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Please help. Pig suddenly out of character!

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LittleEskimo

LittleEskimo

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hey well I noticed that over the past couple of days neither of my guinea pigs have been wanting to eat their nugget food very much but ive heard of pigs being very picky or bored of certain food so I thought that could have been it. I give them hay and a few pieces of veg anyway aswell as nugget so they do get food. But I noticed, unlike usual where they eat everything untill theres nothing left, they have been taking a few bites and not been very interested in the veg aswell...That did worry me as its very out of character for them.

So I had a look over McMac and he seemed bright eyed and quick on his toes and quite normal. I had a look at Momo and noticed his rear end had a huge chunk of poop and his bum fur was in a state. I gave him a bath and a wipe and I had to gently squeeze out poop for him as it seemed he was having some trouble with it himself. it wasnt very well formed, it was very wet and squidgy. I noticed there was a chunk of fur stuck in there and there was some creamy/white liquid mixed in and a bit of what looked like snot. So I got that out and cleaned him up and gave his bum hair a trim to stop any more getting caught.

I notcied he was very quiet and odly calm looking while I was cleaning him and drying him off which is very much unlike him as hes always wanting to go off and explore and is normally very bright eyed and bushy tailed and hates to be touched (as hes a long haired). But he was so calm I could lay him on his back and he stayed there...i also noticed it was very hard to find his heart beat as he was in my hands and his breathing was very slow and gentle. I had him stay with me through the night to keep an eye on him before going to bed. He seemed to just want to sit there and not move.

I checked on him today and I notcied he had a little more constipation or whatever it might be so I helped him to clean that up but noticed it smelled horrible this time. I had him layed back so I could get to his bum area esier and his leg started to twitch quite badly. I let him get up and it stopped. I saw that he had yellow dribble caught in his fur around his mouth that wasnt there yesterday. I let him sit in my lap and he was very quiet and still and he seemed to be chewing and moving his mouth but everytime I tried to look he stopped. His head gave a few twitches and his eyes are'nt as full and open as what they would usually be. I have him with me right now and hes hardly moved at all. He has given himself a clean but other then that hes just sat there. My mum thought it could be that he has an upset belly as my brother has been feeding the pigs all kinds of veg like tomatoes and old cucumber and lettuce. Ive told him not to as it upsets thier bellies and its not good for them but he still gives it to them when I'm not around. Could it just be an upset belly? or could it be more? Please help! Sorry for such a long question but there are so many odd differences that ive noticed. Usually Momo is very active and bright eyed but his eyes seem low and he doesnt want to move anywhere...
 
HI

Sorry to hear that Momo isnt well, he does sound quite poorly indeed and I would recommend taking him to a vet. A sick piggie can go downhill very fast, by which time its usually too late.

The poop bit does sound a bit like impaction, but the dribbling and fitting/twitching isnt so he really needs to go to a vet.

Good luck, let us know how you get on x
 
Thankyou, I am hoping that with lots of advice I can help convince mum to take him to the vet as she can be hard to convince since vets are time and money :/ but she does like the pigs and likes to give them a stroke and talk to them now and again so its not like she hates them.
 
Hi

Sorry to hear about your piggy.

I agree that you should really take him to the vet to get checked out. It could be an upset tummy as you shouldnt feed pigs tomatoes, but dont think that would cause the other symptoms you have mentioned.

I wish him well, and hope he gets better soon

Good luck
x
 
Your guinea pig is ill and needs immediate veterinary attention - possibly some antibioitics for an infection judging from the symptoms, some zantac to regulate his gut movement and you will probably need some critical care or recovery liquid feed to syringe him to keep his weight up and guts moving whilst he is off his food. Vet will also need to check for signs of dehydration.

