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Recovering After A Cat Attack

Danielle Smith

Danielle Smith

Teenage Guinea Pig
Joined
Jan 10, 2016
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Location
Whitehaven, Cumbria
This morning, a cat got into our house. We found it in the pig room after we heard screaming -- our male Tubs seems to be the only pig the cat caught. He got two sets of double puncture wounds -- one pair on the neck and one on the ear and near the eye.

We rushed him to the vets as he was bleeding quite heavily. They cleaned him up, gave an injection of Baytril and Metacam, and sent us back home. We've cleaned out the cage and wiped everything down well, there's only cardboard hides until we can disinfect everything. Everypig is skittish, but the two girls who live with Tubs seem to have calmed down a little.

Tubs himself seems a bit mixed -- he's nibbling on veg, hay, and pellets but he's clearly quite sore and isn't moving much at all (though will run away when spooked). He seems to find it difficult to turn round, sometimes flopping onto his hind legs and almost rolling over -- I think the bites either damaged his balance system in his ears, or the cat flung him and he's got some kind of brain damage/concussion. I have draped a fleece over much of the cage and scattered hay and pellets everywhere so he doesn't have to move far to have a nibble. There's a snugglesafe in the cage.

So, that's where we are up to. I'm to clean the puncture wounds a few times a day with saltwater, and to give him a course of Baytril for 4 days. The vet said he shouldn't need any more pain killers, but we're planning to give him a little Loxicom tomorrow after the injection has worn off, and then as needed. I'll be offering him some Critical Care and Avipro ad hoc.

Has anyone experienced anything like this before? Is there anything I can do in addition to keeping him warm and comfortable? How quickly do wounds heal in guinea pigs? I just really need some reassurance that we are doing everything possible.

Another thing: his girls keep trying to lick his wounds. I can't separate them as he'd become even more quiet... I may have to call the vet for another couple of courses of Baytril :/
 
Oh dear what a terrible time you are having! That must have been a shock for you and your poor piggies especially Tubs! He will be traumatised for quite a while I should think. You are doing all you can at the mo to get him better. I'm not sure about the no meloxicam bit though surely he'll need pain killers? Someone else will be along soon I'm sure to give more qualified advice. In the meantime I'm tagging in @Wiebke and @furryfriends (TEAS) to see if they can help.
 
Danielle Smith said:
This morning, a cat got into our house. We found it in the pig room after we heard screaming -- our male Tubs seems to be the only pig the cat caught. He got two sets of double puncture wounds -- one pair on the neck and one on the ear and near the eye.

We rushed him to the vets as he was bleeding quite heavily. They cleaned him up, gave an injection of Baytril and Metacam, and sent us back home. We've cleaned out the cage and wiped everything down well, there's only cardboard hides until we can disinfect everything. Everypig is skittish, but the two girls who live with Tubs seem to have calmed down a little.

Tubs himself seems a bit mixed -- he's nibbling on veg, hay, and pellets but he's clearly quite sore and isn't moving much at all (though will run away when spooked). He seems to find it difficult to turn round, sometimes flopping onto his hind legs and almost rolling over -- I think the bites either damaged his balance system in his ears, or the cat flung him and he's got some kind of brain damage/concussion. I have draped a fleece over much of the cage and scattered hay and pellets everywhere so he doesn't have to move far to have a nibble. There's a snugglesafe in the cage.

So, that's where we are up to. I'm to clean the puncture wounds a few times a day with saltwater, and to give him a course of Baytril for 4 days. The vet said he shouldn't need any more pain killers, but we're planning to give him a little Loxicom tomorrow after the injection has worn off, and then as needed. I'll be offering him some Critical Care and Avipro ad hoc.

Has anyone experienced anything like this before? Is there anything I can do in addition to keeping him warm and comfortable? How quickly do wounds heal in guinea pigs? I just really need some reassurance that we are doing everything possible.

Another thing: his girls keep trying to lick his wounds. I can't separate them as he'd become even more quiet... I may have to call the vet for another couple of courses of Baytril :/
Click to expand...

I am ever so sorry. An attack by another animal is always such a shock, whether that is cats, dogs, foxes, rats or birds of prey. :(

You are doing everything right! Please continue topping him up with syringe feed and water to keep the guts going; continue with the painkiller and if necessary ask your vet for a gut stimulant like emeprid to get him over the rough time in the next few days. General vets often underestimate the need to for painkillers.

Keep an eye out as guinea pigs can both die from shock or from internal injuries (like from shaking or internal bleeding). All you can do is keep him fed to prevent him going into GI stasis, keep him as comfy and warm, but not hot as you can until he is picking up again.
Keep them in the house, but in a cat safe place together with his wives for moral support. If necessary, lock the door so the cat can't get in. Licking the wounds is a good reaction - they care for him and want to help him get better. Don't underestimate how important the company is for an ill or injured piggy. ;)

See a vet asap as an emergency if your boy seems to deteriorate at any time of the day. You may want to check on him once or twice during the night.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
Oh no. That’s awful. Poor tubs.

I don’t know about cat bite wounds but when Frankie bit into mangos neck it healed really quite quickly. The vet just glued it back together.
 
Thanks everyone! @Wiebke, he's munching on pellets and snuffling up some bits of hay so he's hopefully going in the right direction. We will get some CC down him as a top up though!
 
