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help please. guinea pig going down hill.

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Jenna1995

Jenna1995

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my guinea pig patches has discharge coming from his nose and bum, hes eating less than usual, he has a pretty nasty smell (same smell as truffle smelt like when she was very ill and later died). Hes lathargic but still walking around , but seemed sort of weak when i picked him up (not nearly as weak as truffle was). I cant take him to the vet until monday.he usually lives outside but ive brought him in to keep a close eye on him. has any one got a clue what could be wrong with him? He is 5 1/2 years.
 
He sounds very unwell I'm afraid, he needs to see a vet NOW. I dont want to panic you but piggies go downhill very fast and it may be too long to wait till monday. He could have anything, but it sounds like he definatly has an infection and URI. If your other piggie you lost had similar symptoms then you definatly need to go to the vets asap. Please dont wait.

x.
 
I would get in touch with the emergency vet and get him seen straight away
 
I have to agree - by Monday, it will most probably be too late. I am sorry that your piggy is so ill; it doesn't sound good. Please keep him indoors and as comfy as you can. Try to feed him mushed pellets and water if he takes it.
 
I lost truffle months ago and everything has been disinfected since then, so I dont think that he caught that. My only worry with going to the vets is that it isnt a guinea pig specialists, and when i took truffle in the vet didnt have a clue. I will try to persuade my mam tho.
 
Where abouts do you live? we might be able to point you in the direction of a good piggie vet. please get your mum to take you. Most vets will still be open at the moment, but if you leave it much longer they will be closed and you will have to pay and out of hours fee.
 
Jenna - I had a lookee through some previous posts as there was something lurking at the back of my mind and I could not recall what it was - do you still keep your pigs outside as you posted about mice getting into your hutch back in Nov? When you go to the vet (ASAP) please tell them this if it is still a factor as it is likely to be very relevant.

Suzy x
 
Jenna1995 said:
I lost truffle months ago and everything has been disinfected since then, so I dont think that he caught that. My only worry with going to the vets is that it isnt a guinea pig specialists, and when i took truffle in the vet didnt have a clue. I will try to persuade my mam tho.
Click to expand...

I think in this case any vet is better than no vet!
 
hey everyone, ive just got in from sorting the horse and dogs. My vet is closed till monday, I live in Penrith,Cumbria area. There not outside their in a summerhouse/shed thing, I dont think mice is a issue with him (he lives on the top floor). i will let the vet no tho just incase. He hasnt worsened since earlier, could it just be a cold but hes taking it badly due to his age?
 
Jenna1995 said:
hey everyone, ive just got in from sorting the horse and dogs. My vet is closed till monday, I live in Penrith,Cumbria area. There not outside their in a summerhouse/shed thing, I dont think mice is a issue with him (he lives on the top floor). i will let the vet no tho just incase. He hasnt worsened since earlier, could it just be a cold but hes taking it badly due to his age?
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I'm afraid there's not such thing as 'just' a cold for piggies. It could be a respiratory infection which could kill him without immediate veterinary treatment.

I really don't mean to sound harsh but your guinea pig may not survive until the vet opens on Monday.

When guineas show signs of being ill it usually means that they've been ill for a while. They are prey animals and therefore hide their sickness until they're really poorly.

If you are a child, your parent(s) are fully responsible for the care of your pets and they must get him seen by a vet this evening. It is a legal requirement to seek veterinary assistance for a poorly animal.

I appreciate that it's difficult if you're young but perhaps show your parents this thread so they can fully understand how urgent the matter is.
 
These vets in Penrith are known to treat guinea pigs.
The have a 24 hour emergency service BUT.....they also offer a very limited sunday service
I have just rung them and spoken to the out of hours receptionist. If you ring her NOW you can book an appointment to go in tomorrow 9.30-10am and you should only have to pay a normal consultancy fee instead of an emergency one - but you have to book the appointment NOW so the vets know to come in tomorrow.

http://www.rowcliffehousevets.co.uk/

Address: Crown SquarePenrithCA11 7ABTel: 01768 865661 Fax: 01768 899760

HTH
x
 
Quick amendment - the receptionist has just rung me back after speaking to the vet to say the charge will be slightly higher than normal as it is a sunday - £40 plus VAT. (That's half the price of my sunday call out from my vet so I think that's good value). She also said - The vet is concerned that your guinea pig should receive attention immediately (i.e. tonight) as they go downhill so very quickly and tomorrow might be too late.

HTH
x
 
Think this is the standard charge - I booked one of my girlies in for tests on a Saturday (not thinking they charge a bit more at weekends) and paid £40 for the consultation. I never gave it another thought tbh as if they need treatment, they get it :))
It was something that could have waited until the Monday but just more convenient for us as it was my weekend off.
Hope you can get little one seen asap and keep us updated :)
Hugs and lots of healing vibes being sent x>>
 
any updates?

Have you managed to take your piggy to the vet or get an appointment?

I know its best to try and see a cavy savvy vet but if one of my boys was seriously ill it would straight to the nearest vet. Just because a vet isnt a guinea pig vet doesnt mean they cant help in an emergency.

I hope your piggy gets seen ASAP and gets better quickly

xx
 
hey, I thought yous would like an update, Ive been to the vets this morning, the vet said he has an URI. He gave him an injection to stimulate his appitite and baytril to give him twice a day. I asked if he needed a diuretic, to clear fluid in his lungs, but the vet said it could dihydate him. He was moving around a little and he is warm. he picked at his dried food this morning. I also dabbed a bit of vix on his nose.
 
