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Underweight piggy

Amyrosexo

Amyrosexo

Junior Guinea Pig
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I’ve taken my pig to the vets this morning as he lost a lot of weight and he seemed weak, the vet has said he needs to put some weight on over the weekend or unfortunately he may have to go over to piggy heaven.

What is the best food that contains vitamins and fat to hopefully help him put a little bit of weight on.

Thankyou :)
 
Is he eating? If not they need to be syringe fed every 2-3 hours. I usually use critical care but you can also crush up pellets and put it in water.
 
Amyrosexo said:
I’ve taken my pig to the vets this morning as he lost a lot of weight and he seemed weak, the vet has said he needs to put some weight on over the weekend or unfortunately he may have to go over to piggy heaven.

What is the best food that contains vitamins and fat to hopefully help him put a little bit of weight on.

Thankyou :)
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Hi! You need to syringe feed your guinea pig. has your vet given you herbivore recovery powder formula? If not please soak pellets in warm water and syringe feed those. You need to cut off the syringe tip as shown in our very detailed syringe feeding guide that takes inexperienced and anxious owners through the whole process step by step, including how much and how often you need to feed your guinea pig and how thick your mush should be, how to hold your guinea pig etc. If yours is apathetic and not eating at all, then you need to feed round the clock (including getting up during the night) to get as much food and some water into your guinea pig if you want to be in with a chance. Please DO NOT just squish food into the mouth, feed only as much as your guinea pig can take (that can be 1/10 of a small 1 ml syringe). Wait until your guinea pig has swallowed everything before feeding more, in order to prevent food from going up the nose or into the lungs. It is not quick with a guinea pig that is fighting for its life.

Please take the time to read these guides here. They tell you exactly what you have to do and what you need to look out for.
Bloat, GI Stasis ( No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

Syringe Feeding & Medicating Guides, Probiotics Links, First Aid Kit...
Administering Medications And Syringe Feed

First Aid Kit For Guinea Pigs

All the best!
 
He is eating his food but very slowly he’s not that fussed about pellets he will eat them but not much, it took him around half an hour to eat a small amount of kale I gave him earlier which is definitely not like him.

We think it’s because his brother is stealing food from him so he’s not eating much I’m now splitting them up to eat to hopefully gain some weight.

All the vet said was to feed him and see if he puts weight on, but I only have till Monday for him to put atleast something on :(
Thankyou for the comments I shall read through the link now :) Much appreciated.
 
Amyrosexo said:
He is eating his food but very slowly he’s not that fussed about pellets he will eat them but not much, it took him around half an hour to eat a small amount of kale I gave him earlier which is definitely not like him.

We think it’s because his brother is stealing food from him so he’s not eating much I’m now splitting them up to eat to hopefully gain some weight.

All the vet said was to feed him and see if he puts weight on, but I only have till Monday for him to put atleast something on :(
Thankyou for the comments I shall read through the link now :) Much appreciated.
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If he’s eating very slowly I suspect a dental issue x
 
@Gem789 the vet mentioned that but he couldn’t see the back of his mouth because he still had a bit of food in his mouth.
I’ve started to syringe feed him and he’s having it with no problem, I’m giving him little bits at a time and doing it every hour/two depends how he feels, I mix it with a little bit of kale too so he doesn’t get bored, but I’m glad he’s eating.
@Merab's Slave I'm hoping so too he’s not even a year old yet so I feel very guilty 😔

I’ll let you all know the outcome on Monday ☺️ Thankyou for all the advice I very much appreciate it
 
He has also been given antibiotics that I have to
Give him twice a day and had a shot of vitamins, which perked him up a little,I forgot to mention it :)
 
Just wanted to say good luck with your little guy.
In the autumn time I always try and bulk up my piggies especially being outdoor ones. Pea flakes, oats and extra vitamin C tablets which they've really gotten used to having each morning.

The cuteness of all those hungry faces waiting for their morning breakfast is overwhelming. x
 
No one has asked as far as i can see. Are you feeding fresh piles of hay atleast twice a day?
 
