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Post Neutering Care

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Chubsta

Chubsta

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hythe, Kent UK
Poor Dave, our rescue piggie, went in to be neutered today - it wasn't a decision we took lightly but felt it would give him the best chance of a full life being free-range with the girls in the garden.

We got him back at 3.30 today, having taken him in just before 9 this morning. The vet says it went well and Dave was very groggy and unsteady when we got him back, and he was making lots of almost heartbreaking little crying noises...

he went straight into the indoor cage when we got him back, which is all fleeced up, with lots of hay and different foods for him to eat. The thing is, he isn't eating or drinking at all and we are getting very worried.

He moves about a fair bit, although he is still unsteady he seems to be getting better, and he sniffs at his food, particularly the hay, but he doesn't seem to know what to do with it - a few times he has taken it in his mouth but he doesn't actually eat it, apart from one 2-inch piece that i saw him have.

At around 6 we decided to try syringing some water in his mouth which seemed to go ok - he appeared to be drinking it and when he had had enough he would push the syringe away. We repeated this a few times. We have some 'Oxbow critical care' which we have mixed up but he wouldn't even try it - we tried a very diluted solution in the syringe but he didn't want to know.

They crying noises appear to have pretty much stopped now and he is still active but are we right to be concerned about the lack of food and water intake? We will keep an eye on him overnight and if necessary then he will be force-fed water every three hours or so just to keep him hydrated but if he won't take food himself we feel kind of stuck...

Any and all advice appreciated...
 
Hi!

Please start hand feeding him now. If he is really off his food, you may need to feed little (about 5-10ml) more often. You can mush up some of his usual pellets with boiled, cooled water for; quite a few piggies don't like the taste of Critical Care and the pellets may go down better.

Use a 1ml syringe and syringe half of it in one go; that prevents things from going down the wrong way. Please give 1ml of water for every 3-5 ml of syringe food. Try to offer him some fresh grass or his favourite veg at the beginning of each session to encourage him to eat for his own. Set him on a table and put your hand over head from the front for control.

I am sorry that he doesn't have a straight recovery. Did your vet give you some metacam or say from when on he can have painkillers?
 
mincing his pellets is a great idea, will try that - he is currently being cuddled in a blanket to make sure he is warm and relaxed and then we will have another go

there was no advice from the vet other than they want to see him in a couple of days...
 
He's probably still a bit off colour after the anesthetic & should be eating OK soon. Did the vets say if he had eaten since is op. I've looked after 2 neutered boars post-op but my vets always keeps them in overnight after the op for observation.

Have you got access to some fresh grass or dandelions because these are 2 things that piggies usually can't resist even when they not eating anything else. I would monitor him for the time being. Do you have access to your vets overnight or are they like lots these days who farm their out of hours business to one of the big groups. You could try & ring for advice. If he hasn't started eating soon it may be necessary to feed him some of the critical care. It's best to use a 1 ml syringe with the end cut off so that the opening is the same size has the shaft of the syringe. Also check to see that there's no swelling round the op area which might be causing discomfort.
 
I would speak to your vet about whether he was given any painkillers by injection and if he wasn't ask for some to give at home.
 
Like Stewybus said, best cut off the narrow tip of a 1ml syringe just below where it widens, so that the plunger can't come out. This way, the fibrous food can't get stuck in the syringe.
 
Did you get a printed invoice when you paid for his treatment. This should list any meds that were administered. It's always a good idea to ask for an invoice if they don't automatically give you one.
 
Sorry to hear this one of my boys is being done tomorrow it really is a nerve racking time!

Last time I had a neuter done it was end of last year and I was given metacam (painkiller) to take home and also antibiotics to prevent infection and fibreplex which is a pro/prebiotic.
 
I would expect him to have been given pain killers at the time of his op so it is worth checking out this was done. Do you know what anaesthetic/sedation he was given? Some drugs can surpress appetite and it may take him until the morning before he starts eating normally. Some syringe food in the meantime will help keep his guts moving and his hydration up. If he is not eating nomally by the morning I would take him back to the vets as he may need motility drugs and they can also check his hydration. In addition to the advice given by others above, it is also important to keep him nice and warm tonight.
 
in short - good news! Dave made it through the night, he is now sat there eating hay although he hasn't touched any of his breakfast veg, to be honest in the few weeks we have had him we are still experimenting to find out what veg he likes so that isn't a major worry.

It was a pretty traumatic night in that he spent most of the evening being cuddled in a fleece on top of a warm water bottle to keep his temperature up, and he had a last syringe feed at about 1.30am. At this point it was clear he was annoyed with it and he struggled a lot so the decision was made to leave him for the rest of the night rather than stress him out further. He then spent the night in a box in the bedroom.

It is hard to work out how much he is drinking but i guess if his appetite has returned then so will his thirst and it should be natural for him to go to his bottle?

Not out of the woods yet but positive progress and I'm sure no-one will keep their eye off him for the next few days, poor little thing must feel he can't get a moments privacy!

Thanks for all the advice and best wishes...
 
That's good news. Is it possible to find out if he has come home on pain relief? He may have had a fairly long lasting injection at the vets but once this wears off you may find he needs oral pain relief.
 
So glad he's perked up. My two boys are going in next week, and I'm worried already. They're travelling to a really experienced guinea vet as I wouldn't trust my local vets, but it's going to be a long day....:eek:
 
I am glad that your boy has got past his reaction to the anaesthetics and has perked up. The appetite can take some time to kick in. Have your tried fresh juicy grass, as that also contains water?

Please weight him daily to monitor his real food intake. I would inquire about the painkillers at your vets (how soon and how much). Pain can suppress the appetite.

