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Just had to take piggy to the emergency vets - help please?

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Charlie84

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Right, I had Graham out earlier and he was absolutely fine, being very cuddly, perhaps laying down a little more than normal.

I put him back in his cage and about an hour later I asked the pigs 'Do you want a carrot?' which normally has graham running around like mad, wheeking and jumping about - But there was no response from him.

I gave him a little cucumber, and he would normally be out and right at the edge of his cage waiting, but he stayed under his hidey hut and didn't come over at all. I put it in his bowl and he slowly came out, grabbed a bit and retreated into his hidey place.

About 1/2 hour later I noticed him drinking from his bottle, but I could really hear him slapping the water in his mouth, if that makes sense? It sounded a little like he was having trouble getting it down, so I looked at him and he looked very puffy, fur all spikey.

I took him out and put him on my lap and he was opening his mouth really wide, like he had something stuck in his mouth and was trying to get it out. He did this quite a few times in a couple of minutes, and was also very floppy and just generally not himself at all, so I took him to the emergency vets. (Vets Now)

The vets checked him over, made him pass a poop, checked in his mouth, couldn't find anything out of the ordinary at all, the only thing he said he could feel was a little bit of 'gas' in his stomach. Everything else appears normal and healthy.

He gave him 2 injections, one of Vomend (zantac he said to help with the possible gas) at a dose of 0.13 - and one of Vetergesic at 0.04. Does this sound ok?

He said the painkiller would take around 60 minutes to take effect, which was at 10.45pm this evening.

He said that it would make him more interested in food and he should start to eat again, but if he doesn't that we should feed him some 'Recovery' food for guineas, which he gave us a sachet of.

I have kept Graham warm, he seems responsive, moving his feet around a little, but has just been cuddled up on my lap not doing much at all.

What should I do next? Shall I pop him back in his cage to see if he wants to eat on his own? :0 I really hope he is ok - I hate not knowing what is wrong with him. Any idea how long I should leave him to see if he eats on his own?
 
Sorry - somehow posted this twice, I have no idea how to delete it?mallethead
 
My guinea pigs make that kind of noise with water sometimes too,and one of them is always making them funny faces and opening her mouth to get bits of food that she has got stuck - she has no dental issues or anything,so I think its a normal thing.

Hope your piggy is feeling better soon!x
 
Myabe your piggie had something stuck in his teeth and was using the water bottle to try and dislodge it, and **** did. Perhaps by the time you got to the vets the object had been removed........You will know when the jab has taken effect as the piggie will **** just lie around looking a bit spaced out. Hope he is okay........Sounds as though the vet preformed a good examination...
 
Normally when I have him out he licks my hand constantly and always likes veg, but this time he didn't want any of it at all and didn't lick me at all. I have put him back in his cage and he is just sitting in the corner, not had a drink, even though I put the bottle to his mouth and he is not interested in his hay either :(

Could it be that he is just a little traumatised from the vets and needs a while to settle back down? he has been home for at least an hour. Normally he is a very bold pig.

I'm just so scared as I know they can't go too long without food, and we lost his cagemate about 3 weeks ago now, which he seemed to recover well from in a few days, he was back to himself.
 
Vets now costs an arm and a leg doesnt it.
I hope your piggy picks up for you, he may be drowsy after the injections.
 
I had two piggies this year who were given pain killing jabs, and they were very 'relaxed; for the duration of the jag. Just make sure to keep temping him with nibbles,even some fresh grass if you can get some....It may just be that he is a bit woozy with the jag he got......Is he still opening his mouth now, or stopped doing that. My piggie once got a bit of freeze dried sweetcorn stuck in his teeth, he kept opening his mouth and putting his front leg up to his mouth. He did eventually dislodge it just as I was taking him to the vets. Hope your piggie is okay....x
 
I'm really sorry you have such a poorly piggy. You definatly did the right thing taking him to the vets, even though it was out of ours. If that wasnt your normal vet, or it wasnt a cavvy savvy vet i would recomend you take him in to your normal cavvy savvy vet as soon as you can get an apointment. Even if it is just to check they agree with the previous diagnosis. Obviously this will be more urgent if their is no sign of improvement.

Hope he feels better soon!

xx
 
It really does cost an arm and a leg - £290 for his cagemates two night stay and treatment before we sadly had to make the choice to let him go, and then £114.00 for tonight's visit! They are only 5 mins from us, and do seem to know a lot about guineas, but I will always pay the night time rates to know they are ok if I need to.

