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Specialist Poorly / Depressed Piggy

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waughy123

Junior Guinea Pig
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As many of you may know I have recently bought a new piggy to keep Percy company. They are getting along fine but Percy has stopped eating and has lost a lot of weight and looks very depressed all the time. He is also grinding his teeth so it could have something to do with that maybe? Anyone ever experienced something like this before?
 
how long has he been like this for? have you been to the vets yet? sounds like he needs to be seen asap if he's not eating properly and losing weight. tooth grinding is a sign of pain. if you need to find a good vet, the vet locator at the top may help.
 
Please start hand feeding and syringe him water asap; our step-by-step guide contains tips on what you can do with what you have got at home and also how much. It is vital that you do this.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-syringe-feeding-guide.115359/

Teeth grinding is usually a sign for pain and/or dental problems; both can cause loss of appetite. Please have him seen by a good vet tomorrow and make sure that the vet is checking on the back teeth, especially the pre-molars which can grow painful spurs. he can very gently clear the gunk in the mouth with some cotton buds if necessary.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-vet-locator/
 
biscandmatt said:
how long has he been like this for? have you been to the vets yet? sounds like he needs to be seen asap if he's not eating properly and losing weight. tooth grinding is a sign of pain. if you need to find a good vet, the vet locator at the top may help.
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He only started being like this after his friend was bought
 
Oh good; at least that is not so long; however, the sooner you start topping him up, the better - your care can make a real difference in keeping him going through this crisis.

The stress of a new companion can bring an underlying issue to the fore, but I very much doubt that there is a connection.
 
waughy123 said:
He only started being like this after his friend was bought
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could the new addition have caused stress perhaps? although you say they get on well so this sounds unlikely. the new piggy could have brought an illness with them which could have affected him aswell although most of the time, the quarantine period will be enough to stop this from happening.

is he eating at all? and is he pooping? it's important to make sure something is coming through if you will be syringe feeding. if he gets any worse before tomorrow then take him in sooner. their digestive systems need to be constantly moving and if he has already done 5 days of reduced eating then this is worrying :(

keep a very close eye on him tonight and if you feel he is getting worse, don't hesitate to take him in sooner. the sooner any condition is treated the better. good luck.
 
biscandmatt said:
could the new addition have caused stress perhaps? although you say they get on well so this sounds unlikely. the new piggy could have brought an illness with them which could have affected him aswell although most of the time, the quarantine period will be enough to stop this from happening.

is he eating at all? and is he pooping? it's important to make sure something is coming through if you will be syringe feeding. if he gets any worse before tomorrow then take him in sooner. their digestive systems need to be constantly moving and if he has already done 5 days of reduced eating then this is worrying :(

keep a very close eye on him tonight and if you feel he is getting worse, don't hesitate to take him in sooner. the sooner any condition is treated the better. good luck.
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He is not eating at all but is still pooping. He's going to the vets at 14:40
 
Have you started syringe feeding? The poos will stop soon if no food is coming in and the guts will stop working. No vet care can help you with this, but you could ask your vet whether he would give you some gut stimulant like metoclopramide or emeprid to help with appetite to help with him accepting food - but it will not make him eat normally, so you REALLY need to top him up with syringe feed, little but often.

Fingers very firmly crossed
 
waughy123 said:
He is not eating at all but is still pooping. He's going to the vets at 14:40
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best of luck at the vets. i hope they can help you get him back on track. even 12hrs of complete non-eating can be serious, hence the syringe feeding being so important. i hope you managed to get at least some syringe feed into him. x
 
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