Neutering Operation Monday

Free Ranger said:
Being nervous is horrible but natural and remember that if a few people have problems they will post for help but for the majority it all runs so smoothly they never mention it! We'll be thinking of you both too 💕
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Thank you! ♥️ And yes very true! I've been feeling fine for weeks about it as I know it's what he would want and I always thought it was the right thing (as he bar bites and constantly squeaks for the others,he pretty much spends his whole life trying to get in the cage and is constantly interacting with all of the sows) so I've been pushing for it as soon as it is possible and safe to do so for his sake. But now I'm starting to have a few last minute nerves is it right? Is it too early? Etc.
 
I’ve just recently gone through a neuter for my boy Jazzy. It’s been stressful and we are still not out of the woods and having to syringe feed and give some meds. However I keep thinking it will all be worth it in the end when he’s with his lady friends (one of which he’s currently now living next door to waiting until 6weeks post op)
I wish you all the luck in the world that it goes perfectly and there are no complications. But be prepared to have to step in ASAP with feeding and vet trips if needed as in my experience sooner is absolutely better. I recommend daily weighing too for a while after to keep a close eye on things as well as poo patrol and checking the area. We did daily very gentle hibiscrub washes too.
I’ve got everything crossed for you and your boy.

edited to add- you also definitely have found the right forum for help and support if you need it. These guys are amazing.
 
Lavinia said:
I’ve just recently gone through a neuter for my boy Jazzy. It’s been stressful and we are still not out of the woods and having to syringe feed and give some meds. However I keep thinking it will all be worth it in the end when he’s with his lady friends (one of which he’s currently now living next door to waiting until 6weeks post op)
I wish you all the luck in the world that it goes perfectly and there are no complications. But be prepared to have to step in ASAP with feeding and vet trips if needed as in my experience sooner is absolutely better. I recommend daily weighing too for a while after to keep a close eye on things as well as poo patrol and checking the area. We did daily very gentle hibiscrub washes too.
I’ve got everything crossed for you and your boy.

edited to add- you also definitely have found the right forum for help and support if you need it. These guys are amazing.
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Aww thank you ♥ I wish you all the best too, when did your boy have his opp? I'm sorry that it's been stressful, I'm sure he'll improve soon! I've never experienced a guinea pig opp/male guinea pig areas before so I'm pretty clueless in that area! I have got a syringe & liquid vitamin C just incase. Luckily I've got that week off so I'll be able to monitor closely but after that I'll be very worried. I've read online that syringe feeding every 2 hours may be necessary in previous threads? And will definitely be doing the daily weighing good shout and poo patrolling too! It'll definitely be worth it, these things are never simple though are they?! I've got my fingers crossed for your boy too let me know how you get on!
And the forum have definitely been amazing for me I would've been so clueless without them (wouldn't have known I'd contacted ringworm or what that even was) pigs would also have continued to get the wrong treatment, earlier on today I didn't think my Guinea pig had any descended testicles (turns out he does 😂) would not have given them the space they need, would've given them a bad diet of fruit/carrots every other day, and so much more and I've only been a member for a month! 😂
 
Tara95 said:
Aww thank you ♥ I wish you all the best too, when did your boy have his opp? I'm sorry that it's been stressful, I'm sure he'll improve soon! I've never experienced a guinea pig opp/male guinea pig areas before so I'm pretty clueless in that area! I have got a syringe & liquid vitamin C just incase. Luckily I've got that week off so I'll be able to monitor closely but after that I'll be very worried. I've read online that syringe feeding every 2 hours may be necessary in previous threads? And will definitely be doing the daily weighing good shout and poo patrolling too! It'll definitely be worth it, these things are never simple though are they?! I've got my fingers crossed for your boy too let me know how you get on!
And the forum have definitely been amazing for me I would've been so clueless without them (wouldn't have known I'd contacted ringworm or what that even was) pigs would also have continued to get the wrong treatment, earlier on today I didn't think my Guinea pig had any descended testicles (turns out he does 😂) would not have given them the space they need, would've given them a bad diet of fruit/carrots every other day, and so much more and I've only been a member for a month! 😂
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i haven’t updated my thread (it’s been a bit hectic here with one thing and another).
But a couple of days after being signed off he went quiet again and was still losing weight so obviously not eating enough. He’s back on the meds and we are doing a lot is syringe feeds. I’m not taking any chances I want him fighting fit.He currently seems
a lot brighter, he finishes the antibiotics after today’s two doses. So will then slowly taper off the pain meds. And will continue to gut and syringe feeds until he is not losing weight and eating more himself. My plan is then to slowly taper them off too.

