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Lyle isn't eating or drinking

  • Thread starter Thread starter PookieBear
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PookieBear

Firstly, i'm sorry if this subject is in another thread, but we're new here and haven't looked. We have 2 piggies. Tate and Lyle. For the last few days, Lyle hasn't been eating much at all, or even drinking water. He spends most of the time inside his house. Huddled in the corner. He only comes out when ushered to do so. We're very worried about him, as he hasn't done this before. Has this happened to anyone else, and what was the way it was sorted.

We get married next saturday, and don't want to leave him if he's ill.

Thank you. :...:...
 
Mine has been huddled in the corner and refused food..........best thing to do is go to the vet asap, as he might have overgrown molars and if they overgrow too much they trap their tongue and start to dribble.
This is what has been happening to my little Cookie. I now have to syringe feed him with Critical care (get this from a good vet). Has all that they need to eat in a powder form and just add water to it.

Also weigh him as he may have lost weight, and keep weighing him daily. Also feed him baby food in a syringe (veg or fruit mixture).

Ultimately go to the vets and they can check him out, and make sure they look in his mouth.
 
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Thankyou for the advice. what will happen at the vets if he has got over grown molars. will they do something for him, except the syringe feeding, which i presume is a permenent thing now.
 
If he has overgrown molars, they will have to trim them down and use anesthetic.
Till then keep tempting him with food esp grass and anything he loves. If he has greedy mates, you will need to hand feed him to make sure he gets to eat something.
Bio Lapis is also a great medicine (from the Vets) this improves appetite.
 
furryfriends said:
Firstly welcome to the forum.

I think you're going to need to get him to a vet asap. Piggies can go downhill very quickly, especially when they aren't eating and drinking. Is he eating anything?
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He sniffs at food, and has a little nibble, but doesn't eat with the gusto he usually does. Kate, my Girlfriend lost another piggie a few years ago when she stopped eating and drinking. She's scared that this is history repeating itself.
 
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Hiya, it can caused by a number of things.. i would deffo get an appointment with a vet though.

How old is he? does he have a dampness under the chin/are his front teeth longer than they should be?

Have you tried feeding him from your hand with veg he loves? if he will not take this you need to get food into him, you can do this a number of ways by either mashing his pellets up with some warm water (if thats what he has as dry food) and giving him this from a spoon/syringe if you have any. You can also boil down some veg into a thick soup just plain veg in water boiled until its soft enough to whizz up and spoon feed/syringe that into him. When you can get to a shop you can buy a jar of baby food or when at your vets hopefully they will stock critical care which is a complete syringe feeding formula for small furries who are unwell etc

is he still pooping/urinating ok?
 
spudnik said:
Hiya, it can caused by a number of things.. i would deffo get an appointment with a vet though.

How old is he? does he have a dampness under the chin/are his front teeth longer than they should be?

Have you tried feeding him from your hand with veg he loves? if he will not take this you need to get food into him, you can do this a number of ways by either mashing his pellets up with some warm water (if thats what he has as dry food) and giving him this from a spoon/syringe if you have any. You can also boil down some veg into a thick soup just plain veg in water boiled until its soft enough to whizz up and spoon feed/syringe that into him. When you can get to a shop you can buy a jar of baby food or when at your vets hopefully they will stock critical care which is a complete syringe feeding formula for small furries who are unwell etc


is he still pooping/urinating ok?
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He is 2 and a bit. not sure about poop and urine. he shares the cage with his brother. so cant tell whose is whose. He does seem to be getting thinner though. we have a syringe from when tate was ill a few months ago. we'll get some baby food tomorrow. And will definately take him to the vets on monday.
 
I sounds like a trip to the vet is needed for Lyle. When a piggy stops eating and drinking, as has been said above, they can deteriorate quite quickly. I guess it is because piggies usually spend most of their waking day eating and drinking.

Also huddling in a corner can be a signal something is up.

Piggies can disguise illness for a long time before we finally get to be aware that there is a problem. It is nautural in their habits so that predators aren't aware.

I really hope all will turn out well for Lyle. Let us know how things go.
 
Goldie said:
I sounds like a trip to the vet is needed for Lyle. When a piggy stops eating and drinking, as has been said above, they can deteriorate quite quickly. I guess it is because piggies usually spend most of their waking day eating and drinking.

