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Traumatised Guinea Pig With Loose Stools - Please Help

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Katherine

Katherine

Soppiest Piggie Owner 2015
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Really hope someone can give me some advice here. On Sunday night, I noticed Angelina looking very unhappy, and sort of going around in circles, but not being able to find a position where she was comfortable. She was also giving little squeaks of pain. We were so worried about her that we rushed her to an emergency vet, who said he couldn't find anything wrong with her.

When it had become obvious that Angelina was in distress, we took her out of her cage and were holding her. She seemed to be uncomfortable / painful in her rear, and was still squeaking. I noticed that she did a few normal looking poops, and ate one of them. Anyway, my husband, who took her to the vet, said that by the time he got her there, she was no longer squeaking. However, there weren't any poops in the travel case, and she did one while she was at the vets, but apparently it wasn't very normal looking. The vet didn't pick up on this.

They kept her in overnight, and I picked her up yesterday. They said that she had been absolutely terrified, was lying in her own urine, and wasn't eating. They gave her critical care, but the nurse didn't seem absolutely sure that she'd swallowed very much of it, and seemed to think she might have been just holding it in her cheeks. They'd given her a bit of a bath, because she'd got so dirty.

When I got her home, she started eating hay immediately. Although she had no interest in the supper of veg, I wasn't exactly surprised, seeing as she'd been so traumatised. But I felt that if she was eating hay, that was the main thing. She did eat half a grape.

We noticed she smelt funny, and this morning saw that her bottom was very dirty and yucky, so we gave her a bath. While drying her, she did several poops that were very stinky, rather thin and loose (but not running diarrhoea, which I was worrying she might have). She's not fluffed up, as such, but she doesn't exactly look happy.

Following Peter Gurney's advice, I gave her arrowroot. We also syringed her some Bio-Lapis. She's eaten a bit of hay since putting her back. Also, she had some grass earlier, which she was very keen on (I hope it was alright for her to have that).

The thing is, I just don't know what happened to Angelina. Did she maybe have some sort of intestinal problem that was very painful, but if so, why didn't the vet realise it? Or were these loose stools caused by the fright of being at the vets. It's difficult to know where cause begins and effect ends.

I'm reluctant to take her to the vet again, considering what a bad effect it seems to have had on her. Also we've just paid a mammoth bill for nothing, essentially, and we still have a poorly guinea pig.

Please does anyone have any idea on what might have happned, and what I should do? I'm thinking that I should avoid giving her fruit and veg until her stools are back to normal, continue giving her probiotic and arrowroot, and encourage her to eat lots of hay, and maybe a bit of grass. Obviously I will go the vet again if you all think I should, or if she gets worse.
 
Oh the poor baby. I am so sorry to hear how distressed she has been. I really hope she starts to recover. Sorry for not giving any advice. Hopefully somebody will come on soon who can advise you.
 
I am not too sure what could have caused it, whether something she ate upset her or not or maybe she had some gas? I have been using arrowroot too for Ellie, it does work to firm things up.
 
Oh dear, vets can be quite useless sometimes :( I'm sorry that you and your piggie are going through this.

I'm quite baffled as to what has been wrong with her - my guess is she had some sort if issue in her intestinal tract and the vet failed to notice. Our unpiggy savvy vet failed to notice a cystic ovary, said Pebbles blood was urine and said Porche was fine when she isn't.

I hope she improves but if not, I would email/phone a piggie savvy vet and get a different opinion. Also, out of hours vets usually aren't trained up :(
 
Please stay off any fresh veg until the stools have been firm for at least a day. Weigh her daily and make sure that she is kept well hydrated. If necessary hand feed.

Have you got another vet that can see her and give her a more competent check?
 
I have just had a thought. It was Sunday when Angelina got ill, also it was that day that Ivy (who has been treated for gut problems lately) started going downhill again after getting almost back to normal - she's a lot better today, by the way) and on Sunday I did see a fox in the garden. I am wondering whether they ate some contaminated grass. I must admit, I don't usually wash grass (after all, if they were in a run outside, they would be eating unwashed grass), but after this I am thinking that I should always wash their grass, or else grow some for them in trays. It's only speculation, but I guess it's a possibility. Poor things, I feel dreadful. We do get a lot of wildlife in our garden.

