My Guinea pig isn't eating.

[S97]

I hope your pig's alright It's great that you're getting him seen so quickly, I hope everything goes well at the vet and they figure out what's going on

The vet checked him over and I've been given a lot of meds for the wee guy, no obvious signs of a particular illness though. He still isn't eating and he's quite lethargic, it's was difficult giving him the meds and critical care through the syringe but what can you do? Just hope he gets well soon.

 

[Cait_lin]

The vet checked him over and I've been given a lot of meds for the wee guy, no obvious signs of a particular illness though. He still isn't eating and he's quite lethargic, it's was difficult giving him the meds and critical care through the syringe but what can you do? Just hope he gets well soon.

Poor little one It must be so tough not knowing what's bothering him but you're doing all that anyone can do for him right now, and I hope the meds help him and he starts eating on his own soon

 

[Wheekallweek]

Aw I really hope he improves soon! You're doing everything you can

@S97 how is your pig getting on? We had a dental pig at the rescue called Duke who we knew had an issue. His breath smelled quite badly due to a rotten tooth and the fact he hadn't been able to eat properly meant the start of ketosis.

He recovered well though and went off to a lovely forever home!

 

[S97]

Aw I really hope he improves soon! You're doing everything you can

@S97 how is your pig getting on? We had a dental pig at the rescue called Duke who we knew had an issue. His breath smelled quite badly due to a rotten tooth and the fact he hadn't been able to eat properly meant the start of ketosis.

He recovered well though and went off to a lovely forever home!

No real change from yesterday. I've given him his meds this morning and tried feeding him the critical care. Managed to get him to eat around 8ml worth but it's a challenge.

 

[S97]

To clarify, critical care twice a day would be fine if he was mostly back to eating hay normally but just needed a boost. You slowly taper off the syringe feeds as they eat more for themselves according to what the daily weight checks are telling you.
However you have said that he can’t pick hay up and isn’t eating at all, so until he can and does then he still needs plenty of feeds - 40-60ml or more to replace the loss of hay intake.

Jeez. 40-60ml is going to be a real struggle, he might not be his usual self but like the other poster my boy is still wriggling about and not liking the contents of the syringe. Is it a matter of being cruel to be kind (for want of a better phrase) and sort of forcing the syringe in his mouth? The advice on the forum is very helpful but the practicalities of keeping him still and opening his mouth even with 2 people being involved is a real challenge, I don't want to accidently hurt him.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Jeez. 40-60ml is going to be a real struggle, he might not be his usual self but like the other poster my boy is still wriggling about and not liking the contents of the syringe. Is it a matter of being cruel to be kind (for want of a better phrase) and sort of forcing the syringe in his mouth? The advice on the forum is very helpful but the practicalities of keeping him still and opening his mouth even with 2 people being involved is a real challenge, I don't want to accidently hurt him.

You have to go by what the daily weight checks are telling you.
If he is losing weight each day and not eating for himself then he needs to be fed otherwise you risk gut stasis ie the gut stops or partially stops moving.

For a piggy who is not eating at all you need 40-60ml as a minimum each day. So for example, you can give him 10ml four times a day. If he really struggles then it may need to be 5ml eight times a day. 40ml each day is the basic amount just to keep them alive when they aren’t eating anything for themselves.
So you may be able to get 10ml onto him six times a day

If you give him 40ml each 24 hours and he still loses weight then he needs more than 40ml

 

[S97]

You have to go by what the daily weight checks are telling you.
If he is losing weight each day and not eating for himself then he needs to be fed otherwise you risk gut stasis ie the gut stops or partially stops moving.

For a piggy who is not eating at all you need 40-60ml as a minimum each day. So for example, you can give him 10ml four times a day. If he really struggles then it may need to be 5ml eight times a day. 40ml each day is the basic amount just to keep them alive when they aren’t eating anything for themselves.
So you may be able to get 10ml onto him six times a day

If you give him 40ml each 24 hours and he still loses weight then he needs more than 40ml

Thank you, I managed to give him around 15ml there. I'll aim to feed him every few hours.

 

[jess496]

Aw I really hope he improves soon! You're doing everything you can

@S97 how is your pig getting on? We had a dental pig at the rescue called Duke who we knew had an issue. His breath smelled quite badly due to a rotten tooth and the fact he hadn't been able to eat properly meant the start of ketosis.

He recovered well though and went off to a lovely forever home!

He's still not eating hard foods by now not even hay so I'm worried that his teeth will get over grown again if he doesn't start eating by himself then it's repeated all over again. How long did it take for Duke to start eating again?. It sounds like Duke was worse than mine so I'm not sure why he still won't eat even with painkillers. I'm glad Duke got better!.

