Help!

Jing

Jing

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Mar 23, 2026
Messages
18
Reaction score
33
Points
90
Location
Chichester
Hi everyone, I’m just registered with this forum as I need some advice from you guys.

I have a 5 year old male piggy Coconut. He started to have reduced appetite and skinny poo about a week ago. Took him to the Vet 3 days ago who prescribed Baytril; emeprid and rheumocam to cover probable infection and gut issues although nothing obvious wrong found.

Poor Coconut is not responding to the meds prescribed, in fact he is deteriorating fast- not eating or drinking today also lost some mobility. It is heart wrenching to see him crawling:( I have syringe fed him some critical care but honestly I think he is dying.. He’s been on my lap for hours as want him to feel I’m here with him even though there’s little I can do…

Can anyone advise if I still should syringe feed him meds or critical care? The way he is now makes me feel too cruel to continue feeding him…

Many thanks!

Jing
 
Very sorry to hear that you might be losing your lovely piggy 😔 I think you are doing the best thing by offering him comfort. It may help to gently offer him water through the syringe. More experienced people will be able to offer you better advice. Wishing you comfort 🙏 ❤️
 
I am very sorry that it seems like the rainbow bridge is calling your lovely boy 😞 I think all you can do is keep him warm and comfortable. It sadly sounds like he’s already on his way if he’s refusing all food and water and can’t walk (((hugs))) It sounds like he has something neurological going on x
 
Truffolo said:
Very sorry to hear that you might be losing your lovely piggy 😔 I think you are doing the best thing by offering him comfort. It may help to gently offer him water through the syringe. More experienced people will be able to offer you better advice. Wishing you comfort 🙏 ❤️
Click to expand...
Appreciate your reply and kind words.
 
Claire W said:
I am very sorry that it seems like the rainbow bridge is calling your lovely boy 😞 I think all you can do is keep him warm and comfortable. It sadly sounds like he’s already on his way if he’s refusing all food and water and can’t walk (((hugs))) It sounds like he has something neurological going on x
Click to expand...
Appreciate your reply and kindness x
 
Morning guys,

To my surprise Coconut is still around! I was dreading to come downstairs this morning to find him have gone..

It looked like he had passed urine over night but hardly any poo.

He managed to have a small piece of Roman lettuce and watermelon just now. Still can’t move much and certainly not munching the hay. I guess it is just matter of time:(

I wonder if it is worth to take him to the Vet again today…not sure what else they can do for him apart from may be more meds or invasive investigation?

luckily I’m not working today so will spend more time with him.

Have a good day everyone.

Jing
 
I’m sorry to hear this.

You should continue to syringe feed plenty of critical care for as long as he is willing to take it.
The fact he ate some veg shows he still has appetite but veg is not what is needed to sustain gut function.
He needs at least 60ml of critical care per day (40ml is the absolute minimum they need to maintain gut function). Daily weight checks are essential to ensure you are feeding enough critical care to keep his weight stable
Poop output is 1-2 days behind food intake - so no poop today means not enough food went in over the past 1-2 days.

Definitely return to the vet today to get their advice on if anything further can be done

I hope he is ok

Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

I have moved your post to the correct forum section. The health section is monitored by those of us with badges in our signatures and we receive alerts when posts are made to ensure all health posts receive prompt and accurate advice .
The general chat section is not monitored by our specialist teams so any health posts in those sections will not necessarily be seen by us
 
Piggies&buns said:
I’m sorry to hear this.

You should continue to syringe feed plenty of critical care for as long as he is willing to take it.
The fact he ate some veg shows he still has appetite but veg is not what is needed to sustain gut function.
He needs at least 60ml of critical care per day (40ml is the absolute minimum they need to maintain gut function). Daily weight checks are essential to ensure you are feeding enough critical care to keep his weight stable
Poop output is 1-2 days behind food intake - so no poop today means not enough food went in over the past 1-2 days.

Definitely return to the vet today to get their advice on if anything further can be done

I hope he is ok

Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

I have moved your post to the correct forum section. The health section is monitored by those of us with badges in our signatures and we receive alerts when posts are made to ensure all health posts receive prompt and accurate advice .
The general chat section is not monitored by our specialist teams so any health posts in those sections will not necessarily be seen by us
Click to expand...
Thank you for your reply and move my post to a more appropriate section.

The dilemma here is Coconut is not willing to take critical care. As soon as he smells it or when the syringe is closer to his mouth, he is fighting even though he is very weak which makes me feel so cruel to force him.

I understand veg is not helping with the situation but it is what he accepts.

I will make an appointment to the Vet today as soon as they open.
 