Angelina is very quiet, but she came out of her igloo earlier on, and ate a little hay. She also gave her friend a little nip, which I suppose is encouraging in a way.

@helen105281 I'm glad you're using arrowroot too, I was a bit worried in case it wasn't the right thing to do. I hope it will help Angelina as it seems to have helped Ellie.

@LeahsPiggies Yes, it wasn't one of the usual vets we see, and I really don't think he knew much about guinea pigs. If we need to ring the vets again, I shall ask to speak to one of the ones we normally deal with. I think you are right, there was some sort of intestinal issue.
 
It is a large possibility that it could have been the grass. Even uncontaminated grass can still upset pigs at this time of year when it is still damp and chilly. I know someone who recently had to rush all her pigs to the vets after feeding them grass and sadly one died.
 
Wiebke said:
Please stay off any fresh veg until the stools have been firm for at least a day. Weigh her daily and make sure that she is kept well hydrated. If necessary hand feed.

Have you got another vet that can see her and give her a more competent check?
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Thanks Wiebke. Yes, I'll avoid giving her veg (although she's not interested anyway). Also we'll keep giving her some Bio Lapis, as she's not drinking of her own accord. I think we'll also have to do some syringe feeding, as she's not eating anough.

We have got a more piggy savvy vet we can see or speak to if needs be. The problem was rushing her in like we did, we just had to take the vet that was available at the time. We will decide what to do about that this afternoon.
 
helen105281 said:
It is a large possibility that it could have been the grass. Even uncontaminated grass can still upset pigs at this time of year when it is still damp and chilly. I know someone who recently had to rush all her pigs to the vets after feeding them grass and sadly one died.
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Oh crumbs, that's awful. I feel incredibly wary of grass now, even though I had thought I was being careful with it. Two of our piggies are absolutely fine and healthy, somehow they've escaped (presuming it was grass that caused this). I shall be keeping an eye on them though.
 
Right, well, we rang the vets, and typically, none of the 3 women vets that we normally see are in today - just the men, who I suspect are not so "into" small furries. So, I think we're on our own for the time being.

Angelina has come out of her igloo again, so at least she's moving around a bit. No signs of her gobbling down hay though, so in a few minutes we're going to syringe her some food and liquids.

@Wiebke (Or anyone else) Do you know whether it would be advisable to give some metacam in these circumstances, and if so, how much?
 
Personally, I would give metacam twice daily to make sure that it isn't pain preventing her from eating. 0.2ml is the safe high dose. If she's not eating properly (and please make sure that it is more than just a little desultory nibble you see her doing), then please start hand feeding her.

Mush up some pellets in some boiled, cooled water if you haven't got any revery food handy. Cut the narrow tip off a 1ml syringe just before it widens for easier feeding. Feed about half a syringe in one go; that way you can be sure that things won;t go down the wrong way. Please give 1ml of water for every 3ml of hand feed if she is not drinking and the diarrhea hasn't stopped. She will need at least about 40-60g in 24 hours to just keep the guts going through an acute crisis, if you can get more in, all the better. http://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html
 
I have very sad news. Our dear, sweet, beautiful Angelina has died. We looked after her at home on Tuesday, and at times there did seem to be some signs of improvement. We got up in the middle of the night to feed her, and very early yesterday. She seemed worse then, (and I was very alarmed to see running diarrhoea) so we took her that morning back to the vets - we liked the vet we saw, he seemed very calm and kind, and knew about guineas. Angelina was also seen by the piggy expert of the practice. They got her throught the rest of yesterday and last night, but today she went downhill and we just had the call to say she has gone.

I'm devastated. It's hard not to feel slightly bitter that the first vet had seemed to think we were imagining everything, and that when she stayed there the first time, her reluctance to eat anything and her dirtiness was put down to nothing more than fright. But it wasn't - she was ill. She might (possibly)have had a chance if she'd seen one of the piggy savvy vets at once.

