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Sick Pig.

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Beautifulmess

Beautifulmess

Adult Guinea Pig
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Sep 22, 2009
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Location
Stafford, Staffordshire
I've decided to take Africa to a vet because he's getting no better and attacked himself today after I stroked him :( He's so thin too!

Anyhow, I need to know how to find a guinea pig savvy vet. I'm in Stafford and can only travel by bus (unless the vets open after 5pm). x
 
I don't get paid until Saturday and I need my boyfriend to help me pay half the bill. He also works until 5pm too.

Anyhow, ermm he's stick thin, attacked his side today after I'd stroked him, lies in a curled up ball all the time, still eats and drinks but not much, suffers with inpactment, looks stiff and old but is only 3 years old, can't wheek anymore much, breaths heavy and strained but heart and breaths seem normal at the same time. He has scabs on him which I used to think was the other pig attacking him so I split them up when I witnessed a fight but he still gets them so I think he's biting himself. He wont' sleep in his litte igloo anymore just in the corner and is always cold. One eye is sunken.
 
I'm trying to contact my boyfriend (who's at work) to see if he can get down tonight and fork the bill until I'm paid, if so I'll change it to 6pm tonight.
 
I've posted twice about it but hardly anyone says anything, I find the forum a little cold lately so I stopped coming on :( I was dealing with a rodentologist and he's good but unless we take him to him he can't do much more over a phone and he's busy and we only have the car on set days. He's been like this around 2 months (got better 2-3 times) but this isn't his worse just different symtoms. See he's eating some hay now and walks when you put him on the floor, where before he'd just sit there and if you held him he'd go to sleep ALL the time. He's never been like this, he's a 'active' pig, those ones you can't hold for more then 5 minutes :)
 
have you been on to laura-ccc4 maybe you could send her a private message? she seems to give advice on most things.

I'm really sorry you found it cold :(

I hope your baby picks up :)
 
It's ok, I think it might be because I stopped using it for a while, but I have an appointment for tonight now 6pm :) so I'll update after that on what he has or what he'll be on. x
 
awww thanks love, i think Tuesday just sounds ages off if Africa so fed up.

Good luck, ill keep my fingers crossed for you that its not too expensive :)
 
I'm sorry you've not had much of a response to your previous threads. Laura is very knowledgable so if she's not online you could try ringing her helpline and talking to her the number is 07811 806187.

Also I think clairelove is based in Stoke and runs a rescue so may be able to recommend a good vet in the area.

Good luck at the vets tonight xx
 
Good luck at the vets. Let us know the verdict. Hope he recovers soon :).
 
did you check his teeth after you dropped that cage off? if you want to bring him to me i will be happy to have a look at him and his teeth (at the front) and will feel his back teeth for you to say if its teeth problems.. i will show you how to syringe feed him while you wait to see AP ..

let me know i am in tonight at 7pm, i have to say i dont know any GOOD vets that are GOOD with guinea teeth around our area, but charter vets are good for other things i see Amber at congelton and buttlane let me know x
 
It's ok, the vets appointment is tonight and we're busy this evening and I haven't a car tomorrow so local is all we can do right now. Thank you, I've felt and looked at his front teeth and they seemed fine (I wouldn't know how to look at his back teeth) but if you aren't busy sometime next week or sometime I would love to learn how to check the teeth and syringe feed, I know how to syringe calpol and water only. x
 
I don't think it sounds like he'll be around next week! Clairelove can you go over and check this poor pig over and help him? X
 
Beautifulmess said:
Anyhow, ermm he's stick thin, attacked his side today after I'd stroked him, lies in a curled up ball all the time, still eats and drinks but not much, suffers with inpactment, looks stiff and old but is only 3 years old, can't wheek anymore much, breaths heavy and strained but heart and breaths seem normal at the same time. He has scabs on him which I used to think was the other pig attacking him so I split them up when I witnessed a fight but he still gets them so I think he's biting himself. He wont' sleep in his litte igloo anymore just in the corner and is always cold. One eye is sunken.
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I'm sorry Africa is still having problems, I have looked over your previous threads of him and realise now I didn't get back to you back then, I am sorry.

I suspect a number of problems here, the first one being skin problem (probably mites, given your description of him "attacking" his side after you stroked him and the scabs/him biting himself), and from everything else you have said I would suspect a heart problem of some sort.

There's some more information on heart problems in guinea pigs in the following links, and you might find it useful to read through one of my medical threads about my 4 year old sow Gwenivere, who is a 'heart pig':

Guinea Lynx (read the section about "signs" of heart problems in particular): http://www.guinealynx.info/heart.html

Gwen's thread: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=44881

Active treatment for now, Vit C supplement would be a worthwhile start, 50-100mg a day. Do take Claire up on her offer if you can of having Africa's teeth checked a little more thoroughly, and to be taught how to syringe-feed. I can email you a factsheet about syringe-feeding to tide you over; I do feel, given the symptoms you have listed, that syringe-feeding could be of benefit to Africa. Send me a PM if you're interested, with your email address, and I will send it ASAP.
 
Went to the vets last night at 6pm and she said he sounded weezy (cleaned him out completely for us) and checked his ears, teeth, front and back, chest. She didn't check his skin but I'm seeing her again next Wednesday. He's on 2 medcines, Metacam and Baytil for 1 week and then she'll see how he's doing. It came to £26, which wasn't bad.

I can get to yours clairelove, on days my boyfriend has the car, he's been like this for around 4 months maybe a bit longer so I doubt he's gonna suddenly died by next week. Paul thought it was possibly joint problems, heart problems or maybe i'd dropped him (he'd fallen off somewhere) and hurt his leg because the first problems was his left leg. His skin is flakey, is there a treatment (shampoo) from gorgeous guineas for it?
 
oh that sounds quite reassuring, did the vet recommend you use a probiotic with having Baytril as it is harsh on the gut, probiotic will balance it out.

Good luck x
 
Did the vet not check for mites? My vet uses a piece of sellotape on the fur then checks it under a microscope, doesn't hurt the pig but the mites if any stick to the sellotape!

Also it could be fungal in which case nizoral shampoo is good, I would ask Paul about it! I think it treats fungal but as I said double check with Paul.
 
She didn't, she did mention with antibiotics, it can kill the bacteria he needs in his tummy, but it's a low dosage so he should be ok. How can you tell yourself if it's mites?
 
Intensive scratching, not like being touched, broken hair shafts and the pig can also inflict wounds on himself.

He may also have a decrease in appetite.

I did hear, have no idea if this works but if you sit the pig on a piece of white paper and rub your hand against the fur, black spots like flecks can fall off that is suppose to indicate mites.
 
flintstones said:
Intensive scratching, not like being touched, broken hair shafts and the pig can also inflict wounds on himself.

He may also have a decrease in appetite.

I did hear, have no idea if this works but if you sit the pig on a piece of white paper and rub your hand against the fur, black spots like flecks can fall off that is suppose to indicate mites.
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some of his hair falls out if that helps? Like it feels like he has a bump then a chunk of hair falls out, but nothing so much to make him gain bald patches, and he always attacks one area. The top middle of his back. Will he be okay till Wednesday so the vet can check him then? Or should I call Paul, he doesn't like vets so I feel as if I'm going behind his back >.<! But he's becoming more active so I think he's picking up a bit. He isn't so bothered about being stroked now. Does't vibrator or chatter.
 
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