The tricky part is knowing whether he is getting weak due to succumbing to an illness/older age or whether it’s because he isn’t taking enough food.
Perhaps it’s possible to try a different recovery feed or using mushed pellets instead (due to the familiar flavour) to rule out whether it is because he doesn’t like the critical care - not all piggies like it and particularly some of the flavourings of it.
Getting through stasis can be a tough road.
Antibiotics take a few days to kick in so if he does have an infection then it’s only now that they will be up to full working.

Have you been able to do weight checks?
Was the syringe feeding started when his appetite reduced?

Antibiotics themselves can further knock the appetite so a probiotic can be needed to help combat the effects

Obviously we can only give general care advice, and can’t see what is actually happening but hopefully the vet can shed some more light on the issue and determine whether this is something he can recover from

Fingers crossed for him
 
I’m so sorry Coconut is so poorly. Sending you hugs and healing vibes to Coconut. ❤️

It’s so hard when they refuse the care we need to give them. Good luck at the vets.
 
I am so sorry your boy is so ill I was going to suggest getting other flavours of critical care in the past it has helped others but it would be needed quickly.
How about mixing it with a bit of banana or other mushy food he likes baby puree 💐
 
Jing said:
Hi everyone, I’m just registered with this forum as I need some advice from you guys.

I have a 5 year old male piggy Coconut. He started to have reduced appetite and skinny poo about a week ago. Took him to the Vet 3 days ago who prescribed Baytril; emeprid and rheumocam to cover probable infection and gut issues although nothing obvious wrong found.

Poor Coconut is not responding to the meds prescribed, in fact he is deteriorating fast- not eating or drinking today also lost some mobility. It is heart wrenching to see him crawling:( I have syringe fed him some critical care but honestly I think he is dying.. He’s been on my lap for hours as want him to feel I’m here with him even though there’s little I can do…

Can anyone advise if I still should syringe feed him meds or critical care? The way he is now makes me feel too cruel to continue feeding him…

Many thanks!

Jing
Click to expand...

HUGE HUGS

It is a very anxious time with all the little ups and downs; hoping for the best and dreading the worst. Please continue with your support and adjust the feeding/watering to how much he can take, according to the advice from my other members.

If he gets very weak, you can offer a tiny bit (0.1 ml) and wait until that has gone downbut if he is too weak to swallow or if he fights the syringe well in excess of his dwindling strength, then it sadly means that his body has started to close down.

The following link can hopefully help you with your concerns re. spotting whether the battle has been lost or not. Unless that this is the case, you have to continue your support and ride the tiger wherever it takes you. I sincerely hope that is out of the jungle. There is not much more you can do at this stage but continue with your medications and feeding support as long he is still in crisis.
Is My Guinea Pig Dying?

If that is the case (which I hope it won't be), you can contact your vet about an emergency pts (putting to sleep/euthanasia). Otherwise, if you prefer to rather let Coconut make his journey under his own steam from his familiar surroundings, you may find this guide link below helpful, which will talk you through the process of a natural death in practical detail and step-by-step, including how to work out whether your piggy might be dying and what the process involves, with the most common issues listed.
I have tried to make the guide as how-to precise as I could so any of the more physical and disconcerting aspects are less traumatic for any owner who has never been confronted with the dying process. We are here for you for any questions and concerns.
A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs


My thoughts are with you and Coconut. We are here for you as a community for any questions, concerns and moral support for as long as you need, whether that is illness or end of life support since we know only too well how stressful and anxious a crisis is for any loving owner.

It is a very distressing situation for you when you are somewhat on the knife's edge but we are here for you to help you through it.

I am keeping my fingers for crossed that Coconut can make it through.
 
Wiebke said:
HUGE HUGS

It is a very anxious time with all the little ups and downs; hoping for the best and dreading the worst. Please continue with your support and adjust the feeding/watering to how much he can take, according to the advice from my other members.

If he gets very weak, you can offer a tiny bit (0.1 ml) and wait until that has gone downbut if he is too weak to swallow or if he fights the syringe well in excess of his dwindling strength, then it sadly means that his body has started to close down.
The following link can hopefully help you with your concerns re. spotting whether the battle has been lost or not. Unless that this is the case, you have to continue your support and ride the tiger wherever it takes you. I sincerely hope that is out of the jungle. There is not much more you can do at this stage but continue with your medications and feeding support as long he is still in crisis.
Is My Guinea Pig Dying?

In this case, please contact your vets for an emergency pts (putting to sleep/euthanasia) if you feel OK with that.

