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My poor Aimee suddenly not feeling well

Wilwong

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Mar 29, 2018
Messages
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Location
Walton on Thames, Surrey, UK
Amiee, my abyssinian, around 7-8 years of age, always spritely and active for her age, suddenly took a turn 48 hours ago

1) She didnt reach for her food in the morning, was laying still in the cage and didnt want to move
2) When she did it looked like her back leg was tucked in and hopping like a rabbit when she did move
3) lost her appetite

I took her to our vet within hours, and the vet said that she's seems a bit underweight but down to old age, and she could be suffering arthritis, we were given some Metacam and told to come back in 5 days if Aimee showed no improvement.

The following day, she was still very inactive and no appetite, and worryingly had diahoerra, I quickly took her off any veggies and tried to get her to eat hay, which she does but very slowly.. I also tried to syringe her water to keep her hydrated, ordered emergency feed for her from Amazon

Her Diahorra seemed an isolated incident since her stools are now wet but fairly solid, shes alert if I attract her attention, but mostly she sits still, puffed up .. the feed has arrived and we started recovery feed for her

I'm very anxious as to what to do next, my vet is good but one is never sure whether they are cavy savvy.. I'm worried her gut will seize up if she doesnt eat more soon...

Here's my little piggie right now, I wish I can take her pain away ...IMG_0923.jpg
 
So sorry to hear little Aimee is poorly, she sounds quite unwell, please have her vet checked as quickly as possible x
 
Poor Aimee :( You need to be syringing at least 60ml of food in to her within a 24 hour period. I would have her seen by your vet ASAP and ask for a gut stimulant to help keep her guts moving. I hope she feels better soon x
 
I’m sorry to hear she is unwell.

Weigh her daily while she is unwell as it is the only way for you to monitor her food intake. The syringe feed you are giving directly replaces the hay she isn’t eating so you need to aim for 60ml+. Her weight is your daily guide though as to whether she needs to be fed more.
 
Amiee, my abyssinian, around 7-8 years of age, always spritely and active for her age, suddenly took a turn 48 hours ago

1) She didnt reach for her food in the morning, was laying still in the cage and didnt want to move
2) When she did it looked like her back leg was tucked in and hopping like a rabbit when she did move
3) lost her appetite

I took her to our vet within hours, and the vet said that she's seems a bit underweight but down to old age, and she could be suffering arthritis, we were given some Metacam and told to come back in 5 days if Aimee showed no improvement.

The following day, she was still very inactive and no appetite, and worryingly had diahoerra, I quickly took her off any veggies and tried to get her to eat hay, which she does but very slowly.. I also tried to syringe her water to keep her hydrated, ordered emergency feed for her from Amazon

Her Diahorra seemed an isolated incident since her stools are now wet but fairly solid, shes alert if I attract her attention, but mostly she sits still, puffed up .. the feed has arrived and we started recovery feed for her

I'm very anxious as to what to do next, my vet is good but one is never sure whether they are cavy savvy.. I'm worried her gut will seize up if she doesnt eat more soon...

Here's my little piggie right now, I wish I can take her pain away ...View attachment 165387

Hi!

Please see a vet as soon as possible and step in with fibrous feeding support asap. Keep in mind that hay is making around 80% of the daily food intake and that you cannot judge that by eye and need your kitchen scales to control her food intake and how much you need to supplement.

Take the time to read our one-stop emergency guide, which contains all the necessary information and tips to look after your girl until you can see a vet and any medication is kicking in fully.
Emergency Resources and Critical Illness Care - Contents list and subforum link

All the best.
 
Thank you all !

quick update ..Aimee wasn’t taking much even Syringe feed so fearing the worst got an emergency appointment today

vet has given her Enrocare and Metoclopramide

will try and feed her our own pallet cocktail little and often today but vet said if no improvement in 24 hours then it’s pts 🙁 took her home and keeping her warm
 

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HUGS

Thinking of you. It is always a very anxious time, as I know my experiences with my own golden oldies.

You may find the information and advice in the guide links in my first post very helpful for your own emotional wellbeing as well as for Aimee's care.
 
Thank you so much.

