Not Eating, can't figure out why?

[*Midnight*]

Our boar Magic, who is 3years old, first went off his food about a week and a half ago, we noticed he was crying when he had a wee. So we took him to the vets and she said that she could feel bladder stones but when they x-rayed him there was none there. So they think it was a bacteria infection and we were to give him anti-biotics. So we gave him the anti-biotics and he has now stopped crying but he has completely gone off his food, we are giving him pro-biotics and syringe feeding him baby food, juice and recovery. We have been back to the vets since and she recommended the pro-biotics which we are giving him, but that was last week and we thought we would see an improvement by now. We are going back to the vets tomorrow, has anyone had any experience like this before, is there anything we could suggest? We are just completed confused by this?/

Any help much appreciated

 

[Lady Kelly]

I'm sorry to hear of your difficulties, I can't advise on this situation just wanted to send Magic some healing vibes and hope that he feels better soon

 

[Toffeewoffee]

Sorry to hear this, antibiotics can put them off their food so its good that you are syringe feeding him, is he eating hay atall? He needs fibre in his diet so mushed up pellets or Critical Care will be the best things to syringe feed.

Did the vet check his teeth? This could ba another reason for not eating if they are overgrown or broken.

Weigh him daily to make sure he isn't losing weight.

Good luck xx

 

[Toffeewoffee]

Sorry to hear this, antibiotics can put them off their food so its good that you are syringe feeding him, is he eating hay atall? He needs fibre in his diet so mushed up pellets or Critical Care will be the best things to syringe feed.

Did the vet check his teeth? This could ba another reason for not eating if they are overgrown or broken.

Weigh him daily to make sure he isn't losing weight.

Good luck xx

 

[*Midnight*]

Sorry to hear this, antibiotics can put them off their food so its good that you are syringe feeding him, is he eating hay atall? He needs fibre in his diet so mushed up pellets or Critical Care will be the best things to syringe feed.

Did the vet check his teeth? This could ba another reason for not eating if they are overgrown or broken.

Weigh him daily to make sure he isn't losing weight.

Good luck xx

He's finished his anti-biotics but not his pro-biotics. He's having recovery, which is the same as critical care and he's not eating hay. We have checked his front teeth and they seem fine, but can't see his back teeth. We do weigh him daily and he just keeps losing weight. It seems so strange as he loves his hay and food so much and looks like he wants to eat but then will sit at his food bowl and not touch it. He looks quite alert still which is the only promising sign but i know how quickly they can fade.

So i think we will suggest the vet looks at his back teeth tomorrow and see what she can find

 

[Toffeewoffee]

I think if you can get him looked at sooner then that would be better, does he happily take the CC or do you have to force it into him? How much do you give him in a 12 hour period? Try mashing up some of his favourite pellets too, mine love the blackcurrent and oregano ones by burgess and they mash up really well if you soak them in hot water for a while first and he happily eats it from the syringe.

Is he using his water bottle? If not it might be worth syringe feeding some water but oly minimal bits at a time as it can be inhaled into the lungs.

Does he eat veggies on his own accord, staright from the fridge so to speak?

 

[Toffeewoffee]

I think if you can get him looked at sooner then that would be better, does he happily take the CC or do you have to force it into him? How much do you give him in a 12 hour period? Try mashing up some of his favourite pellets too, mine love the blackcurrent and oregano ones by burgess and they mash up really well if you soak them in hot water for a while first and he happily eats it from the syringe.

Is he using his water bottle? If not it might be worth syringe feeding some water but oly minimal bits at a time as it can be inhaled into the lungs.

Does he eat veggies on his own accord, staright from the fridge so to speak?

 

[*Midnight*]

I think if you can get him looked at sooner then that would be better, does he happily take the CC or do you have to force it into him? How much do you give him in a 12 hour period? Try mashing up some of his favourite pellets too, mine love the blackcurrent and oregano ones by burgess and they mash up really well if you soak them in hot water for a while first and he happily eats it from the syringe.

Is he using his water bottle? If not it might be worth syringe feeding some water but oly minimal bits at a time as it can be inhaled into the lungs.

