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I Think My Darling Rohan Might Be Dying

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Drezella

Drezella

Adult Guinea Pig
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I'm absolutely heartbroken, I think my darling boy might be dying. He's not been his usual self for a couple of weeks. I've been back and forth to the vets, he's had two different courses of antibiotics and a probiotic as we weren't sure whether he had an infection. His breathing seemed slightly laboured and erratic but there was a clicking noise when he breathed in. The vet checked his heart, lungs, teeth and stomach but wasn't 100% sure what was wrong. Rohan finished his second course of antibiotics this Monday and seemed to have really picked up, he even did a popcorn around the cage the other day. So I thought that all was well.

However, yesterday I noticed he was a bit puffy, but he was still eating and drinking and running up and down the stairs so I just kept my eye on him. I've been out for most of today, but I saw him eating hay this morning and he came out when I put the veggies in. But when I got back this afternoon he was just sat out in the middle of the cage puffed up and looking awful. He's back legs seemed to go a bit when I picked him up. I tried to clean his bottom as he was very messy downstairs and a bit smelly, but he was distressed so I just put him back carefully. I'm heartbroken. I hope to god he's not in pain. I'm taking him back to the vets first thing tomorrow morning. Any advice on how to comfort him? I've tried to squirt a tiny bit of gripe water into his mouth in case it's digestion related. His poos have been small and sheddy today which isn't normal. He's currently sat quietly in his strawberry. I've tried to make him as comfortable as possible and encouraged him to eat but he's just sat there. It's so horrible.
 
Drezella said:
I'm absolutely heartbroken, I think my darling boy might be dying. He's not been his usual self for a couple of weeks. I've been back and forth to the vets, he's had two different courses of antibiotics and a probiotic as we weren't sure whether he had an infection. His breathing seemed slightly laboured and erratic but there was a clicking noise when he breathed in. The vet checked his heart, lungs, teeth and stomach but wasn't 100% sure what was wrong. Rohan finished his second course of antibiotics this Monday and seemed to have really picked up, he even did a popcorn around the cage the other day. So I thought that all was well.

However, yesterday I noticed he was a bit puffy, but he was still eating and drinking and running up and down the stairs so I just kept my eye on him. I've been out for most of today, but I saw him eating hay this morning and he came out when I put the veggies in. But when I got back this afternoon he was just sat out in the middle of the cage puffed up and looking awful. He's back legs seemed to go a bit when I picked him up. I tried to clean his bottom as he was very messy downstairs and a bit smelly, but he was distressed so I just put him back carefully. I'm heartbroken. I hope to god he's not in pain. I'm taking him back to the vets first thing tomorrow morning. Any advice on how to comfort him? I've tried to squirt a tiny bit of gripe water into his mouth in case it's digestion related. His poos have been small and sheddy today which isn't normal. He's currently sat quietly in his strawberry. I've tried to make him as comfortable as possible and encouraged him to eat but he's just sat there. It's so horrible.
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Hi! Have you got painkiller? Keep him comfy and offer him some water and syringe feed/mushed up pellets and see whether he will still take them. Otherwise, there is not much you can do, just leave him in his comfortable surroundings and be there for him.

His poos are reflecting the food intake from a day or two before. Just watching a piggy nibbling on a bit of food can be very misleading; you always need to weigh daily when a piggy is very ill. :(

Please have him seen by an out-of-hours vet anytime you feel he is in great discomfort. You can find a contact number via your regular vets phone message or by googling for cheaper no frills out of hours services in an urban area.
 
I mushed up some pellets and put a drop of gripe water in and have drawn it up in a syringe. He's had some and also wanted some of the mushy pellets which he licked and took off my finger. He's sat up in his bed now. I'll feed him again in a few hours with the syringe and see if he'll have some mushy pellets.

What painkiller could I give him? I've no idea about dosages.

Thanks for the advice.
 
Drezella said:
I mushed up some pellets and put a drop of gripe water in and have drawn it up in a syringe. He's had some and also wanted some of the mushy pellets which he licked and took off my finger. He's sat up in his bed now. I'll feed him again in a few hours with the syringe and see if he'll have some mushy pellets.