Those links helped me tremendously, especially how to syringe feed and the amount... (I did not know ever that cutting the tip off the 1ml syringe made it a lot easier

I'm hoping the gut meds kick in, she's taken a bit more fluids and recovery paste today.. I'm aiming for at least 3ml per hour working up to 5ml of food today + Water
 
Sending love and thinking of you and Aimee, it's an awfully worrying time but I hope she will pull through for you xx
 
Thank you so much.

Those links helped me tremendously, especially how to syringe feed and the amount... (I did not know ever that cutting the tip off the 1ml syringe made it a lot easier

I'm hoping the gut meds kick in, she's taken a bit more fluids and recovery paste today.. I'm aiming for at least 3ml per hour working up to 5ml of food today + Water

Try to aim for about 40 ml or as close as you can get in 24 hours. the very old like yours don't eat as much as a piggy in their prime. Every ml more will help. Just plug away and keep hanging in there. You are doing all you can and all you should do. The rest is out of your control.
 
Thank you all for your love and support.

It was with gut wrenching decision today that I had to put my beautiful Amiee to sleep.. her condition deteriorated rapidly, even with round the clock feeding.

At the stage, as with my other piggies, you go over and over again what could have happened or ehat could have been done; what if I posted this in the forum earlier? What if I had got a different opinion from another vet? What if I gave her that extra ml of feed last night? What if rodent medical research was more advanced?

Nothing could bring my Aimee back, and she had a wonderful life of nearly 5 years with us (she was 3 when we took her in) fun memories etc. We do learn everytime this happens, but no less heartbreaking when it does.

Aimee looked very beautiful and at peace, bright eyed like she was, not in pain anymore.

Once again, thank you bottom of my heart for this community.
 
So, so sorry to hear this news. You did all and everything you could, and Aimee will have known she was surrounded by love.

Popcorn free little piggy xx
 
I do have another question, my other piggy, Flash, is without a companion now, what can be done in the interim to make sure she is happy and healthy? I hate talking about this so soon, but it might take time to find her a companion... Thank you all..
 
Thank you all for your love and support.

It was with gut wrenching decision today that I had to put my beautiful Amiee to sleep.. her condition deteriorated rapidly, even with round the clock feeding.

At the stage, as with my other piggies, you go over and over again what could have happened or ehat could have been done; what if I posted this in the forum earlier? What if I had got a different opinion from another vet? What if I gave her that extra ml of feed last night? What if rodent medical research was more advanced?

Nothing could bring my Aimee back, and she had a wonderful life of nearly 5 years with us (she was 3 when we took her in) fun memories etc. We do learn everytime this happens, but no less heartbreaking when it does.

Aimee looked very beautiful and at peace, bright eyed like she was, not in pain anymore.

Once again, thank you bottom of my heart for this community.
Oh I’m so sorry you had to send Aimee over the rainbow bridge, it’s a very hard decision that many of us have had to make out of love, but she is at peace now and she will have known just how much you loved her X
Sleep tight Aimee 🌈
 
@Wilwong, I'm so sorry. You did the kindest thing you could possibly do for Aimee, please know that. It sounds like she had a wonderful life with you! Be gentle with yourself as you grieve.

With regards to Flash, have a look at our guide on Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig. Please keep an eye on her and weigh her daily for the next week or so to make sure she isn't acutely pining -- you may need to step in with syringe feed if so. After a couple of days, after she is back to her usual routine (if not with the same sparkle and zest), it would really be best to find her a new friend. Travelling for the purpose of animal wellbeing is permitted, so it may be best to email any rescues local to you about finding her a friend ASAP (of course, if you need a new friend quickly it's a case of wherever you can get a suitable companion!).
 
I'm so sorry to hear about Aimee - she had a spectacular innings though. You must have been doing things right x

I don't know how quickly Flash will realise what has happened... if Aimee was deteriorating for some time she might know or she might run around a bit 'looking' for her. My nervous George knew his companion Ivy wasn't coming back but she had been unwell for some time and had then deteriorated. He grieved for about a week, I would say, and then got kind of back to normal but much more subdued as he was alone for weeks until we could find a friend. I spent a lot of time with him - had breakfast and tea-break by his cage - took him for walks around the garden - started to have lap time... just anything to stimulate him so he could have something to think about when he was alone in the dark. He now has friends and doesn't want my company any more (just my cucumber!) but at night I still reach into his tunnel last thing before I cover them up and give him a little stroke and he doesn't jump or run away like he used to... I think he remembers we are friends too 💕
 
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