Does he eat veggies on his own accord, staright from the fridge so to speak?

He tried to eat veggies, he nibbles at some but doesn't eat much at all. He was happily eating grass, until it snowed, so we can't even cut him some of that anymore. He's never been a massive drinker but we haven't seen him at the bottle much just lately. He has nuggets, do they mash up when soaked then? From syringe he has 18gramms of recovery, 10gramms of baby food morning and 10g in the evening, and half a sachet of bio-lapis in 15mls of water in morning and same again in the evening. We give him all his fav veggies just in case he wants them but they are rarely touched or just slightly nibbled.

Oh and he does hapily take the recovery, or cc, seems to love it

 

[Toffeewoffee]

Try syringing a little water, just a couple of drops just behind the front teeth at a time. Its good that he happily takes the CC just give him as much as he will take in one sitting, i'm syringe feeding at the moment and having to force it most of the time. But he loves banana because its soft for him to eat and has lots of calories to try and fatten him up. Also the occasional bit of biscuit which he crunches away on. Plain porridge mixed with water is good too.

Yes i just put a load in a bowl as normal then poured boiling water over them, let it cool and mixed it all up with no bother and it was so easy.

Or you could just offer him some pellets that have been softened in some water and see if he will take them, but it is possible his back teeth have overgrown if he hasn't been eating, their teeth grow a matter of a few mm a week so a vet check asap would either confirm teeth issues or rule them out.

 

[Toffeewoffee]

Try syringing a little water, just a couple of drops just behind the front teeth at a time. Its good that he happily takes the CC just give him as much as he will take in one sitting, i'm syringe feeding at the moment and having to force it most of the time. But he loves banana because its soft for him to eat and has lots of calories to try and fatten him up. Also the occasional bit of biscuit which he crunches away on. Plain porridge mixed with water is good too.

Yes i just put a load in a bowl as normal then poured boiling water over them, let it cool and mixed it all up with no bother and it was so easy.

Or you could just offer him some pellets that have been softened in some water and see if he will take them, but it is possible his back teeth have overgrown if he hasn't been eating, their teeth grow a matter of a few mm a week so a vet check asap would either confirm teeth issues or rule them out.

 

[*Midnight*]

Try syringing a little water, just a couple of drops just behind the front teeth at a time. Its good that he happily takes the CC just give him as much as he will take in one sitting, i'm syringe feeding at the moment and having to force it most of the time. But he loves banana because its soft for him to eat and has lots of calories to try and fatten him up. Also the occasional bit of biscuit which he crunches away on. Plain porridge mixed with water is good too.

Yes i just put a load in a bowl as normal then poured boiling water over them, let it cool and mixed it all up with no bother and it was so easy.

Or you could just offer him some pellets that have been softened in some water and see if he will take them, but it is possible his back teeth have overgrown if he hasn't been eating, their teeth grow a matter of a few mm a week so a vet check asap would either confirm teeth issues or rule them out.

Is your boy poorly too then? Magic doesn't like banana, we tried that already. We'll try soaking some nuggets and see if he wants that. Just about to give recovery again which he should enjoy

 

[Toffeewoffee]

Yes my boy has a dental abscess, it has been popped and drained, going agin for more draining tomorrow. He is on Baytril and only eating some veggies voluntarily, having to syringe feed CC and mushed pellets 3 - 5 times a day which he isn't happy about.

Sometimes he will take softened pellets other times he wont and spits them out when i force them in, its realy trial and error, but getting whatever into him we can, whatever he will eat he can have as far as i'm concerned, he has lost quite a bit of weight so anything to fatten him up.

I hope your lil fella picks up soon. xx

 

[Toffeewoffee]

DP

 

[*Midnight*]

Yes my boy has a dental abscess, it has been popped and drained, going agin for more draining tomorrow. He is on Baytril and only eating some veggies voluntarily, having to syringe feed CC and mushed pellets 3 - 5 times a day which he isn't happy about.

Sometimes he will take softened pellets other times he wont and spits them out when i force them in, its realy trial and error, but getting whatever into him we can, whatever he will eat he can have as far as i'm concerned, he has lost quite a bit of weight so anything to fatten him up.

