• 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

Joe Has His Operation Tomorrow

Status
Not open for further replies.
Thank you so much :D Yes I think she is too :) Her daughter Daisy is the most adorable piggy & the friendliest one we have ever had, she'll roll on her side & let us tickle her tummy she is so trusting :) Petal is a whopping 1.3 kg so they are big piggies so lots to cuddle :love:
 
Well we are on day 4 post operation. I was beginning to worry about Joe's eating, as he was only picking at his hay and pellets and does not like syringe feeding much. However, we had a bit of a break through this morning. I had been feeding critical care which he does not like much and it was a bit of a battle. I started to feed him critcal care and gave him half a ml and he was lying on a cushion nestled in a towel and I was kneeling to face him. He had the half ml and next to him was his hay which he had not been eating. When he saw that I meant business to make sure he ate, he then turned to the hay and started to chew it. It was as though he thought, I do not want any more of that critical care muck, so the only thing for it is to eat some hay in front of her to prove I can eat. He made me smile as he is a bit of a character. However, I thought today I would try something different for him and soak his normal pellets in a bit of water to soften them, but leave them as pellets. I offered him one and he took it immediately and he took several more off me and then he started to look for the next one and then I offered him the little bowl. He ate half the bowl, until I took it away thinking he may be going too fast after such a long time, so gave him a rest. I hope this continues so he can start to put the weight back on he lost over this period. So I am a bit happier now he has had a good meal inside him and he has fed himself as though he was hungry and wanted it.

It seems like little steps each day. A lot of worry, but worth it for every little step back on the road to recovery.
 
We are now day 5 post operation. Joe is starting to become a bit brighter and shuffle round his cage. I weighed him today and he has put on 8g, which in the scheme of things is not much and may not be any, but at least he has not lost any more. He started to squeak when my husband arrived from work yesterday, which he has not done for a while. Eating is still patchy and very much supplemented. Still stressful times, but still taking each day as it comes. For day 5 after big operation, we are still taking tiny steps. Thought I would add a picture of Joe, so you can see what all the fuss is about. This was taken just now, as he was having a bit of a rest. Joe.webp
 
Well done Joe. When Rosie was in her first week post op like Joe it was difficult to sometimes get her to eat. One thing I did find she liked and would eat with enthusiasm were Pets at home hay cakes. They are about 5.00 for approx 15 cakes. They are made up of short, soft thin strands of grass/ hays herbs etc. All I did was to break them up and then lightly crumble them just to make it easier for her to pull at and eat. x
 
Good luck! I hope everything goes well for Joe, I'm sure he's a very brave boy, i'll keep my fingers crossed for you both x
 
Midge&Panda said:
Well done Joe. When Rosie was in her first week post op like Joe it was difficult to sometimes get her to eat. One thing I did find she liked and would eat with enthusiasm were Pets at home hay cakes. They are about 5.00 for approx 15 cakes. They are made up of short, soft thin strands of grass/ hays herbs etc. All I did was to break them up and then lightly crumble them just to make it easier for her to pull at and eat. x
Click to expand...
Thanks for the suggestion. I will get some and see if Joe likes them. Do they have a manufacturer's name, or are they just hay cakes as I have not seen them before?
 
Can anyone offer advice. Joe is finding it difficult to use his back legs properly. I have noticed on here that some people have had this problem before. He is able to move his legs, but looks a bit like a frog with his back legs splayed. I thought this was due to the trauma of the operation, being sore and feeling weak, but 6 days after operation, he is not fully back on his 4 feet yet. I noticed that some people have used calcium and vitamin C supplements and it has worked for them. I have an appointment with the vet tomorrow and will discuss this with them. Joe needs a low calcium diet now due to his bladder and stone problem, but would like to hear if anyone has any experience of this and if anything worked for them.
 
Just an update.

Instead of going to the vet tomorrow, I was able to get an appointment today to see the vet that did Joe's operation. She has checked him over and is not too concerned at this stage. His back legs are stiff, but are working and there is resistance there when she pushes so not too concerned. She said that after such a major operation and due to his age, it may take him a bit more time to get back on his feet fully due to lying down for so long and not getting muscles working. We have got to help him walk around and do physiotherapy with him. She said if this was a human, they would be having difficulty walking even at this stage, due to major abdominal surgery.

She has taken him off Baytril to help him get his appetite back, kept him on Cisapride for his gut and Metacam. She says the Metacam wil also help the stiffness in his legs as well as any residual pain he has. He is also back on Cystophan, which she said will help the healing process and the Tryptophan will act as an antidressant to get him up and about again. He is still weeing and pooing well. She checked his lungs and breathing and she was happy there.

So taking each day as it comes still. Need to get Joe eating normally again and then I think he will be better able to heal himself. He is having critical care and only really eating vegetables at the moment. I have bought him some dandelion and marigold Timothy hay to help tempt him. I think now he is not having Baytril this will also help.
 
Flutterby said:
Sending more healing vibes!
Click to expand...
Thank you. It really helps when people offer support on here. It is very stressful and upsetting to see your guinea pig go through a difficult time. I am doing everything I can to help him, but it does take it out of you and I feel absolutely worn out and using up holiday from work to look after him. My husband gets days off in the week, so taking turns to nurse him, give meds, feed him and encourage him.
 
Flutterby said:
How is Joe today? :D
Click to expand...
Thanks for asking. Thanks for the support.
Joe is reasonably OK. His eating is still not great. He has a bit of a nibble at hay and is eating vegetables, so having to supplement with critical care every couple of hours to keep his nutrition up. He is not eating his pellets yet. He has had some cucumber, a little bit of apple, little bit of carrot, grass/clover and had a little bit of hay. So still a waiting game for him to get his appetite back fully. Joe is getting a bit of physiotherapy for his legs to help him get going again. I have told him he will have to have to get him a zimmer frame or put him on wheels to get him going! We are day 7 post operation, so still recovering slowly, but the vet said that is to be expected for his age and size of operation. Still taking each day as it comes.
 
Aww bless him. I hope his eating picks up soon. He's been through a lot the poor little man! *hugs* to you too xx
 
bless him, he is so gorgeous :luv: my maisie had what we called frog legs when she was poorly aswell. not exactly the same issues (chronic cystitis and ovarian cysts) but similar. her legs looked a bit far apart and she had a waddle because of her arthritic ankle. we also were taught how to do physio for her and is did seem to help make her legs and ankle more supple.

lots more vibes and cuddles to lovely joe x

i can't remember if i mentioned but i got some timothy hay 'pellets' from galens garden recently and can send a sample if you'd like. mollie and benjie are going mad for them at the moment. they're very crumbly this time so he should beable to have little nibbles and they can also be softened with cooled boiled water aswell. it's just another way to get fibre into them i've found. benjie especially thinks they are a treat i think :)) they're very much the same size and shape as the vitakraft pellets which he has so i think he just thinks i'm giving him lots of extra pellets! :)) i can send a sample for you if you'd ever like to try them with joe x
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top