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Not eating enough

D

DaniH

New Born Pup
Joined
Jan 23, 2019
Messages
18
Reaction score
12
Points
155
Location
Bristol
I noticed on Thursday Peanut had been eating less. He's 4.
He's the smallest piggie we've ever had weighing around 850g, when I weighed him he was down to 680g.
I feel awful as I've not done weigh-ins since before Christmas and now feel so guilty.
He's been acting absolutely fine, bright and alert, no obvious signs of being unwell.
He's still pooping, they're just small as he's not he'd enough to eat.
I've syringe fed him CC and Pro C, he's been quite happy eating veg but won't eat hay or nuggets.
He saw the vet yesterday who couldn't find anything wrong. She tried to get a urine sample but couldn't, he then peed on a towel (typical!) and we noticed it smelled a little fishy.
He's been prescribed a painkiller and baytril for possible uti. He's had some poo soup too - much to my kids disgust 😂
The vet said to see how he is tomorrow and next step would be ultrasound (£200 😖 does that sound right?)
If it is a uti, how long would it take for him to feel better and eat by himself again while on those meds?
He's just trotting around the room as I write this 😁, he's not presenting as sick other than the weight loss and decreased hay intake.
Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
DaniH said:
I noticed on Thursday Peanut had been eating less. He's 4.
He's the smallest piggie we've ever had weighing around 850g, when I weighed him he was down to 680g.
I feel awful as I've not done weigh-ins since before Christmas and now feel so guilty.
He's been acting absolutely fine, bright and alert, no obvious signs of being unwell.
He's still pooping, they're just small as he's not he'd enough to eat.
I've syringe fed him CC and Pro C, he's been quite happy eating veg but won't eat hay or nuggets.
He saw the vet yesterday who couldn't find anything wrong. She tried to get a urine sample but couldn't, he then peed on a towel (typical!) and we noticed it smelled a little fishy.
He's been prescribed a painkiller and baytril for possible uti. He's had some poo soup too - much to my kids disgust 😂
The vet said to see how he is tomorrow and next step would be ultrasound (£200 😖 does that sound right?)
If it is a uti, how long would it take for him to feel better and eat by himself again while on those meds?
He's just trotting around the room as I write this 😁, he's not presenting as sick other than the weight loss and decreased hay intake.
Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Sorry to hear this 💕 I can’t give any advice as i don’t haven’t had any problems with this but just wanted to wish you luck and hope your piggy’s ok 💞💞
 
DaniH said:
Thank you!
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Did your vet check the teeth because it could be a dental problem but as hay is 80% of there diet it is very crucial that they are eating it or it could be a underlying problem xx
 
PeggyAndBettysMum said:
I have also just booked a scan and it was only £35 so that seems excessive to me 🤷🏼‍♀️
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Yeah, I did have a mini heart attack when I saw the price!
We've never had to have anything like that done so I wasn't sure if that's normal
 
digbythepig said:
Did your vet check the teeth because it could be a dental problem but as hay is 80% of there diet it is very crucial that they are eating it or it could be a underlying problem xx
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Yes I know, that's why I'm so worried.
She only looked at his incisers and said they look good, she said she'd need to sedate him to check the back.
I've looked myself so I don't know why she couldn't, except I don't know what I'm looking for!
 
DaniH said:
Yes I know, that's why I'm so worried.
She only looked at his incisers and said they look good, she said she'd need to sedate him to check the back.
I've looked myself so I don't know why she couldn't, except I don't know what I'm looking for!
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I hope all goes well 💕
 
Piggies&buns said:
Where are you located? Are any of member recommended cavy savvy vets on this list near you? Recommended Guinea Pig Vets
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I'm in Bristol.
Yes there are 2 not too far. I shall look into it.
I've just had to call the vet and question the dose of the metacam, he'd been prescribed 0.14ml which I thought was too low, they've just upped it to 0.42ml.
 
I go to Highcroft in Whitchurch for all things piggy, very expensive but they are the only ones I trust after a disasterous series of experiences with vets last year. Hope there's nothing too seriously wrong with your Peanut, the little brown one in my photo is Peanut too.
 
Best of luck and healing wheeks for your piggy, but a piggy savvy vet should be able to check the back teeth quite easily while they are awake, as part of a routine £30 health check- of all the vets we've seen at our practice over 2 years with 8 piggies (must be 8 or 9 different vets and locums and trainee vets) only one has ever said they were unable to check the back teeth properly... all the rest have done it as standard even when we've taken in a piggy with an unrelated problem...
 
PigglePuggle said:
Best of luck and healing wheeks for your piggy, but a piggy savvy vet should be able to check the back teeth quite easily while they are awake, as part of a routine £30 health check- of all the vets we've seen at our practice over 2 years with 8 piggies (must be 8 or 9 different vets and locums and trainee vets) only one has ever said they were unable to check the back teeth properly... all the rest have done it as standard even when we've taken in a piggy with an unrelated problem...
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I think I will go elsewhere if there's no improvement and needs further investigating.
That didn't really fill me with confidence!
 