I feel a bit horrid now thinking maybe I put him through all that if he just had something stuck in his teeth? He did seem very odd though, like I said, not interested in running up my jumper, sniffing my face and no piggy lick kisses either. Just laying on his side with wide eyes.

I'll see how he goes. Any idea how long it takes for the painkillers to wear off? Or for him to not be 'dosed up'? :...
 
The jag my piggies got lasted abot 8 hours........If it was something jammed in his teeth then it could have been sore and caused him to be listless and out of character. Hope he is okay, its so worrying when we dont know for sure whats making them unwell....Just from you metioning the mouth opening and the frantic action with the water bottle, thats what my piggie done, wehen he had a blockage in his outh. It may not be that, just that the behaviour was similar to my piggie that why I mentioned it as a posibility..... Hope he has a good night and is all better tomorrow....
 
You could call the vets you used they will be able to check against the dose and tell you a rough time limit.

I dont agree with the prices they charge tbh but its often the only option, my vets close at 8pm and i had to use vets now at 4am once for one of my dogs.
 
He has stopped opening his mouth, he didn't do it by the time we were in the vets either. Thank you all so much for all your replies. I will go out in the dark in the garden and get him some grass. The neighbours might think I'm a bit odd but hey! :))

The vet advised to mix up some recovery food and give it to him if he didn't start to eat within about 2 hours or so. I'm guessing if he is dosed up he might not want it? Is it ok for a pig to go that long without food, or should I give him some?
 
Hey, thanks for asking, I have been on Pig duty all night, I got some grass from the garden and at about 4.20am he managed to nibble about 5 blades, after I moved his food bowl so it was right next to him, then totally left the rest of his food alone. He isn't drinking at all either.

I tried him with the recovery food the vet gave us, but he wasn't having any of it at all.

He seemed to be shuffling a bit in one spot, like he was uncomfortable, or like he had hiccups (no noise with it at all) and he remained still and cold. He was standing though, eyes open so he isn't showing obvious signs of being very ill.

I tried and tried everything to get him to eat but with no luck. So hubby has taken him back to the vet now.

TBH I am a bit annoyed that they even gave me the recovery food, what if I did it wrong and got it in his lungs?! I was so very gentle when I gave him it, I barely put the syringe in his mouth so as to make sure I didn't suffocate him with it.

It will cost me even more money, and I'm not sure if this will just add to his stress, but what more can I do if he is not eating and drinking as normal? :( I called the emergency vet and they tried to make me wait until the morning to take him in, but I hadn't seen or heard him drink anything in 8 hours or more, nor had he eaten.

I did notice that he had done a few fresh poos, one of which looked 'pinched' in the middle - like it was 2 very small poos but had got stuck together, but was one solid poo? If that makes any sense at all?

I just hope the vet doesn't fob us off.
 
A further £170 to keep graham in over night into tomorrow. :... But I would rather have him in there and have him given fluid injections at least, as he still has no interest in food or water.

The emergency vet said that even though there are 2 vets at the practice during the day that have had further training in small animal care, he would not call them a 'specialist cavy vet'. He suggested that it might be better to take graham to a specialist, to get whatever problem he has investigated to a better understanding. I have posted another thread asking for a specialist vet in the Bedfordshire area. He is currently with Julia Boness Vets in Barton Le Clay.

The vet said when he put him in the cage he walked around, investigated the cage and walked over to the food bowl, walked away, then walked back to it but didn't eat anything. I just wish I knew what was wrong! :(

I told him that unless graham looked in pain not to give him any more of the pain killer, because I think it's a bit too much to be giving him that if he doesn't actually need it. Just the fluids as he hasn't drunk for over 8 hours - which for him is extremely unusual. He is normally at the bottle at least 3 times in an hour, and gets through 150ml or more of water a day.

He will call in the morning to update us on grahams progress. I am praying that he trots over to the food bowl and munches on some food!
 
I do a lot of syringe feeding of piggies as I run a Sanctuary for piggies with extra needs (mainly dental). If you want any help and advice I am more than willing to chat with you on the phone, or you are also very welcome to pop to me with your piggie. I am going to be out most of today, until this evening but will be fairly available for the rest of the week. I have given you my vets details on your other thread as he is fantastic and very knowledgeable about guinea pigs and provides all the veterinary care for my Sanctuary and also for Rabbit and Guinea Pig Welfare, the rescue in Rugby.
 
