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Is Allie Depressed Or Sick?

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Sarah-sore

Sarah-sore

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Hi everyone, I think somethings wrong with Allie. I had to put her downstairs because the guinea pig cage was too big and my parents were getting sick of it. I have 2 piggies but Callie is so aggressive that I can't possibly put them together, but my parents refuse to let me get another(after losing Lillith and Rusty, they don't want to be upset like that again.) So now they're in two different cages(they can see each other tho.) But ever since going downstairs Allies lost weight, she just stays in her hut when I come downstairs(unlike Callie who squeaks up a storm) she eats very little, her coat is looking puffed up and her eyes are getting a little crusty. I'm getting worried. I can't hear anything wrong with her breathing, and there's no uncomfortable squeaks when I pick her up. She just let's me and gives me kisses. Should I see a vet or is she just getting depressed?
 
Sarah-sore said:
Hi everyone, I think somethings wrong with Allie. I had to put her downstairs because the guinea pig cage was too big and my parents were getting sick of it. I have 2 piggies but Callie is so aggressive that I can't possibly put them together, but my parents refuse to let me get another(after losing Lillith and Rusty, they don't want to be upset like that again.) So now they're in two different cages(they can see each other tho.) But ever since going downstairs Allies lost weight, she just stays in her hut when I come downstairs(unlike Callie who squeaks up a storm) she eats very little, her coat is looking puffed up and her eyes are getting a little crusty. I'm getting worried. I can't hear anything wrong with her breathing, and there's no uncomfortable squeaks when I pick her up. She just let's me and gives me kisses. Should I see a vet or is she just getting depressed?
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Please see a vet promptly; she sounds like she has got a respiratory infection, which can kill if left untreated. Crusty eyes and a puffed up coat are surefire signs that she is ill. The sooner the better, as guinea pigs with a URI can downhill quite quickly!
Weigh her daily at the same time (ideally either before or after she'd had her dinner) and if necessary, top her up with syringe feed and water. The need to breathe comes before the need to drink and thirdly the need to eat, so loss of appetite is very common with a respiratory infection.
Because of the crusts, please ask your vet additionally to the antibiotic for some mucus thinning medication (the UK brand is called bisolvon) to help clear her airways as quickly as possible, as guinea pigs can't breathe through their mouth. If the lungs are congested, please ask for a diuretic to drain them, for the same reason.
Place a bowl of steaming water next to the cage until you can see a vet and the antibiotic has kicked in.
 
Wiebke said:
Please see a vet promptly; she sounds like she has got a respiratory infection, which can kill if left untreated. Crusty eyes and a puffed up coat are surefire signs that she is ill. The sooner the better, as guinea pigs with a URI can downhill quite quickly!
Weigh her daily at the same time (ideally either before or after she'd had her dinner) and if necessary, top her up with syringe feed and water. The need to breathe comes before the need to drink and thirdly the need to eat, so loss of appetite is very common with a respiratory infection.
Because of the crusts, please ask your vet additionally to the antibiotic for some mucus thinning medication (the UK brand is called bisolvon) to help clear her airways as quickly as possible, as guinea pigs can't breathe through their mouth. If the lungs are congested, please ask for a diuretic to drain them, for the same reason.
Place a bowl of steaming water next to the cage until you can see a vet and the antibiotic has kicked in.
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I'll make an appointment right now. Thank you.
gizzy said:
what are her poos like ?
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Her poos for the most part are normal. They're a little off shape but otherwise fine.
 
All the best - the poos will also tell you whether she is eating properly or not, only they reflect what has happened several hours to 1-2 days earlier, so weighing is your best bet on keeping up the weight and the strength to fight any illness.

Here is our step-by-step syringe feeding guide, which contains lots of tips: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
Wiebke said:
All the best - the poos will also tell you whether she is eating properly or not, only they reflect what has happened several hours to 1-2 days earlier, so weighing is your best bet on keeping up the weight and the strength to fight any illness.