I'm sorry for your ordeal,must have been a shock.when ive had boar guinea pigs attack one another.i clean the wound with hibiscrub,observe for any redness,hot to touch and swellings,as abcesses form very quickly in guinea pigs.wound usually heals in 7 to 10 days in my experience.pain relief is advised.just check for any signs of interal bleeding,going into shock.increased heart rate,getting increased lethagy.and pale membranes,extremities are all signs of shock.i hope your piggie gets better soon,without any complications.though he may have psychological changes .:hug: to you @Danielle Smith .x
 
Aw poor you and poor piggies, especially Tubs!
At least he’s eating so that’s good! Good luck to you and your piggies; get better soon Tubs! :)
 
Managed to get a 12ml of CC down Tubs (made up twice as thick as instructions), he wasn't very happy about it but at least chewing and swallowing. I then cleaned all his wounds with salt water; there's a couple more than I thought and the one above his eye is very deep, he was very good for all of it apart from when salt water went in the deep wound... his cries :soz:. He was distracted by beeps though (green beans).

Back in the cage he's still subdued but according to pigcam actually moves about a little bit and he was able to jump in and out of the hay tray. He's not interested in dinner veg but who would be with a tummy full of CC and beep? Not hugely hungry but is grubbing about on the floor of the cage, see picture.

He's such a good boy. Will give him a little more CC before bed, then will do a mid-night check. I really hope he survives this one, he's been through a lot (this time last year he was halfway over rainbow bridge after a systemic infection).

y4T5VW5.png
 
Oh no! Sending healing vibes!
Keep up the great care and just keep an eye on him, poss. set an alarm to check him during night. I would think he needs painkillers for longer than a day.
We had a piggie at work with huge bite wound to his back ( can add link from his homing appeal if you want where you can see the injuries and how he healed). It took about a month for him, but those were large and deep wounds.
Fingers crossed for you both!❤
 
I'd like to see the homing appeal @Hath, be nice to compare and I always love seeing other piggies anyhow!

Funnily enough, my partner thinks the IKEA Detolf doll's bed likely saved his life, as after he heard the cacophony and went into the room, he found the cat sitting in the cage with tail swishing, while staring at the pigs all huddled under the bed.
 
I know, felt very sorry for him. So tiny and already been through so much...

Cats can be cruel, guess it was playing torture game:no:
 
Poop baby and poor all of you.

Unfortunately cats teeth carry some horrible germs (if they bite each other it often forms an abcess) be meticulous about keeping the wounds clean - treat them as you would an abcess.
 
Tubs survived the night :yahoo:.

He's not eating much though, only little strips of veg or a nibble on some hay, so we are stepping in with CC. His balanced had improved, but then when I cleaned his ear this morning it made him wobbly again so I think it is his ear canal rather than brain damage.

First dose of Baytril this morning... I'm terrified considering what happened last time he was on it (almost died), but we need to give it a go as it really is the right antibiotic for the job.
 
Thinking of you and Tubs this morning, and hoping the Baytril does the trick for him.
He sounds like a pretty tough little piggy.
 
Here’s me sending healing vibes your way & I hope baytril starts to work. I know it tastes yucky :vom: for a piggy. We’ve just had a piggy on a dose of it & it was a 2 man job to syringe it into her.
I guess the cat was just being a cat.. but what an awful ordeal for Tubs & co.
I hope he starts to feel better soon,
Huge hugs x
 
He was quite poorly before he went on Baytril last time, @Katiedid, but after taking it he had terrible diarrhea, weakness (at one point he was so flat and unable to swallow we were considering PTS), he lost his appetite completely and I had to syringe feed him in one form or another for 2 months. He weighed around 750g at his lightest.

The whole saga is here:
Help?! Tubs Lethargic And Not Eating (been To Vet, Nothing Obviously Wrong)

Improving Little By Little

Bonding A Piggy Recovering From Illness

Getting A Pig To Eat For Itself After A Month Of Syringe Feeding
 
So sorry about the awful experience. Hope Tubs makes a full recovery with all your love and care.
 
Wow that’s bad. Has the vet given any gut support this time? I will keep everything crossed for him. My Zigg doesn’t do well on baytril so I know how worried you must be.
 
would it be any good to discuss Zithromax with your vet?
My Grace had bad abcess & the Zithromax dried it out well, Grace tolerated it well, both digestive wise (still ate like a horse) & she didn't mind taking the Zithromax either (not eager, but didn't buck like a bronco, like she does with Baytril)!
Could the zithromax stop an abscess forming before it starts? just a thought. healing vibes to Tubs :luv: xx
 
Wow, I’ve only just caught up with your thread. What a shock for you all. Hope your little guy co tinues to fight back to full health.
 
Danielle Smith said:
Managed to get a 12ml of CC down Tubs (made up twice as thick as instructions), he wasn't very happy about it but at least chewing and swallowing. I then cleaned all his wounds with salt water; there's a couple more than I thought and the one above his eye is very deep, he was very good for all of it apart from when salt water went in the deep wound... his cries :soz:. He was distracted by beeps though (green beans).

Back in the cage he's still subdued but according to pigcam actually moves about a little bit and he was able to jump in and out of the hay tray. He's not interested in dinner veg but who would be with a tummy full of CC and beep? Not hugely hungry but is grubbing about on the floor of the cage, see picture.

He's such a good boy. Will give him a little more CC before bed, then will do a mid-night check. I really hope he survives this one, he's been through a lot (this time last year he was halfway over rainbow bridge after a systemic infection).

y4T5VW5.png
Click to expand...

Just keep persisting and try to get 40-60 ml into him (as well as as much water as he will take) over the course of 24 hours while he is clearly in pain and feeling very off any food. It is however a good sign that he is out and about.

The baytril can additionally dampen the appetite.

Fingers firmly crossed!
 
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