I wouldnt say hes improved hes really the same, I'm just worried that without the diuretic he wont get better.
 
Thanks for the update. Sounds like hes picking up a little bit. Duretics dont dehydrate the animal providing they are drinking enough, or in your little ones case, getting enough syringe feed/water.

I hope he starts to feel a bit better soon.

x.
 
A drop of cranberry juice in his water might help - but make sure everything is kept spotlessly clean if you do as bacteria will breed on sugary solutions.

Paula
 
Aw, hope the Baytril helps.
As it can be a little harsh on their tums, try giving a probiotic as well a couple of hours after the antibiotic, it helps balance their gut flora - Fibreplex is one I always keep in stock. If not, fresh cagemate poops mashed and fed is as good :( :) Piggies can lose their appetite on Baytril too so monitor their intake and weigh to catch any early signs of weight loss.
Lots more healing vibes coming your way :)p
 
Thanks If i feed him the poo does it need to be like runny or the normal pellets, i caught him cleaning up his bum in the car on the way to the vets, but i was cleaning it for him last night, do i need to sringe feed him water and pellets even tho hes picking at his food? Also without the diuretic do you think he will go downhill, but i dont no if the vet would give me it because he thinks it will dehydrate him?
 
Really pleased to hear he's now got antibiotics. Presumably the vet listened to his lungs and has pronounced them clear? A diuretic would only be given if the infection had moved from his upper repiratory tract to his lower repiratory tract (ie lungs) and he developed pneumonia that was accompanied by fluid accumulation in the lungs so I'm hoping this hasn;t happened due to your early intervention in taking him to the vets.

If his breathing gets worse over the next 24 hours then I would return to the vets for a re-assessment of his condition. In the mean time you could try tempting him with cucumber and celery as they have diuretic properties - but you need to make sure he takes in sufficient fluids (as part of or in addition to the syringe food) as dehydration can occur with URI's when the piggie stops eating/drinking.

If he isn;t eating anything you need to aim to get 120ml of syringe food/mushed pellets into him over a 24 hour period - no more than 20-30ml at one sitting (max tummy capacity) and approximately 2-3 hours between feeds to give his tummy time to empty/digest. The gut stimulant will help but now its about how much food you can get into him so he starts pooing properly again. You can add probioitic to the syringe food and some extra Vit C ground up and added to the mix wouldn;t go amiss either (use tablets without zinc).

Keeping fingers and paws crossed and wishing him a speedy recovery.
x
 
Yes the vet has said his lungs are clear. He isnt eating much, should i sringe feed? This might seem a stupid question but would probiotic drinks help mallethead. So if i sringe feed poo, food, water?and try with the celery and cucumber?
 
He may just not have a full 'normal' appetite atm due to being poorly so I would monitor his input and the all important output ;)
If poo's become small or less frequent, he may not be getting enough food of his own accord so will need you to help him. If he is eating bits, just tempt him with nice fresh veggies and grass usually goes down well rolleyes
As said before, Baytril is a harsh antibiotic, mix with a few drops of Ribena to reduce the horrible bitterness, weigh your boy and check his poops :)
We're here to help if you're concerned about any worries you have, I have had poorly piggies on Baytril so can speak from the heart how it can affect their digestive system :)
 
thanks just gave them a load of celery and he took it from me and is munching on it now. his poo is like a diarhea mess, which ive been cleaning for him. I will try the ribena thing :)
 
Jenna1995 said:
Yes the vet has said his lungs are clear. He isnt eating much, should i sringe feed? This might seem a stupid question but would probiotic drinks help mallethead. So if i sringe feed poo, food, water?and try with the celery and cucumber?
Click to expand...

Given he isn;t eating much, I would syringe feed as much as you can according to the regime above as it;s important to keep his gut full/moving.

You can mush up pellets in boiled water so they form a slurry (a hand blended works well) and allow to cool, and you can add poos, Vit C and probiotics to this mix as well as some of the critical care. Do you have any syringes? Sometimes the piggie will eat off a spoon/from a bowl but sometimes you need to be a bit more forceful and use a syringe.

If you have a 1ml syringe, slide a pair of scissors/nail clippers up the nozzle til they rest against the wider barrel and then cut the nozzle off. This will help take the food up into the syringe but not let the rubber plunger end up in the piggies mouth (some pigs have been known to swallow the plunger if the syringe is cut too far up the barrel).

As for probioitic drinks - these are not suitable as they are designed for human guts which work differently and have different microbes in them than piggies. The poo will be Ok for now but you can get guinea pig probiotics Fibreplex, Avipro etc on-line from stores such as the one below. I think hyperdrug and Chemist direct may also sell them


http://www.vetuk.co.uk/index.php?ma...result&search_in_description=1&keyword=avipro
http://www.vetuk.co.uk/index.php?ma...=8sjkive95pue8tecshf7uaqm97&keyword=fibreplex


You can try tempting him with small pieces of cucumber and celery and if he won;t take these you can try grating cucmber and syringing it. Also, best thing for a sick animal is fresh grass - even if they won;t eat anything else they *** normally eat some grass.

HTH
x
 
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