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Poorly Pig. Syringe Feeding And Still Losing Weight.

Chottsy

Chottsy

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hey lovely people, haven't posted on here in ages but have still been reading posts.

My poor boy Dumbles isn't very well. Vet thinks either cystitis/bladder stone. Issue is he goes on hunger strike when on antibiotics and has lost about 60/70g of weight in the last 3 weeks. I've been syringe feeding 4/5 times a day for the last week or so but he still lost more.
He's currently on science recovery plus because he doesn't like any of the others I tried. Will barely eat any dual care and won't even let me near his mouth with critical care so am doing a mixture of supreme science and his normal pellets as I can get at least 10/15ml in at a time.

Vet mentioned probiotics but thought he had a touch of diarrhoea so advised me not to use any because we didn't want to make that worse.

Have you got any more advice for me? His wee is now clear with no visible blood. I've read the syringe feeding guide.

He's my little man and is coming up about 5 years old now. He's such a cutie and still has plenty of attitude, but I can tell he feels like crap and I want to help!

Thank you
Chottsy x

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Has he had a scan or x-ray to exclude a bladder stone, which will require an operation?
 
I would ensure there is plenty of fresh hay and cucumber/peppers to ensure his guts are still working well.
Also it may be worth mushing in some pellets from a healthy piggy in with your poorly pig's food.
 
@Chottsy He'll need an x-ray to confirm whether he has a stone. If so, he'll need an operation as no amount of antibiotics will make a stone go away.

If he is losing weight still then that means that you're not feeding him enough syringe food and you'll need to increase the quantity and/or number of times a day you feed him.

If the antibiotics is Baytril then it is notorious for causing digestive issues, so you always need to use probiotics. If you use probiotics recommended for pigs then it won't cause diarrhoea. Only unsuitable probiotics like yoghurt will cause digestive issues.

I would highly recommend an x-ray for him. Otherwise you'll simply me handfeeding him forever as he's in too much pain to it, and it will have a knock on effect of causing dental issues.
 
Thank you!

His weight has now been the same for the last few days so I'm now feeding enough to maintain weight even if we aren't at a point of gaining yet.

He has massively perked up and although quieter than normal he is bright eyes and cheeky which I feel are good signs with him.
I've got another vet appointment tomorrow. There is now no visible blood in his wee so hoping I can take him off antibiotics anyway. Then we can xray if needed after.

I've upped how much he is fed as I am struggling to feed him more often because of work. ☹

Thank you for your advice xx
 
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