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swinging food around?

E

erinparkerxo

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi all happy new year! My guinea pig has been off his food so I took him to the vets who checked his teeth, temperatures respiration etc and said all is fine he’s just a bit under the weather and prescribed some medication. He seems all fine within himself and shouts for food/get excited at feeding time however he isn’t eating. I’m doing critical care food that he also hates. He is now picking up the veg but swinging it around in circles not actually eating it, any ideas what could be wrong or do you think it’s just linked to his cold?
 
erinparkerxo said:
Hi all happy new year! My guinea pig has been off his food so I took him to the vets who checked his teeth, temperatures respiration etc and said all is fine he’s just a bit under the weather and prescribed some medication. He seems all fine within himself and shouts for food/get excited at feeding time however he isn’t eating. I’m doing critical care food that he also hates. He is now picking up the veg but swinging it around in circles not actually eating it, any ideas what could be wrong or do you think it’s just linked to his cold?
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Hi

What antibiotic/medication and what diagnosis is he extactly on for? Some antibiotics can act as additional appetite dampeners.

A pain issue somewhere inside the body can also dampen the appetite.

Can you try a bit of mashed banana with the critical care?
 
He’s on karidox and arthrocam twice a day and a sprinkle of bisolvon powder in his food once a day. The vet didn’t really give me a diagnosis literally just said he was under a weather which I assume means he has a cold? He’s not eaten veg or his kibble for around 4 days now he’s having a bit of hay and still drinking is a perk! Will try mashing the banana Thankyou 😊
 
Hi

Karidox contains doxycycline, which is generally an appetite dampening antibiotic.

Arthrocam is another brand name for metacam, which the standard painkiller for guinea pigs. . You have to see whether it is the 0.5 mg/ml for cats or the three times stronger 1.5 mg/ml solution for dogs; either can be used for guinea pigs. Cat strength is officially licensed although guinea pigs metabolise metacam differently to other species and generally require higher dosages.

It looks like your vet is covering their bases as much as possible. Sadly, not all illnesses are instantly diagnosable, especially in a prey species that instinctively suppresses symptoms and pain for as long as possible.

If you have a healthy companion, you can see whether live microbiome transfer is making a difference.
Here is how to make 'poo soup', which needs to be as fresh as possible for best efficiency.
Probiotics & Live Gut Microbiome Transfer ('Poo Soup'); Recovery Formula Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links and Transfer Recipe

I hope that this helps you?
 
Ahh perfect Thankyou for all your help! He’s on the dog version of the metacam, she reassured me all was okay for him tho.

Thankyou for everything I’ll try some of the methods on the link too 😊
 
Yes dog version is fine.

I will add though that guinea pigs do not get viral colds so it definitely isn’t that.

Make sure you are weighing your piggy every morning so you can ensure you giving enough syringe feed to keep his weight stable each day. The critical care is replacing any lost hay intake

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