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Long term critical care?

Kate187

Kate187

Junior Guinea Pig
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So I currently have 2 guins, Finn and Effie. Both rescues, I've had finn over 2 years and Effie a year and a half.

Finns been losing weight gradually over the last few months. He's always been a small boy, never more than 1000g, and he could be anywhere from 3.5 - 5 years old. He's currently down to 630-650g and feels very bony.

He has been the vet (who's pretty guin-savvy) who can't find an obvious cause. Teeth are OK, a lump by his penis turned out to be a build up of gunk. He's still littering about, squeaking for food, and eating, although slower than he used to. He's on steroids for a week at the moment to try to boost his appetite.

Anyway, I've been giving him critical care to try and maintain/build his weight. He has 20-30cc a day, bearing in mind he is still eating (pellets, hay, veg). He's drinking quite a lot. My question is is it OK for me to continue with this level of critical care indefinitely? I've seen contrasting views on the forum. And does anyone have any general advice?

He's a good boy and guzzles the critical care, which he has a few times a day. I've attached a video let's see if it works!
 
Sorry to hear your piggy is sick. Not sure where you live but I would suggest you do see a guinea pig savvy vet as soon as possible. There is a list on this Forum of recommended vets in the UK.

I also believe that you should not give steroids to guinea pigs. I'm sure one of the experts will be along to offer more advice soon.

Hope you can find out what is causing his lack of appetite.
 
YvonneBlue said:
Sorry to hear your piggy is sick. Not sure where you live but I would suggest you do see a guinea pig savvy vet as soon as possible. There is a list on this Forum of recommended vets in the UK.

I also believe that you should not give steroids to guinea pigs. I'm sure one of the experts will be along to offer more advice soon.

Hope you can find out what is causing his lack of appetite.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. As I said he's seen the vet and lots of causes have been ruled out. His appetite is OK but he's still losing weight.
 
Regarding the steroids, it's a short term course as an attempt to boost his weight. Basically at this point we're looking at an age related illness or cancer and the main goal is to keep him happy and comfortable.

My main question was about the critical care feeding and anything I should be doing.
 
Kate187 said:
So I currently have 2 guins, Finn and Effie. Both rescues, I've had finn over 2 years and Effie a year and a half.

Finns been losing weight gradually over the last few months. He's always been a small boy, never more than 1000g, and he could be anywhere from 3.5 - 5 years old. He's currently down to 630-650g and feels very bony.

He has been the vet (who's pretty guin-savvy) who can't find an obvious cause. Teeth are OK, a lump by his penis turned out to be a build up of gunk. He's still littering about, squeaking for food, and eating, although slower than he used to. He's on steroids for a week at the moment to try to boost his appetite.

Anyway, I've been giving him critical care to try and maintain/build his weight. He has 20-30cc a day, bearing in mind he is still eating (pellets, hay, veg). He's drinking quite a lot. My question is is it OK for me to continue with this level of critical care indefinitely? I've seen contrasting views on the forum. And does anyone have any general advice?

He's a good boy and guzzles the critical care, which he has a few times a day. I've attached a video let's see if it works!
Click to expand...

Has your boy had a scan or x-ray to check what is going on internally?
Please note that steroids are not good for rodents: The Problems With Steroids And Why They Shouldn't Be Used.

I would recommend to continue with the top up until you get to the bottom of the problem. You may want to see another vet if necessary. The support feeding level is very low anyway. A healthy piggy in their prime eats the the equivalent of ca. 120 ml a day.
 
Wiebke said:
Has your boy had a scan or x-ray to check what is going on internally?
Please note that steroids are not good for rodents: The Problems With Steroids And Why They Shouldn't Be Used.

I would recommend to continue with the top up until you get to the bottom of the problem. You may want to see another vet if necessary. The support feeding level is very low anyway. A healthy piggy in their prime eats the the equivalent of ca. 120 ml a day.
Click to expand...

Is that amount of CC low though considering he is also eating his hay, veg, pellets?
 
It's not going to do any harm whatsoever. However, you could do with finding out why he is losing weight. We have a piggy, here at TEAS, who is losing weight, despite feeding high calorie foods. Her teeth are fine and she eats really well. She is booked in for a whole body x ray tomorrow, just in case there are any stones or calcification, or anything else that could be causing this weight loss.
 
He's only had one dose of steroids so far, I think I'll stop them and not give him more.
 
Do you soak the porridge oats or leave them dry?

My plan for the next few days is to stop the steroids, and keep feeding him critical care (as much as he wants) on top of his regular food, while weighing him daily. Then vets is booked for Monday.
 
Kate187 said:
Do you soak the porridge oats or leave them dry?

My plan for the next few days is to stop the steroids, and keep feeding him critical care (as much as he wants) on top of his regular food, while weighing him daily. Then vets is booked for Monday.
Click to expand...
I feed the porridge oats dry. They really do help, but some piggies love them and some hate them. I just buy the supermarket own brand ones. They are about 70 - 75p for a large bag.
 
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