Take Bumble To Work Or Leave Him At Home With His Wives ?

[TAN]

Bumble will hopefully be coming home tomorrow night after his bladder op (all being well) - he has lost 90 gms in weight over the last couple of days and is only eating a bit on his own - should I take him into work with me for a few days in a carry case and syringe feed him every few hours so I am sure he is getting enough food and gut motility - or do i leave him at home with his 2 wives in a very spacious pen and just give him some critical care before and after work and hope he doesn't lose any more weight - and how much should I be looking to give him and how often? any help appreciated.

 

[Galaxy&nibbles]

I can't help I'm afraid but I hope someone else comes along soon with the advice you need.

 

[Wiebke]

Bumble will hopefully be coming home tomorrow night after his bladder op (all being well) - he has lost 90 gms in weight over the last couple of days and is only eating a bit on his own - should I take him into work with me for a few days in a carry case and syringe feed him every few hours so I am sure he is getting enough food and gut motility - or do i leave him at home with his 2 wives in a very spacious pen and just give him some critical care before and after work and hope he doesn't lose any more weight - and how much should I be looking to give him and how often? any help appreciated.

What you do very much depends on how much food he takes in one session. If he will eat less than 10ml in one sitting, then it would be better if you could feed him throughout the day, as you need to feed more often. If he is eating around 15-20 ml, then you can risk leaving him at home and just feed him 3-5 times during the morning/evening and ideally once in the night until you are sure that the weight (and therefore the food intake) has stabilised.

If you take him to work, please let one of his wives come with him as a paw-holder. He will be a lot happier with a friend.

More information in here: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

 

[TAN]

I will have to take all 3 - as his wives are a very tightly bonded pair - they came from Rugby rabbit & guinea pig rescue 3 years ago and didn't have the best start - I have some spare C & C grids that I bought from Flintstone's Jo - so I could make up something small that would be a bit bigger than a cat carry box for them - we are a quiet shop selling candles and jewellery etc - so don't suffer much with screaming kiddies (thankfully) - this might be the safest way to go - I don't want to take any chances!

 

[Wiebke]

I will have to take all 3 - as his wives are a very tightly bonded pair - they came from Rugby rabbit & guinea pig rescue 3 years ago and didn't have the best start - I have some spare C & C grids that I bought from Flintstone's Jo - so I could make up something small that would be a bit bigger than a cat carry box for them - we are a quiet shop selling candles and jewellery etc - so don't suffer much with screaming kiddies (thankfully) - this might be the safest way to go - I don't want to take any chances!

All the best! Post op recovery is always a worrying time, as you need to make sure that he is getting enough food to keep the guts going.

 

[gizzy]

Dificult one,
personaly i would keep him with me . that is what i am doing with a pig at the moment ,
he is in a zoozone cage a the side of my bed , so l am able to feed, and monnitor his progress
Though only take on what you a sure you can manage , as wilst fixing a pooly pig is the best feeling
in the world , the worry can realy take it out of you

 

[flintstones]

I agree with taking him to work, it's great to see them recovering.

I never did say I know it's not the best circumstances for either of us but it's good to see you on the forum.

I hope your little one gets better. X

 

[TAN]

I took Noodles into work with me last Friday so I could syringe feed her - so it's not a problem - my sister is the owner and I'm the manageress - so no worries there -

 

[TAN]

I agree with taking him to work, it's great to see them recovering.

I never did say I know it's not the best circumstances for either of us but it's good to see you on the forum.

I hope your little one gets better. X

Thanks Jo - I have been lurking - though not often posting - I like to see what all us "oldies" are up to and see how Boss Hogg is coming along

 

[Guinea Slave]

I would take to work too, for your sanity if nothing else. If you are like me, you will just worry so much anyway. You need to be well and positive to help him, so this is better for your state of mind as well. I am so fortunate that my mother can pop in during the day. I cannot really take mine to work as I travel a lot and when they are sick I am desperate with worry.

 

[Flutterby]

I would take to work too, given the opportunity. You can keep a close eye on him then.

