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Poorly guinea pig - I'm really worried!

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Sabrinova

Sabrinova

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First of all, apologies for being away from the forum for so long!

Last Saturday I discovered a lump on Gilbert's back end, so I took him to the vets on Monday. The vet took a sample from the lump for testing and said it looked like a localised abscess as his lymph-nodes are enlarged as well, then he gave him an antibiotic injection. I wasn't too worried as he was perfectly fine in himself and showed no signs of feeling unwell. He's been running around, leading Milo in a piggy train and even going outside onto the balcony.

Until today. Today he has been fluffed up and sitting around looking sorry for himself most of the day. I also haven't seen him eating, apart from nibbling on the silks of a corn on the cob without his usual enthusiasm. I tried feeding him with a syringe but the syringe gives too much of a power shot, so I syringe fed him some water instead. Then as soon as I put him down he started nibbling on the corn silks again, so I decided I had been over-dramatic.

But now I've given them their supper and Gilbert is just sitting in the corner watching Milo eat the veg. He squeaks as normal when I cuddle him and his eyes still look bright when I hold him up to me, but he's also doing some soft poo and is a bit smelly. He's walking strong, but I can't tell if he's eating or drinking anything and he looks so so sorry for himself.

I'm so scared, I don't know what to do. My vet doesn't have an emergency call out number so tomorrow I will try to find another vet who has, as Monday is a bank holiday here so the earliest I could see mine is Tuesday.

Please advise or reassure me, I daren't even go to bed :(
 
Have you been weighing him and if so, has he lost weight? If he is not eating, you really do need to start syringe feeding him Critical Care or Recovery asap. When you say the syringe "gives too much of a power shot" I'm not sure what you mean... can you explain?

If you are not sure how to syringe feed, there are some really good threads on this forum that explain it all - but you do need to be very careful when syringing as you don't want the piggy to end up choking.
 
As I said he's only started worrying me today, so I haven't been monitoring him :( I went to weigh him this evening but my damn scales are out of battery. I pureed some cucumber, apple and orange juice and put it into the syringe but it's really difficult to squeeze and then rather than administering a steady flow it gives a single, powerful, difficult to aim squirt. It wasn't so bad with the water though. I'm in Tenerife, a complete backwater, and nowhere is open on Saturday afternoons and Sundays. I managed to get the syringe this afternoon from the one pharmacy that's open for emergency cover.
 
Have you cut the end off the syringe? It is much easier to control the flow if the end has been cut off. If you don't have any Critical Care or Recovery, mash up some pellets with warm (not hot) water and syringe feed him that instead.

Some useful links for you:

http://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html
 
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It should be a 1 ml syringe you are using like this:
[ame]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Terumo-Syringe-1ml-Box-100/dp/B004U9JEJK/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1317513516&sr=8-6[/ame]

For feeding Critical Care or pellets that have been softened with boiled water then cooled, you need to cut the syringe end off, & then file the plastic to get rid of any rough edges. For water, you use the syringe as it is, with the end intact. If you wrap your piggy in a towel first then you should be able to put him under the crook of your arm & feed him. He also needs probiotics as he is on antibiotics.

Instructions how to feed are on here:
http://www.guineapighelpline.com/SyringeFeedingFactsheet.pdf

Please don't squirt liquid or feed in at once, they could then develop pneumonia if fluid gets in the lungs. Place the syringe into the mouth & point towards the inside of the cheek & syringe slowly, allowing the piggy to swallow in between, & syringe a little water to clean the mouth afterwards.

Hope that helps.
 
I would definitely get him to a Vet as soon as you can. (By the way did they drain the abscess or just leave it?) Has he been on any other meds apart from the AB injection last week?

For now you must make sure he eats/drinks enough. A piggy which is barely eating anything on his/her own will need to be syringe-fed around 120ml food over the course of 24 hours. If he's only been eating veg and not much hay then that might explain the softer poo as he probably needs more fibre.

If you have any piggysafe probiotic then I'd give some of that. If not, get half a poop from a healthy piggy (as fresh as poss) and dissolve it in a small amount of water to give to the poorly piggy. This helps piggy tums by replenishing good bacteria and restoring a healthy gut flora.
 
Poppy'sMum said:
....you need to cut the syringe end off, & then file the plastic to get rid of any rough edges.
Click to expand...

If it's quicker/easier, instead of filing the plastic you can also heat the cut end for a few seconds over a lighted flame (eg gas cooker hob) - just enough to soften the plastic which can then be pushed in slightly to round off any sharp bits of plastic, just enough to stop the black rubber plunger from being able to escape.
 
Thanks for all the great advice. No he didn't drain the abscess, just took the lab sample then gave him the AB jab, and no other meds. If it's a reaction to the AB it's taken its time to get started!

I'm so stupid, I got a 10ml syringe thinking what holds a lot holds a little, though of course I've only been squeezing a tiny tiny bit at a time. I need to find which pharmacy is on emergency tomorrow and get some 1ml ones. Can I feed him a little bit of pellet paste from the 10ml one in the meantime?

I will of course try to find an emergency vet first thing in the morning, but as this is Tenerife that might be easier said than done.

Have you any idea what might be causing it? The antibiotics? The lump? The abscess? I hate seeing my baby poorly :(

I will try and catch some of Milo's poos to dissolve for him tomorrow. How critical do you think his situation is? Like I said he still squeaks when I cuddle him and he was strong at pulling away when I'd finger fed him enough of the veg mush. He was chewing it off my finger when I put my finger in his mouth.
 
