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Help! Refusing critical care and gurgling

T

Tpcmonster

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi, my 3 y/o female piggie has started to refuse critical care. We went to the vet with her yesterday as she was only eating veggies and grass, and had very loose stools. The vet gave us critical care bc she wouldn't eat hay and said her teeth were fine, she's just recovering from a tummy bug. Yesterday my piggie LOVED the critical care and would eat it with no problem, today she's refusing, ferociously batting me away when I try and put it in her mouth, but is managing some hay and seems a lot more herself, should I stop giving her it? Her stomach has also started making lots of gurgling sounds which has never happened before. Please help!

Thanks,
H

Edot-I haven't seen her poo today, but she is eating it directly from her bum, which is clean today, which is a good sign
 
@Tpcmonster Is your piggy losing weight? Have they been diagnosed as having a dental issue?

Pigs can be very iffy with Critical Care, they love it one minute, then hate it. If you need tp continue syringe feeding I suggest trying mushed nuggets instead, or a combination, give your piggy a variety.
 
Jaycey said:
@Tpcmonster Is your piggy losing weight? Have they been diagnosed as having a dental issue?

Pigs can be very iffy with Critical Care, they love it one minute, then hate it. If you need tp continue syringe feeding I suggest trying mushed nuggets instead, or a combination, give your piggy a variety.
Click to expand...

Hi, she was losing weight, I haven't weighed her yet today. She doesn't have a dental issue, her teeth are fine. Okay, last night I did try putting it on fresh veggies but eventually she cottoned on and stopped eating the bits with it on.
 
It migjt be worth trying a different vet, have they mentioned bloat? If she’s having loose stools please cut out all fresh veggies for the time being.

I’d imagine the vet only looked at the front teeth? 5 out of 6 of the vets I’ve been to never check the back teeth because it’s “too hard” so often they have undiagnosed teeth problems due to this.

If her tummy is gurgling it could be bloat? Is it hard at all? I’d definitely recommend getting a second opinion from a piggy savvy vet as it could be serious.

Hope she feels better soon! :)
 
I would suggest even trying pellets mashed up, if you can do it. There are some I have used from a brand called Select at the store that can give them everything they need. They mash up pretty well after being soaked and come out of the syringe fairly easily. It is most important to get her to eat. Get it treated quickly if it is bloat. Definitely time to get this figured out with the vet pronto. If you need to stay with the one you are at, be insistent he look again at the back teeth and also for any signs of bloat. With Guinea Pigs, there are a very distinct list of illnesses they can get with these symptoms and the vet should be able to determine what's going on.

Best of wishes for you and your little one.
 
Tpcmonster said:
Hi, my 3 y/o female piggie has started to refuse critical care. We went to the vet with her yesterday as she was only eating veggies and grass, and had very loose stools. The vet gave us critical care bc she wouldn't eat hay and said her teeth were fine, she's just recovering from a tummy bug. Yesterday my piggie LOVED the critical care and would eat it with no problem, today she's refusing, ferociously batting me away when I try and put it in her mouth, but is managing some hay and seems a lot more herself, should I stop giving her it? Her stomach has also started making lots of gurgling sounds which has never happened before. Please help!

Thanks,
H

Edot-I haven't seen her poo today, but she is eating it directly from her bum, which is clean today, which is a good sign
Click to expand...

Hi! Please see and out of hours vet promptly and ask for gut stimulants/anti-gassing meds and painkillers. If your piggy is getting injections, please always ask beforehand what they are. Rodents do not take well to steroids and should not be given them; unlike with cats or dogs they do slow down their organs.
Bloat, Gi Stasis ( No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

Continue with the syringe feed to keep the guts going unless your sows is no longer able to process them (refusing way in excess of her remaining strength or being too lethargic and struggling to swallow). You can mix the critical care with mushed up pellets if that is going down a bit easier, but you need to cut off the tip of the syringe as shown in our guide to allow the pellet fibre to pass. Our syringe feeding guide will also tell you how much/how often to feed during a crisis and then recovery; ideally you ain for 60 ml in 24 hours or as close as you can come even though it can be a fight to get just a bit in every hour or every two hours.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Administering Medications And Syringe Feed
 
Cavy Kung-Fu said:
It migjt be worth trying a different vet, have they mentioned bloat? If she’s having loose stools please cut out all fresh veggies for the time being.