Please see your vet as soon as possible:
- if the appetite doesn't perk up and the weight loss continues
- if there are continuing signs of pain or something not being quite right
- anytime you notice a sudden loss of appetite/weight loss in the next few months (it is usually the sign of a post op infection)
- anytime you notice a swelling in the testicular area

All the best for a smooth recovery, though!
 
The first night after an op can always be the worst, maybe that's why my vet's keep all neutered boys in overnight after the op. I'm really glad to hear that he's OK. I swear by Fibreplex if any of mine are low on appetite. Usually just 1ml is enough to get them eating again. It's a vital part of my First Aid Kit. Wiebke has outlined all the things to check for so I hope everything is fine from now.
 
We began to get worried again by lunchtime as he was just sat in his cage looking miserable and although eating hay wasn't touching anything else, we also hadn't seen him drinking. Rang the vets who said to bring him in, they would take another look at him, give him some painkillers although they were loath to give any more antibiotics as they had given him some yesterday.

before he went to the vet decided to give him some water via a syringe - not sure if he heard the conversation on the phone but his whole outlook changed - he was walking around on the sofa, pooling everywhere, eating plenty of hay and then started eating his veg too.
IMG_5950_zps31143df1.jpeg

He would have something to eat and then go for a little explore - it is funny seeing him walking with his bum in the air as he is obviously sore down below! We have bought him a large 'snuggle slipper' which had been in his cage and he wouldn't go in it. We put it on its side on the sofa and he went straight in and started to nestle down, eventually he was nodding off, but looked very happy.

IMG_3446_zps80be1e1b.jpeg


Rather than make him venture out for his greens it was decided he needs to conserve energy so is now being waited on hand and foot...

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After a rough couple of days it certainly seems like things are looking up, he is starting to be more like his normal self again...
 
That's good he has perked up a bit. Did the vet say whether he had any pain killers previously and if you can given any going forward? He does need them if he is sore.
 
yes, he was given some on the day and they offered to give him more today if he didn't perk up but as he now seems so much happier we are just going to keep a very close eye on him for the next 24 hours rather than stress him out by taking him back to the vet. At the moment he is an eating machine and seems happy but we are aware of how quickly things can change.

He is going in for his post-op check-up on saturday morning regardless...
 
Ok, it would be a good idea to ask for some Metacam to bring home to keep in case. It is unusual for a vet to send an animal home after an op without it.
 
I agree with Helen, he may not be keen on eating if he is in any pain. I would ask your vet for some Metacam & a doseage to give him, split into twice a day, it will make him much more comfortable! What antibiotics have they given you to give him over the next few days? If they haven't then I suggest you ask for Zithromax or Marbocyl for him, he will need about 5-7 days worth :)
 
Good to hear he is getting better. I've got Joel back today and I asked for the metacam and antibiotics and they didn't bat an eyelid just wrote it on the consent form so it would be dispensed when I picked him up. He is starting this tomorrow as he'd had both via injection at the vets today. I would definitely at least call them and ask if you can just drop in without him to pick some metacam up. Are you going back for post-op check?
 
So glad he is getting better ,it is a nerve wracking time without this forum I would have gone to pieces after we had Edward done but so glad we did when I see him with his lady Mrs simpson
 
Well, Dave went to the vets for a check-up this morning and they are very pleased with him - there are no signs of infection and he is definitely back to his old self! He is eating very well and is very active so it seems we are certainly over the initial risky period.
He is going to be staying indoors for at least the next week just in case, but seems like he is starting to milk it a little bit - he certainly seems to be enjoying the comfortable life and all the attention, here is a little picture of him in his favourite corner of the sofa (don't worry about the cat, she has never shown an interest in the guinea pigs in all the years we have had them, she is more likely to be bullied by them than vice versa!)

Thanks to everyone for the advice and good wishes, it meant a lot during the darker moments...

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Glad he's getting on the healing wagon
I've got a boy due to be neutered absolutely bricking it!
The vets given me the all clear, just got to make sure they provide pain relief for him…

Love that pig/cat ture!
 
Jess said:
Glad he's getting on the healing wagon
I've got a boy due to be neutered absolutely bricking it!
The vets given me the all clear, just got to make sure they provide pain relief for him…

Love that pig/cat ture!
Click to expand...


in my limited experience i would just say be prepared to be very worried and upset - i don't think we quite understood how long it would take him to get back to normal after the operation, and the importance of basically force-feeding and giving him water, he was just in no condition to do it himself. It would seem that everything went fine for us, but i guess it is a big operation for such a small and delicate animal...

good luck and keep us informed...
 
Chubsta said:
in my limited experience i would just say be prepared to be very worried and upset - i don't think we quite understood how long it would take him to get back to normal after the operation, and the importance of basically force-feeding and giving him water, he was just in no condition to do it himself. It would seem that everything went fine for us, but i guess it is a big operation for such a small and delicate animal...

good luck and keep us informed...
Click to expand...

It took me ages to book him in for the operation I was so conflicted but I saw it wasn't fair for him to be by himself, I'm prepared. Have his small cage for recovery ordered and a heat pad to sit on… I'm gonna be so worried at work when he's at the vets...
 
Jess said:
It took me ages to book him in for this operation I was so conflicted but I saw it wasn't fair for him to be by himself, I'm prepared. Have his small cage for recovery ordered and a heat pad to sit on… I'm gonna be so worried at work when he's at the vets...
Click to expand...
I'd try not to worry too much. I have had 3 perfect neuters so far (two are now at rainbow bridge due to old age) and my 4th boy I had done thursday and so far so good
 
I thought I'd post a pic of my hospital cage as so many people seem to be neutering at the min. I decided to go for an 80cm cage with joel as I didnt want him tearing around his 2x4 as he does normally and pulling his stitches. I have an 80 and 100cm cage on standby for ops / quarentine for single piggies.

Below is a pic of the setup :
 
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