It's impossible to say and I'm not an expert but I'd be worried that it's possibly the abscess which has caused this. Some abscesses can be stubborn to shift, even when they're drained. If I understand you correctly and the abscess has been left without being removed or at least lancing/draining it, then I could be wrong but I'd be inclined to think that there may well still be pus there, even though he's had a shot of antibiotics.

Being "fluffed up" is a classic sign of pain/discomfort. If I were you I'd try and keep him eating/drinking as much as possible until you can get him to a Vet. You really must keep his gut moving. Like I said, I'm no expert but I do know how shockingly quickly piggies can go downhill and they can hide their pain well, so keep feeding him and try to keep his strength up for now.

You can try the 10ml syringe - if that's all you have it'll be better than nothing, it's just obviously not as slim for a piggy's little mouth. Just be super careful to squirt only a tiny bit each time (about 0.25ml) and make sure he's swallowed each mouthful before giving more. Maybe see if he'll take some off a spoon.

I really hope you can quickly find out what's wrong with Gilbert and get him better soon x
 
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He's looking brighter this morning! I've already been out and bought some 2ml syringes (the smallest they had) and we've managed a couple of mouthfuls of water and of pellet paste. He's now just led Milo in a piggy train under the sofa :)
 
Sabrinova said:
He's looking brighter this morning! I've already been out and bought some 2ml syringes (the smallest they had) and we've managed a couple of mouthfuls of water and of pellet paste. He's now just led Milo in a piggy train under the sofa :)
Click to expand...


Whooo that's great! Hopefully he'll pick up a bit now. Are they the ones in your picture? They are really cute :))

If he'll eat softened pellets from a bowl I would encourage him to do this & then in a day or two give them to him as normal but make sure he is eating them. And plenty of hay!
 
Yes that's them, Gilbert's the all grey one. I haven't seen him eat or drink anything of his own accord, but maybe he's been doing it when I'm not looking as he was strong enough running under the sofa, and at pushing the syringe away from me with his hands when he'd had enough. Anyway, I'll keep my eye on him through today and will keep feeding him. They're also due a full clean so that should make it easier to identify a Milo poo to feed him. And yes, they always have lots of hay, English brand meadow hay, not the trashy Spanish stuff. The vet praised their teeth on Monday and asked what I give them to keep their teeth so healthy :)
 
That's great to hear -c
Continue to feed him as often as you can, need to keep his gut moving properly. The poop soup is really good for them. And yes keep up the water too.

HEALING WHEEEEEEEEEKS FOR GILBERT XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 
Little Pig said:
Is Gilbert still doing okay tonight?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I'd fallen asleep on the sofa....
He's still quiet and I still haven't seen him eating for himself, but he's improved from last night. He leapt of his bed and shot under the blanket faster than a speeding bullet when I went to get him for his last feed! We're doing ok with the pellet mash and syringed water. I also remembered that the guy in the petshop sold me a bottle of vitamin C supplement ages ago that's apparently supposed to stimulate appetite, so I put a drop of that in his syringe water.

Thanks for asking :)
 
Gilb went running out onto the balcony this morning, which I thought was a good thing until after 15 minutes he hadn't come back in. I found him hiding in a corner :( We've had mega cuddles, he's just spent over two hours lying on my chest being stroked, but with not a single wee or poo the whole time. When I then gave him another feed he was enthusiastic about his pellet paste for the first time, but now he's back in the pen and just sitting quietly again with his back to the room.

As today is bank holiday my vet's is shut. I'm hoping he'll be alright to wait until I can take him after work tomorrow as my vets is at the top of the street. There are others open today but they're a 20 minute car ride away, and as Gilbert's never been in a car I don't want to put him in one for the first time when he's feeling this bad. Please advise, is there more I should be doing? Thank you!
 
Oh gosh poor Gilbert he really is going thru a lot :(
Whee hope he's feeling better and starting to munch up by himself XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
HUGS for you too XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 
He took a turn for the worse overnight. This morning he refused to swallow food or water and when I came home from work on my coffee break he was having trouble staying upright - he kept rolling off to his right. So I cleared it with my boss and took him to the vets.

Apparently the lump is a benign cyst, but Gilb has a low temperature of 36 degrees (apparently normal is 39), he's dehydrated and having problems breathing. The vet has kept him in and on a drip.

Please tell me he can still be ok? Send him lots of healing wheeks...
 
He's gone.......... rest in peace my beautiful precious baby boy and thank you for enriching my life. I will love you forever xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
I am so sorry rest in peace Gilbert :( Do you know what the antibiotic was that the vet gave him? There are only a couple that are suitable for piggies, am wondering if he wasn't given the right one :(
 
I'm so sorry, been watching this thread and I'm very upset for you, he reminds me of one of mine , Just been through the same thing with my rabbit last week but it was with his teeth and he stopped eating just like Gilbert, thinking of you, RIP little one you was loved very much and will be sadly missed by your mummy x8...
 
Only just caught up with this thread and I'm really sorry to hear your piggy died. It is very sad and I hope you are okay.
 
I'm really really sorry i have just caught up again with your thread, so sorry to hear about dear Gilbert 8...8...8...
RIP Gilbert run free at the bridge, popcorn thru the lush green meadows and enjoy nibbling on sweet dandelions leaves and clover, you'll be so very very sadly missed by your devastated mummy but NEVER ever forgotten xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) and lots of loves from Glynis, Velvet and Onyx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Another little star now twinkling in the sky ............ :(


You tried so very hard for darling boy, i'm sorry they weren't able to save him. HUGS XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 
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