What painkiller could I give him? I've no idea about dosages.
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if he is still eating, then he still has got the will to live! Please feed him little but often, every hour or two throughout the night (sorry, it is going to be a tough one for you!). Give him as much water as he wants. Your care can make the difference of whether he has got a chance to make it through or not.
Please carefully read our section about severe illness: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Have you got metacam at home? We are not allowed to recommend human painkillers.
Is he actually bloated or are you giving gripe water just on spec? You can try to give him 0.2 ml of metatone to help pep him up.
 
The gripe water must be working. He just came out of his bed and leaped into the hay tray. He ate about 2 pieces of hay and I managed to squirt another bit of mushed up pellets and gripe water into his mouth. He licked his lips then ate some of the mushy pellets that I'd left on the floor. So that's a good sign. I'll keep getting up through the night and feeding him.

I just mixed a tiny bit of gripe water into he mushy pellets on spec as I suspected some digestive issues due to the shreddy poos.

I don't have any metacam I'm afraid. Only human painkillers which would most likely be too strong.

I'm praying he makes it through. Paddy has been comforting him by laying close by.
 
If you think he's bloaty then gentle vibration/massage as well as the pellets and gripe water may help shift some gas.
 
Righty oh, thanks for that tip, I'll give him a little rub later on if he'll let me.
 
I was up every two hours trying to feed him through the night, he's still eating tiny amounts of food. I've got him booked in the vets at lunch time so we'll see what happens.
 
Fingers crossed for you! it is a tough time for you, but even if you have to say goodbye then at least you can do so knowing that you have done your very best; if not, then you have given Rohan a much better chance to make it.
 
Hi everyone just an update:

Rohan is still alive as of 16:30 pm 26/08/16. I fed him every two hours during the night with mushed up pellets, gripe water and normal water which was exhausting but probably kept him alive. He had been trying to eat little bits by himself but wasn't managing much.

I took him to the GP vets this lunch time who then referred me to a specialist exotics vet in St Helens. I managed to get some critical care down him before making the journey to the exotics vet.

The exotics vet did an exam and she thinks he has pneumonia. So he's various different meds: metacam pain relief, antibiotic, probiotic and critical care. The vet said he should start to pick up within the next 2-3 days hopefully. So here's hoping that he does. I'm absolutely exhausted but want to be there for him. So I'll do my best to give him some feed throughout the night if he needs them.

Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts.
 
Rohan is in the best possible hands with you @Drezella. Now that you have the diagnosis and correct treatment hopefully he will pick up. I nursed Mr Ted through acute onset pneumonia. It came out of nowhere and he took a fair while to recover. You have done everything right so far for him. I know it's exhausting. Hugs to you both.
 
Drezella said:
Hi everyone just an update:

Rohan is still alive as of 16:30 pm 26/08/16. I fed him every two hours during the night with mushed up pellets, gripe water and normal water which was exhausting but probably kept him alive. He had been trying to eat little bits by himself but wasn't managing much.

I took him to the GP vets this lunch time who then referred me to a specialist exotics vet in St Helens. I managed to get some critical care down him before making the journey to the exotics vet.

The exotics vet did an exam and she thinks he has pneumonia. So he's various different meds: metacam pain relief, antibiotic, probiotic and critical care. The vet said he should start to pick up within the next 2-3 days hopefully. So here's hoping that he does. I'm absolutely exhausted but want to be there for him. So I'll do my best to give him some feed throughout the night if he needs them.

Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts.
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Glad that you have got a diagnosis and meds!

Please give him additionally probiotics; you can mix a pinch or two into the syringe feed. That will help to protect the gut bacteria from the antibiotic, considering that his appetite is already at low ebb from the pneumonia!
You can also give him extra vitamin C; I would recommend a 1/8 of a human tablet twice daily in 1 ml (i.e. one syringe full) of water. never give more than one mouthful in one go, which is about 1/3 - 1/2 a small syringe full, but with a weak guinea pig, it can be even less.
Try offering him grass or fresh herbs; that is often going down best with a piggy that has lost its appetite; even if it is just a nibble. Sometimes a little syringe feed at first can stimulate the appetite for solid food a bit more; finish off with a bit more syringe feed again.