If possible please go to see furry friends. I really think he needs to be syringe fed propely and consistantly and Furry friends is very experienced and could teach you how. No piggie is cooperative the first time having a syringe stuck down their mouth. But they do get used to it and there's certainly a technique to it.
 
Did the vet check his back teeth? Sounds like our Poppy just recently, similar behavior. She's currently at the vets getting her back teeth sorted via an operation.
The vet checked her back teeth using whst looked like the thing they use to look in human ears at the doctor.
 
Thank you Furry Friends for the recommendation - I think I will give them a call to get their opinion.

The vet checked his teeth and everything the first time last night that we took him in - he said he couldn't find anything obvious at all that was wrong. I will call the vets in an hour or so for an update on Graham, They said this morning that he has been taking the food they are syringing him, which is a good thing, and that he is a lot brighter, bolting round the cage when they try and pick him up.

However he has still not eaten any food of his own accord. They said that [*]they[/*] would refer him to a specialist tomorrow morning if he doesn't start to eat on his own today or overnight for a more knowledgeable vet to see him, (they spoke about someone in potters bar?) though I do think they are doing ok with the feeding at the moment (at least I hope so). They do seem to know what they are doing.

I will call the other recommended vet in Northampton and see what they say, as if I can take him to them today / tonight then I will.

I just want him to be in the best hands possible - it's so hard as they said they wouldn't want him to have to travel a long distance too soon if he is not feeling well? ?/
 
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I hope your piggie gets better soon, The details of the vet you have been given by Debbie(furryfriends) is one of the most experienced guinea vets there is. I hope your little one gets better soon. x
 
Charlie84 said:
I will call the other recommended vet in Northampton and see what they say, as if I can take him to them today / tonight then I will.

I just want him to be in the best hands possible - it's so hard as they said they wouldn't want him to have to travel a long distance too soon if he is not feeling well? ?/
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I just read the other thread that says they are not open until tomorrow - I will call them first thing in the morning if he still has not eaten on his own.

I hope I am correct in thinking that the vets he is with at the moment are doing a good enough job, as he will have to stay there over night again until tomorrow morning. Grahams Cagemate sadly went very downhill 3 weeks ago and was in the same vets for 3 nights also being syringe fed - they kept him alive but he just started refusing the food totally in the end :(

Poor little Graham, I hate to think of him in there all on his own without us :( I hope he isn't too scared. I find it hard to trust vets for some reason. I am a total control freak though and I'd be standing next to them all night watching their every move if I could¬ mallethead
 
I know it's very hard and it's only natural to worry, you have done all you can for Graham and have done everything correct. Vets are highly trained and he is in the good hands. They will be able to syringe feed him regulary and keep him eating and pooing. Sending healing vibes his way and hugs to you.
 
I have been updated by the vets, as there is one team there in the evening, and one in the day time. He is still taking the syringe food, and is a lot brighter according to the vet who saw him last night, as he has just seen him again now. He said Graham is wandering round the cage :))

Unfortunately he is still not eating on his own yet. We have decided to keep him in there over night again to continue with the feeding and fluids, and the vets will release him to the normal day vets tomorrow and discuss a specialist with us.

I am very glad that he is still taking the food, and that he seems brighter, and wandering round the cage - these are all good signs right?

I was wondering, can guineas get blockages from eating cardboard? I often pop him in an empty loo roll tube because he loves throwing them around?
 
I think it sounds positive for you hun, something seems to have put him off his food though. I wouldnt worry about cardboard, mine have boxes all the while and in 20 years I've never personally known an issue with it.
 
Well, we lost his cagemate about 3 weeks ago. He was very strange for a few days, as we expected he would be, and then he seemed to be fine, eating, drinking, wheeking for veg, out all the time jumping about.

Could all this have been caused because he 'finally' realises that he is on his own? :( I tried to introduce him to my other 2 boars but he didn't like them at all.
 
Guinea pigs can get lonely yes. Unfortunatly a trio of boars very rarely works, your best bet is to go to a reputable guinea pig rescue where you can "boar date" him. This means he will meet other male piggies, so he can choose his own friend that you know he will love :)
 
Pigmad said:
hiya sorry to hear your piggie is poorly where abouts in bedfordshire are you?
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I'm in Luton.

Yes, I have heard about Boar dating! I hope he pulls through this and then we can work on finding him a friend x I want to call the vets again to see how he is, but I don't want to be a pest!
 
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