 

[Piggies&buns]

He's still not eating hard foods by now not even hay so I'm worried that his teeth will get over grown again if he doesn't start eating by himself then it's repeated all over again. How long did it take for Duke to start eating again?. It sounds like Duke was worse than mine so I'm not sure why he still won't eat even with painkillers. I'm glad Duke got better!.

There can be a mixture of reasons

- they lose confidence in doing so
- pain isn’t properly managed
- and the biggest one given most vets do not have sufficient dental knowledge (even an exotic vet won’t necessarily have the correct experience/knowledge), the dental wasn’t done properly and the situation has been made worse. Things won’t get better if this is the case, until the issue is rectified

 

[jess496]

There can be a mixture of reasons

- they lose confidence in doing so
- pain isn’t properly managed
- and the biggest one given most vets do not have sufficient dental knowledge (even an exotic vet won’t necessarily have the correct experience/knowledge), the dental wasn’t done properly and the situation has been made worse. Things won’t get better if this is the case, until the issue is rectified

Guinea pigs are difficult. I won't be having anymore after these 3 and I hope the other two won't have any issues.
I have been told to give it until the pain meds have finished then see how he goes. I think he's got a few days of meds, the exotic vet did say to get more painkillers if I run out from my normal vets as they are nearer and he seemed happy with the dental work that the normal vet did apparently. I don't know what I can do if he still hasn't eaten in a few days because I've already spent alot of money so I will see how he goes first. As long as he is taking critical care then he should be ok. Maybe his teeth need to grow abit more to be able to chew as that could be the issue here.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Guinea pigs are difficult. I won't be having anymore after these 3 and I hope the other two won't have any issues.
I have been told to give it until the pain meds have finished then see how he goes. I think he's got a few days of meds, the exotic vet did say to get more painkillers if I run out from my normal vets as they are nearer and he seemed happy with the dental work that the normal vet did apparently. I don't know what I can do if he still hasn't eaten in a few days because I've already spent alot of money so I will see how he goes first. As long as he is taking critical care then he should be ok. Maybe his teeth need to grow abit more to be able to chew as that could be the issue here.

Pain meds are pretty much instant once they start working - they don’t need time to build up like antibiotics do.
Apologies if you said elsewhere but what dose of pain meds, is it twice a day and is it cat or dog version?
Yes if they’ve been cut too short then perhaps they do need to grow a bit

 

[jess496]

Pain meds are pretty much instant once they start working - they don’t need time to build up like antibiotics do.
Apologies if you said elsewhere but what dose of pain meds, is it twice a day and is it cat or dog version?
Yes if they’ve been cut too short then perhaps they do need to grow a bit

Yeah that's what I thought. He's now got dog metacam 0.5ml twice a day & antibiotics Enrobactin 0.2ml twice a day.
I think that's the issue, his front teeth were perfect before the dental but for some reason she filed bottom ones very short that I thought they were completely gone until I had to look properly myself. I wasn't happy. I did complain about that but they have ignored my email so no surprise as I also complained that they ignored me asking for an x-ray to make sure that nothing was missed as I wanted them to check all inside his body to make sure but obviously they didn't bother. Hopefully there isn't anything else wrong.

 

[CTWC]

Try to stay positive

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yeah that's what I thought. He's now got dog metacam 0.5ml twice a day & antibiotics Enrobactin 0.2ml twice a day.
I think that's the issue, his front teeth were perfect before the dental but for some reason she filed bottom ones very short that I thought they were completely gone until I had to look properly myself. I wasn't happy. I did complain about that but they have ignored my email so no surprise as I also complained that they ignored me asking for an x-ray to make sure that nothing was missed as I wanted them to check all inside his body to make sure but obviously they didn't bother. Hopefully there isn't anything else wrong.

His pain meds are very good.

If his front teeth are too short then he won’t be able to pick anything up. Have you tried hand feeding a strand of hay or a fresh blade of grass to him to see if once in his mouth whether he can move it back and chew it?

 

[jess496]

His pain meds are very good.

If his front teeth are too short then he won’t be able to pick anything up. Have you tried hand feeding a strand of hay or a fresh blade of grass to him to see if once in his mouth whether he can move it back and chew it?

