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Stubbins is suddenly ill

Mo & Stubbins & Vani

Mo & Stubbins & Vani

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hi! :)
It is around 2:00 a.m., and I have woken up to find that Stubbins has had diarrhea.
In the past, it has not been super bad, but tonight, it is absolutely everywhere. It got to the point during cleaning when I actually had to take the fleece out of my room.
I am using various old (clean) sheets until I can wash the fleece in the morning.
A few days ago, Stubbins was eating fresh veggies and not having diarrhea (I was still giving the probiotic).
Tonight, I noticed her poops were a bit mushy and decided to take her off veggies for the night.
When I woke up, I also noticed that she was moving her neck in a bobbing motion. She appeared to be chewing (not teeth-chattering), but she was not even near any food or any other chewable item. The behavior lasted for about two minutes.
I am concerned about Stubbins.
She has always been a young, healthy piglet until two months ago. We have been in and out of the vet's office, and my bookshelf has practically turned into a guinea pig pharmacy.
Now, with the vet's closed, I do not know what to do.
We have another vet in the area, but their reviews did not seem all that great. I really do not trust anyone besides the normal vet.
I really want Stubbins to get better.
I am feeding her a probiotic and various supplements but nothing has worked.
Any advice is much appreciated.
 
If she has had full on diarrhoea then she really needs to see a vet straight away. I know your normal vet is closed potentially due to the virus though - have they perhaps given any information on who to call now they are closed?, Is there another vet you can get to, even If it is a bit further away?

Is she still eating hay?

Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
 
Mo & Stubbins & Vani said:
Hi! :)
It is around 2:00 a.m., and I have woken up to find that Stubbins has had diarrhea.
In the past, it has not been super bad, but tonight, it is absolutely everywhere. It got to the point during cleaning when I actually had to take the fleece out of my room.
I am using various old (clean) sheets until I can wash the fleece in the morning.
A few days ago, Stubbins was eating fresh veggies and not having diarrhea (I was still giving the probiotic).
Tonight, I noticed her poops were a bit mushy and decided to take her off veggies for the night.
When I woke up, I also noticed that she was moving her neck in a bobbing motion. She appeared to be chewing (not teeth-chattering), but she was not even near any food or any other chewable item. The behavior lasted for about two minutes.
I am concerned about Stubbins.
She has always been a young, healthy piglet until two months ago. We have been in and out of the vet's office, and my bookshelf has practically turned into a guinea pig pharmacy.
Now, with the vet's closed, I do not know what to do.
We have another vet in the area, but their reviews did not seem all that great. I really do not trust anyone besides the normal vet.
I really want Stubbins to get better.
I am feeding her a probiotic and various supplements but nothing has worked.
Any advice is much appreciated.
Click to expand...

Hi!

Take her off any veg asap, weigh her daily at the same and if necessary step in with syringe feeding support and offering water that you mix in dioralyte (UK)/pediealyte (USA) electrolytic powder from a pharmacy if you are dealing with runny poos.
See a vet as soon as possible if you are dealing with runny diarrhea and not just loose poos; this is serious!
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

As problems are ongoing you may want to consider either a lab test (feacal float) or discussing with your vet panacure (worming treatment), which can also help with persistent non-worming issues as it does kill a few other bugs too. Please don't do this on spec at home as you could make things worse. Ongoing digestive problems count as a serious health issue, especially in a young piggy like yours.

@furryfriends (TEAS) @Abi_nurse
 
Piggies&buns said:
If she has had full on diarrhoea then she really needs to see a vet straight away. I know your normal vet is closed potentially due to the virus though - have they perhaps given any information on who to call now they are closed?, Is there another vet you can get to, even If it is a bit further away?

Is she still eating hay?

Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
Click to expand...
Our primary vet has a back-up vet, but they are not very highly rated. :(
I am just worried about taking my piglets somewhere questionable (I guess you could say).
I am going to try and call our primary vet in the morning.
Crossing my fingers that she will answer. :(
 
Wiebke said:
Hi!

