Possibly Sick Guinea Pig?

[Leo]

Hello everyone! I have one guinea pig, named Casper. I got him from a petshop (Although I now understand it is better to adopt) about 4 years ago with one of his brothers. Sadly, the other pig, named Captain, passed away a few months/a year after we got him. Casper has been living on his own since (I am planning to get him a cagemate sometime soon).
Anyways, yesterday night when I gave him his food,he didn't come to the door of the cage like he usually does and seemed to not want to eat as much as he does usually. Today while I was cleaning his cage I let him roam around the floor as usual, but he stayed in his hidey for most of the time and, again, didn't seem to have as much interest in food. I am not sure if he hast lost weight since I haven't been regularly weighing him, but today his weight is 997g. He seems to be breathing a little bit fast and he is making a kind of clicking sound but it's very quiet and barely even sounds like clicking.

Could he have a URI or some other illness? Or am I overreacting? Thank you to everybody who read this far!

 

[DM030819]

@Leo If they're not eating and/or not interested in food then it's a sure sign of them being in pain. Which needs a vet visit. It could be a number of things from an infection, to bloat, to a mouth injury.

If your pig isn't eating then you will need to step in and hand feed him. Mention it to the vet and they will be able to provide you with the food and syringes.

 

[Leo]

@Jaycey
Thank you. I've been checking and all of the vets in my area are closed until Monday. Is there any other way I can help him or anything I can do to make sure he's okay until then?

 

[Janice C]

@Jaycey
Thank you. I've been checking and all of the vets in my area are closed until Monday. Is there any other way I can help him or anything I can do to make sure he's okay until then?

If you have a chemist near you ask for a 1ml syringe, then carefully cut off the tip. Mash up some of his usual pellets with hot water and stir until into a watery paste. Suck this up into the syringe. If he’s not used to a lot of handling, wrap him up in a towel and gently put about a 1ml at a time of the mix , going in at the side of his mouth, make sure that he is chewing on the syringe as this will prevent the paste going down the wrong way. There’s a guide to syringe feeding in the guides at the top of the page to help you.
If you feel his breathing is even a little noisy, place a bowl of boiling water outside his cage but near to where he usually lies then cover the bowl and this side of his cage so that he inhales some of the steam. Xx

 

[Leo]

Thank you both for your help. I will wait and see and if he still isn't eating or drinking in a while i will begin syringe feeding him. I'll try to keep you updated!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! Please step in with syringe feeding whenever a piggy goes off its feed and try to see a vet as soon possible. Unfortunately, piggies have a real knack of throwing their emergencies over a weekend or a holiday...

More tips in our guide: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

 

[Leo]

Hello everyone - I'm just posting to say that we were able to take him to a vet today. We made an emergency appointment and we were told that Casper had pneumonia. The vet said he had probably had it for a few days. The vet put him on oxygen but it was too late and sadly he passed away a few minutes later. Thank you all for your help. I will miss him so much but I'll always remember the good memories I had with him.

 

[Janice C]

I am so sorry to find out that you've lost little Casper. x

 

[DM030819]

I'm so sorry @Leo * hugs*

 

[Tiamolly123]

I'm so sorry, for your loss,
Sleep tight little Casper, run & play on the rainbow bridge.
You did your best, so don't feel guilty.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello everyone - I'm just posting to say that we were able to take him to a vet today. We made an emergency appointment and we were told that Casper had pneumonia. The vet said he had probably had it for a few days. The vet put him on oxygen but it was too late and sadly he passed away a few minutes later. Thank you all for your help. I will miss him so much but I'll always remember the good memories I had with him.

Thank you for the update! So often we don't get any, especially when things go wrong.

I am very sorry that it was too late for Casper. Respiratory infections and pneumonia can hit out of the blue and develop very quickly, sometimes in a matter of hours. They are one of the biggest killers for guinea pigs.

 

[Wheekallweek]

So sorry to hear about Casper and Captain x

 

[helen105281]

I'm so sorry.

 

[Freela]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Respiratory infections can strike and progress really quickly. ((HUGS)) to you.

 

[Leo]

Thank you all so much for your kind words ❤❤ I felt guilty for a long time but I know I did all I could for him. He is in a better place now but he will always have a special place in my heart, along with Captain.