 

[TAN]

Hi all,

Bumble is home - they did not syringe feed him at the vets today as they said he was eating well - that they think he was passing wee,and that there was no pink staining under his belly and he was passing poo - he ate some lettuce with gusto in the carry case before I took him home - popped him in his cage and he did a pink wee (not unusual after surgery - same thing happened to noodles after she was spayed ) and did a half size soft poo - hasn't eaten much hay -- eaten a strawberry and turned his nose up at nuggets - weighed 1360 gms on Sunday - now weighs 1129 - a loss of 131 gms - have been told to give him "1 or 2 " drops of metacam in the morning - as he had a dose this morning - and is on 0.54 of baytril -
I personally think the metacam dose is too low - should be 03 - I was given a few days supply of pre preared emiprid 0.05 and vetegisic 0.1 for Noodles - that I was told I could give every 8 - 10 hours and could be given alongside metacam - I personally think that I should give this to Bumble and then start syringe feeding half an hour later once it kicks in - they did say they thought he didn't need syringe feeding - but they are not on the other end of things when the pig is at home and not eating as much as you would like -any advice appreciated.

 

[Flutterby]

Sending lots of healing vibes, glad he's home for you!

 

[Wiebke]

All the best! I would certainly top up with syringe feed. @furryfriends (TEAS) recommends to syringe feed a bit to encourage a piggy to eat on its own, then finish off with more syringe feed. As long as he is not eating much in the way of hay (which is the staple for piggies), you will want to top him up with fibrous food, which will help to steady his guts and his poo output.

 

[Wiebke]

And yes, his not eating much hay yet can be a sign of discomfort or the guts not yet fully working.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Giving syringe food will not stop them eating for themselves, but it will keep their strength up and help in their recovery.

 

[TAN]

Bumble has just taken 15 ml of recovery food straight down - sucked it out of the syringe like a straw! and was tugging the syringe off me - then ate a huge piece of cucumber - some poo coming out but it is soft - will ask vet if giving some fibreplex will help firm it up - and will take him and his wives into work Thursday and Friday and see how his weight goes - on the down side have just watched one of his wives squeek and lift her bum in the air - UTI anyone?

 

[Wiebke]

Bumble has just taken 15 ml of recovery food straight down - sucked it out of the syringe like a straw! and was tugging the syringe off me - then ate a huge piece of cucumber - some poo coming out but it is soft - will ask vet if giving some fibreplex will help firm it up - and will take him and his wives into work Thursday and Friday and see how his weight goes - on the down side have just watched one of his wives squeek and lift her bum in the air - UTI anyone?

It is great news that he is showing an appetite. Fibreplex will help with the poos, but hopefully, as his guts are starting to work again and he is feeling better in himself, improvements should be very noticeable and quick.

I would not yet fret about UTI if I were you... You are currently very sensitised! See whether it is a one-off or whether it happens regularly.

 

[TAN]

Bumble and his wives spent the day at the shop with me - he took 20 ml of cc at 11 am - hay - 2 mini sweetcorns - 2 large pieces of cucumber - some lettuce - a few nuggets - some hay - another 18ml of cc at 4pm - 21 ml of cc at 9pm - with a strawberry and big piece of cucumber - he has put on 35gms - so things are looking hopeful - he will be in the shop again tomorrow and is having his post op check - his stitches are looking good to.

 

[Wiebke]

Bumble and his wives spent the day at the shop with me - he took 20 ml of cc at 11 am - hay - 2 mini sweetcorns - 2 large pieces of cucumber - some lettuce - a few nuggets - some hay - another 18ml of cc at 4pm - 21 ml of cc at 9pm - with a strawberry and big piece of cucumber - he has put on 35gms - so things are looking hopeful - he will be in the shop again tomorrow and is having his post op check - his stitches are looking good to.

it looks very positive and he has hopefully turned a corner. Keep offering him syringe feed after each meal until you are sure that he is eating plenty of hay on his own; you will see when he is no longer interested in it without losing weight. it is likely to happen any day now as the body is healing and the guts are working.

 

[TAN]

Bumble had his pot op check today and it is looking good - he has gained 50gms and is eating well - he is taking less cc as je is chomping away on hay and veggies - so just going to give him cc morning and evening tomorrow and monitor his weight - poop looks to be back to normal and he is weeing well - have ordered some Protexin Cystopto for dogs after my Vet did a bit of research and spoke to the manufacturers -l have to give 1/4 - 1/2 capsule daily - so hopefully will help him in the future - am now giving filtered water and was already following the low calcium diet.