I’d imagine the vet only looked at the front teeth? 5 out of 6 of the vets I’ve been to never check the back teeth because it’s “too hard” so often they have undiagnosed teeth problems due to this.

If her tummy is gurgling it could be bloat? Is it hard at all? I’d definitely recommend getting a second opinion from a piggy savvy vet as it could be serious.

Hope she feels better soon! :)
Click to expand...

This is the second vet she's been to, she lives with her two sisters who also refused to eat anything on Tuesday, that vet said two of them, including this piggie, had eaten something dodgy and needed operations on their back teeth, but after painkillers and something to help their digestion, the other pigs are absolutely fine with no sign there's anything wrong. I don't trust the first vet I went to bc every time we go, even with my previous pigs, they tell us to get some sort of operation. The second vet I took them to has become our usual vet and she checked her mouth very thoroughly, so I do trust her opinion. The vet said yesterday there were some small lumps in her stomach but she thought that was down to her having trouble digesting. The vets want us to ring tomorrow if she's not improving, but she does seem very bright and happy atm, the only issue being her stomach gurgling and refusing to have the cc.
 
fanniephina said:
I would suggest even trying pellets mashed up, if you can do it. There are some I have used from a brand called Select at the store that can give them everything they need. They mash up pretty well after being soaked and come out of the syringe fairly easily. It is most important to get her to eat. Get it treated quickly if it is bloat. Definitely time to get this figured out with the vet pronto. If you need to stay with the one you are at, be insistent he look again at the back teeth and also for any signs of bloat. With Guinea Pigs, there are a very distinct list of illnesses they can get with these symptoms and the vet should be able to determine what's going on.

Best of wishes for you and your little one.
Click to expand...

Okay, thank you, I'll give mashed up pellets a try. They're on Burgess excel, which I'm guessing should be fine mashed up.
 
Wiebke said:
Hi! Please see and out of hours vet promptly and ask for gut stimulants/anti-gassing meds and painkillers. If your piggy is getting injections, please always ask beforehand what they are. Rodents do not take well to steroids and should not be given them; unlike with cats or dogs they do slow down their organs.
Bloat, Gi Stasis ( No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

Continue with the syringe feed to keep the guts going unless your sows is no longer able to process them (refusing way in excess of her remaining strength or being too lethargic and struggling to swallow). You can mix the critical care with mushed up pellets if that is going down a bit easier, but you need to cut off the tip of the syringe as shown in our guide to allow the pellet fibre to pass. Our syringe feeding guide will also tell you how much/how often to feed during a crisis and then recovery; ideally you ain for 60 ml in 24 hours or as close as you can come even though it can be a fight to get just a bit in every hour or every two hours.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Administering Medications And Syringe Feed
Click to expand...

I do have some gut stimulants that the first vet gave to a different piggie who we've stopped giving that to now, so I could give her them. They've come off painkillers as the second vet said they wouldn't really help if it was a stomach issue, she wasn't having any injections, everything is through a syringe. Thank you, I will have a look at your guide. I'm unsure about getting the vet as she seems very lively and inquisitive, and she is eating hay, but I will be keeping a close eye on her and if anything changes I will ring the vet.
 
All the best! Acute bloat is very painful.
 
Tpcmonster said:
UPDATE: After mixing crushed up nuggets and critical care, Clover has made a full recovery and is back to her usual self! We're still keeping a close eye on her but she's eating and pooping regularly again. Thank you all for your help x

Hi, my 3 y/o female piggie has started to refuse critical care. We went to the vet with her yesterday as she was only eating veggies and grass, and had very loose stools. The vet gave us critical care bc she wouldn't eat hay and said her teeth were fine, she's just recovering from a tummy bug. Yesterday my piggie LOVED the critical care and would eat it with no problem, today she's refusing, ferociously batting me away when I try and put it in her mouth, but is managing some hay and seems a lot more herself, should I stop giving her it? Her stomach has also started making lots of gurgling sounds which has never happened before. Please help!

Thanks,
H
Click to expand...


UPDATE: After mixing crushed up nuggets and critical care, Clover has made a full recovery and is back to her usual self! We're still keeping a close eye on her but she's eating and pooping regularly again. Thank you all for your help x

Edit-I haven't seen her poo today, but she is eating it directly from her bum, which is clean today, which is a good sign
 
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