As prey animals they do not show signs of illness until it is almost too late to treat the so please please persuade your parents BOTH your pggies need to be seen by a vet TODAY (an infection can spread so your other piggie may also need treatment)

HTH
x
 
The idea of the emergency vet is that you can go there in an emergency - but as someone who works the out of hours shifts... please call them first, they'll advise you come in, but they need to know you're on your way

Hope everything is ok
 
Mum has agreed to take him in tomorrow morning :/ she said him feeling a bit under the weather isn't an emergency etc etc and to just keep an eye on him for the night
 
LittleEskimo said:
Mum has agreed to take him in tomorrow morning :/ she said him feeling a bit under the weather isn't an emergency etc etc and to just keep an eye on him for the night
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I lost my piggy Poppy this year, she showed similar symptoms to yours, a runny tummy, listlessness etc, & despite me taking her immediately to get treatment, I still lost her within 12 hours. Please persuade your mum that it is very serious if a piggy doesn't eat, & has diarrhea, it is a medical emergency :(

Tomorrow morning might be too late.
 
Shes just laying down in the guilt on my lap. She doesnt want to move. I tried offering her a carrot to try and get her to eat something but she gave it a few chews, tried to take a bite but seemed to weak to...she tried her best but couldnt eat it. Her teeth are not long as far as I can tell, ive never had problems with her teeth so I dont know why she wont eat...her breathing is so gentle you can hardly tell if she is or not. And she keeps giving the odd twitch and movement but I dont know if thats her getting comfy or what...
 
LittleEskimo said:
Shes just laying down in the guilt on my lap. She doesnt want to move. I tried offering her a carrot to try and get her to eat something but she gave it a few chews, tried to take a bite but seemed to weak to...she tried her best but couldnt eat it. Her teeth are not long as far as I can tell, ive never had problems with her teeth so I dont know why she wont eat...her breathing is so gentle you can hardly tell if she is or not. And she keeps giving the odd twitch and movement but I dont know if thats her getting comfy or what...
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Feel her ears, if they feel cold, her body could be closing down, please get her to the vet's, tonight :(
 
The skin behind his ears is quite hot...his ear tips seem cold and his inner ear area seems luke warm average...which is strange because he has been snuggling in my warm duvet for a while...
 
I just dont know how to convince my mum that its urgent...The only thing my mum would consider urgent was if Momo had lost a leg or something...She doesnt understand that guinea pigs are delicate and difficult to keep alive while they are "under the weather" as she said...she always does this, always had. She likes the pigs and everything but nothing is ever urgent to her when it concerns them when they are ill because it costs money when it could be nothing...shes always done it with all my animals...
 
I have to agree, little Momo really does sound very poorly and in urgent need of a Vet.

How much has he had to eat/drink today? I'm worried that he might not be getting enough food/water to keep his body working properly through the night, regardless of anything else which might be wrong.

Maybe if your Mum speaks to the emergency Vet on the phone, and explains the situation, she might get a better understanding about how important it is to get Momo seen? Perhaps hearing the advice of the Vet might be more convincing? Maybe worth a try.
 
Well I dont think ive seenhim drink anything or eat anything from when he was in the cage..Ive had him out on my lap since mid afternoon when I got home to keep an eye on him and keep him warm and he tried to take a few bites of the carrot I offered him but he just seemed to weak to. I held it up to his mouth, he took a few nibbles but didnt bite anything off, tried to bite off the end but his bites seemed to weak to actually get anything off...

And I think I will get her to ring up the vets. If she can hear it for herself maybe she will understand and I want to know what the vet thinks could be wrong
 
You could also try showing your mum all of these posts - perhaps if she sees that it isn't just you worrying and that lots of other pig owners are all saying he needs to go to the vets tonight it might help to change her mind?
He really does sound like he needs to go to the vets asap.
Good luck, I hope you manage to persuade your mum.
 
Success! I rang up the vet and she advised he be seen tonight rather then tomorrow. I told my mum and she gave in. It will be more expensive as its out of hours but ill pay my mum back. Ill let you know how it goes! wish Momo luck
 
LittleEskimo said:
Success! I rang up the vet and she advised he be seen tonight rather then tomorrow. I told my mum and she gave in. It will be more expensive as its out of hours but ill pay my mum back. Ill let you know how it goes! wish Momo luck
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Great! Good luck and keep us posted.
 
