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Toby's not okay

Sorry if you’ve tried this already but will he take the oxbow from a small plate or even holding a tea spoon up to his mouth gently, at an angle that makes it easy for him to take some?

If you need to persuade your parents of the need for more help ,can you call the vets, or the rescue listed above, and ask them to write an email or call your mum to offer urgent professional advice?

Or maybe you would consider seeing if a rescue could take him off your hands, even if only temporarily? I don’t know if they could, so this may be wide of the mark, but it could really help him.

I’m sorry you’re going through all this. It must be very upsetting and we know you’re trying your best.
 
Piggies&buns said:
We understand how hard it is and we know you are trying your best within the limits you have.
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Agree with this statement, just want to repeat it for you @squeakly

Unfortunately, my mum had similar attitudes to yours when I had guineas in my childhood and early adulthood when still living with my parents, but that was in the 70s/80s/early 90s. I'm now in my fifties and up until a few years ago my parents thought I went overboard caring for my piggies, and some of my friends thought I "spoilt" them. But I didn't, I just looked after them to the best of my ability following what I knew to be good care. Since I've come on the forum here, I've learnt a lot more.

Piggies&buns said:
He won’t voluntarily eat the pellets if he isn’t well, (and the more poorly he gets the harder feeding him will be)
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:agr:
It's also my very sad own experience from when I was having trouble syringe-feeding, which happened several times and due to that I lost several guineas. I think I mentioned that up-thread. It was always devastating. It's only since I've been here on the forum that I've read how to syringe feed and even to get guineas used to a syringe long before they actually need it.
squeakly said:
so I don't know what else to do.
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Are you able to contact @Wheekallweek who offered help? Maybe you're too far away to get there on your own? I don't even drive, but got around by train, bus, bike to all sorts of places to collect new piggies from rescues, go to weekend emergency vets etc. It's more complicated and time-consuming than driving, but it has to be done. Or maybe you don't dare because of what your mum might say? If you don't mind me saying so, your mum sounds a little disrespectful of you. My parents were like that towards me for years - always knowing better etc - they aren't any more because they have dementia and are no longer able to contact me. So, if that is the sort of situation with your mum, then I'm sitting with you in this because I understand how difficult the situation is for you. And unfortunately your mum is not likely to change. People like that don't.
Even if your mum isn't like that, I'm sitting with you in compassion because you're obviously in a difficult situation 🤗
 
@squeakly please do get in touch via [email protected]. We may be able to help and get Toby to the vet but this really needs to be done as soon as is feasible.
We can come to you, that is not a problem.

I run the rescue jointly with my sister. She is a registered vet nurse, fully qualified and on the RCVS register, and currently working in practice, so your parents can be assured the advice being given is absolutely correct and that his situation really is as dire as the thread suggests.

Its such a horrible situation for you and Toby but he really, really needs help 😔
 
LucyP said:
Sorry if you’ve tried this already but will he take the oxbow from a small plate or even holding a tea spoon up to his mouth gently, at an angle that makes it easy for him to take some?

If you need to persuade your parents of the need for more help ,can you call the vets, or the rescue listed above, and ask them to write an email or call your mum to offer urgent professional advice?

Or maybe you would consider seeing if a rescue could take him off your hands, even if only temporarily? I don’t know if they could, so this may be wide of the mark, but it could really help him.

I’m sorry you’re going through all this. It must be very upsetting and we know you’re trying your best.
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We would be happy to do this if needed 👍
 
Wheekallweek said:
@squeakly how is Toby today?
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Hi there, we now have the syringes and so we've started giving him the critical care. It's quite messy though, he was trying very hard not to get it in his mouth. My mum found it to be cruel to be 'force feeding' him as he was getting very stressed but I insisted because he's obviously not eating enough. I will keep you updated with how it goes. Thanks for all your help :luv:
 
That's good news, feeding him is so important! You are making progress.

But it is just a stopgap and he really does need to see a vet, he is likely in pain and there is a reason he isn't eating and is losing weight, possibly a bladder stone if he is in pain when urinating.
Has their been any progress on that front?

As mentioned above we may be able to help at Merrypigs Guinea Pig Sanctuary, our email address is our previous post 👍
 
Wheekallweek said:
That's good news, feeding him is so important! You are making progress.

But it is just a stopgap and he really does need to see a vet, he is likely in pain and there is a reason he isn't eating and is losing weight, possibly a bladder stone if he is in pain when urinating.
Has their been any progress on that front?

As mentioned above we may be able to help at Merrypigs Guinea Pig Sanctuary, our email address is our previous post 👍
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Wet bottom hasn't gone away yet. Squealing was going away but I am still noticing it with him. We keep giving him fibreplex like the vet said. Thank you for offering to help. I will be in touch if there continues to be no progress
 
Syringe feeding can be messy. It is not cruel, it is essential care.
I had one piggy who always wiped his messy mouth on my sleeve !
I found that adding a small piece of mashed banana into the syringe feed helped to make it much more enjoyable.
In fact it was so good that Ruth would literally pull Micah’s syringe out of his mouth so she could have it until I started making a syringe up for her too.

Persevere with the syringe feeding, practice makes a difference
 
Do keep in mind that Fibreplex is simply a probiotic/digestive aid - it can help with gut motility particularly when a piggy is on antibiotics.

Fibreplex is not a medication (it’s a food supplement) and will not do a single thing to help a urinary tract infection.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Do keep in mind that Fibreplex is simply a probiotic/digestive aid - it can help with gut motility particularly when a piggy is on antibiotics.