His incisions are looking good now and there is no swelling at all. He just obviously still feels a bit yakky! Which I can’t say I blame him.

I’m sure your boy will be amazing. And even if things don’t go exactly as you hoped, I’ve read lots of threads and stories of problems that in the end weee fine with the right care given. So I hope that reassures you a little.

I’ll keep an eye on your threads for updates! But try not to worry too much. He wants to be with his sisters and in the end he will be. You just have to keep remembering the end result and how happy he will be.
 
Aw I'm glad he seems a lot brighter and thank you! Did you take him home the same day he had his operation and was he automatically given medication to take home with him? And how often do you give him syringe feeds? And let me know how he gets on after the medication stops (might even get his appetite back!) Xx
 
He was sent home with just pain meds. And then when there were complications we added the antibiotics and gut medication. (The latter of which I already had as I have an elderly rabbit who always gets quite ill and so the vets let me keep medication in stock at home to start right away when she stops eating)
I think there are amazing guides on here regarding the syringe feeding so I bow down to the experts. But I try and get as much in him in fairly often spread out sessions in the day. When he is eating himself more then I syringe feed less. At the moment I’m really trying to give him a boost and so we trying to do 15ml or more each session. He often tells you when he’s had enough. It’s just past 11:30am and he’s had around 45mls so far today so that’s good going really. Often after the syringe feeds he will go back in his cage and eat some hay after.
Hope that’s helpful! 😊

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
Okay thank you, very useful guide! I keep missing certain areas/guides despite searching for them! How is he doing today? Seems like he's doing well with his appetite anyway! I have a few questions for everyone surrounding syringe feeding/poo soup I was going to start a new thread but I think it's best to keep everything on one. I think I'm going to start syringe feeding immediately to give him a boost too as I'm sure the first few days he won't have quite as much of an appetite due to the medication/anesthetic. 1) with the Poo soup, do I just bathe fresh poos from my sows in warm water and give him this? if so how long do the poos need to soak in the water and I'm guessing I'll need quite a few. or do I just mush the poos up and add a little water to create quite a thick consistency and how often can I do this? 2) In regards to grass/hay I doubt this can be syringe fed effectively. Could I get some fresh thin grass and cut this up into tiny pieces mix with a little water and syringe feed this? 3) Veggies, I presume vegetables such as cucumber/peppers can be easily mushed and liquefied, could I create a smoothie and mix these together if he's at the stage where he's not eating atall? 4) And pellets I'm guessing I just leave these in water for a while until they get softer and mash these up..
Sorry for all the questions I just want to make sure I'm getting things right and not making a silly mistake!
Many thanks again!
 
My thoughts are if he’s eating now himself then no need to syringe feed before hand. But he might need some help getting his appetite back up after, so keep an eye out.
I wouldn’t liquidise his veggies as if he’s not eating they really are the least important part of his diet. And often I find after syringe feeding he enjoys a nibble of herbs as a treat.
I’ve always preferred to use critical care food when syringing, but in a pinch I have also used soaked and mushed up normal pellets.

You might find he will happily eat some fresh grass also. I’ve been picking some for jazzy and he enjoys eating it! So that’s extra fibre too.
I haven’t done the poo soup so can’t answer that.
I’m sure others will come along to help you better.

My boy is mostly ok, thank you! He’s bright and eating himself but just not enough I guess to sustain his weight currently. I am hopeful his appetite with improve off the antibiotics as they do tend to upset their tummy’s! I’m sure he will be right as rain soon enough. And he seems to enjoy sitting on our bed being fed! He reaches out for the syringe now!
 