Honestly, if a guinea pig stops eating it's a very serious thing. Their gut needs to be constantly moving, which is why they usually graze - eating little and often all through the day/night. When pigs can't eat for themselves they need to be syringe-fed.

I'm sure your Mum wouldn't want your piggy to suffer so please let her know that pain is often the cause of a piggy not eating. Guinea pigs are known for hiding their illnesses well (because they're prey animals and in the wild they don't want to be seen as vulnerable and easy pickings)....so if you're noticing a big change in appetite and behaviour then it's likely that your guinea pig has been a lot more than just 'under the weather' for some time now. I can't stress enough how quickly a guinea pig can go downhill :(

EDIT: I took so long to send this post I'm so late and have just seen that you are taking piggy to the Vet atfer all. GREAT NEWS!
 
I really hope that the Vet can help piggy. Make sure the Vet knows how little food/water they've had as the Vet may want to treat for dehydration as well as whatever else.

Fingers crossed. Thank you for trying so hard x
 
Please get mum to reconsider if you can

Please show your mum the replies you have had, your piggy is definately not a little bit under the weather - she MUST also take charge of your brother feeding the pigs things he shouldnt when she or you are not around - guineas really do go down hill fast and a few hours can make all the difference - if mum absolutely refuses to take piggy tonight get piggy to vets for 8-30 or 9am as soon as they are open - tell them how bad he is and I am sure they will see your piggy right away without an appointment, but please show mum these posts as I personally really do feel that piggy needs to go NOW

Good Luck

x
 
TAN said:
.....she MUST also take charge of your brother feeding the pigs things he shouldnt when she or you are not around
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LittleEskimo, I know you have lots to deal with tonight. When you can, I would suggest printing out a food list which states which foods are safe for piggies and which are unsafe. Keep it somewhere handy, maybe on the fridge door or on your piggies' cage and hopefully people will check before selecting food to feed.

One of the foods you mentioned was lettuce. Just wanted to mention in case you don't know, most types of lettuce are ok for piggies but it's not a good idea to feed iceberg lettuce as too much can cause diarrhoea, which can be extremely dangerous for piggies.

Wishing you, Momo and McMac all the very best x
 
Guinea pig Insurance - Fees assistance

I dont know how old you are and what your family situation is - if you are on certain benefits then some rspca places sometimes offer help towards vets fees - I think you need to search the web for veterinary fees assistance or something - Guinea Pig insurance costs £6.50 per month per piggy from exotic direct who are part of pet plan - do you have a saturday job or could you do chores to earn this money - you could put the money in a basic cash card account and they would take it out automatically every month - then you are covered for your piggies being ill - with the exception on all insurance policies that you have to pay the 1st £50 (you could tell your mum you will save all your 20ps in a pot so you will have the £50 excess if needed).
Please show this to your mum as it might be of future help.
Have sen your post that piggies are going to the vets so sending healing vibes and hope piggy will be o.k.

xx
 
Just seen this reply great news and good luck to you and your Guinea Pig!

Everything crossed for your little pig! x
 
Just got back from the vets. The vet was very nice and helpful and seemed very competent.

She decided to keep him in for the night and to wiegh him, give him an injection to get his gut moving, antibiotics, blood tests, the works really. The night-shift nurses will start to feed him through a syringe through the night to get fibre and liquid into him.

She said that his back teeth looked a little sharp and that hopefully it would be the cause of him not eating but was well aware that there could possibly be a more sinister reason. She said that lack of eating and what I believed to be diarrhoea told her something bad could be wrong. She said to check up in the morning.

She also said to prepare for the worst...

Thanks everyone for your love and advice for Momo. I know it means a lot to him and it does to me. Hope for the best <3
 
Try not to worry too much tonight - fingers crossed for some good news in the morning.
 
Thank you for the update.

Getting him to the Vet was the best thing you could've done. I understand it'll be an awful wait but you've given him the best chance and just need to keep hopeful. He is clearly very poorly but you just never know. From what you've said, the Vet does sound very competent and has covered all the things I'd expect them to, so I'm sure he'll be in the best hands.

I'm keeping everything crossed and thinking about you both (and McMac too) x
 
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