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I Think Silvio Is Nearing The End

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Keep doing as you are, I was in a very similar situation myself in January and thought i was going to lose my boy (same age as yours) with 2/3 weeks of around the clock feeding he is now back to full health, but was breathing rapidly, rapid heart rate, lost loads of weight, wouldn't eat, etc etc. But he was on a course of Baytril as a precaution and also metacam.

Just get as much food into him as you can, using gentle force if needed (its not nice, but could potentially save his life) Separate the doses of metacam into 3 doses throughout the day, which will provide around the clock pain relief and isnt so harsh on the system. Keep him warm with hot water bottles wrapped in fleece or towels, and separate him if you haven't already.

Wishing you both lots of luck x
 
When Minky was on critical care I was giving her about 5ml of water per feeding session or more if she was grabbing the syringe indicating she wanted more. On one session she took 20ml.
 
Wishing you both all the best. When hand feeding and syringing water, do so with a half full 1ml syringe; that way, you can make sure that nothing is going down the wrong way. Keep on hand feeding and watering (1ml of water for every 3-5 ml of fibrous food) to keep his guts going; as much as you can as often as you can (if necessary around the clock) to keep the guts going. Make sure that he is not dehydrated. It is vital that he gets food in on a regular basis so his guts don't close down.

So far, his weight - despite the loss - is still in a range where he's got a real chance of making it through with your dedicated help! Ill piggies are not keen on eating, so you will have to be tough - but your determined care can make all the difference in the end!

Fingers firmly crossed!
 
I made the supreme recovery up into a paste, it seemed really thick (even though the vet said it is usually too runny) so I added more water. Splitting it into 4 hourly feeds (the maximum I'm leaving between feeds as I will need to go to college tomorrow) means its 15ml or thereabouts per feed - seems like a huge amount, is that right? I just got 4ml down him and although he was on board at first he really didn't seem impressed by the end. Is that the correct amount?! Will try the next 5ml at 5pm - when I'm in I'll feed him on the hour every hour, I'll get up and do a night feed so he will get midnight, 4am and 8am, then come home at lunchtime and do 12pm and 4pm, and I've changed my shift at work Wednesday so I can stay in: he's back to the vet 3.30 Wednesday afternoon.
 
Ps off to get some parsley now as its his fave :)
 
15mls isn't that much really, but enough given the 4 hour slots. Your doing great, well done! xx
 
Pps he lives on his own as due to very bad luck (on their parts) he has outlived both the boys he was bonded with :(.
 
Hopefully it is just arthritis that he is suffering from rather than anything more serious.

As toffees offer mentions it could be worth splitting the dose into a few across the day. We give Chip a morning and evening dose, although we are thinking of splitting it into 3.

It does always seem like a lot of critical care to get into them. I have seen 120ml mentioned as the ideal amount although have never got that much in personally. Instead we would do a daily weigh and ensure he gets enough to ensure that he doesn't lose weight. If I were you I would get a pair of digital kitchen scales and weigh once a day, maybe before you do the 4pm feed and do it the same time everyday - unfortunately a piggy can appear to be eating enough but actually isn't, which is why daily weighing is so important.

Feeding through the night is also important, and gets very tiring very quickly, so be prepared for that. It's all worth it in the end though.

Good luck and sending you all the healing vibes we can. Xx
 
Usually you can get in between 5-15ml in one feed. If I cannot get in much in one go, I feed 5-10ml every 2-3 hours rather than 15ml every four hours; I try to get in a bit more throughout the day, so I have to do only one feed in the middle of the night, as I am a very bad sleeper. It is a matter of trying to get as much into them as you can under the circumstances, especially as the not eating is dragging on.

120ml is the amount you can get into a dental piggy that is perfectly healthy and usually has a good appetite apart from the fact that it cannot chew well or has to slowly learn that it can chew without pain again. With ill piggies it is usually less.
 
Only really managing 5ml at a time :/, no amount of wiggling the syringe is making him swallow it even though he is making the chewing motion. His mouth is filling up and then he spits it out. Tips? I'm worried to just keep going in case he chokes.
 
He won't choke, it may be too dry, you could try making it more runny.... Where abouts are you honey?
 
It's fairly runny, a wet paste. I'm in Edinburgh. He's still putting up quite a fight about eating it, just trying again now...
 
We would sometimes add a bit of unsweetened cranberry juice to the critical care mix to try and make it taste a bit more paletable to them, could be worth a try if you can get some nearby?

