Poorly Piggie - Recovery Feed & Fibrplex

[Wilbur&Otis]

Hello, after losing my 6yo piggie Wilbur a few weeks ago after long complicated medical history it has left his younger buddy Mini (2.5yo boar) on his own.

The stress of the situation has clearly upset Mini and I noticed he was sneezing and lethargic so took him to our vet (good exotic vet) last Thursday.

He had a nasal discharge in both nostrils and was diagnosed with an infection but his lungs were clear. Prescribed 0.2ml doxy-something antibiotic once a day for 10days along with 0.8ml dog metacam (!) twice a day for the first few days.

After work Thursday he’d hardly eaten so I stepped in syringe feeding recovery feed as much as I can get in him (around 7ml every 4 hours - about 35ml per day) I rang the vet back Friday to ask for advice (he’s tricky to syringe feed - hates it!) and about probiotics as I hadn’t seen him poo all day. They recommended adding some baby food to flavour the recovery feed but don’t recommend fibreplex or any probiotics.

Anyway after getting off the phone I got hold of some fibreplex from the vet in Pets at Home (!) and have been giving him 1ml of that 3 times a day. (A couple of hours after the antibiotic in the morning and twice more later in the afternoon and at night) Saturday lunchtime he did a load of poos at last - I’ve never been so happy to see a poo in my life! Looked normal shape and size.

Then despite the regular feeds (even through the night) there were no poos again until Sunday late afternoon when he did 15+ in an hour.

I should also mention I was worried the high dose of metacam could be causing digestive issues so have only been giving him half the prescribed dose - 0.4ml twice a day over the weekend. I’m waiting for a call back from the other exotic vet today to check his treatment / dosage as I’m a bit worried about the poo situation.

Mini has now had 5 doses of the meds but still sneezing and not properly eating. He will eat a handful of mixed leaves after a syringe feed and has been picking at hay and pellets but not actually eating much. He isn’t himself but not puffy just quiet. I’ve let him out of his quarantine cage each day for a run around the house to try and encourage poos and he is lively and runs around but when put back just retreats to his hidey and lies down. So I have a few Qs for those of you on here with more experience of poorly piggies...

- would you expect to see him improve by day 5 or is it normal to still have the same symptoms at this point?

- how long would you recommend giving the fibreplex for? Should I drop it down to once a day after the antibiotics or better to keep going with 3 x a day until his meds are finished?

- would you be worried about the ‘batch poo’ situation or as long as there’s a good batch each day is that okay?

I guess I just need some reassurance that i am doing the right things. And if there’s anything else i could be doing to help him? I’ve picked up some tinned pumpkin, pure cranberry juice and veggie baby food to mix with the recovery feed to try and make his feeds easier and get more down him!

Thanks, Natalie & Mini xx

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

Please contact your vet again if the doxycycline is not working. It is generally an antibiotic that is especially effective respiratory infection. There may be another cause for the symptoms (allergy) or the antibiotic is not effective against a particular strain. With strongly increased use of antibiotics, we are starting to see problems with effectiveness.

Any antibiotic can cause a bad reaction. You step in with syringe feeding; the less you get in one sitting, the more often you feed, if necessary round the clock. If mine are not keen on recovery formula, then mix it with mushed up pellets. If you do that, you need to prep the syringe tip as shown in our guide. There is a new product out in the UK called emeraid, which is usually better accepted by ill guinea pigs. As an alternative, adding wheatgrass powder to the mix can also help with the flavour and the fibre content.
Please take the time to read our guide; you may find it helpful: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Please never feed any processed (including tinned) veg or fruit; it is partly cooked!

Please finish the course of fibreplex. Please be aware that probiotics are a supplement and not a medication; that is why they are generally not prescribed by vets. Their effectiveness is not scientifically proven, either, and to be honest, they do not make a real difference in many cases.
Fibreplex is the rolls royce of support products and can really help when you are dealing with actual loss of appetite from a bad reaction to an antibiotic, especially where standard probiotics will generally not make any difference. But then it contains more than just probiotics to help the guts! I would not recommend to use as a precaution, but it can be effective in helping to stabilise the guts where this is really needed. If you have a number of guinea pigs, then it is something that is useful to have in your larder.

You control the weight/food intake via weighing daily. The poo output reflects the intake of 1-2 days before depending on how active the guts are. If you have long periods of not support feeding, then you will see that reflected in the output. Since guinea pigs have to digest their food twice (they eat the poos from the first run), you will never see a steady output anyway; that is a misconception. It is more helpful to check for the thickness and consistency of any poos.
Guinea pigs do not suffer from constipation; if they are blocked, they will look very ill and painful very quickly indeed!

 

[Wilbur&Otis]

Hi!

Please contact your vet again if the doxycycline is not working. It is generally an antibiotic that is especially effective respiratory infection. There may be another cause for the symptoms (allergy) or the antibiotic is not effective against a particular strain. With strongly increased use of antibiotics, we are starting to see problems with effectiveness.