Yeah I've tried putting a tiny bit of lettuce, hay, mint or dried soft grass in his mouth but it seems like he's finding it hard to swallow it so he spits it out as he keeps pulling faces like there's something stuck in his mouth if that makes sense. It could just be that his back teeth need to grow abit more to be able to chew. Not sure if you've seen photos of him that I posted on here, it was a photo of him before and after dental treatment. The exotic vet said the after photo of his dental surgery looked really good apparently

 

[Wheekallweek]

He's still not eating hard foods by now not even hay so I'm worried that his teeth will get over grown again if he doesn't start eating by himself then it's repeated all over again. How long did it take for Duke to start eating again?. It sounds like Duke was worse than mine so I'm not sure why he still won't eat even with painkillers. I'm glad Duke got better!.

Quite honestly he was eating as soon as he woke up! The surgery was done by Kim at the Cat and Rabbit Clinic who are top notch. It was a long drive but it was our only option at that point.

I just hope your piggy picks up soon

 

[jess496]

Quite honestly he was eating as soon as he woke up! The surgery was done by Kim at the Cat and Rabbit Clinic who are top notch. It was a long drive but it was our only option at that point.

I just hope your piggy picks up soon

I keep reading about that place but unfortunately it's over 4 hours away from me and I can't get there. The surgery has been done now so I doubt Simon can do anything about that now.
I really hope so, he's lost more weight again and he seems to lose weight everyday no matter how much I feed him. I'll see how he goes when he finishes the pain meds in a few days. Thankyou.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I keep reading about that place but unfortunately it's over 4 hours away from me and I can't get there. The surgery has been done now so I doubt Simon can do anything about that now.
I really hope so, he's lost more weight again and he seems to lose weight everyday no matter how much I feed him. I'll see how he goes when he finishes the pain meds in a few days. Thankyou.

How much syringe feed are you getting into him each day?
If he is losing weight each day then you need to increase the amount. As I say 40-60ml but it could be much beyond that is needed. A healthy piggy will independently eat the equivalent of around 100ml a day so there is a potential for up to that amount.

 

[weepweeps]

I keep reading about that place but unfortunately it's over 4 hours away from me and I can't get there. The surgery has been done now so I doubt Simon can do anything about that now.
I really hope so, he's lost more weight again and he seems to lose weight everyday no matter how much I feed him. I'll see how he goes when he finishes the pain meds in a few days. Thankyou.

When my Pepper was eating absolutely nothing for himself I was getting in 100ml of critical care a day. And even then sometimes he would still lose a tiny bit.

You can’t really just “finish” the pain meds. They will be needed until he is eating on his own or the problem has resolved.

 

[jess496]

How much syringe feed are you getting into him each day?
If he is losing weight each day then you need to increase the amount. As I say 40-60ml but it could be much beyond that is needed. A healthy piggy will independently eat the equivalent of around 100ml a day

Usually 15ml each time if I can, he did really well this morning but in the afternoon he didn't really want it but I tried my best to get nearly 15ml in him. I usually feed him 4 times a day so I like to feed him final meal around midnight before I go to sleep so I'm happy to leave him alone all night, he takes an hour to eat 15ml, is that normal?.
The vet did tell me it wasn't necessary for him to be fed that much because he's at a good weight but he has lost alot of weight though. He used to be 1467g and now he's 1103g. I can't feed him more than 4 times as it's too much for him

 

[jess496]

When my Pepper was eating absolutely nothing for himself I was getting in 100ml of critical care a day. And even then sometimes he would still lose a tiny bit.

You can’t really just “finish” the pain meds. They will be needed until he is eating on his own or the problem has resolved.

Do you really force them to eat the critical care? It takes him an hour to eat 15ml, is that normal?.
Oh okay, I will have to ask the vet when it's nearly finished and see what he thinks about all of this if he hasn't eaten by then. I'm hoping not to take him back to the vets again.
The pain meds should have helped him eat by now, it's strange.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Pain meds aren’t necessarily a course which has an end date. Until the issue is resolved he is potentially experiencing pain.

If he isn’t eating fully and independently a few days before you run out of meds then he needs to get more pain meds so that he can continue one bottle to the next.

Usually 15ml each time if I can, he did really well this morning but in the afternoon he didn't really want it but I tried my best to get nearly 15ml in him. I usually feed him 4 times a day so I like to feed him final meal around midnight before I go to sleep so I'm happy to leave him alone all night, he takes an hour to eat 15ml, is that normal?.
The vet did tell me it wasn't necessary for him to be fed that much because he's at a good weight but he has lost alot of weight though. He used to be 1467g and now he's 1103g. I can't feed him more than 4 times as it's too much for him

You need to feed him as much as he will take at each sitting but aiming for 15ml may be too much in one go. The less he takes at each sitting the more sittings he needs
He can have six sittings a day if he is taking less each time.
5-10ml is the amount you aim to feed every two hours where there is total appetite loss.

