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Poorly Buddy

ladymary86

ladymary86

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Jun 27, 2022
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Hi all, I'm after advice again please.

Backstory :
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.

Now :
We've stopped the Tramadol and the Zithromax as the course was done, however Buddy is still not eating. He's taking much more syringe feed now but he's really fighting me at the end. I've just weighed him and I think he's lost 20g since his last weigh in last week. I've tried everything I can think of, chopping his food up which he noses like he's interested but doesn't eat, he still scrambles for his morning cucumber slice but barely takes a nibble. I've got him five different types of hay to try and tempt him, but to no avail. He's bright in himself, perky and running around, but I've had hardly any poos off him, and they're small. We've got a follow up appointment tomorrow morning, I just don't know what could be wrong :(

Any advice on what this could be and how to get him to eat again? I'm going to ask about Emprid tomorrow, in case its gut mobility, but I don't see how it could be when he's taking so much syringe feed?
 
Are you weighing him every morning yourself?
Is his weight stable every day? (I note the 20g loss since last week but that 20g wouldn’t be considered a loss at all and is within normal fluctuation. However that doesn’t seem to tally with lack of and small poops).
How much syringe feed are you getting into him each day?

Did the vet give any indication as to what they thought the pain in the temple relates to?

They can sometimes lose confidence to eat hay after a dental as they think it is going to hurt but
generally speaking - a piggy who can eat, will eat. If they are refusing to do so it is often because there is still something wrong.
 
Hi all. So we’ve been to the vets, and we’ve been told to ramp up his syringe feed, he’s been averaging 40ml a day but we’re going up to at least 60ml. His teeth are beginning to grow again but not enough for another dental. When the vet pressed on his jaw he proper squeaked, so we’re thinking it may be TMJ. We’ve been given more tramadol, and hopefully after managing the pain and resting the jaw with syringe feed, he may start eating again. I don’t dare think about what we will do if he doesn’t :( we had a really good chat about quality of life, but we’ve decided to keep on for a couple weeks to give him the chance to start eating again. If he doesn’t, it could mean permanent syringe feed and regular dentals every month, which I don’t want to do, I don’t think it’s fair on him. He seems bright and perky, and he wants to eat, he just can’t seem to. Any advice on dealing with TMJ and what the prognosis is? I’ve seen about the chin sling but can’t find many reviews?
 
I can’t believe I’m writing this. My beautiful Buddy passed away in my arms this afternoon.

When I got him out for his afternoon feed, his belly was so bloated, so I rushed him to the vets. Another X-ray showed a large bladder stone. After a long chat with my vet, discussing surgery which Bud wouldn’t have been strong enough for, the possibility of another dental in the near future, along with TMJ….it was just too much for him. Bud was in so much pain, we decided to let him cross the rainbow bridge. My heart is broken. So soon after losing his brother Albert.

I trust my vet completely, but I feel like I’ve failed and I’ve let him down. My usual attitude is to get any surgery, try any meds, but Bud just wasn’t strong enough, and even if we successfully climbed one mountain, there would have been so many more to go….i would have been doing it for me, and not for him.

I loved my baby boy, and I told him so.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss! And what a shock too.

You made the right decision for Bud and I'm sure he knew you loved him.

Popcorn free beyond rainbow bridge, Buddy. No more pain!
 
Oh no what a heartbreaking decision to have to make 😢
Popcorn happily over the Rainbow Bridge Buddy, 🌈
 
Very sad, rest easy at the bridge little Buddy 🌈
 
I’m so sorry Buddy has gone over the rainbow bridge. Sending you hugs. Popcorn high with Albert.
 
I'm so sorry for you loss 💜
Your little Bud had a wonderful life with you. You really did everything to help him, and I know its such a heartbreaking decision but you're very wise. Quality of life is important. He had a lifetime full of quality and love with you! Take care of yourself.
 
Very sorry to read the sad and hard news about your piggy..RIP Buddy.
 
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