• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Is This A Sign Of Getting Better?

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

Jane0101

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Nov 20, 2016
Messages
20
Reaction score
3
Points
120
Last Thursday I have noticed my guinea pig was unwell and went of food and drink and seemed uncomfortable. Still eating hay though.
I took him to the vets to check up and it all seemed fine to the vet and we was given some Recovery food to give him. The vet said it's most likely a tummy upset.
Since then he started eating his veggies slowly and showing a lot of excitement when called for food. He still seems inactive but better. He even started eating pellets this morning!
He's also liking the Recovery food.

I started weighing him daily of course and last week he was losing weight quite rapidly, for example around 15g each day. Therefore I started feeding him more of the Recovery.
I weighed him today and he only lost 5g since last night!
I know it's still weight loss but is still a good sign that his weight is stabilising?
His poop is also more frequent and healthier looking.
He's only 9 months old, so I hope he'll be okay.
I know that weight gain can take a while.
What do you think?
 
By recovery food do you mean critical care? I think it would be worth finding a piggy savvy vet, it doesn't sound like your vet is treating him for anything so doesn't know what's wrong with him? It could be many things, just hand feeding him won't necessarily help him get better. Definitely worth a second opinion, the vet locator on here may help.

Does he have a companion? If so, are they showing signs of illness? If not, piggies need a companion to be happy and healthy so I would definitely recommend looking for a friend for him when he's on the mend :)
 
Jane0101 said:
Last Thursday I have noticed my guinea pig was unwell and went of food and drink and seemed uncomfortable. Still eating hay though.
I took him to the vets to check up and it all seemed fine to the vet and we was given some Recovery food to give him. The vet said it's most likely a tummy upset.
Since then he started eating his veggies slowly and showing a lot of excitement when called for food. He still seems inactive but better. He even started eating pellets this morning!
He's also liking the Recovery food.

I started weighing him daily of course and last week he was losing weight quite rapidly, for example around 15g each day. Therefore I started feeding him more of the Recovery.
I weighed him today and he only lost 5g since last night!
I know it's still weight loss but is still a good sign that his weight is stabilising?
His poop is also more frequent and healthier looking.
He's only 9 months old, so I hope he'll be okay.
I know that weight gain can take a while.
What do you think?
Click to expand...

It sounds like things are starting to stabilise. Keep going. You can also add a pinch of probiotics (from a pet shop) to the syringe feed or the syringe water to help the guts additionally. Be careful with adding fresh food. You can also try to see whether he likes to tuck into mushed pellets or a mix of recovery and mushed pellets.
Here are more tips, including which amounts are needed in which phase: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
May I ask, what is a stable weight?
Because I weigh him after food around this time.
Today I tried weighing him before food and there was like a 15g difference since yesterday.
And then I weighed him after the food his weight went up again.
What do I watch out in a ill guinea pig daily in terms of weight? Because it's difficult due to their bowel movements and all.
He seems even more active today and lively, but I just worry.
 
Jane0101 said:
May I ask, what is a stable weight?
Because I weigh him after food around this time.
Today I tried weighing him before food and there was like a 15g difference since yesterday.
And then I weighed him after the food his weight went up again.
What do I watch out in a ill guinea pig daily in terms of weight? Because it's difficult due to their bowel movements and all.
He seems even more active today and lively, but I just worry.
Click to expand...


To get a comparable weight and exclude the variances between a full/empty bowel and bladder, which can make up to 30g within 24 hours, you try to weigh at the same time in the day - i.e. ideally always either before or after a meal.

A stable weight is one where a guinea pig is always within about a band of 30g over the course of several days; it is always a bit of an up and down. If your guinea pig is still losing weight, a little every day, then it is not stable yet. ;)

All the best! I have been there with piggies of mine and know what an anxious and stressful time it is!
 
Thank you very much :)
Do you know how long it took your piggies to stabilise?
And is it tricky to put previous weight back on? As that's what I've heard.
 
For a young and otherwise healthy pig it shouldn't be a problem regaining that weight. In my experience it's older pigs that may have underlying issues that struggle more to get back to their previous weight
 
Sorry for asking so many questions :)
But I keep reading things about teeth maloclussion, and it worries me !
My piggy isn't showing any signs, like slobering, and his front teeth are very nice, and straight, not too long.
Also when I touch and press all over his cheeks, he doesn't really mind at all- so I guess it doesn't hurt him?
He's only 9 months old. When I give him some wooden things to chew on he seems to be pulling on them and tugging on them and biting them normally.
Is teeth maloclussion something I should worry about ?
 
It's something to be aware of, but not worried.

When you're checking over your piggy, doing a little health check, have a look at his front teeth. They should always be nice and straight. We can't check their back teeth so it's worth just running a finger along their jaw to make sure it feels okay.

If your pig ever shows a sign of struggling to eat, then that's when it's probably due to teeth problems.
 
When I run over his jaw he seems to actually like it! :D kinda like a massage for him.
His front teeth are nice and straight.
The only thing that's worrying me is his loss of appetite for a week now, but he is eating some veggies and isn't showing any pain while eating, so I am watching over him as the vets suspected a tummy upset.
Well see, he seems better than a few days ago :)
 
If they have teeth problems then they usually have a hard time biting through veg, and then chewing it. Quite often the food falls back out of their mouth.

It sounds like it could be tummy related instead.
 
Hmm.
Miles is getting much better, he's more lively, eats more and seems more comfortable and plays around with me.
He seems to be improving much more but his weight isn't improving, that's the only thing.
What could this be?
Should I be syringe feeding more? I'm already doing so every 2 hours, with pellets, water and Recovery food.
I have now ordered so fibreplex and vitamin c tablets. Maybe they'll get him better?
 
Very good news everyone!
Today is the first day he put on some weight, he put on 10g!
I guess it's starting to turn around for the better.
I'm very happy.
 
Fingers crossed it's just the start. I had a 10G weight gain with Isobel as well so hoping it's at least another 10 today
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top