Here is our step-by-step syringe feeding guide, which contains lots of tips: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
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Thank you. She still is eating a bit. She had a bit of lettuce and stuff this morning. Although if she does stop I will take a look at the syringe feeding guide. I have an appointment for 1:40 tomorrow with the best vet there.
 
Oh poor baby! I can't add anything to what Wiebke has said (she's the best!) but wanted to add my best wishes for Allie! x
 
Sarah-sore said:
Thank you. She still is eating a bit. She had a bit of lettuce and stuff this morning. Although if she does stop I will take a look at the syringe feeding guide. I have an appointment for 1:40 tomorrow with the best vet there.
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That is great - all the best for you and poorly Allie!

Please be aware that "eating a bit" can be deceptive. Don't wait until she stops eating completely. By that time it is a desperate battle for life and death, and you do not want to go there if you can help it - guinea pigs can go downhill too quickly!
Up to 80% of the daily food intake should be hay, so just a few veg may not be enough. Hence the scales. Our syringe feeding guide contains tips on what you can do with what you have got at home for any emergency. ;)

If you haven't got any scales - cheap kitchen scales from the supermarket are perfectly fine to register changes in weight from one day to another with an ill guinea pig and from one week to another with any healthy guinea pig. It helps you to spot any developing issues quickly when they can be treated so much more easily.
 
Wiebke said:
That is great - all the best for you and poorly Allie!

Please be aware that "eating a bit" can be deceptive. Don't wait until she stops eating completely. By that time it is a desperate battle for life and death, and you do not want to go there if you can help it - guinea pigs can go downhill too quickly!
Up to 80% of the daily food intake should be hay, so just a few veg may not be enough. Hence the scales. Our syringe feeding guide contains tips on what you can do with what you have got at home for any emergency. ;)

If you haven't got any scales - cheap kitchen scales from the supermarket are perfectly fine to register changes in weight from one day to another with an ill guinea pig and from one week to another with any healthy guinea pig. It helps you to spot any developing issues quickly when they can be treated so much more easily.
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Alright, thank you very much. I'll pick one up after work today. I'll definitely keep posting updates.
 
Alright so I figured out that whenever she pees she squeaks. I have absolutely no clue how I didn't pick up on this before hand but I saw her pee and she squeaked so I think its a bladder stone. So this definitely helps with moving forward, I can let the vet know.
 
hi @Sarah-sor try putting your finger lightly on her vulva, it could be a stone on the verge of coming out,, you mayfeel a little bump at the enterance,.
if you are not sure try it on a known No problem pig and compare ! if you feel a bump, ask your vet to remove it , perhaps with a cotton wool bud

l have experanced this with a cople of pigs , and l also spoted one in a sow that belonged to a stalwart keeper at one of cavy corners fun days (cart remember her name but she is a chemist , and a herbalist )
 
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it is caled a urethal stone and aparantaly it is not uncomon, !
 
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They can also do squeaky pees with a UTI, the vet will need to test her urine for an infection.
 
Sarah-sore said:
Alright so I figured out that whenever she pees she squeaks. I have absolutely no clue how I didn't pick up on this before hand but I saw her pee and she squeaked so I think its a bladder stone. So this definitely helps with moving forward, I can let the vet know.
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Please have her seen promptly; she is in major discomfort if she either has got a bladder or an urethral stone. Urethral stones in sows are not at all rare, but they usually tend to get caught just before the vulva. Your vet may be able to manipulate it out or get it out with just a little cut. Please don't wait, as the urine can back up behind a urethral stone and cause major damage to bladder and kidneys.
 
Wiebke said:
Please have her seen promptly; she is in major discomfort if she either has got a bladder or an urethral stone. Urethral stones in sows are not at all rare, but they usually tend to get caught just before the vulva. Your vet may be able to manipulate it out or get it out with just a little cut. Please don't wait, as the urine can back up behind a urethral stone and cause major damage to bladder and kidneys.
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The vet said they were booked today. I was lucky to get her in. :( Also I don't want her to see anyone but Dr. Thompson because none of the other vets seem to really know what they're doing. She is going downhill but she's still got fight in her. She can still pee and eat and drink.