Tara95 said:
Okay thank you, very useful guide! I keep missing certain areas/guides despite searching for them! How is he doing today? Seems like he's doing well with his appetite anyway! I have a few questions for everyone surrounding syringe feeding/poo soup I was going to start a new thread but I think it's best to keep everything on one. I think I'm going to start syringe feeding immediately to give him a boost too as I'm sure the first few days he won't have quite as much of an appetite due to the medication/anesthetic. 1) with the Poo soup, do I just bathe fresh poos from my sows in warm water and give him this? if so how long do the poos need to soak in the water and I'm guessing I'll need quite a few. or do I just mush the poos up and add a little water to create quite a thick consistency and how often can I do this? 2) In regards to grass/hay I doubt this can be syringe fed effectively. Could I get some fresh thin grass and cut this up into tiny pieces mix with a little water and syringe feed this? 3) Veggies, I presume vegetables such as cucumber/peppers can be easily mushed and liquefied, could I create a smoothie and mix these together if he's at the stage where he's not eating atall? 4) And pellets I'm guessing I just leave these in water for a while until they get softer and mash these up..
Sorry for all the questions I just want to make sure I'm getting things right and not making a silly mistake!
Many thanks again!
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it’s good to be prepared, but don’t worry yourself that you are absolutely going to have to step in and support your boy.
He may not need to be syringe fed at all.
My rabbit had surgery a short while ago and before the vet let him come home they had to be sure he was alert, eating and drinking normally for himself and had good poop output. I never had to step in and syringe feed him at all. In fact as soon as I got him home (a few hours after surgery), the first thing he did was stick his head in the hay, demand veggies
And want to go for a run round the living room! I had such an effort to keep him in his hospital cage even just a few hours after surgery! I’ve actually never had an animal neutered (including having females spayed) and had to syringe feed post anaesthetic as the vet wouldn’t let them come home if they hadn’t seen them actively eating and behaving normally post anaesthetic.

for a piggy who isn’t eating, then you need to syringe feed fibre - so either mushed up pellets or critical care - not veggies or grass. You just put pellets in warm water until they are mushy and can go through a syringe. You can of course offer a handful of grass To tempt them to eat but it won’t replace mushed pellets or critical care recovery feed. Always ensuring hay is readily available

poop soup is used for a piggy with an upset tummy and to replace the bacteria lost, often due to a course of antibiotics. You soak healthy poops in water and syringe the water to the piggy.
 
Lavinia said:
My thoughts are if he’s eating now himself then no need to syringe feed before hand. But he might need some help getting his appetite back up after, so keep an eye out.
I wouldn’t liquidise his veggies as if he’s not eating they really are the least important part of his diet. And often I find after syringe feeding he enjoys a nibble of herbs as a treat.
I’ve always preferred to use critical care food when syringing, but in a pinch I have also used soaked and mushed up normal pellets.

You might find he will happily eat some fresh grass also. I’ve been picking some for jazzy and he enjoys eating it! So that’s extra fibre too.
I haven’t done the poo soup so can’t answer that.
I’m sure others will come along to help you better.

My boy is mostly ok, thank you! He’s bright and eating himself but just not enough I guess to sustain his weight currently. I am hopeful his appetite with improve off the antibiotics as they do tend to upset their tummy’s! I’m sure he will be right as rain soon enough. And he seems to enjoy sitting on our bed being fed! He reaches out for the syringe now!
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Thank you for good advice! Glad he's eating himself hopefully he'll be back to normal soon! and that's cute bet he's got tamer with all this feeding and handling and less fearful! Fresh Grass is Winston's favourite (he's not really a fan of hay) so I'm sure he'll be able to manage fresh grass at the very least!
 
Piggies&buns said:
it’s good to be prepared, but don’t worry yourself that you are absolutely going to have to step in and support your boy.
He may not need to be syringe fed at all.
My rabbit had surgery a short while ago and before the vet let him come home they had to be sure he was alert, eating and drinking normally for himself and had good poop output. I never had to step in and syringe feed him at all. In fact as soon as I got him home (a few hours after surgery), the first thing he did was stick his head in the hay, demand veggies
And want to go for a run round the living room! I had such an effort to keep him in his hospital cage even just a few hours after surgery! I’ve actually never had an animal neutered (including having females spayed) and had to syringe feed post anaesthetic as the vet wouldn’t let them come home if they hadn’t seen them actively eating and behaving normally post anaesthetic.

for a piggy who isn’t eating, then you need to syringe feed fibre - so either mushed up pellets or critical care - not veggies or grass. You just put pellets in warm water until they are mushy and can go through a syringe. You can of course offer a handful of grass To tempt them to eat but it won’t replace mushed pellets or critical care recovery feed. Always ensuring hay is readily available

poop soup is used for a piggy with an upset tummy and to replace the bacteria lost, often due to a course of antibiotics. You soak healthy poops in water and syringe the water to the piggy.
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Thank you for the good advice! and glad you've never had any issues - hopefully Winston won't either just being extra cautious ready for tomorrow! and will do :)
 
Thank you! Can't seem to get it off my mind! Looking forward to when it's all over and done with!:)
 
I have some positive experiences - maybe that will calm your nerves just a little bit. We got both our boys neutered last Wednesday so I know exactly how you feel! I was terribly nervous too.