Otherwise, if you prefer to rather let Coconut make his journey under his own steam from his familiar surroundings, you may find this guide link below helpful, which will talk you through the process of a natural death in practical detail and step-by-step, including how to work out whether your piggy might be dying and what the process involves, with the most common issues listed.
I have tried to make the guide as how-to precise as I could so any of the more physical and disconcerting aspects are less traumatic for any owner who has never been confronted with the dying process. We are here for you for any questions and concerns.
A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs


My thoughts are with you and Coconut. We are here for you as a community for any questions, concerns and moral support for as long as you need, whether that is illness or end of life support as well know only too well how stressful and anxious a crisis is.

It is a very distressing situation for you when you are somewhat on the knife's edge but we are here for you to help you through it.

I am keeping my fingers for crossed that Coconut can make it through.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your support and comforting words.
 
Just a bit of update on Coconut:

I took him to the vet at 0945 this morning. Only when I picked him up from the cage, I discovered that he’s had faecal impaction. I managed to clear some poo which was half way out by gently massaging the area. Some long stringy mucousy stuff came out too.

We were seen by a young vet who is new to the surgery. She took Coconut to the treatment room and cleared the impaction. She suggested to have some blood test done and ultrasound or X-ray to determine what is wrong with him. Meanwhile to continue with current prescribed meds even I mentioned they really knocked him out. As we were there Coconut did a big wee which was clear like water. The vet said he may have kidney issues which they wouldn’t be able to do much about it if that is the case. I said I’ll think about the investigation.

I don’t want Coconut to go through invasive procedures if he only has hours or days left. On the other hand, I can’t stop thinking what if he can be treated and recovered from this illness?

Since we got home, he managed to have approximately 5mls of Critical care via syringe before getting distressed about it; 1 dandelion stem and probably 3 mouthful of hay, licked about 2ml of water from a bowl. I had a long walk after settled him as needed some fresh air to clear my mind and emotions.

Really appreciate all the replies from you guys, even it was just a reaction of emoji- I know I’m not alone.
 
Good luck with sweet Coconut. Getting all the stuff out and being able to have a good wee must make him feel more comfortable ❤️🙏
 
Aw bless him. Only you can decide whether to go ahead with the tests but it sounds like Coconut has turned a bit of a corner. I’d see how she goes over the next day or two and then decide on whether you’d like to go ahead x
 
You are not alone we are here for you both.
I do think that he must at least be feeling more comfortable now, bless him but he needs weighing still and more critical care if he is losing weight. Did you try mixing puree fruit or his favourite veg mashed in with the CC? 💐
 
Claire W said:
Aw bless him. Only you can decide whether to go ahead with the tests but it sounds like Coconut has turned a bit of a corner. I’d see how she goes over the next day or two and then decide on whether you’d like to go ahead x
Click to expand...

Sorry, I meant he not she. All the best we’re all rooting for you and Coconut x
 
Welcome to the forum.
Sorry that Coconut is so poorly but he’s clearly in excellent hands with you.
All I can offer is support and please look after yourself.
Caring for a sick piggy is very draining.

One thing I found when trying to get Critical Care into a piggy is that mashing a small piece of banana into the mush .
That went down very well with mine.
 
Hi guys,

Sorry to bring the very sad news- Coconut was put to sleep today.

I thought a lot about the blood test and ultrasound/x-ray options last night, said to myself if Coconut was still around this morning and fighting then I need to give him a chance and go ahead with further investigation.

Took him to the vet and saw Evelyna who had been dealing with Coconut a few times in the past. Evelyna was very honest with the situation, she said she’s almost certain that Coconut has severe kidney issues given him constantly passing water like urine even without drinking much. The fact he has lost significantly amount of weight in such a short period of time despite being syringe fed means nothing is really working…she said she could go ahead with all investigation if that is what I wanted, but most likely to turn out that euthanasia would be the best option. She said Coconut was ready. I was in a bit of denial at the time said he seemed enjoyed fresh grass before we left home…Evelyna said if I was not ready then can bring him in again when he deteriorated further but with kidney issues Coconut could be in pain at the end. As much as I didn’t want him to go, I couldn’t bear the thoughts that he may die in pain. So made the hard decision to put him to sleep😢

He was such a sweet little boy who accompanied me for the last 5 years, he will forever be missed🐹

Thank you all for your support, advice and kind words, really appreciate it.🌹
 
I'm so sorry for your loss, Coconut was so loved and it really shows. Be gentle with yourself, we are all here to support you through such a difficult time x
 
I’m so sorry. Popcorn high over the bridge little Coconut. ❤️

I would have made that decision too. Take care. ❤️
 
Wishing you peace of mind and cherished love. Sleep softly at the bridge little Coconut 🌈
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top