Piggies not eating

[ladymary86]

Hi all.

So soon after we lost my beloved Albert (the tests on the mass showed cancer), two of my piggies are now causing me a lot of concern.

Buddy
He stopped eating (he’s usually costs me a fortune in hay, he eats so well!) so off to the vets we went, his front bottom teeth were angled so he had a full dental on Monday. Sent home with recovery food and gabentin. He’s not keen on the syringe feed, and I noticed white discharge from his nose and eyes, so took him back to the vets yesterday. Vet was happy with his teeth and the mobility of his jaw, but Buddy squeaked in pain when pressed on his temples. So we’ve changed the painkiller to Tramadol and added Zithromax antibiotic in case there’s a URI in play. He seems a bit brighter and is nosing his fresh food, but he can’t seem to pick it up, so I’ve been chopping everything up small and poking it in, as well as syringing. He’s just not interested in eating by himself or eating his hay. I’ve got him three different types to try and tempt him. Any advice on how to get him to eat?

Caleb
He went for surgery yesterday to remove a large lump on his bum, turned out to be an ingrown hair follicle that had developed into a large mass (I found it on the day I adopted him). The surgery went well and the wound is very neat, he’s on Arthromax painkillers, but he too is not that interested in eating? He’s nibbled some lettuce and a little cucumber but he too seems really out of it and not feeling great? Should I step in syringe feeding him too?

The hot weather doesn’t help but they’ve got their air con running so it’s about 22degrees in their room.

Any advice welcome, I feel like I’m failing and I’m having such a tough time with it so soon after losing Albert.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear all this is happening. You are not failing, you are doing a good job in difficult circumstances.

Buddy - all you can do is give him a bit of time for any discomfort from the surgery to settle, particularly if that is coupled with him feeling unwell from a potential URI. Offering strands of hay after a syringe feed can help pique their interest and encourage them to try eating again for themselves.
Zithromax is a strong antibiotic and while many tolerate it very well, for some it can really knock their appetite.

Caleb - yes definitely do step in with syringe feeding him.

For both, daily weight checks and enough syringe feed to ensure their weights stay stable each day.
And otherwise, as you would, stay in touch with your vet next week if you aren’t seeing improvement (an out of hours emergency vet if you are worried over the weekend).