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Off fresh food and not interested in surroundings!

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paulsin

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Sharkey was not responding to calls for food last night so we took him out for a cuddle and he was very placcid- he never normally is. Hr kept flopping as if really tired and wouldn't eat any veg. We took him straight to the vet an they were the usual leave it for a few days as we don't have a clue. We cuddled him all last night and them noticed that he had a few very stinky poos. Checked on hom this morning and he seems a bit more responsive and I have seen him eating some hay but still worried. He is only 2 yrs old and we havnt change his diet, his brother George is also fine. Any help?
 
Sorry to hear about little Sharkey :(
If he's got smelly poops he might have a problem with his gut?
I'm hoping one of our more experienced people with health issues will help you real soon.
Whee would like to send little Sharkey some healing wheeeeeeeeks xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I'd also be offering more pellets and hay and water :) rather than any veg for a day or so...........
 
Hi Paul, sorry to hear Sharkey is ill. If you don't mind answering a few more questions, it might help some of us suggest possible causes of his condition.

Is he eating normally now? Drinking?
Is he pooping and peeing frequently?
Has you had warm weather where you are?

Ensuring he has a good food and water intake is important; if he is not eating as much as normal it may be worth starting to syringe-feed.
 
If he is floppy he could be dehydrated, I suggest you get some rehydration fluid into him, eg Dioralyte. (It is just possible that he may have developed a heart problem, not withstanding that he still needs fluid)
 
CCC4 said:
Hi Paul, sorry to hear Sharkey is ill. If you don't mind answering a few more questions, it might help some of us suggest possible causes of his condition.

Is he eating normally now? Drinking?
Is he pooping and peeing frequently?
Has you had warm weather where you are?

Ensuring he has a good food and water intake is important; if he is not eating as much as normal it may be worth starting to syringe-feed.
Click to expand...

No hes still not eating normally. He is eating hay, and Ive seen him eat a little bit of dry food, but he has not had any water for awhile. I havnt seen him and he normally drinks alot.

I dont think hes pooping normally, but his bottom really smells. COuld it be constipation-do guinea pigs get this?
 
Has he started to improve yet? If not, are you syringe feeding him?
 
He's not eating fresh stuff again and still not drinking. I don't know what to do. I've looked at his bottom and can't see an impaction but not sure. Should I take him to the vet again or will they bot do a
nything?
 
ok took him to the vet and he had a look at his back teeth. Said they were sharp and there was some uneaten hay there so he is now booked in to get an anaethetic and get them filed down. Does this sound right? I know about the risks with him going to sleep, but i just want to make sure it will make him better.
 
Where are you?
It is not necessary at all for a pig to have a general anaesthetic for either an examination or to have any teeth trimmed.
 
I'm in hull. I know about the risks. Thysaidthey will try a mild sedation first to see how he gets on. he has lost alot of weight so I think that will be enough. I did have time to search as I don't think he couldve gone 1 more day without eating. We force fed him about 4ml of supreme rescue yesterday and he seemed perkier this morning but still not his usual. I've droppe him off at the vet this morning and am just praying that he is strong enough. I shoul find out around 2.
 
Fingers crossed; I find that the wait is always the worst bit!
 
fingers crossed for your little piggy, sending you all my best wishes
 
Hank you. I'm a little worried about feeding him after though. I don't want to temp fate but when I pick him up I assume he will still need to be syringe fed for a day or so. Th eproblem is he really really hates it-any tips? I try wrapping him up in a towel but he is too smart for ** and won't let me wrap his legs in it. I don't want to hurt him but know that he needs to be fed. I manage to feed I'm about 1ml at a time if I'm lucky.
 
It does take practice to get the right amount of "firm but gentle"-ness. I remember syringe-feeding my most feisty, stubborn pig for the very first time - it took 20 minutes to get 1ml into her! After one night of frequent feeds we got up to 5ml in half an hour, so quite a lot of improvement in quite a short space of time. It just takes a while to get the "knack" with reluctant piggies.