It doesn't help you at the moment but we have had good success with the recovery food made by Emeraid, our piggies much prefer it and it's a lot easier to get them to eat it. It is hard to come by though.
 
You can not allow him drop anymore weight.Inho 940 is critical.Syringe him every 2 hours.Ready mix not live longer than 3-4 hours.You need feed him at least 100gr of recovery mix a day.Weight him at morning and evening.Morning weight can be less than evening.
 
I have just come home to do his painkiller and feed. He has had 45g so far so is on course for the vets recommendation of 90+ today. He hasn't moved and looks listless and sleepy. I feel so bad for him, he looks so unhappy. I'm starting to feel like I'm being selfish for carrying on with this, I don't want him to suffer.
 
I am so sorry; it is a real battle - but you are giving him every chance of making a recovery. HUGS!
 
He just totally broke my heart, I put him on the floor to see how he was walking and he ran straight across the floor to me and started trying to pull himself into my lap but didn't have the strength. I scooped him up and now he's asleep inside my top. Love this little guy :'(.
 
The bond you build when you are caring for them so closely is amazing, me and my boy have never been as close as we are now! Aswell as the CC mash, try some banana and porridge mash, this will give him energy and good for weight gain! xx
 
We have always had a very strong bond anyway, he's my favourite pet that I've ever had, mostly because he returns my love in equal amounts to my giving it. My other guinea pigs are currently glaring at me as I write this wondering why I've not been talking to them recently.
 
Silvio seems to be going downhill. He is no longer moving of his own accord at all, he is starting to look a little puffed up when alone in his cage. He hides his face when out and won't lift his head anymore. Syringe feeding is hard as he is refusing to swallow much and just letting it dribble out. I feel when he goes to the vet tomorrow I will have no choice but to let him go. My friend just came round to keep me company and agreed he looks like he has given up. He is just lying motionless on my lap. Pepper, parsley, fresh grass and all other treats including fruit purée are ignored. He struggles away from the syringe. He will still run to me on the floor but is not choosing to move at all in any other situation. Painkillers seem to be having no effect. I don't know what else I can do for him except let him go :'(.
 
I am very very sorry, it's an awful decision to make, but sometimes the last act of love we can give them, you know him better than anyone and will know when the time comes. Have a big hug and know that everyone here knows how you are feeling and all understand. x
 
i am so sorry you have lost the fight. You did everything you could for him. BIG HUGS
 
I am so sorry and upset to hear this. You will know if his time has come. My thoughts are with you.
 
I have been following silvio's story over the last couple of days and I was so sad to see your recent post. I know we will all be thinking about you and Silvio, and I am sending you both big hugs.
 
It's always upsetting to lose a little loved, more so when they've been ill & you've tried to nurse them back to health. There's no other advice I can give you, I just hope against hope that he will turn the corner & improve. Lots of healing vibes & hugs from me & my piggies, there's seven of them so I hope it will bring luck. xx
 
This is such a horrible thing :(. I am still syringing him but he isn't even arguing anymore. His ears have gone sort of crumpled looking which I can only assume is dehydration (?) despite the syringing. His bottom lip is sagging. His appointment is 3.30 tomorrow, this has been the most horrible week :'(. We have cancelled our holiday next week and I spent all the holiday money on trying to save him, I just really wanted him to pull through. Dont think I'm going to cope very well tomorrow - when I was at the vet on Friday a lady came in and said she needed an appointment to put her dog to sleep and burst into tears, I welled up at that because I felt so bad for her, don't know how I'm going to manage when it's me :'(.
 
I am very sorry; it's such a bitter experience to lose the fight a for beloved piggy's life. I have been there more than once myself, so I feel for you!

You have certainly done your very best for him and the way Silvio's been running towards you shows that he has appreciated what you are doing for him.

PS: You can give him up 0.3ml dog metacam to make him as comfy as possible in extremis (not on a regular basis).

BIG HUGS
 
First thing guineas normally refuses to eat and you have force them to eat.Use towel to wrap him and syringe every 2 hours during the day.Second - do not give him a walk.They need keep energy to fight.Thrid if you not have good vet all things completely useless to do.As owner you have to keep him alive while illness vet should find reason and fix.One our sow Bruny wanted to die many times.Once I have to massage her around 2 hours until she started to do dropping.They die very fast without help and they not understand that you are helping them. They always refuses to eat,refuses to syringe them unless something else.
 
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