It absolutely is necessary for him To be fed. He may be a good weight but is he is losing weight each day then it is because he isn’t getting enough each day.

What have his daily weight been each day? Actually List them out for us from your records so we can see if we can help

Do you really force them to eat the critical care? It takes him an hour to eat 15ml, is that normal?.
Oh okay, I will have to ask the vet when it's nearly finished and see what he thinks about all of this if he hasn't eaten by then. I'm hoping not to take him back to the vets again.
The pain meds should have helped him eat by now, it's strange.

No you shouldn’t be forcing as such - it’s about him having small amounts but having them very frequently

It’s not strange - the pain meds will help his pain but he doesn’t mean he can eat if the teeth (or anything else) are wrong

 

[weepweeps]

Do you really force them to eat the critical care? It takes him an hour to eat 15ml, is that normal?.
Oh okay, I will have to ask the vet when it's nearly finished and see what he thinks about all of this if he hasn't eaten by then. I'm hoping not to take him back to the vets again.
The pain meds should have helped him eat by now, it's strange.

Yes you kind of force them in a gentle way if that makes sense. They have to eat and if they are not doing it for themselves then you have to do it for them.

15ml is a lot for their tummies in one go but it depends on how much time you have to feed them each day. If you can do more shorter feeds in a day then that might be better for you. If not then carry on what you are doing. You just have to do what you can.

 

[jess496]

I'll put his weight

Pain meds aren’t necessarily a course which has an end date. Until the issue is resolved he is potentially experiencing pain.

If he isn’t eating fully and independently a few days before you run out of meds then he needs to get more pain meds so that he can continue one bottle to the next.



You need to feed him as much as he will take at each sitting but aiming for 15ml may be too much in one go. The less he takes at each sitting the more sittings he needs
He can have six sittings a day if he is taking less each time.
5-10ml is the amount you aim to feed every two hours where there is total appetite loss.

It absolutely is necessary for him To be fed. He may be a good weight but is he is losing weight each day then it is because he isn’t getting enough each day.

What have his daily weight been each day? Actually List them out for us from your records so we can see if we can help



No you shouldn’t be forcing as such - it’s about him having small amounts but having them very frequently

It’s not strange - the pain meds will help his pain but he doesn’t mean he can eat if the teeth (or anything else) are wrong

I'll write his weight starting from 10th June as that's when I started to weigh him everyday because before it was usually once a week.
10th June- 1239g
11th- 1202g
12th- 1188g
13th- 1167g
15th- 1177g
16th- 1148g
17th- 1147g
19th- 1109g
21st- 1103g.
I've missed a couple of days but can't remember why I did.

 

[weepweeps]

It’s definitely not stable yet so you will have to continue the critical care. X

 

[Piggies&buns]

Just found the phrase I was trying to remember - Be firm when feeding but don’t force it into him ie you can’t force more into him than he can handle. They can take about 0.3ml per mouthful so it can take a long time to get them fed.

So he’s lost 130g or so with a continual downward trend over 11 days.
He definitely needs to eat more to stop those little drops as they are adding up to a big drop

 

[jess496]

Yes you kind of force them in a gentle way if that makes sense. They have to eat and if they are not doing it for themselves then you have to do it for them.

15ml is a lot for their tummies in one go but it depends on how much time you have to feed them each day. If you can do more shorter feeds in a day then that might be better for you. If not then carry on what you are doing. You just have to do what you can.

Just found the phrase I was trying to remember - Be firm when feeding but don’t force it into him ie you can’t force more into him than he can handle. They can take about 0.3ml per mouthful so it can take a long time to get them fed.

So he’s lost 130g or so with a continual downward trend over 11 days.
He definitely needs to eat more to stop those little drops as they are adding up to a big drop

It's very frustrating when his weight keeps dropping when I thought I was doing well feeding him but I'll try my best to feed him more but less each time and if I'm feeding him less then it means it shouldn't take an hour so that's even better I hope. Thankyou both for your help, I really appreciate it. I now understand that less feedings would be better than 15ml all in one go. It makes sense to do that

 

[weepweeps]

How many feeds are you doing now?

If you are going to do less mls per feed then you will need to do more feeds not less.

 

[weepweeps]

Sorry if I am confusing you.

 

[jess496]

How many feeds are you doing now?

If you are going to do less mls per feed then you will need to do more feeds not less.

Oh no I understand what you meant. I meant I'll have to do more feeds if I'll do less ml. I've been feeding him 4 times a day at 15ml if he takes it. He did really well this morning taking it all so he must have been hungry but then in afternoon he wasn't keen