Fibreplex is not a medication (it’s a food supplement) and will not do a single thing to help a urinary tract infection.
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Agreed. I'm afraid he is not going to get better on his own.
 
Hi all,

Toby, my 5 year old boar, has been sick for over a month now, and has a urinary problem. I have previously posted about this, where it explains how I was struggling to get my parents to take the situation seriously, which is why the treatment has been delayed, but my sister quickly also realised when she came to visit that he is not well. She also discovered that Toby had started peeing blood, which prompted my mum to make an immediate vet appointment. When we went for our previous vet visit, they mentioned nothing about a urine infection or stones etc, they thought he had an upset stomach. It was my mum who raised concerns to them on our most recent visit about urinary issues because I had been trying to convince her for weeks that this was possibly what was wrong with him, based on information from fellow forum members on my previous post, and told her that he would need antibiotics if he has a urine infection. My mum's aim out of going to the vets was for him to be prescribed with antibiotics, but I said to her that they need to make sure it is really a urine infection before prescribing him with antibiotics. However, the vet said the only way they can know it is stones is if they perform an ultrasound and said we need to rule out a urine infection with antibiotics first. They didn't test his urine or prescribe us with any painkillers, which is my main concern. His pain seems to be getting a lot worse, his squealing is getting more severe, and we still have a week's worth of antibiotics left. I just don't want him to suffer all this physical pain, and I am frightened by the possibility of a urine blockage or a more severe infection as he is obviously trying not to pee because it hurts him, as well as the possibility of stones blocking and stopping his urinary flow. I don't like waiting and waiting if I don't know that he's going to get better because we don't even have a diagnosis of the problem, and it's upsetting to hear him and see him in such distress.

I know this is probably a complete panic rant, but even if there is not much I can do because we are already in the process of treatment, it would feel settling to hear people's thoughts and advice on this.
Thank you very much to @Wheekallweek and Merrypigs Sanctuary in Staffordshire for actively supporting me via email ❤️
 
I’m sorry to hear he is not better but it’s good you’ve been able to get him to the vet. I know how difficult this has been for you.

They don’t need to rule out an infection by seeing if the antibiotics work first - they could easily do an x ray to check for stones or sludge in case that is the cause. He would probably still need antibiotics even if he does have stones because any stones/crystals/sludge can cause damage in the bladder which then lets infection in (ie the bacteria can be a secondary issue rather than the primary).
Sterile cystitis is a type of urine infection but it is not caused by bacteria so antibiotics won’t cure it.
Faecal bacteria getting into the urinary tract is another form of infection. This is treated by antibiotics pretty quickly and easily.

He definitely needs painkillers - bladder related issues are painful regardless of the cause.
I’ve added the guide below again which explain the types of bladder issues piggies can get

Have you been able to get the scales yet and weigh him daily along with syringe feeding?

I am also going to link this back in with your original post so that everything is kept together

Wiebke's Guide to Pees and Stones
 
I’m sorry he’s not feeling much better. I hope you can get him some pain medicine. 🤞🏻
 
Piggies&buns said:
I’m sorry to hear he is not better but it’s good you’ve been able to get him to the vet. I know how difficult this has been for you.

They don’t need to rule out an infection by seeing if the antibiotics work first - they could easily do an x ray to check for stones or sludge in case that is the cause. He would probably still need antibiotics even if he does have stones because any stones/crystals/sludge can cause damage in the bladder which then lets infection in (ie the bacteria can be a secondary issue rather than the primary).
Sterile cystitis is a type of urine infection but it is not caused by bacteria so antibiotics won’t cure it.
Faecal bacteria getting into the urinary tract is another form of infection. This is treated by antibiotics pretty quickly and easily.

He definitely needs painkillers - bladder related issues are painful regardless of the cause.
I’ve added the guide below again which explain the types of bladder issues piggies can get

Have you been able to get the scales yet and weigh him daily along with syringe feeding?

I am also going to link this back in with your original post so that everything is kept together

Wiebke's Guide to Pees and Stones
Click to expand...
Hi,

We were still syringe feeding him, but not weighing. On our previous visit to the vets he weighed just under a kilo. I would say we weren't syringe feeding him enough but I did all I could, my mum didn't want to stress him out too much and the most we did was twice a day.

For the past few days, Toby was in the corner in the back of the cage and barely eating, his squealing was intensifying. He suffered a rectal prolapse last night and because my mum saw blood stains where he had been sitting, she made an emergency vet appointment this morning. She said he had his head buried in the hay and was almost lifeless. The vet advised he be euthanised and so that's what my mum did. I did not know this was happening at the time, I only found out after. My mum paid for them to cremate him and dispose of him but I was very upset when I found out because I had already not seen George before he was buried and I wanted to see Toby when he died, cut some of his hair to keep and then bury him next to his brother. Luckily they still had him when my mum told me he had died so we went up there and she got a refund for the cremation, and we took him home and buried him.

I really hope his prolapse wasn't my cause or could've been helped, I'm still shocked as to why this has happened as he had a urine problem. I also hope that euthanasia was the best option in this situation.

Thanks to everybody who has offered their help and support these past few weeks. ❤️
 
I’m so sorry to hear this.
He was very poorly though and letting him go was the kindest thing for him.
Sending hugs
 
Very sad to hear the news about Toby. You did all you could and didn't do anything wrong. Run free over the bridge little Toby 🌈
 
So sorry for your loss. Take care as you grieve, it is clear you loved him very much.
 
I am so very sorry for your loss, he crossed The Rainbow Bridge knowing he was loved by you 💙
Popcorn happily over The Rainbow Bridge sweet Toby 🌈
 
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