Saw a vet from the recommended list today, Peanut has been prescribed Cisapride as well. Teeth ok.
He's just had diarrhoea, would it have been the Cisapride that caused it? Or more likely the baytril (he's on day 4 of that)?
He had his first dose of Cisapride at 10am and I'm now scared to give the second dose!
 
Can anyone help me?
Peanut had his check up yesterday.
There had been a slight improvement eating wise, Saturday and Sunday evening he was eating pellets, his weight still fluctuating around 700g.
The vet kept him in for the day to sedate him to check his back teeth properly and possibly scan him.
Collected him yesterday evening, she found a couple of spurs and removed them but didn't feel the need to to do the scan even though she wasn't convinced his teeth were the issue. She said he had eaten a few pellets yesterday. Still no hay.
Brought him home and syringe fed him, he's barely touched his favourite veg and the ones he did he ate very very slowly.
His teeth appear to be making a clicking sound, is that normal after a dental?
She said to continue with his meds but I've realised they run out today!
I've had enough now, it feels like we've gone backwards, we've already spent a small fortune and feels like we're still no closer to peanut getting better 😔.
Does anyone have any advice please?
 
Clicking teeth is NOT normal after a dental. It sounds like the dental has upset the balance of the mouth. When dealing with guinea pig teeth, you can't just get rid of a couple of spurs and all will be fine. The whole mouth needs to be addressed to ensure that the teeth work well together.

I know it's a long way, but could you consider getting your guinea pig seen by Simon Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic in Northampton. Simon is one of the best guinea pig vets around and by far the most experienced with anything dental/mouth related. People travel from all over the UK to see Simon, with guinea pigs with anything dental related.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Clicking teeth is NOT normal after a dental. It sounds like the dental has upset the balance of the mouth. When dealing with guinea pig teeth, you can't just get rid of a couple of spurs and all will be fine. The whole mouth needs to be addressed to ensure that the teeth work well together.

I know it's a long way, but could you consider getting your guinea pig seen by Simon Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic in Northampton. Simon is one of the best guinea pig vets around and by far the most experienced with anything dental/mouth related. People travel from all over the UK to see Simon, with guinea pigs with anything dental related.
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Thank you, I've just booked him in on Thursday.
I don't think dental was the issue but it is now!
I feel so hopeless right now
 
We were given cat metacam which I have one more dose of. My sister has dog metacam, can I use this to tide him over till Thursday? Will he be in pain?
 
DaniH said:
0.14 then changed to 0.42ml once a day
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The first is the absolute minimal dosage of painkiller possible and so low as to be basically nominal when it comes to guinea pigs (=0.05 ml in dog metacam). :(

Please always give metacam every 12 hours to guinea pigs because of their fast metabolism.
The higher dosage translates to 0.15 ml of dog metacam, which you can safely give twice daily. Even so it is still on the lower side!
 
Wiebke said:
The first is the absolute minimal dosage of painkiller possible and so low as to be basically nominal when it comes to guinea pigs (=0.05 ml in dog metacam). :(

Please always give metacam every 12 hours to guinea pigs because of their fast metabolism.
The higher dosage translates to 0.15 ml of dog metacam, which you can safely give twice daily. Even so it is still on the lower side!
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Thank you! I will do that
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
I’m not a vet, so can’t tell you what dose of dog metacam to give. However, I can tell you that I give around 0.3 ml of dog metacam, twice daily, to our guinea pigs needing pain relief, due to dental pain.
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Thank you, Peanut is only weighing 700g at the moment.
I wouldn't want to over medicate him but it sounds like he's not had enough for the last week!
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
No, the amount he’s had would’ve given very little, if any, pain relief! I hope he’s soon feeling better x
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Me too!
Thank you all so much for your help, I really do appreciate it.
It saddens me that a lot of vets don't know how to properly treat piggies 😔
 
DaniH said:
Me too!
Thank you all so much for your help, I really do appreciate it.
It saddens me that a lot of vets don't know how to properly treat piggies 😔
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It’s heartbreaking! We have piggies surrendered to us, here at TEAS, not because owners don’t care, but because they can’t access the treatment their guinea pig needs, closer to home! It’s so wrong and these gorgeous little creatures deserve so much better!
 
Thank you all for advising us to go to Northampton. Oh my god its been worth the 230 mile round trip!
Peanut saw Kim, turns out he's arthritic and his teeth a bit odd. Not sure if natural or caused by Mondays vet so we will be having a check up in a few weeks.

After a teeth tidy peanut was eating 🥳
Hopefully this will continue and we can keep him comfortable with (properly dosed!) painkillers!
 
DaniH said:
Thank you all for advising us to go to Northampton. Oh my god its been worth the 230 mile round trip!
Peanut saw Kim, turns out he's arthritic and his teeth a bit odd. Not sure if natural or caused by Mondays vet so we will be having a check up in a few weeks.

After a teeth tidy peanut was eating 🥳
Hopefully this will continue and we can keep him comfortable with (properly dosed!) painkillers!
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I knew it would be worth the trip! Simon and Kim are amazing! So glad Peanut is already eating better. You must be so relieved!
 
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