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Listless And Crusty Eye

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Twinkle

Twinkle

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi all, I'm quite worried about my 2yr old boar, Ernie.

Yesterday, I gave him and his friend Bert their first baths of the year. I used the same shampoo as usual and did everything in the same way. Both of them were all but dry by the time I put them back in their cage which is indoors in the warm anyway. Both were absolutely fine at first, eating their veggies happily.

Last night when I got home, Ernie was very listless with crusty eyes. The main point is that he allowed me to pick him up without even trying to run off which is very unusual and neither of my piggies enjoy being handled much.

Whilst I was cuddling him he did seem to perk up a little but he hasn't eaten a thing and I haven't seen him drink either. He seems just as listless this morning.

I don't know if it's relevant but he had a day similar to this a few weeks ago. He had crusty eyes and wouldn't eat first thing but was ok by the evening and had been fine since.

Does anyone have any ideas what's going on?
 
Other than getting him straight to a vet I have no comment. Don't forget most vets won't be open after today until Tuesday so I would go now to be sure
 
Twinkle said:
Hi all, I'm quite worried about my 2yr old boar, Ernie.

Yesterday, I gave him and his friend Bert their first baths of the year. I used the same shampoo as usual and did everything in the same way. Both of them were all but dry by the time I put them back in their cage which is indoors in the warm anyway. Both were absolutely fine at first, eating their veggies happily.

Last night when I got home, Ernie was very listless with crusty eyes. The main point is that he allowed me to pick him up without even trying to run off which is very unusual and neither of my piggies enjoy being handled much.

Whilst I was cuddling him he did seem to perk up a little but he hasn't eaten a thing and I haven't seen him drink either. He seems just as listless this morning.

I don't know if it's relevant but he had a day similar to this a few weeks ago. He had crusty eyes and wouldn't eat first thing but was ok by the evening and had been fine since.

Does anyone have any ideas what's going on?
Click to expand...

Hi! Please see a vet ASAP as an emergency for respiratory infection/pneumonia, which can kill if left untreated. It is one of these things that cannot wait until after Easter, especially after you haven't had Ernie see the first time round, so it had time to really set in now. If your regular vet is closed, either listen to their answering machine or google for 24 hour vets or out-of-hours vets in your area.
Apathy in a guinea pig means that it is a life and death matter that cannot wait!

What you can do until you see the vet and until the antibiotics kick in:
- place a bowl of steaming water next to the cage to help ease the breathing

- start syringe feeding mushed up pellets and water asap. The need to breathe comes before the need to drink and thirdly the need to eat; but if a piggy is no longer eating and drinking, the guts will slow down and close down rather quickly. Your care in that respect is absolutely vital in keeping Ernie alive and fit enough to fight his illness.
Please switch from the regular weekly weigh-in to weighing daily at the same time in order to monitor the food intake. hay makes around 80% of the daily food intake, but you cannot control that and it is usually the first food group dropped when a piggy is not well. Just seeing him nibble on a little veg and chew on crud can be deceptive!
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

- in addition to the antibiotic, please ask the vet for bisolvon powder to help clear the airways from mucus as quickly as possible. If the lungs are congested, also ask for a diuretic to drain them. The sooner Ernie can breathe again, the better his chances of making it through the crisis.
Also ask the vet for some recovery formula to replace the hay he is not eating.
He is going to need all the help he can get and you will have to keep feeding him little but often in the coming days. About 40 ml over 24 hours is the minimum to keep the guts from closing down.
Also get probiotics from the pet shop to counter the effect of the antibiotic on the gut bacteria. Give a pinch about 1-2 hours after the antibiotic.
Guinea Pig Vet Locator

All the best!
 
Hi, I just wanted to come back and say thank you for your help.

I took Ernie to the vet that day who confirmed he had a "chest infection". He injected him with antibiotics and gave me a course to bring home and I'm pleased to say he appears to have made a full recovery.

I took him back for a check up this week and the vet did say his eyes still seem a little red but advised me to monitor that and if need be would prescribe him some eye drops. Am going to call the vet tomorrow because I do think me needs them but other than that I have a happy piggy again :)
 
Am quite proud of myself as told vet how ill Ernie was in the night before and he said I must have taken good care of him and built him up a good immune system for him to get through it :)
 
You should be very proud.
Not only did you notice right away, you got him to a vet in time, and nursed him through a difficult illness.
So glad he is feeling better.
 
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