Also huddling in a corner can be a signal something is up.

Piggies can disguise illness for a long time before we finally get to be aware that there is a problem. It is nautural in their habits so that predators aren't aware.

I really hope all will turn out well for Lyle. Let us know how things go.
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we're going to take him to the vets tomorrow. If it is the molars...... will it be ok after. he has noticably lost weight. not been eating properly for 3 days. will he be ok till tomorrow.?

He had some water earlier and nibbled a bit of tomato.
 
You need to syringe some food into him, mashed up pellets or critical care if you have any. If you have no syringes use the back of a tea spoon handle. Wrap pig in a towel and put his back to your stomach. I find this easiest. Also offer water. I would be doing this every 2 hours.

You have to keep him going today otherwise, to be blunt he may not make it. If they don't eat within 16 hours then anorexia will set in.

Good luck!
 
Hiya and welcome to the forum.
I agree with everything which has been said, he neds to go to a vet ASAP and it sounds like he might have overgrown teeth which can be easily treated. Have you got a vet who knows about guinea pigs near you? If you can let us know where you are someone might be able to recommend someone....
Also as S&T said above you need to try and get some food into him until you can find a vet as they can go downhill very quickly if not eating.
Mashed up pellets are good if you don't have any critical care and also baby food (the veggie type) is good for vitamins etc and they normally like the taste. Alternatively if you have a blender you can make him a puree of his favourite veggies.
But the most important thing right now is to get him to a vet to get diagnosed properly.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
 
Thanks to all for your advice. we've just been to the shops and bought some vegetable meddley baby food. just put it into him, and he struggled like a good un. but at least he's got some in him. we're going to do it every 2 hours like advised. As with the water. this may sound daft, but does it need to be done every 2 hours during the night as well. As we're getting married on saturday, it'll be good practice for when babies come along.
Thanks once again.
 
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Hi and welcome to the forum from us both in OZ :)
Oh i'm so sorry to hear all this, i'm going thru something similar at the mo myself.........yep the water and food as often as possible is for the best, they need to keep their little system going!
Good luck and keep up the hand feeding and the pellets etc and the water as well, we'll have our paws crossed for you both xx>>>xx>>>

Just a note, make sure any baby food you feed is safe for him, no meats etc... just check out the label :)
 
I have just been informed that the teeth grow back after they have been filed. Is this correct, and how often will they need filing again.

Also. how much can we expect to be paying for teeth filing.
 
Yep guinea pig teeth never stop growing but you can aid in keeping them down by providing tougher hay such as Timothy and willow sticks. Tough food helps too like carrots but it is everything in moderation with veg.

I'm not sure about cost as I've not come across this problem as yet all mine are below 16 months. :)
 
Hope all is going ok today Pookiebear ... sounds like you are doing all the right things.

I have to say that I have owned piggies for over 17 years and I have never had a problem with overgrown molars in pigs, but I am aware that it can happen as I have read postings on this forum regarding it.

Make sure that your vet checks his teeth and if he hasn't been eating for a little while, the vet should be able to get a good look at them as there will not be any food impacted around them.

Apart from him not eating, have you noticed whether he has been pooing and weeing ok? I know it is difficult when they have a companion, but just keep a watch out to see. Also does he have any mucus collecting around his nose?

Hopefully not, but it is worth checking as the vet will probably ask you this also.
 
Goldie said:
Hope all is going ok today Pookiebear ... sounds like you are doing all the right things.

I have to say that I have owned piggies for over 17 years and I have never had a problem with overgrown molars in pigs, but I am aware that it can happen as I have read postings on this forum regarding it.

Make sure that your vet checks his teeth and if he hasn't been eating for a little while, the vet should be able to get a good look at them as there will not be any food impacted around them.

Apart from him not eating, have you noticed whether he has been pooing and weeing ok? I know it is difficult when they have a companion, but just keep a watch out to see. Also does he have any mucus collecting around his nose?

Hopefully not, but it is worth checking as the vet will probably ask you this also.
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we haven't noticed any mucas around his nose. But he does keep getting some around his eyes. whether that is connected?

we haven't noticed him weeing or pooping, but as not drinking or eating, i guess there is nothing to come out..
 