Take her off any veg asap, weigh her daily at the same and if necessary step in with syringe feeding support and offering water that you mix in dioralyte (UK)/pediealyte (USA) electrolytic powder from a pharmacy if you are dealing with runny poos.
See a vet as soon as possible if you are dealing with runny diarrhea and not just loose poos; this is serious!
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

As problems are ongoing you may want to consider either a lab test (feacal float) or discussing with your vet panacure (worming treatment), which can also help with persistent non-worming issues as it does kill a few other bugs too. Please don't do this on spec at home as you could make things worse. Ongoing digestive problems count as a serious health issue, especially in a young piggy like yours.

@furryfriends (TEAS) @Abi_nurse
Click to expand...
Thank you so much.
I am going to try to contact the primary vet in the morning. She did mention in past phone calls that she would refer me to a specialist if the problems persisted.
I really want Stubbins to get better. :(
 
Mo & Stubbins & Vani said:
Thank you so much.
I am going to try to contact the primary vet in the morning. She did mention in past phone calls that she would refer me to a specialist if the problems persisted.
I really want Stubbins to get better. :(
Click to expand...

Problems are definitely persisting so it would be time now for a referral. I am very sorry, and especially for the most awkward timing.
Fingers crossed that you can get to the bottom of it and deal with it once and for all. It won't likely be cheap to find the exact bug/problem that is causing it but in a young piggy it would be highly unusual to be caused by the kind of tender digestion that you see in the frail and elderly where nutrient absorption is no longer working all that well.
 
I had a piggy in the past, Bunny, who used to have diarrhea (not as bad as your Stubbins though) on off when she was around 2 yrs old. After everything we've tried doing, she seemed to always get it. So we went to our local vet to get xray (we went there because it was cheap being farm vets) and they thought she had ovarian cyst coz they felt something while checking her. She was scheduled the next day for a spay but it turned out not to be ovarian cyst. She had stomach ulcers and what the vet felt was an ulcer nearing bursting. She was stitched up again and was prescribed antibiotics. After just a few days, when she had a follow up checkup, the vet was so surprised the lumps she felt was almost gone. She even was calling her nurses and other vets to check her and was amazed how it went.

I'm not saying that Stubbins have the same issue. I'm just saying that having further examinations can be beneficial to your case. After Bunny having the right treatment, her diarrhea seemed to have stopped. Don't hesitate to seek referrals for a better vet. I know it's hard during this time but there's no harm in trying.

Good luck with your Stubbins. Hopefully she gets better soon when you find out what's wrong.
 
I just phoned the vet's office.
I'm afraid I don't have good news. :(
Someone tested positive for the virus, so they are not seeing any animals, and none of the vets will be available to speak over the phone.
When I called, an answering machine stated that there is a secondary vet that will treat emergency cases only. I looked up the vet and they do not treat guinea pigs.
What about their piggies patients!?
I really just want to talk to my vet. :(
She is super trustworthy and always has the answer.
There was an option to leave a message. Do you think I should?
In the event that a vet does not get back to me, do you think that I can treat Stubbins from home for a couple of days (just to see if she gets better)?
 
Mo & Stubbins & Vani said:
I just phoned the vet's office.
I'm afraid I don't have good news. :(
Someone tested positive for the virus, so they are not seeing any animals, and none of the vets will be available to speak over the phone.
When I called, an answering machine stated that there is a secondary vet that will treat emergency cases only. I looked up the vet and they do not treat guinea pigs.
What about their piggies patients!?
I really just want to talk to my vet. :(
She is super trustworthy and always has the answer.
There was an option to leave a message. Do you think I should?
In the event that a vet does not get back to me, do you think that I can treat Stubbins from home for a couple of days (just to see if she gets better)?
Click to expand...
oh dear.. definitely leave a message,... you never know they might call you back.. sorry, i can't add any more advice but wishing stubbins all the best x
 
I would call and leave a message - or even better can you possibly e-mail your regular vet.
Maybe if they knew the situation (urgent problem and no access to a cavy vet) they could at least speak to you over the phone and recommend a treatment.
I understand not meeting clients, but surely phone consults are still possible?
 
Hi! :)
I just tried to record a message for the vet.
For some reason, the recording was only allowed to be 6 seconds long, so I spoke super fast. When I went to review the message, there was no sound (I couldn't hear my message).
:hb:
😡
I am going to try a couple more times.
I just washed the fleece for the third time this week. It's nice and clean...for now. :)
 
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