I hope your lil fella picks up soon. xx

We know all about dental abscesses, we experienced that years ago. The vet put the anti-biotics into his abscess and it was constantly drained, we still remember the smell! Hope your boy pulls through too and thank you for the advice, will keep you updated on how he gets on at the vets x

 

[Toffeewoffee]

So Sorry to hear that do you mind me asking what was the outcome with your dental abscess piggy? Be honest. I just feel so useless and helpless right now and can't ever see him getting better, i dont think he wants to.......

 

[Wiebke]

Have you been able to check Magic's back teeth? They are the crucial ones when it comes to tooth trouble. I have seen Simon Maddock (guinea pig specialist in Northampton) gently clear the pouches with a cotton bud to clear out the usual gunk before having a look.

It may be worth having your piggy seen by an exotics specialist. Whereabouts are you, so one of our members may be able to give a recommendation?

 

[*Midnight*]

So Sorry to hear that do you mind me asking what was the outcome with your dental abscess piggy? Be honest. I just feel so useless and helpless right now and can't ever see him getting better, i dont think he wants to.......

So sorry to say this but it didn't end well, after several months he died in his sleep. Spent a fortune at the vets and the vet actually stopped charging for most of the treatment towards the end. But it doesn't mean your piggy won't get better, plus this was a long time ago (about 12years ago) and medicine has come on a lot since then

 

[*Midnight*]

Have you been able to check Magic's back teeth? They are the crucial ones when it comes to tooth trouble. I have seen Simon Maddock (guinea pig specialist in Northampton) gently clear the pouches with a cotton bud to clear out the usual gunk before having a look.

It may be worth having your piggy seen by an exotics specialist. Whereabouts are you, so one of our members may be able to give a recommendation?

We are in Derby, i don't know of any specialists round here? We have never looked at piggies back teeth before, think that might be one for the vets tomorrow. He enjoyed chewing at the syringe when we just gave him recovery (CC) so that makes me think it may not be teeth, but thats the only explanation we can now find

 

[Toffeewoffee]

Aw i'm so sorry that you spent all of that time and money on him and he didn't pull through. We are into the 3rd week of it it now and i know it can take a long long time for them to get back to normal, and he has only just had his abscess popped as the previous 2 attempts failed, so hopefully after some more draining he will be feeling more like eating him self again.

Keep us informed on Magic, sending healing vibes xx

 

[Toffeewoffee]

Aw i'm so sorry that you spent all of that time and money on him and he didn't pull through. We are into the 3rd week of it it now and i know it can take a long long time for them to get back to normal, and he has only just had his abscess popped as the previous 2 attempts failed, so hopefully after some more draining he will be feeling more like eating him self again.

Keep us informed on Magic, sending healing vibes xx

 

[*Midnight*]

Aw i'm so sorry that you spent all of that time and money on him and he didn't pull through. We are into the 3rd week of it it now and i know it can take a long long time for them to get back to normal, and he has only just had his abscess popped as the previous 2 attempts failed, so hopefully after some more draining he will be feeling more like eating him self again.

Keep us informed on Magic, sending healing vibes xx

Sending healing vibes to yours too xx

 

[*Midnight*]

Update after going to the vets, she thinks he could be either hormonal, as he can smell the girls, or he has become dependant on the syringe feeding and thinks that is easier than eating for himself. So we have got to leave him alone for 12hours with food to see if he eats anything but if he hasn't started eating by tomorrow morning to start syringe feeding again. Fingers crossed for him!

 

[Toffeewoffee]

I'm not sure if being hormonal would put him off his food.....? However i'm not sure. I would move him away from the girls, ot the girls away from him for a while and see if this helps, even if you have to keep him in your bedroom for a few days as a test.

I was worrying about my boy becoming dependant on me feeding him, but he doesn't seem to like it much when i have to force the syringe in his mouth so hopefully he wont.

Did the vet check all of his teeth? xx

 

[Toffeewoffee]

I'm not sure if being hormonal would put him off his food.....? However i'm not sure. I would move him away from the girls, ot the girls away from him for a while and see if this helps, even if you have to keep him in your bedroom for a few days as a test.