Syringe-feeding must be done if he is not eating normally, and he needs hydrating too - if the vet can give him some subcue fluids (injected) it may be a little weight off your mind. You should still try to get water in him via syringe, ideally between mouthfuls of food and a good bit of water at the end of the feed to clean his mouth out a little.

The amount sounds scary and seems high at first (especially when you struggle to just get 1ml into him) but aim for at least 50ml of syringe food a day. Spread it between frequent feedings; aim for around 5-10ml every 2-3 hours if possible.

There is a thread in the Reference Section about wrapping piggies, not sure if you have seen it but just in case not, you might find some of the tips here useful:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36533

One thing I found very useful for any pigs after dental work is a product caled Daktarin Oral Gel. It is for humans with oral fungal infections (oral thrush), and is available from most chemists - don't mention it is for a guinea pig though! 0.5ml of Daktarin syringed into the pig twice a day, for at least 2-3 days after the dental work, should soothe any sore spots and quite often gets pigs eating hard food sooner than they otherwise would.

Best of luck, will keep my fingers crossed for some good news at 2.
 
Update:

I rang at 1:30, they told me 2 but I felt 5 hours was enough :). They checked on him and said he was coming around well and walking about, but best to wait another hour an a half just to make sure in case he went drowsy.
Rang back at 3, said he was ready to be picked up, rushed back from work to collect a very disapproving piggie and spoke to the nurse about feeding. They said he should be eating by tonight as they only filed his teeth and his mouth was fine.
Got him home, gave him a cuddle and a kiss and put him in the case where he proceeded to munch on some hay. Still turned his nose up a fresh food though and made no effort to have a drink or eat his pellets. Bit concerned so I took him out and wrapped him up, managed to give him 2ml of rescue and 1ml of water. Let him have a nap and then sat him on the sofa with some hay of his own as he seemed a bit interested when I gave some to George. He seemed like he was struggling to sleep and yawned a little so I put him back in the cage.

Been out to get some veg from the shop and thought I give the water bottle a good clean in case it smelt to him. Just as i finished cleaning went into the lounge and there he was..........

............ stood on his house munching away at his pellets. Saw him eat at least 4. Then he jumped down and had a good drink on the water - neither of which he has done since Friday morning!

Feel so much better, but concerned that he may have a turn tomorrow as read that happened to one on here. Fingers crossed he carries on his road to recovery- hes got a long way to go to catch up to George now, who was already the fatter one, but now feels like a dumbell when I pick them both up lol.

Thanks all for your help. I'll update with more news. If I don't then I've forgot *** hes all better, but thanks again.
 
I am so pleased to hear he is doing well. I hope he is back to normal and is gaining some weight back very soon.
 
That's just absolutely brilliant news WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO
It's actually not always easy to feed a piggie after toofie trims, as Laura said their mouths can be quite sore :{
Best of luck i hope he's still munching away for you, give him some loves and wheeeeeeeks from us all xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>
 
Well hes not eating again. Gave him some lettuce and a bit of carrot which he nibbled a bit, but then went back in his house. Managed to feed him 7ml of rescue, but going to vets to get some more. Does anyone have experience of this? The vet said there was no damage to his mouth, so should he not be eating again? Could he be suffering from anorexia? He nibbles hay every now and then, but not eating his pellets, spent most of the morning on my lap or in his house though as he seems really tired again.
 
Unfortunately, what you describe is very typical of pigs that have not been eating for sometime and/or have had dental problems. There is no quick fix to the problem. You need patience and perseverance. I have found that it sometimes takes days, weeks or even a few months for everything to get back to normal. There are, as you have noted, good days and bad days.
Syringe-feeding is essential, don't forget fluid as well as food. Put him on a course of Metatone, 0.5ml for 5 days, initially. Vitamin C supplement may help as an appetite stimulant. Continue to offer him normal food as well as the syringe feeding. If he is not with another pig it can help to be with a companion to provide an element of competition at feeding time.
 