And then I want to start blaming myself, thinking, should we have gone back sooner? But really on the Monday when I collected her, I more or less accepted what the vet said, and thought, well, I suppose she has just had a very frightening experience, then on Tuesday we knew that we were right to think that there had been something wrong with her, but thought maybe it was something that would clear up being looked after at home. Yesterday, it was a case of, no, she has got worse, we've got to go back no matter which vet it is, and although fortunately it was a good vet, still it was too late. Maybe it would even have been too late had she gone back on Tuesday, or even if she'd been treated right at the beginning it might not have been possible to save her. But you always think "what if..."

I can't believe that never again will I be able to cuddle that adorable, chubby, white, fluffy little thing.. She was the sweetest natured, and most affectionate piggy I have ever known. She was only just over 2 years old, and this was a horrible way for her to die. She must have been so unhappy. I want her back, but I can't - she's gone, and we didn't have her for long enough.
 
Aw Katherine, I am so terribly sorry to read this. How heartbreaking for you. Please do not blame yourself for what happened. You loved and cared for Angelina and wanted the best for her. You sought help for her, you fought for her. Big hugs to you. RIP Angelina. Popcorn free at the Rainbow Bridge little one xx
 
HUGS!

I am very sorry that Angelina hasn't made it despite the best of care! Serious digestive tract problems can be very hard to impossible to get on top of.

You couldn't have done anything more; these feelings of guilt and the desperate soul searching for what else you could have done are the very first and very normal stage of your grieving process. You are a very loving, responsible piggy mummy, so you are instinctively looking for something that could have prevented what has happened. We go all through this phase when one of ours passes away for whatever reason. :(

Sadly, we can never know how long we have a piggy with us; all we can do is feeling blessed for every day we have it in our life. I have lost several young ones to sudden acute heart failure, and it whacks you hard.
 
VickiA said:
Aw Katherine, I am so terribly sorry to read this. How heartbreaking for you. Please do not blame yourself for what happened. You loved and cared for Angelina and wanted the best for her. You sought help for her, you fought for her. Big hugs to you. RIP Angelina. Popcorn free at the Rainbow Bridge little one xx
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Thankyou very much for those kind words. It was only 2 months ago that our Milly died (Angelina came to be her companion after Milly's original friend (in my avatatar picture) passed away). So when Angelina was left on her own, we got her Cupcake as a new friend, who in her turn is now on her own. They only had about 6 weeks together.

This isn't a good time to make any decisions, but we keep wondering whether we can cope with the cycle of getting piggies, them dying, and then the heartbreak. In the last 2 1/2 years we've lost 5, although we've never had more than 4 at one time. I wonder whether anyone else ever feels like this.
 
Wiebke said:
HUGS!

I am very sorry that Angelina hasn't made it despite the best of care! Serious digestive tract problems can be very hard to impossible to get on top of.

You couldn't have done anything more; these feelings of guilt and the desperate soul searching for what else you could have done are the very first and very normal stage of your grieving process. You are a very loving, responsible piggy mummy, so you are instinctively looking for something that could have prevented what has happened. We go all through this phase when one of ours passes away for whatever reason. :(

Sadly, we can never know how long we have a piggy with us; all we can do is feeling blessed for every day we have it in our life. I have lost several young ones to sudden acute heart failure, and it whacks you hard.
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Thankyou Wiebke, that is very comforting. What you say does make me feel a bit better. Thanks again.
 
There are times like this; those of us who have had piggies for any length of time have often found that deaths come in waves and it can seriously rattle you. I lost three of my own (and none of them one of my frail elderlies that I am better braced for) within a month at the beginning of this year. But despite the pain of loss, which never gets any less, we always come back to starting yet another piggy journey simply because our lives would be so much poorer without a piggy to brighten it up!

Perhaps you want to do a conscious break and rather look for a neutered boar companion for Cupcake? That will hopefully take things into a completely different direction so you aren't so much reminded of what could have been.
You may find this thread helpful: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/looking-after-a-bereaved-piggy.110463/
 
Massive hugs and love to you Katherine, I am so very sorry.

There is nothing else that you could have done. You did everything possible for her, the 'what if' is part of the grief process and it happens to us all. As Wiebke has said digestive problems are so difficult to treat and hard to fully find out what was going on. I am so so sorry. She may not have been with you for long enough but within that time she felt true love from you.