Any antibiotic can cause a bad reaction. You step in with syringe feeding; the less you get in one sitting, the more often you feed, if necessary round the clock. If mine are not keen on recovery formula, then mix it with mushed up pellets. If you do that, you need to prep the syringe tip as shown in our guide. There is a new product out in the UK called emeraid, which is usually better accepted by ill guinea pigs. As an alternative, adding wheatgrass powder to the mix can also help with the flavour and the fibre content.
Please take the time to read our guide; you may find it helpful: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Please never feed any processed (including tinned) veg or fruit; it is partly cooked!

Please finish the course of fibreplex. Please be aware that probiotics are a supplement and not a medication; that is why they are generally not prescribed by vets. Their effectiveness is not scientifically proven, either, and to be honest, they do not make a real difference in many cases.
Fibreplex is the rolls royce of support products and can really help when you are dealing with actual loss of appetite from a bad reaction to an antibiotic, especially where standard probiotics will generally not make any difference. But then it contains more than just probiotics to help the guts! I would not recommend to use as a precaution, but it can be effective in helping to stabilise the guts where this is really needed. If you have a number of guinea pigs, then it is something that is useful to have in your larder.

You control the weight/food intake via weighing daily. The poo output reflects the intake of 1-2 days before depending on how active the guts are. If you have long periods of not support feeding, then you will see that reflected in the output. Since guinea pigs have to digest their food twice (they eat the poos from the first run), you will never see a steady output anyway; that is a misconception. It is more helpful to check for the thickness and consistency of any poos.
Guinea pigs do not suffer from constipation; if they are blocked, they will look very ill and painful very quickly indeed!

Thanks @Wiebke for your reply. yes I found the tips in the feeding guide really helpful. We’ve been back to the vets yesterday as the first antibiotic wasn’t working and Mini is still sneezing lots & not eating apart from a few leaves after syringe feeding.

He’s now taking 0.6ml Marbocyl once a day instead along with 0.1ml Cisapride to stimulate his guts / apetite and more Metacam. We’ve got through the first tube of Fibreplex but I’m going to continue with a second tube until he’s off antibiotics.

I’ve been weighing him daily and he is maintaining his weight okay. We seem to have mastered a syringe feeding technique that works for us albeit leaves me covered in recovery feed

Here he is looking distinctly un ill with a mouthful of leaves...

 

[Wilbur&Otis]

Thanks @Wiebke for your reply. yes I found the tips in the feeding guide really helpful. We’ve been back to the vets yesterday as the first antibiotic wasn’t working and Mini is still sneezing lots & not eating apart from a few leaves after syringe feeding.

He’s now taking 0.6ml Marbocyl once a day instead along with 0.1ml Cisapride to stimulate his guts / apetite and more Metacam. We’ve got through the first tube of Fibreplex but I’m going to continue with a second tube until he’s off antibiotics.

I’ve been weighing him daily and he is maintaining his weight okay. We seem to have mastered a syringe feeding technique that works for us albeit leaves me covered in recovery feed

Here he is looking distinctly un ill with a mouthful of leaves...

View attachment 80276

Just been back to the vets with Mini again as his guts have really slowed and I’ve seen no poos in almost 24 hours. I’ve left him there with the team overnight to make sure he gets all the right meds / hydration etc. So hard handing over the pet carrier, its going to be a long night. Got fingers and toes crossed for my little buddy.

 

[Wilbur&Otis]

Hi again just wanted to add an update and ask for any more advice. I had Mini staying at the vets for 2 nights as his tummy had stopped gurgling and gone into stasis (no poos for 24 hours).

The vet has added another med into the mix - 0.5 metoclopramide x 3 daily. We picked him up yesterday after the vet let us know that he’d started to poo again (tiny ones at first but 8 normal ones last night).

He had x-rays whilst there to rule out any dental root issues & the vet says it shows chronic rhinitis/ sinus problems.

He looks bright, is regularly picking at food between naps - hay, pellets & eating veg so I’m topping him up with recovery feed a few times a day.

He’s still sneezy with clear discharge from the nose & quiet / lethargic but will run round when put out for floor time. No poos again since last night though.

I’m not sure what to do next and vet bills are already >£300. Worried that it’s 2 antibiotics now that have not seemed to have much affect on the nasal issue and have caused him some serious digestive problems.

- Is there anything else I could be doing to help him? Or anything anyone more experienced would suggest trying? @Wiebke any advice much appreciated

Thanks, Natalie

 

[Wiebke]

Hi again just wanted to add an update and ask for any more advice. I had Mini staying at the vets for 2 nights as his tummy had stopped gurgling and gone into stasis (no poos for 24 hours).

The vet has added another med into the mix - 0.5 metoclopramide x 3 daily. We picked him up yesterday after the vet let us know that he’d started to poo again (tiny ones at first but 8 normal ones last night).

