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Robyng

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Hi everyone, I’m new here and I was hoping for some help and advice.
My Guinea pig pink ears, female,2 1/2. She started acting weird last Tuesday. She stopped eating,drinking and going to the toilet last Thursday and we took her to the vets on Saturday. They gave her arthrocam( 0.2ml once a day) and emeprid(1ml 2x a day) they also gave me critical care herbivore for her.
On Monday we took her to the PDSA pet hospital because she still wasn’t going to the toilet properly and we thought she had something stuck in the back of her mouth. They booked her in for sedation for yesterday and turns out she has 2 small ulcers in her mouth which is causing her the issue of not eating. She wants to eat normal food but can’t get the crunch, any ideas as to why?
the vet also said while she was under that she leaked a brown substance from her wee area. They said it could be her ovaries? Any ideas?
Really I’m here asking for

help again as she’s still not going to the toilet or done a single wee in days, Iv been constantly syringe feeding her and even brought her some grass and coriander which she loves but doesn’t touch it.
Any help is appreciated.
 
I’m sorry to hear this.

Please make sure you are weighing her every morning. The weight checks are the only way to ensure you are getting enough syringe feed into her reach day. Lack of poop is often because of the system isn’t running properly and she needs more food. She needs 60-90ml of syringe feed per day but a minimum of 40ml (which is the minimum amount for survival when they aren’t eating hay for themselves).

She is likely in pain in her mouth which will cause her to not be able to eat.
If there is any issue with her teeth rubbing on her cheeks (possible overgrowth from spurs causing the ulcers?) then that can also stop a pig from being able to eat. Such an issue requires a diagnosis and then dental work.

It is also possible that at 0.2ml once per day, that her pain relief is not enough. Piggies need their pain meds twice a day and need quite high doses - they can take much higher than you have been prescribed when needed.
Please discuss pain management with your vet.

If she is definitely not urinating either she that is a serious situation and the vet will need to see her urgently.
Are they going to check her ovaries and reproductive tract?

Below are our weight and syringe feeding guides to help you

Wiebke

Thread 'Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support'

1 Weight and Weight Loss
- Why regular weight monitoring matters
- How weight changes over a lifetime
- How to weigh on your kitchen scales (with video)
- The weight loss rules
- How critical is the weight loss for my piggy?
- Possible causes for weight loss
2 Body Mass Index (BMI) or 'Heft'
- Why is understanding your piggy's weight so important?
- 'Average' weight vs. individual weight - the big trip up
- How to check for the BMI...
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Wiebke

Thread 'All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures'

Introduction
1 Choosing the right place to medicate/feed your piggy
2 Guinea pig whispering and asserting your authority
3 Recovery products and emergency improvisation
4 Syringe recommendations
5 Weight monitoring: your biggest ally
6 Weight loss guidelines and when to step in with feeding
7 Syringe feeding amounts/frequency advice
8 Practical medication and syringing tips (incl. missed a dose)
9 Medicating and feeding cooperative guinea pigs (videos)
10 Medicating and feeding uncooperative guinea pigs (hold pictures and tips)
11 The line between...
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Wiebke

Thread 'Signs of Pain in Guinea Pigs'

1 Symptoms of pain
- Loss of appetite and slow or reduced eating
- Eyes
- Ears
- Teeth clicking and grinding
- Skin biting, self-barbering and hair loss
- Fur standing up/puffed up coat
- Hunching
- Bunching up and stopping to sleep on the side
- Grunting
- Twisting/Fitting
- Squeaking when peeing/pooing; arching and straining
- Limping, hopping, swelling of foot or leg
- Partial or full back leg paralysis
- Screaming and whimpering
2 Life-saving practical how-to care and information...
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Thank you for the reply.
She’s had a full teeth examination from the vet and nothing is wrong with her teeth. They said if symptoms keep going then we need to see an exotic vet and get her spayed to help her ovaries.
Last night she passed these massive masses of poop and blood(attached picture) She’s had a phantom pregnancy before and gave birth to 3 small dead Guinea pigs, they didn’t form properly and we aren’t sure how it happened either as she’s never been near a male Guinea pig.
Iv just bought some probiotic to help her too.
Also should add that she has got lots of energy and fights me when it’s feeding time, she’s happy as normal but just has these issues.
 
Robyng said:
Thank you for the reply.
She’s had a full teeth examination from the vet and nothing is wrong with her teeth. They said if symptoms keep going then we need to see an exotic vet and get her spayed to help her ovaries.
Last night she passed these massive masses of poop and blood(attached picture) She’s had a phantom pregnancy before and gave birth to 3 small dead Guinea pigs, they didn’t form properly and we aren’t sure how it happened either as she’s never been near a male Guinea pig.
Iv just bought some probiotic to help her too.
Also should add that she has got lots of energy and fights me when it’s feeding time, she’s happy as normal but just has these issues.
Click to expand...
It's literally Impossible for your girl to have given birth without having been near a male. Guinea pigs are pregnant for 10 weeks.

I would suggest taking your girl to an exotic vets for a checkup. The ulcers suggest dental issues. Not all vets are able to diagnose this correctly. It's a specialist area. I hope you get answers soon and your girl is on the mend. You're doing a good job syringe feeding her, and probiotics are a good idea when guinea pigs are poorly.
 
I agree with Julie.

A phantom pregnancy is when an animal thinks and feels they are pregnant but they are not.
In the animals phantom pregnancy can happen to*, signs usually subside after a couple of weeks.
They will not give birth because there is nothing to give birth to.

If your guinea pig gave birth even if the babies were not properly formed, then it was a stillbirth. It means she definitely had been with a male, and it was therefore by definition not a phantom pregnancy.

*Phantom pregnancy in guinea pigs is not common (it is in other animals though). If a guinea pig is showing hormonal signs then it is most usually due to other diagnosable health conditions (ie ovarian cysts, tumours etc).

I also agree that ulcers suggest there are dental issues. Spurs can be tiny but cause a big issue if not dealt with and will cause them not to eat due to the pain. If she is not able to chew (hay being the most important part of the diet) then there is something wrong in the mouth.
Dentals don’t form part of vet training in great detail so spotting issues takes an experienced/exotic vet.

If she is having ovarian issues as well then they do need to be dealt with.

The poops look like they suggest gut issues and disruption in food intake. I'm concerned if there being blood in the poop though (although I can’t see any blood in the pictures)

As I say, make sure you are weighing her every morning to monitor syringe feed intake.
Make sure you are feeding her at least 60ml per day, she could need to be fed every two hours depending on how much she is taking at each feed (the guides explain)

In addition to the guides I added previously, I also have added our poop guide and the sows guide which explains ovarian issues

Wiebke

Thread 'Sows: Behaviour and Female Health Problems (including mounting and ovarian cysts)'

1 Sexing on arrival
2 Important reproductive Facts
- Start of making babies - seasons - lack of menopause
- Pregnancy
3 Sows in season
- How a season runs
- Strong seasons (snap seasons; the social role of strong seasons; problem seasons)
4 Behaviour and social aspects
- Bonding (Possible combos; acceptance and dating; special bonding aspects)
-...
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Wiebke

Thread 'Wiebke's Guide to Poops'

1 How the Digestive System Works
2 Poo Eating (Coprophagy)
3 Health Monitoring: Weighing vs. Poos Watching
- What does weighing do?
- What does the poop output tell you?
4 Minor Poop Issues
- How to deal with a minor tummy upset
- Funny poops: What do they mean?
- Caked on poops
5 Serious Diarrhoea
6 Impaction
7...
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