Hugs x x
 
I'm truly very sorry for your loss Katherine, very upsetting news. But please please promise me not to blame yourself, you did everything you could and are a wonderful piggy mummy. Take care xx
 
sport_billy said:
Massive hugs and love to you Katherine, I am so very sorry.

There is nothing else that you could have done. You did everything possible for her, the 'what if' is part of the grief process and it happens to us all. As Wiebke has said digestive problems are so difficult to treat and hard to fully find out what was going on. I am so so sorry. She may not have been with you for long enough but within that time she felt true love from you.

Hugs x x
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Thanks Lee. It does help a bit to know that the problem was something that was very difficult to treat anyway. It's just so sad that on Sunday afternoon I was cutting Angelina's nails, with her bright as a button, scoffing down the bit of lettuce "bribery and corruption" that I gave to distract her, then by bedtime she was suddenly ill. And seeing her change from being so bright-eyed and bouncy to existing in a sort of "twilight zone".

Yes, I really think she did know how much she was loved - and that she had us wrapped right round her little paw! She gave so much love back too.
 
Tim said:
I'm truly very sorry for your loss Katherine, very upsetting news. But please please promise me not to blame yourself, you did everything you could and are a wonderful piggy mummy. Take care xx
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Thankyou, Tim - I will try not to blame myself! Everyone on here has been so kind and helpful.
 
Katherine said:
Thankyou very much for those kind words. It was only 2 months ago that our Milly died (Angelina came to be her companion after Milly's original friend (in my avatatar picture) passed away). So when Angelina was left on her own, we got her Cupcake as a new friend, who in her turn is now on her own. They only had about 6 weeks together.

This isn't a good time to make any decisions, but we keep wondering whether we can cope with the cycle of getting piggies, them dying, and then the heartbreak. In the last 2 1/2 years we've lost 5, although we've never had more than 4 at one time. I wonder whether anyone else ever feels like this.
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I have had all the same feelings just having lost Guiness on Sunday, racked with guilt that I hadn't noticed signs early, angry that he was seen by 3 different vets all not piggy savvy , and now not knowing if I'm strong enough for all this heartbreak ( I held Guiness as he died in my arms at home) .
I'm now 4 days later remembering that without all the love and attention I gave Guiness and my other piggys they may not have had such a good life, they don't want for anything and are thoughly spoilt, which I am sure you do as well, they may have a short life span, but we all love them so much that they have a wonderful life's with us and we need to make sure that we keep rescuing and giving as many piggys as we can the love and attention they deserve.

The heartache gets better
 
Sending big hugs to you.I lost my fizz (the pig in my avatar) after only a few months.She was a pre loved pig.Because pebbles pined I had to get another pig within a few days.It was really hard but she now holds a very special place in our hearts as she was bought by my mum on our last trip to town before she died.Now have multiples so I don't have to do this again for a while.You did the best you could and she had a lovely life with you
 
Oh Katherine what a tragic thing to have happened. I really am so sorry for your loss. I think you are a wonderful and caring piggy mum. It was thanks to you being observant that you spotted she was ill. You did everything correctly and got her help right away. Please do not blame yourself for her passing. It has nothing to do with you at all. If you ever need to talk please pm me. My thoughts are with you.
 
So so sorry.
Like everyone else has said you absolutely can't blame yourself for this. You did all that you could in a difficult situation with limited access to knowledgable piggy vets. Angelina is past her suffering now and would have been so grateful for all you did for her.
My thoughts are with you and little Cupcake x
 
Katherine all that you have said shows what a wonderful caring person you are. It is obviously too soon for you to decide what you now want to do just now. But I cannot think of a better memorial for a loved pet than to keep on caring for animals that continue to need our care and protection.
 
Katherine you are clearly an epic piggy mummy, I can relate but rather with hamsters than piggies as i'm newer to pigs but have kept hamsters for many many years! its always tough when they go but you were and are fabulous, caring responsible and did more than some people would have done. stay strong you will soon find that another piggy will creep into your life that you won't be able to resist and the hurt and pain will feel so much better and worth while knowing you can give such great lives to a little soft fuzzy piggy
 
I feel quite overwhelmed by all the kind, encouraging and supportive things people have said - thankyou so much, all of you.

We have buried Angelina in the garden, laid to rest beside her friend Milly.
 
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