I was worrying about my boy becoming dependant on me feeding him, but he doesn't seem to like it much when i have to force the syringe in his mouth so hopefully he wont.

Did the vet check all of his teeth? xx

 

[*Midnight*]

I'm not sure if being hormonal would put him off his food.....? However i'm not sure. I would move him away from the girls, ot the girls away from him for a while and see if this helps, even if you have to keep him in your bedroom for a few days as a test.

I was worrying about my boy becoming dependant on me feeding him, but he doesn't seem to like it much when i have to force the syringe in his mouth so hopefully he wont.

Did the vet check all of his teeth? xx

Yes the vet checked his teeth with a scope and said they are absolutely fine. And his guts are fine, no lumps, blockages or pain. She did say he could do with losing a bit of weight
I don't know if it will upset him being somewhere different if we were to move him? It will be too difficult to move the girls with their house set up.

What would you do when you have 2 girls and then you rescue a boy but he's on his own but can see and talk to the girls, is he happy, or how can we make sure he's happy?xx

 

[Toffeewoffee]

Erm, i think having the compnay would be nice for him, but it might be frustrating having girls that he can't get to if you know what i mean, is there any reason he is on his own? He could actually be depressed...... guinea pigs's thrive from compnay of their own kind, hence why usually they are kept in pairs and with boars sometimes groups, have you considered getting him a male friend? Take him boar dating do he can choose his own friend? The only problem with that is, they would have to be away from the girls, otherwise if they could both see and smell the girls it could bring on a fight between them.....

Now you say he is on his own, i am almost certain this is a sign of depression as he is lonely. xx

 

[Toffeewoffee]

Erm, i think having the compnay would be nice for him, but it might be frustrating having girls that he can't get to if you know what i mean, is there any reason he is on his own? He could actually be depressed...... guinea pigs's thrive from compnay of their own kind, hence why usually they are kept in pairs and with boars sometimes groups, have you considered getting him a male friend? Take him boar dating do he can choose his own friend? The only problem with that is, they would have to be away from the girls, otherwise if they could both see and smell the girls it could bring on a fight between them.....

Now you say he is on his own, i am almost certain this is a sign of depression as he is lonely. xx

 

[*Midnight*]

Erm, i think having the compnay would be nice for him, but it might be frustrating having girls that he can't get to if you know what i mean, is there any reason he is on his own? He could actually be depressed...... guinea pigs's thrive from compnay of their own kind, hence why usually they are kept in pairs and with boars sometimes groups, have you considered getting him a male friend? Take him boar dating do he can choose his own friend? The only problem with that is, they would have to be away from the girls, otherwise if they could both see and smell the girls it could bring on a fight between them.....

Now you say he is on his own, i am almost certain this is a sign of depression as he is lonely. xx

He was my friends pig, he was with 2 of his brothers and one night they both died, no physical signs or harm so it was very strange. She decided she didn't have time for anymore pigs and wanted me to have him as he could have some sort of company, he could hear, smell and talk to our girls instead of being completely alone. And for the past year he has been fine, put on plenty of weight and seemed very happy. We are too worried to get him neutered as our last piggy didn't survive after the operation. We don't really have anywhere else we could put him if he has a friend, as we know 2 boars would fight with sows nearby. So we may need to think up a plan of action xx

 

[Toffeewoffee]

They wouldn't necessarily fight, i think there are some members on here who have bonded pairs or groups of boars near sow's with no problems, its not guaranteed that they would fight its just a possibility. I would take him to a rescue and let him chose a boar friend, and if possible keep them as far away from the girls as poss.

Hopefully some more experienced members who have boars and sows near each other will respond and advise you. I only have a neutered boar housed with 2 sows.

xx

 

[Toffeewoffee]

They wouldn't necessarily fight, i think there are some members on here who have bonded pairs or groups of boars near sow's with no problems, its not guaranteed that they would fight its just a possibility. I would take him to a rescue and let him chose a boar friend, and if possible keep them as far away from the girls as poss.

Hopefully some more experienced members who have boars and sows near each other will respond and advise you. I only have a neutered boar housed with 2 sows.

xx