He had x-rays whilst there to rule out any dental root issues & the vet says it shows chronic rhinitis/ sinus problems.

He looks bright, is regularly picking at food between naps - hay, pellets & eating veg so I’m topping him up with recovery feed a few times a day.

He’s still sneezy with clear discharge from the nose & quiet / lethargic but will run round when put out for floor time. No poos again since last night though.

I’m not sure what to do next and vet bills are already >£300. Worried that it’s 2 antibiotics now that have not seemed to have much affect on the nasal issue and have caused him some serious digestive problems.

- Is there anything else I could be doing to help him? Or anything anyone more experienced would suggest trying? @Wiebke any advice much appreciated

Thanks, Natalie

Here are our tips for GI stasis; glad that you are dealing with a milder version: Bloat, Gi Stasis ( No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

There can be an irritant/allergen that is causing the rhinitis - bedding/washing powder, hay or pollen dust, dry air/air conditioning, perfumes (including perfumed skin products)/air fresheners.
What you can do to ease the breathing:
- bisolvon powder from the vet to help clear any mucus out of the airways
- a bowl of steaming water next to the cage, which you refill from time to time. If this brings a noticeable improvement, consider a humidifier.

 

[Wilbur&Otis]

Here are our tips for GI stasis; glad that you are dealing with a milder version: Bloat, Gi Stasis ( No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

There can be an irritant/allergen that is causing the rhinitis - bedding/washing powder, hay or pollen dust, dry air/air conditioning, perfumes (including perfumed skin products)/air fresheners.
What you can do to ease the breathing:
- bisolvon powder from the vet to help clear any mucus out of the airways
- a bowl of steaming water next to the cage, which you refill from time to time. If this brings a noticeable improvement, consider a humidifier.

Thanks I will ask about the Bisolvon tomorrow and try steam now. We did use a plug in air freshener around Christmas soon before symptoms started and I could have used different washing powder on his hideys possibly- one of these could be responsible.

I re-washed any fabric hideys when he first started sneezing and we’ve just got a good air purifier as my husband has allergies (hay fever & pigs) so should be no irritants / allergens left in the air.

If he doesn’t improve in the next couple of days I’m tempted to take him off antibiotics completely. I’ll see what the vet says! Thanks again for the advice we’ll give both a go.

 

[Wilbur&Otis]

Just an update on Mini for anyone that comes across this thread in the future. A couple of times his guts slowed with no poos for 4 days at one point despite regular syringe feeds. I stuck with the meds, encouraged him to run around twice a day and used an electric toothbrush wrapped in a tee towel to try to stimulate his tum incase there was any gas build up. Happy to say he got through this & now back to pooing at full speed.

He is still on daily doxycycline and Metacam for the rhinitis plus eye drops that I have to rub on his nostrils twice a day but symptoms have lessened his nose is much less runny s sneezy and he is now eating and drinking properly again and attempting to squeak for veg (very puny squeak). After weeks of a quiet disinterested piggie i came home from work one day and he was stood at the bars like he used to with an empty food dish and half drunk water bottle. It was the best sight! For now I’m still syringe feeding 10ml twice a day to help him put weight back on as his weight had dropped by around 150g over the last few weeks.

Sadly his trauma is not yet over... We are back at the vets today as I found a small black scab on his back on Sunday that he would not let me touch at all. It can’t be from another pig as he’s been living alone. I checked yesterday and he’s pulled the scab off and has a sore patch which I think must be mange mites. Ugh! I’m taking all 3 pigs as they share floor time space so probably all need treatment.

Ugh!

 

[Wiebke]

Poor you! Unfortunately it is not uncommon at all for a guinea pig with a lowered immune system to come down with mange mites; most piggies have dormant mites eggs in their skin, which are normally kept under control by a fully operational immune system. They are the ones that turn up whenever that is not the case.

You may find that your other piggies are likely not or only very lightly affected, but from my own experience it is nevertheless wise to treat them all!

 

[Piggy mum]

Can I just say you sound like you have been taking amazing care of your poorly pig! I know how you feel, i have had many issues with the same pig since Christmas time including bloat, mild GI stasis and a UTI. Hang in there, you are doing a great job!

 

[Wilbur&Otis]

Thanks @Wiebke your advice & guides have really helped us - without the forum I would have had no idea what to do!

Thanks @Piggy mum its lovely to get some reassurance. Sorry to hear you’ve been having similar troubles i hope your poorly piggie is on the mend. I’ve been lucky and had no pet problems for almost 3 years but then a terrible time since Christmas... had my oldest piggie Wilbur & our 14 year old Springer Spaniel Murphy put to sleep on top of Minis health issues.

Vet has injected Mini with ivermectin but said to just keep an eye on the other 2. He squealed and looked so cross poor little guy. I’ve disinfected with F10 and washed all bedding on a hot wash so hopefully we’ve got on top of this before it takes hold.

Fingers crossed a little longer.