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Please help, please help, please help !

  • Thread starter Thread starter REECE
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REECE

On Sunday I took my 8 guinea pigs out in the garden for some fresh air and a run around. Obviously they all had a nice feeding on the grass.

On Monday one of the guinea pigs was showing signs of being ill. Normally runs away when we put our hands in the cage but she just stood there. Her head seemed kind of swollen.

I took her to the vet. In SA people don't know much about guinea pigs so vets tend not to be to experienced with them. She got a anti-biotic injection and I went home. A little while later she had very severe diarrhoea. It was very very watery and black and smelt really bad.

I took her straight back to the vet and he gave me a paste type thing to feed her to a let her get some food as she is not eating or drinking. This stuff has a pro biotic in it. This helped with faeces hardening a little but it still is very dark in colour almost back and now it almost looks like tar, like a sticky substance. Got some stuck on my fingers and it felt very sticky and strange.

She is still very lethargic, not eating on her own or drinking, not making normal faeces. I have to go tomorrow for another injection but I am worried that it is not really helping her.

Does anyone have any ideas what can be wrong with her. If anyone knows can you give me some advice on helping her get better maybe even some info on what the vet should be doing to get her better.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hey I don't know much about this but didn't want to read and run.

Someone on here will probably be along soon and no doubt they will have some questions for you. Stay close to answer them and get quicker replies.

Hope she perks up soon.

One thing - is she eating anything else? Like veggies, hay pellets?
 
It does sound as if she's eaten something that's poisonous or at least badly upset her. Could anything have bitten her?

I would try and get water and that probiotic into her as it will help. It's in the water right? Can you syringe some of it into her mouth gently? Someone more experienced than I will be along soon I'm sure. I do hope she will be ok. Keep us updated. Fingers crossed.
 
The others are all fine and full of beans.
She will not eat anything at all and when I hand feed her with the syringe she fights it. Also when I give her water with the syringe she fights it.
Last night I got her to nible on some cucumber but after about 2 nibbles she turned away from it and refused anymore.
In her little hide home she faces the 'wall' of it.
I have put her in the cage with the others tonight to try see if it livens her up at all but nothing so will put her back on her own again.
I have googled and gooled but cant find anything, she doesn't sneeze or have runny nose or eyes.
 
I thought she may have been bitten aswell.
It seems to me that maybe her mouth is sore and thats why she fights me syringing anything in.I got the vet to look at it today and he said all is fine, but like I said they are not very experienced with piggies here.
The pro-biotic is in this paste stuff he gave me that also acts like food
she does look kind of swollen or maybe bloated.
 
She could have been stung in the mouth, bitten or had a reaction/poisoned I guess. Do your best to get some of the pro-biotic into her and encourage her with water. I don't know what else you can do.

The diarrhoea could have been a reaction to the anti-biotic injection as this can upset their tummies but it's important she doesn't dehydrate if the diarrhoea is still present.

Keep an eye on her and watch that the others don't annoy her I guess. There are experts around on here that will have some ideas I'm sure x
 
I just hope if it is some sort of sting or bite in her mouth that it will heal. Just worried it something serious. Would hate to think there is something I could be doing to make her better but because we dont know much here she is suffering.

I lost one of my 1st guinea pigs to a respiritory infection, I was totally unaware that you had to hand feed them when they are sick like that so she had her injection went home and died. If the vet had told me to hand feed her she would probably have survived.
 
I just hope if it is some sort of sting or bite in her mouth that it will heal. Just worried it something serious. Would hate to think there is something I could be doing to make her better but because we dont know much here she is suffering.

I lost one of my 1st guinea pigs to a respiritory infection, I was totally unaware that you had to hand feed them when they are sick like that so she had her injection went home and died. If the vet had told me to hand feed her she would probably have survived.
 
If she has the runs stop with the cucumber - she needs to firm her poo up. No other veggies until she's firmed up either even if she wants them stick to syringing, then hay and pellets if she takes them

Keep syringing her - I think someone told me 60ml a day is an excellent amount when I was syringing one of mine.

I hope she picks up soon.
 
Unfortunately the 'facing the wall / corner' is often a sign of a sick piggy.

Their guts are such that they need to keep them moving as they are grazers. If she's not eating anything voluntarily then you'll have to syringe feed her to keep her guts moving, you can mush up pellets with water and syringe that or your vet should be able to give you something. A probiotic might also help.

Whilst greens are usually not given if the pigs has had runs, if she'll voluntarily eat a little grass or something then it's worth letting her just to get something inside her.