Both our operations went with 0 complications and both our boys are absolutely fine. They were eating pretty much as soon as they got back home, they didn’t have any mushy poos, and they barely lost any weight (both about 20g). I offered them some recovery food the first evening after surgery to top them up. They were both a little groggy and sleepy so didn’t eat as much as they usually would and I just wanted to make sure they didn’t lose any weight. But since then they have been tucking in as always, they‘re happily popcorning around, flirting with the ladies through the bars and giving the best cuddles 🥰

The only thing I did was clean their litter trays and put fresh bedding in to minimise the infection risk and I’m weighing them daily to make sure I don’t miss any sudden drops in weight.

I know it’s easier said than done but I’d try to not worry too much, these little men are a lot tougher than we think. We‘ll definitely keep all our fingers and paws crossed for your little boy tomorrow and we hope his little operation goes smoothly and he recovers quickly ❤
 
stef.trg said:
I have some positive experiences - maybe that will calm your nerves just a little bit. We got both our boys neutered last Wednesday so I know exactly how you feel! I was terribly nervous too.

Both our operations went with 0 complications and both our boys are absolutely fine. They were eating pretty much as soon as they got back home, they didn’t have any mushy poos, and they barely lost any weight (both about 20g). I offered them some recovery food the first evening after surgery to top them up. They were both a little groggy and sleepy so didn’t eat as much as they usually would and I just wanted to make sure they didn’t lose any weight. But since then they have been tucking in as always, they‘re happily popcorning around, flirting with the ladies through the bars and giving the best cuddles 🥰

The only thing I did was clean their litter trays and put fresh bedding in to minimise the infection risk and I’m weighing them daily to make sure I don’t miss any sudden drops in weight.

I know it’s easier said than done but I’d try to not worry too much, these little men are a lot tougher than we think. We‘ll definitely keep all our fingers and paws crossed for your little boy tomorrow and we hope his little operation goes smoothly and he recovers quickly ❤
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Aww thank you, I'm glad to hear that your two ops went well with 0 complications! Must've been doubley worrying! Good shout with the daily weighing will definitely be doing that! And thank you I'll try not to worry! Sounds like your boys are making a speedy recovery - Not too long left now, I'll be counting down the weeks! What method of neutering did your boys have? Scrotum or abdomen? And what weights were they when they had the op? :)
 
Hi I've just brought him home 10 minutes ago! I think the operation went well but they were reluctant to send him home at first as he's very drowsy and hasn't been eating for himself. They've been syringe feeding him critical care, and he's been eating it but told me he was not eating himself and has not produced any poo (but he doesn't really eat hay anyway he's quite picky and prefers grass) They said it was up to me but the price came with an overnight stay if needed. I know how picky he is with fresh grass and I know as he is a lone guinea pig he tends to only eat when his sisters eat and comes out and they share grass together through the bars. So I thought I'd bring him home, I've got the critical care and various other things. At first very drowsy and I placed him in his cage and he didn't appear to be moving, but then all the other sows started gathering around him they were all talking to him, received_629319857764699.webp
All four of them were trying to get in the cage with him and he's starting to move and then did a rumble strut lol and tried to mate with them and now he's eating grass with them!😂😅
So he's doing well thank you I guess so far!
 
Tara95 said:
Hi I've just brought him home 10 minutes ago! I think the operation went well but they were reluctant to send him home at first as he's very drowsy and hasn't been eating for himself. They've been syringe feeding him critical care, and he's been eating it but told me he was not eating himself and has not produced any poo (but he doesn't really eat hay anyway he's quite picky and prefers grass) They said it was up to me but the price came with an overnight stay if needed. I know how picky he is with fresh grass and I know as he is a lone guinea pig he tends to only eat when his sisters eat and comes out and they share grass together through the bars. So I thought I'd bring him home, I've got the critical care and various other things. At first very drowsy and I placed him in his cage and he didn't appear to be moving, but then all the other sows started gathering around him they were all talking to him, View attachment 156495
All four of them were trying to get in the cage with him and he's starting to move and then did a rumble strut lol and tried to mate with them and now he's eating grass with them!😂😅
So he's doing well thank you I guess so far!
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Aw, that’s good news, keep a keen eye on how much he eats and weigh daily too. You want to give him some syringe food until you see plenty of poops coming through x
 
