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Is my guinea unwell?

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EmilyXx

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Hello,

I was just wondering whether there was anything wrong with my 5 year old male guinea. We believe that he has recently lost his hearing and now he is constantly laying to his side with stomach noises also. I have just tried to feel his stomach area but it seems to be quite hard and he will not let me touch it. Apart from that all is fine. Please could someone give me some more information as to what they think is going on and what I should do?

Thanks,

Emily
 
Reposted here in your new thread:

He needs a good cavy savvy vet - he needs gut stimulants (cisapride or metoclopromide and zan-tac) and pain meds (tramadol is better than metcam in this type of case if your vet will prescribe it)

. He will need syringe feeding to keep food going through his system and his guts moving but NO veggies. He will need a gentle tummy rub to disperse the gas (regular car trips are good or a massage pillow - think human babaies with colic/wind).

Infacol MAY be helpful but this will depend upon the type of gut condition he has as in some cases it can actually cause more harm than good because of it;s mechanism of action in coalescing the gas bubbles into one big one - this could cause gut torsion which is inoperable and fatal.

Classic "Bloat" is normally a sudden fermentation reaction to eating something that disagrees with them. In older piggies "bloat" is a result of gas production within the intestines that is more likely to be a complicating condition of loss of gut motility by ANOther cause.

Vet check needed as it sounds like he has reduced food intake over a number of days and the bloat is merely the first sign that something else is wrong.

HTH
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EmilyXx said:
Hello,

I was just wondering whether there was anything wrong with my 5 year old male guinea. We believe that he has recently lost his hearing and now he is constantly laying to his side with stomach noises also. I have just tried to feel his stomach area but it seems to be quite hard and he will not let me touch it. Apart from that all is fine. Please could someone give me some more information as to what they think is going on and what I should do?

Thanks,

Emily
Click to expand...

As stated in the other thread, please seek veterinary advice ASAP http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=90842
 
Thank you for you help, I will get to the vet as soon as I can. I'll let you know how he gets on and what they think.

Thanks,

Emily
 
I forgot to mention that this has been going on for about a week or so. Is it too late to seek veterinary attention for him to get better?
 
EmilyXx said:
I forgot to mention that this has been going on for about a week or so. Is it too late to seek veterinary attention for him to get better?
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No. Please call them now; they will have a 24 hour emergency service with night staff.
 
I'm currently not at home and will not be home until tomorrow morning. I'm afraid it will have to be then.
 
EmilyXx said:
I'm currently not at home and will not be home until tomorrow morning. I'm afraid it will have to be then.
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You can still phone though? They may be able to advise over the phone and arrange an appointment for you for the morning if they feel necessary?
 
EmilyXx said:
I forgot to mention that this has been going on for about a week or so. Is it too late to seek veterinary attention for him to get better?
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No - at present the gut issues should be totally recoverable as long as you seek vet help tomorrow to get the meds requred in view of the week this has been going on. If you can;t get vet treatment tomorrow then please at least buy some zantac and Pm me for further details on dosages etc.

Every day you leave getting meds from a vet puts a nail in his coffin - sorry to be so blunt but so many piggies recently on this forum have died unencessarily for want of proper gut/feeding treatment to support them whilst they are poorly and awaiting a CAVY SAVVY vets diagnosis and proper cure for the original problem.

Given his other issues there is an underlying cause to his gut problems that really does need a vets visit/diagnosis - he could for instance have ear mites that is easily treatable - or be in pain from something else that has stopped him eating properly - but this needs diagnosing properly by a cavy savvy vet. In the mean time you have to treat the current symptoms i.e. his gut problems

HTH
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I will definitely seek help tomorrow as it seems best and I do not want to lose him as I lost my other one because me nor the vets did not know what was wrong with him. Thank you for you help, if not I would have ignored the problem until it was too late.
 
Thank you Emily for your positive response to the replies on your thread.

Sunday vets "out of hours" aren;t cheap but there are a "very few" throughout the country who are open in the morning and charge "normal" fees - you need to find one who is [*]also expereinced with guineas[/*] tomorrow - a difficult if not impossible task

If you can let us know whereabouts you live we might be able to find/recommend someone who operates a normal fee sunday surgery for you - even if it means a bit of travel it will still be more cost-effective and your piggie will get a better level of care.

In any case - if you do not get zan-tac prescribed tomorrow from the vet you consult then please buy some and PM me......

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Emily try calling Vetcall in Chingford they are close to you 020 8529 4004 and it will give you a 24 hour no to call. They are also open on Sundays from 10 til 12.

Stephen treats my piggies and is v good. he treated my boy for bloat. Good luck
 
JayneG said:
Emily try calling Vetcall in Chingford they are close to you 020 8529 4004 and it will give you a 24 hour no to call. They are also open on Sundays from 10 til 12.

Stephen treats my piggies and is v good. he treated my boy for bloat. Good luck
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Emily - ^^^^^^THIS!

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Thanks anyway but I've just checked and the local vets is open on sundays.
 
Fingers crossed for your boy. Please let us know how you get on at the vets. I really hope he makes a speedy recovery.
 
He will be better to be seen today. Any guinea pig bloated, tense abdomen and on his side sounds very unwell. Another vets that will see you anytime, and i know are good are Forest Vets in Epping...http://www.forestvets.com/

Please dont delay getting him seen, wherever you go. Please make sure he is eating too.

x.
 
All went great at the vets, turns out there's nothing wrong with him but old age. Have been told to keep an eye on his wee though.
 
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