The need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat. That is why it is so important to keep supporting him through the crisis; even though it is the bank holiday from hell for you! Hopefully, as the meds start kicking in after a day or so, he will be able to eat a bit more in one go, so you can reduce the night feeds to or two, which will come as a huge relief by then! I have been there with piggies of mine and know how exhausting and draining it is, but there is nothing like the knowledge that without your home care he would not be here anymore. Every syringe full you get into is a win during the acute crisis to keep him alive so the meds can do their work. Pneumonia is a serious illness, so don;t expect a quick recovery; it is going to take it out of him, but with your care, you can pull him through!

I would recommend to place a bowl of steaming water next to the cage and to keep refilling it from time to time to help ease the breathing. You can put 2-3 drops of olbas oil in the water if you wish to, but please don't use vicks, as it contains substances that are noxious to guinea pigs.

Hang in there!
 
Glad you have a diagnosis. Did the vet mention a diuretic at all? Sometimes with Pneumonia there is fluid on the chest.
 
helen105281 said:
Glad you have a diagnosis. Did the vet mention a diuretic at all? Sometimes with Pneumonia there is fluid on the chest.
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Yeah I think the tablet is for that but not sure. She also mentioned to take care when feeding him as not to let him inhale any of the food/fluid.
 
Wiebke said:
Glad that you have got a diagnosis and meds!

Please give him additionally probiotics; you can mix a pinch or two into the syringe feed. That will help to protect the gut bacteria from the antibiotic, considering that his appetite is already at low ebb from the pneumonia!
You can also give him extra vitamin C; I would recommend a 1/8 of a human tablet twice daily in 1 ml (i.e. one syringe full) of water. never give more than one mouthful in one go, which is about 1/3 - 1/2 a small syringe full, but with a weak guinea pig, it can be even less.
Try offering him grass or fresh herbs; that is often going down best with a piggy that has lost its appetite; even if it is just a nibble. Sometimes a little syringe feed at first can stimulate the appetite for solid food a bit more; finish off with a bit more syringe feed again.

The need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat. That is why it is so important to keep supporting him through the crisis; even though it is the bank holiday from hell for you! Hopefully, as the meds start kicking in after a day or so, he will be able to eat a bit more in one go, so you can reduce the night feeds to or two, which will come as a huge relief by then! I have been there with piggies of mine and know how exhausting and draining it is, but there is nothing like the knowledge that without your home care he would not be here anymore. Every syringe full you get into is a win during the acute crisis to keep him alive so the meds can do their work. Pneumonia is a serious illness, so don;t expect a quick recovery; it is going to take it out of him, but with your care, you can pull him through!

I would recommend to place a bowl of steaming water next to the cage and to keep refilling it from time to time to help ease the breathing. You can put 2-3 drops of olbas oil in the water if you wish to, but please don't use vicks, as it contains substances that are noxious to guinea pigs.

Hang in there!
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Thanks for the great advice as always. My mum is going to get some Olbas Oil from the shop now.

It's so heart wrenching watching him struggle. He looks so uncomfortable.

Edit:
Wow he's just pulled some hay of of the hay sack and eaten it of his own accord.
 
Drezella said:
Thanks for the great advice as always. My mum is going to get some Olbas Oil from the shop now.

It's so heart wrenching watching him struggle. He looks so uncomfortable.

Edit:
Wow he's just pulled some hay of of the hay sack and eaten it of his own accord.
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As I say - hang on in there! In the way he is feeling better in himself, he is going to get his appetite back. But it is going to be a couple of hard nights for you, if totally worth it!

The tips I have given you are care support to help ease the breathing, support his gut bacteria (and therefore his appetite) and boost his immune system.

If you have other healthy guinea pigs and don;t find it too gross, you can also syringe him water in which you have soaked fresh poos from a healthy piggy; this mimics natural behaviour from recovering piggies and helps re-stock the guts with all the "right" stuff. Piggies usually love it.

Just make sure that whenever you feed by syringe that you never give too much in one go, especially not when you are dealing with problems with the airways.

If he doesn't like the antibiotic, mix it with the same amount of ribena to mask the taste (but in that case, you don't need more vitamin C).
 
That will be a relief for you!:))
You must be exhausted!
 
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