Thank you, will do he's due about 6ml max at 6 but can't give too much also apparently it's every 4 hours but not every 4 hours overnight as he needs to try and eat for himself I was told. Not sure if it's best to continue every 4 hours at night as I'm off work and if it will benefit him..
:)
 
Tara95 said:
Thank you, will do he's due about 6ml max at 6 but can't give too much also apparently it's every 4 hours but not every 4 hours overnight as he needs to try and eat for himself I was told. Not sure if it's best to continue every 4 hours at night as I'm off work and if it will benefit him..
:)
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I'm glad it went well.
if a piggy is not eating for themselves at all then you need to feed overnight. Being syringe fed will not stop him from eating himself if he is able and willing to but if you don’t feed him overnight and he doesn’t eat for himself at all during that time then you will end up seeing a large weight drop and it’s too long for him to go without food.

it all comes down to what is going on with his weight. It may be that a four hour gap between feeds is too big - it depends how much is taken per feed. The less they take, the more often you may need to feed (every couple of hours), including at least once during the night. Anything up to 90ml of feed in a 24 hour period may be needed if he isn’t eating anything for himself.
 
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Siikibam said:
If he’s not eating you will have to give overnight. I would offer and if he refuses then fine. But weigh him daily at the same time and adjust accordingly.
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Thank you will do :) I thought it didn't sound right!
 
Piggies&buns said:
I'm glad it went well.
if a piggy is not eating for themselves at all then you need to feed overnight. Being syringe fed will not stop him from eating himself if he is able and willing to but if you don’t feed him overnight and he doesn’t eat for himself at all during that time then you will end up seeing a large weight drop and it’s too long for him to go without food.

it all comes down to what is going on with his weight. It may be that a four hour gap between feeds is too big - it depends how much is taken per feed. The less they take, the more often you may need to feed (every couple of hours), including at least once during the night. Anything up to 90ml of feed in a 24 hour period may be needed if he isn’t eating anything for himself.
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thank you, it's good to know I can give him more that 6ml every four hours if needed. I think the four hour drop is too much tbh especially as he hasn't really eaten anything all day sort from I'm guessing 6ml of critical care at the vet four hours ago.. I don't think it will do him any harm to get extra critical care!
 
Tara95 said:
thank you, it's good to know I can give him more that 6ml every four hours if needed. I think the four hour drop is too much tbh especially as he hasn't really eaten anything all day sort from I'm guessing 6ml of critical care at the vet four hours ago.. I don't think it will do him any harm to get extra critical care!
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feed him the amount he wants. He does not need to be restricted to 6ml. Youll be aiming for somewhere between 40-90ml of feed in a 24 hour period but how much depends on what their weight is doing and how much they are eating for themselves - obviously the upper end of that range is for a total loss of appetite and not eating anything at all
 
I did the syringe feeding at 6, started off very messy. Still very drowsy, as in normally he would run when I reach to pick him up and move his hidey but it's like his brain is saying run and his body is not responding so very still lack of movement (might be to do with the four hour drop since last feed) He didn't respond at first, like I knew he was hungry but it was like he didn't have the reflex and it was dripping down his chin so panicked and stopped. Gave it another try this time he responded, still quite slow taking it but trying never the less. Was taking it on my lap nicely then I think he felt uncomfortable and movement came back to him and he crawled away from me to his hidey. So I stuck the syringe through bars and he took it slowly and wanted More. Gave him about 6ml might've been a bit more for luck! Not sure if he wanted to stop after that or if he was just taking his time eating. Now he's eating grass but refusing the normal thick meadow grass just eating the very thin lawn grass.

Many thanks all for help and advice :)
 
I was also told I don't need to give him any water seperately as critical care is two thirds water is that right?
Many thanks!:)
 
Tara95 said:
I was also told I don't need to give him any water seperately as critical care is two thirds water is that right?
Many thanks!:)
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There is water in critical care, but I’d still offer some plain water after a syringe feed. If he doesn’t want it that’s fine, but I’d still offer a little
 
I'm a bit worried about making sure he has his painkillers. He is supposed to have 0.2 metacam twice a day, I can't garenteee he'll take it all down especially when he's had plenty of food and water.
 
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