He sounds very similar to my Duke, he gets conjunctivitis a lot and he goes down every few months with it, he is quite a sickly pig but he is inbred so the vet thinks thats why he is more prone to getting cold like symtoms.

His symtoms are: he only eats a little bit, sits puffed up, his eyes go crusty, he is quiet.. the vet gives me baytril, some anti-biotic cream for his eyes, last time he went he had a steroid injection to raise his appetite too and he normally picks up after the meds. Duke has his teeth checked and they were fine.

hopefully your lil guy will be alright :)
 
spudnik said:
He sounds very similar to my Duke, he gets conjunctivitis a lot and he goes down every few months with it, he is quite a sickly pig but he is inbred so the vet thinks thats why he is more prone to getting cold like symtoms.

His symtoms are: he only eats a little bit, sits puffed up, his eyes go crusty, he is quiet.. the vet gives me baytril, some anti-biotic cream for his eyes, last time he went he had a steroid injection to raise his appetite too and he normally picks up after the meds. Duke has his teeth checked and they were fine.

hopefully your lil guy will be alright :)
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Thanks spudnik. he's off to the vets tomorrow, so we'll see.

Kate had a guinea pig a few years ago that had overgrown teeth. She ended up passing away. Hoping it's not going to be happening again.
 
I used to have a guinea with dental problems and she did fine on being syringe fed for a good few months as long as their quality of life is good, then I don't see any reason to have them pts unless its causing them pain or they have a bad quality of life, a lot of vets dont want to search every avenue to help the guinea, and see putting them to sleep the easy option, its hard finding a good vet!

Is he eating the baby food you got?
 
spudnik said:
I used to have a guinea with dental problems and she did fine on being syringe fed for a good few months as long as their quality of life is good, then I don't see any reason to have them pts unless its causing them pain or they have a bad quality of life, a lot of vets dont want to search every avenue to help the guinea, and see putting them to sleep the easy option, its hard finding a good vet!

Is he eating the baby food you got?
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Yes, he's eating it. well, doesn't have much choice over the matter with a syringe in his mush. But he puts a good struggle up. he seems to still be strong enough to fight it.
 
Hmm.. maybe he doesnt like the taste? i always make sure i have a pouch of Ella's kitchen baby food in my cupboard they sell it at tesco it basically puree fruit/veg and my pigs love it i mix it in with critical care to get them to eat it should they become ill/not able to eat etc..

Have you tried to have a look in his mouth to see if you can see any sores or anything?, could be he has a sore mouth and is struggling to swallow.
 
can't get good look in his mouth. he's just tried to steal the food from his brothers mouth, but just took it. didn't eat it. keeps sniffing at the water bottle as well. he's getting water from the syringe. :)

As asked earlier, do we have to feed him every 2 hours through the night as well, or will the morning do.i'm up at 5, so can do the first feed, so to speak.
 
I didnt used to feed Gucci through the night, i used put a dish of food in with her incase she got hungry because she would eat the formula from a dish, but during the day i used to feed her from spoon/syringe 4-6 times a day to make sure she was getting what she needed :)
 
spudnik said:
I didnt used to feed Gucci through the night, i used put a dish of food in with her incase she got hungry because she would eat the formula from a dish, but during the day i used to feed her from spoon/syringe 4-6 times a day to make sure she was getting what she needed :)
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Thanks. :) :)
 
Hi Spudnik

He's actually doing better today. he's moving around a lot more. And keeps having a bit of raw veg here of there. Still not eating as much as he has been, but it's a start.

We've got an appointment this afternoon at 4,so going to still keep it and get him checked over.

He's certainly a lot more active as he has been. Kate is wondering if he maybe had a cold. The house has been un heated for a while, and it's gone cooler.

I'll post the vet results as soon as we're back.
 
He might have an upper respiratory tract infection which is similar to our colds/sinus infections. Hope the visit to the vets goes well and he's feeling better soon.
 
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aww, glad he's he is feeling a bit better.. normally when guineas have a cold it needs some antibiotics to sort it out, if he is put on baytril ask for some probiotic sachets as it helps settle their tummy whilst on antibiotics, they shouldnt cost you too much.

hope it goes well at the vets :)
 
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