Thanks. Took him to the vets and they said to keep going with the Supreme rescue and gave him a shot of metoclopromide syrup 1ml to stimulate hit gut and hope to stimulate his appetite. Got him weighed and he was 1.18kg, which I was impressed with as he hasn't really eaten since Friday. Vet said he isnt worried about his weight, and just to keep giving him the rescue and a 1ml shot of metoclopromide every 8 hours for next couple of days. Just cross fingers and hope he starts eating again
 
Update:

He seems to be eating a little more fresh stuff, but still not visibly eating any pellets. We've been weighing him and he seems to have put on a little bit so seems like hes getting enough. Giving him about 10-20 ml of rescue just in case. The thing is, he has started to poo a little more regularly, but they are smaller than usual. We have checked for an impaction and found nothing, but just worried *** he also keeps following his brother alot trying to eat his 'poo'. I know they normally do this but he seems to be doing it alot. Just concerned about his poo now. Does anyone know what might be causing his 'small' poos?
 
Could it be less food causing small poo?

Also maybe he's following and eating his brothers poo more than usual as it has good bacteria or goodness in it that he's lacking as he's unwell?

I know you can crush up health guinea poos and give them to poorly guineas t help get them better could he be doing this for himself?
 
Lisajazz said:
Could it be less food causing small poo?

Also maybe he's following and eating his brothers poo more than usual as it has good bacteria or goodness in it that he's lacking as he's unwell?

I know you can crush up health guinea poos and give them to poorly guineas t help get them better could he be doing this for himself?
Click to expand...

Well we've been giving him the supreme rescue and have just today bought some pro-c pro-biotic for his water to help his gut. Just wondered wether small poos were a sign of an imapction or something similar, or if its jsut down to his lower food intake.

Just a note. We weighed him last night and he was 1211g and tonight is 1249g. Is a gain of 38g in 24hrs normal?
 
A weight gain of one ounce or 30 gm per week is a good recovery rate for a sick pig. However, if the pig is really underweight and wants to eat but has been prevented from doing so because of dental problems then it is not unknown for a gain of 30gm, or more, per day. I would expect his daily weight gain to decrease in the next few days.
Small pellets can be a sign that he needs more fluid.
 
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How long can it take for thento start eating normally again after having teeth done. Just weighed him again and he is about the same weight. He was really fighting with his brother to get **** out of his bum last night. Is there anything I can give him?
 
It can take anything from miutes, hours, days or even longer before they start eating normally. A lot depends on the initial problem and more importantly, how the problem was treated. It is so easy to make the problem worse, unless you know what you are doing.
 
I think (touch wood) he is ok now. He has gradually got his appetite back since the weekend. Still not seeing him visibly eating his pellets but not bothered as been giving him fresh veg and lots of grass & dandelion leaves. I stopped giving him the rescue feed just incase that was 'filling him up'.
Last gave him recovery feed on Monday night and he weighed 1216g. He weighs 1233g today, so almost 48hrs without a force feed and gained a little weight. Also the water is being drunk from the water bottle and it must be him *** George doesn't bother with it.
As a side part of this we found that George is quite a bit over weight. (1577g as of today). Going to wait til Sharkey is fully fit and then start him on a diet (just to make sure we don't affect him).

On this note has anyone got any tips for dieting. Its not their pellets becuase only 5g have been eaten since last night so anyone got any low fat fruit or veg I can fill him up on. Is grass and dandelion leaves ok for him? We normally feed them cucumber, brocolli, romaine lettuce, the odd cherry tom, the odd pink lady apple(they wont eat anything else lol), carrot every so often, fine beans. The always have hay from the local farm, and always have food in their bowl. George has always been the fatter one, but would prefer it if we could get him to lose 200g or so. Anyone know of any guinea pig personal trainers? His dream is to star as a stunt double in g-force 2, but I've told him to walk before he can run lol.
 
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