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Piggy not eating - vet not much help

P

PogPeople

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi all,

We have a 2 year old male piggy who started getting picky about eating a couple of weeks ago and in the last two days has not eaten at all. He was very limp and lethargic this morning!

If we cuddle him and offer him some cucumber, he seems to desperately want to eat it, but wont open his mouth.

Took him to the local vet today and they gave him a really good check up (including teeth) and said that was not anything obvious wrong, although they admitted that they were no experts in small animals. Vet has given us anti-inflammatories and antacid medicine and recommended Oxbow critical care food (by syringe).

Poor piggy was injected with a LOT of glucose/water and has perked up a lot, but still wont eat. Have given the medicine and some orange juice by syringe and will moulee up some veg later to feed by syringe until Oxbow arrives (good ol' Amazon, none of the local pet shops stock it!).

Is there anything else we can do? Are there any decent vets out there in the Berks/Bucks area that have good experience with cavies?

Many thanks,

P.
 
It's a bit further than east Berkshire but there's an excellent vet in Marlborough which isn't far from the Berkshire border - Drove Vets. It's straight down the A4
They have been wonderful with mine.
I've checked the vet locator for you and there is a recommended vet in Tilehurst as well which is probably closer than Marlborough - It's Jenny Tower at the Tilehurst Veterinary Centre
Doesn't your vet have any critical care in stock to prescribe?
You can feed pellets mushed up in warm water until the critical care arrives - it's very important to get food into your boy.
If it's a suspected dental issue the best vet in the country is in Northampton at the Cat & Rabbit Clinic, Simon and his wife Kim.
A lot of forum members go to them.


Hope you can get things sorted - it's very worrying when a piggy is sick.
Keep us posted.

Welcome to the forum
 
Thank you so much. I hadn't though about mushing up the normal pellets!

Malborough sounds possible as we were planning a west country trip this weekend.

Based on a lot of Googling I'd assumed it might be a molar problem (there is some drooling), but the local vet said that she didn't think there were any tooth issues (although she seemed focussed on canines and not molars!).
 
I would definitely go to a more piggy versed vet! My former pig Wiley had similar symptoms and it turned out to be intestinal blockage! Hope your piggy gets well soon!
 
PogPeople said:
Hi all,

We have a 2 year old male piggy who started getting picky about eating a couple of weeks ago and in the last two days has not eaten at all. He was very limp and lethargic this morning!

If we cuddle him and offer him some cucumber, he seems to desperately want to eat it, but wont open his mouth.

Took him to the local vet today and they gave him a really good check up (including teeth) and said that was not anything obvious wrong, although they admitted that they were no experts in small animals. Vet has given us anti-inflammatories and antacid medicine and recommended Oxbow critical care food (by syringe).

Poor piggy was injected with a LOT of glucose/water and has perked up a lot, but still wont eat. Have given the medicine and some orange juice by syringe and will moulee up some veg later to feed by syringe until Oxbow arrives (good ol' Amazon, none of the local pet shops stock it!).

Is there anything else we can do? Are there any decent vets out there in the Berks/Bucks area that have good experience with cavies?

Many thanks,

P.
Click to expand...

Hi! Please make use of our recommended vets locator and have your piggy seen as soon as possible as an emergency.
Recommended Guinea Pig Vets

A guinea pig that is refusing to eat is a dying guinea pig; outright refusal generally means that for some reason your piggy is no longer able to process food.
You need to work past the clamped teeth via the gap on the side. There is a picture in our medicating guide that shows you how as well as other tips on how to handle uncooperative piggies.
I agree that it is no fun and it is a battle for every tenth of a syringe of fibrous feed that you get in every two hours round the clock. You are aiming to come as close as 40-60 ml in 24 hours.
Administering Medications And Syringe Feed
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Have the vets checked for GI stasis (no gurgling in the gut), bloat in either stomach (which is not necessarily visible), a potential blockage or a twisted gut? Has your piggy had a scan under minimal sedation to evaluate what may be going on?
Bloat, GI Stasis ( No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

All the best! The sooner you can get help, the more of a chance you have - or at least can relieve your piggy from any suffering.
 
Wiebke said:
Hi! Please make use of our recommended vets locator and have your piggy seen as soon as possible as an emergency.
Recommended Guinea Pig Vets

A guinea pig that is refusing to eat is a dying guinea pig; outright refusal generally means that for some reason your piggy is no longer able to process food.
You need to work past the clamped teeth via the gap on the side. There is a picture in our medicating guide that shows you how as well as other tips on how to handle uncooperative piggies.
I agree that it is no fun and it is a battle for every tenth of a syringe of fibrous feed that you get in every two hours round the clock. You are aiming to come as close as 40-60 ml in 24 hours.
Administering Medications And Syringe Feed
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Have the vets checked for GI stasis (no gurgling in the gut), bloat in either stomach (which is not necessarily visible), a potential blockage or a twisted gut? Has your piggy had a scan under minimal sedation to evaluate what may be going on?
Bloat, GI Stasis ( No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

All the best! The sooner you can get help, the more of a chance you have - or at least can relieve your piggy from any suffering.
Click to expand...
 
Wow, lots of great info.

We're syringe feeding him liquid pellets right now and he seems to be enjoying the experience. Will follow this up in an hour or so with some liquid veg. Oxbow feed arrives tomorrow.

Vet checked for bloating and any lumpiness in the gut and couldn't feel anything.

If he doesn't start eating/pooing properly by tomorrow evening it will be back to the vet, hopefully the meds might help.
 
WhinnyPig said:
I would definitely go to a more piggy versed vet! My former pig Wiley had similar symptoms and it turned out to be intestinal blockage! Hope your piggy gets well soon!
Click to expand...

What did the vet do to sort out the blockage, is there anything we can be doing to help this along? Been syringing plenty of water and occasional OJ!
 
If your piggy is actively taking 5-15 ml in one go, then there is still good hope of a recovery.

Make sure that you have gut stimulants and painkiller and please have him seen tomorrow so you know what you are up against.
 
Poop output is generally 24 hours behind so shows what went in a day ago. This means that poops might not start appearing quickly but as long as you are getting food in that is half the battle
 
Perhaps try The Cat and Rabbit clinic in Northampton? Not sure how far they are from you although they are 100% worth the trip, especially if teeth may be the problem. Simon and Kim are brilliant guinea pig vets! X
 
Sorry to hear this. How much does he weigh? Are you weighing him daily? Two weeks not eating very much is worrying. I’ve been there. Good luck with vets. I wish your piggy a full recovery.
 
It's good that he wants to eat. If the doctor focused on the front teeth and isn't too experienced with guinea pigs, it's still quite possible that issues with the back molars were missed. A lot of general vets just aren't that knowledgeable with guinea pig teeth. A trip as soon as you can to a vet with more experience may be the difference between a good or bad outcome, so it's definitely worth it!
 
Please take your guinea pig to see Simon Maddock, at the Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic, in Northampton. It will definitely be worth the trip. People travel from all over the UK to see him, with their dental piggies. He can also do the dental work, without the need for anaesthetic, which means the guinea pig doesn't have to get over a GA and most are eating for themselves, before they even leave the practice.
 
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