckily i knew i would have to step in if he didn't eat himself,(from the advice and support i had on here) the vet didn't say anything to me, no doubt if i had of brought up the subject they would have told me, but they should have confirmed i knew about feeding etc.

I had to feed my boy every 2 hours around the clock, for 4 weeks, (he was so poorly and had lost so much weight, he was so weak) he really fought it to begin with, and so many times i thought its not fair on him, he is clearly suffering and doesn't want to carry on, but i stuck at it, and he is now an example of a perfectly healthy happy 4 year old piggy! I think in the end he knew i wasn't being cruel but i was actually helping him and he co-operated, only with me though, he would not take it from the OH - oh no!

The force feeding and around the clock care saved his life, and needless to say i would do it all over again if necessary. xx
Click to expand...


It was so helpful to read this - it's clearly what I need to do for Ruby, and you've made me realise things aren't as hopeless as they seemed this morning. My experience at the vets was exactly the same. They seem more geared up to cats & dogs.

I can't thank you and Weibke enough. It's your help & guidance which have made all the difference. x
 
If it wasn't for the help and support i recieved on here, i wouldn't be able to help you. But we are all here for each other, to offer, ehlp advice, guidance, share experiences, and just general chit chat too. Please feel free to ask away if there is anything else you need just ask, there are several medically trained members on here. xx
 
Thanks, Toffeewoffee - just one more thing: I've just been out and bought some probiotics which you add 1 scoop to 200ml water. How often should I give this to her (via syringe) and how much at a time? x
 
I would give her as much as she will take via the syringe, at any time.

Is she using her water bottle or not? If so you could also put some in her water, or mix it in with her Critial care, if it is 1 scoop her 200mls, then it will be half a scopp her 100mls, and a quarter of a scoop per 50mls, so you can disolve some into the water before mixing it with the critical care.

There are not any exact rules with pro-biotics so dont worry too much, but they will really help her little tummy whilst she is on the med's xx
 
Final update: sadly, despite our best efforts, we lost Ruby in the early hours of Thursday morning. I think the combined effects of her illness (which had caused her to lose so much weight) plus the trauma of the operation, finally proved too much.

She had lots of cuddles and kisses before she slipped away, and was at home where she was loved and cared for. At least she had two and a half happy years.

I'm just so glad we were able to give her a fighting chance of survival, thanks to all the great advice from fellow members.

We'll put her in the garden where she loved to play with Hazel, Rosie and Blossom. She's now my avatar.

Thanks all. xx
 
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oh no ive just read through all this, I'm so sorry you lost your piggy after all your hard work and care.

Rip little one, sleep well xx
 
Ohhhh i'm so sorry for your loss, i recently went through this too only a few weeks ago. Goodnight little one, rest in peace xxxxx
 
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