I hope she's ok. It's such a worry when they are ill. Also don't blame yourself, it may be nothing to do with them being out on the grass, sometimes pigs just get ill like this for no apparent reason

Sophie
x
 
The runs have stoped now, although now that I think about it I dont see any pellet faeces. The runs stoped once I started feeding her this paste stuff. I tried to give her cucumber only because I though being full of a lot of water it may help in that way. She wont eat the hay or the pellets.

I guess I must just keep syringing her food and water but still trying to encourage her to eat some hay or pellets and just hope for the best.

Thanks for all the help, I will keep you updated
 
Best wishes!

Is her belly hard or soft to the touch?
 
Didn't really pay much attention to her belly when picked her up but didn't notice any difference in how it felt
 
How is she?
You need to ensure that she is passing poos, hard or soft. Not passing poos is a bad sign..you need to keep her gut moving. Is she eating? If not, you must mush up pellets and water and syringe them in. It's good that she's fighting you, but you need to win that fight and make sure she's adequately hydrated. You could also try some fruit or veg-based baby food (first stage, for smaller toddlers, smooth with no lumps) as it's easy to syringe in and they'll often enjoy the sugary, fruity taste. D
Good luck :)
 
Poisoning or a gut infection would be the two most likely conditions. It sounds as though she may be improving. You must keep her hydrated, preferably with a rehydration solution. No doubt your local pharmacy will have something suitable.
 
What type of antibiotic did the Vet give her? Certain types are dangerous to guinea pigs, like penicillian. Baytril is safe. How is she doing now? Poor little thing.
 
Morning all,
just wrote a whole long write up and my internet disconnected so lost it all, her goes again.

Well this morning she has done like a 180, she is looking and behaving 100 times better then last night. She is actually sitting here right now eating all the hay and pellets I left

I am not sure what anti-biotics the vet is giving her but in SA there is not much choice its sort of that or nothing.Pet shops and vets aren't really geared towards guinea pigs.

She has however gone from diahorea to no poops so today that is what I am going to be keeping my eye on. Never though I could give baby food to a piggie so that is helpful to know, maybe a little bit might stimulate her tummy a bit but not to much.

I am a very happy mommy today, I actually cant believe how much better she is today.I have also learnt that I can pull mu piggies through an illness so at least if this ever happens again I will have more confidence in myself.

Thank you everyone for all the help, it helps to know that you can go somewhere and ask for advice. I have learnt allot from this thread.
 
I am sorry your piggie has been so poorly, I hope she's well on the mend throughout today. After a day of regular syringe-feeding she should start producing poops again.

If may be worth seeing if you can try to find out from the vet what antibiotic was given, just so you know what medicine was put into her.

You are doing great given your limited resources and the vets limited knowledge/skills with guinea pigs, I hope your perseverence is rewarded by the complete recovery of your guinea!
 
She has to go for another injection today so I will ask him. Also maybe I can also make suggestions to him by what I learn.
 
I just popped in to check if there was any update. I'm so pleased.

I have found the site invaluable as there are some wonderful people here who are very knowledge, helpful and supportive. :-)
 
REECE said:
She has to go for another injection today so I will ask him. Also maybe I can also make suggestions to him by what I learn.
Click to expand...

Good idea. If he is willing to learn more about guinea pig healthcare, it may be worth asking him to contact Vedra Stanley-Spatcher of the Cambridge Cavy Trust (CCT) guinea pig hospital, here in the UK. She specialises in guinea pig healthcare and runs a number of courses designed for the public and for vets to improve their knowledge and skills. She does help those overseas so I'm sure she'd be happy to help your vet learn more. There's information about the CCT and the courses she runs on the website:

www.britishassociationofrodentologists.co.uk
 
hmm that sounds great, I think I should even look into it. If you can give immediate treatments you have more chance of them surving, then you can take them to the vet for the anti biotics
 
GREAT NEWS!

How's she doing with the syringing now? Are you getting the paste down her still.
 
only giving her a little, vet told me how much to give.... seems like very small amount. I would say about half of it actually goes in. The stuff actually says for dogs and cats and you select how much to use and then squeeze it and it only puts that amount in.Thing is it kind of shoots it out instead of slowly easing it out so I dont think that is helping.Luckily though she seems to nibbling on the hay a bit. I am worried the paste stuff is going to or given her constipation now so would really like to stop using it unless absolutly neccesary. Maybe try the baby food thing rather if I have to syringe anything in.
 
It wont constipate her it's full of fibre. You can add a bit more water to make it easier if you like and to help with your worries. But it's really important you keep her digestive system going. Good that she's eating hay too.

I hope this is the start of her getting better and better. :)
 
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