gizzy said:
hi @Sarah-sor try putting your finger lightly on her vulva, it could be a stone on the verge of coming out,, you mayfeel a little bump at the enterance,.
if you are not sure try it on a known No problem pig and compare ! if you feel a bump, ask your vet to remove it , perhaps with a cotton wool bud

l have experanced this with a cople of pigs , and l also spoted one in a sow that belonged to a stalwart keeper at one of cavy corners fun days (cart remember her name but she is a chemist , and a herbalist )
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Thank you! I'll try this now
 
Okay so I just finished with the vet and its not good. Allie has bladder stones basically filling her bladder. And its not one big one, its a bunch of little ones. And they're coming up her urethra. The vet told me she needs surgery like there's no other option and it'll be 1,150 at least. She'll need to be on antibiotics after. I think it surprised the vet how many stones there were actually.
Of course I agreed(although I think my dad thinks I'm insane but he's helping me pay. He'll pay it all up front I'll pay him in installments.) So Allie is still at the vets and will be having the surgery later tonight. The vet will also go over some food choices with me because clearly theres something wrong with this food(my other guinea pig, Callie, she just went to the vets a month or so ago because of the same issue. Bladder stones were starting but hadnt formed yet.)
Has anyone been through this before? My vet couldnt actually tell me the chances of the outcome because they havent done many surgeries like this on little animals, but have done many on larger animals. And as we all know she said its really the anesthesia thats the biggest worry. She told me that theyve done many surgeries on small animals and very single one has been successful but it was small surgeries like spaying and taking lumps off. She's done surgery on Rusty before so I know shes good.
I would just like to know of other peoples stories like this one. Allie and I are going to need some healing vibes to get through this night please.
 
I'm so sorry it wasn't better news. There have been some bladder stone success stories on here. What do you currently feed?
 
Do you feed hay? What vegetables does your little one get?

My P had 2 stones removed he recovered well, hope your little one does to.
 
helen105281 said:
What about veg and hay?
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flintstones said:
Do you feed hay? What vegetables does your little one get?

My P had 2 stones removed he recovered well, hope your little one does to.
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They always always always have fresh hay. But I am always changing the brand because I thought that didnt overly matter as long as it wasnt alfalfa only timothy. I'm changing that now. They're going to be on a strict diet of just 1 certain brand.
Also they get a change of veggies every day but kiwi and green/red/yellow peppers are consistent. They always get lettuce and red kale and sometimes carrots and other things(broccoli, spinach, dandelion greens, etc)
 
Its almost 3am here in Canada and I just got a call from the vets telling me Allie made it thru surgery and is awake! I guess they got a lot of stones out of her. Pretty much her whole bladder was all little stones. They did one last xray after wards and there was still 1 little stone left but the vet isn't worried about it. I'll get another call in the morning to talk about a pick up time. I'm so relieved there's no words. Now I just have to figure out how to make sure she doesn't pull her stitches out. But that'll be a concern for tomorrow lol.
 
Glad she made it through the op ok.

She can have a variety of hay still.

Have a look at this thread under the section labelled IC diet.

Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet

I usually recommend specific pellets too but I am not 100% sure on the brands in Canada. I would try to encourage her to eat as much hay as possible and limit the dry food.

I expect the vet will send her home on pain relief but I would ask for some if they don't.
 
Tinkoz said:
Fantastic news well done Allie
:yahoo::yahoo::yahoo::yahoo::yahoo:
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That's pretty much was me this morning lol!

helen105281 said:
Glad she made it through the op ok.

She can have a variety of hay still.

Have a look at this thread under the section labelled IC diet.

Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet

I usually recommend specific pellets too but I am not 100% sure on the brands in Canada. I would try to encourage her to eat as much hay as possible and limit the dry food.

I expect the vet will send her home on pain relief but I would ask for some if they don't.
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Thank you very much. I'll check the link out right now!
 
Allie is now home! She has 3 painkillers that are called metacam and about 14 antibotics called enrofloxacin. They're both supposed to be taken with food the vet said. And in a few days the vet will call and talk about a diet I can give allie. I'll try to take and upload picture asap.
 
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