@Mother Hubbard ive tried but his brother has become boss so pushed him out of food it seems, as seen as the poorly one is half of his brothers weight 😔 it’s horrible to see I wish they could speak so I knew 🙈

@Skypipdot they go through about 2 bags (they are smallish bags) a week, I forever top it up but I tried him with a little bit of it earlier but he wasn’t fussed on eating it. I also put him in the garden earlier and he loved it so I picked some more grass when I took him in and fed him that.
 
He sounds poorly, it's possible his brother is pushing him out as he's not well. Please if you aren't already, I would definitely start syringe feeding to keep his current weight up.

Where about a are you based? We have a vet locator at the top of the page, if he's eating slowly it's possible his teeth have overgrown.
 
@flintstones ive started doing it and it’s going well I just have to tap his mouth with the syringe and he opens his mouth so I’m having no trouble at the moment. So we will see how it goes. And I'm based in high green

@Skypipdot hes highly rated round my area, he said it was because there was food still in his mouth so he couldn’t see. Hopefully this syringing will help put weight on and he can see properly.
 
Amyrosexo said:
@flintstones ive started doing it and it’s going well I just have to tap his mouth with the syringe and he opens his mouth so I’m having no trouble at the moment. So we will see how it goes. And I'm based in high green

@Skypipdot hes highly rated round my area, he said it was because there was food still in his mouth so he couldn’t see. Hopefully this syringing will help put weight on and he can see properly.
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Sounds like you got a good plan sorted, good luck with this situation
 
My vet uses a cotton bud to clean there mouth out, with some water. As guinea pigs being grazers always have food in there mouths.

I'd also weigh him daily, that way you will know if he's putting weight on.
 
Sorry that you find yourself in this situation, and I hope you can figure your piggy out over the weekend. I'd be concerned that your vet didn't give you any real reason as to why your piggy is loosing weight, piggies always have food in their mouths and usually vets will try to clean as much of this out as possible so they can get a clearer view of their teeth... Ive read that the vet your used is highly thought of in the area, is this with exotic animals also? Despite piggies being the 5th most popular pet in the UK., they are classed as an exotic animal and need to be seen by a vet that is trained in that field. I myself have seen the bad side of seeing a vet that is not trained in exotics, therefore being fed wrong information... all I would be reluctant about is that your vet has not given you insight into the reasoning, and has jumped to euthanasia if no progress is made over the weekend. But I wish you all the best to you and your piggy and I hope things will get sorted 🤞🤞❣️
 
@dannif_piggies hes eating really well and has put a little bit of weight on and seems much more energetic. So I feel a little better but we will see about it tomorrow. He’s helped me with my other pigs really well so that’s why I went to him but I don’t think there’s need to put him to sleep as he has some engery back and eating much better
 
Amyrosexo said:
@dannif_piggies hes eating really well and has put a little bit of weight on and seems much more energetic. So I feel a little better but we will see about it tomorrow. He’s helped me with my other pigs really well so that’s why I went to him but I don’t think there’s need to put him to sleep as he has some engery back and eating much better
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this is really good to hear! Fingers are crossed for you, just continue with the syringe feeding and it'll help him get his strength back in sure, I do think your vet should be looking more into the reasons behind this sudden weight loss, maybe query this tomorrow, and go with your gut about any decisions that need to be made on your piggies behalf... back in November, my pig Honey was bald across the entirety of her back, was taking her to the vets multiple times, and was being fed various information about the cause, then a lump was found, the vet suspected it to be kidney cancer... and suggested putting her to sleep right then and there, I said no because she was too well in herself... we went to another vet who was by far more piggy savvy, diagnosed her with hormonal ovarian cysts, and today she is a healthy piggy who has come through a spay at 6 years old... to think that other vet wanted to put her to sleep nearly a whole year ago... 🤦🏻‍♀️ But the point is, you know your piggy better than anyone, if you believe he is not suffering and that his condition is improving, you have every right to continue helping him recover, good luck ❣️
 
Glad he’s feeling a bit better! If he’s started putting weight back on and he seems well it may not be necessary for him to go just yet x
 
@dannif_piggies that’s what I was worried about him just jumping to conclusions even though I did have a feeling it may be mentioned.I'm glad your piggy is well now and you chose a different vet, if he says to put him to sleep I will refuse as long as he’s putting weight on there’s no need for that route. But now if nut hears me speak he will start squeeking and stand at the door for me to pick him up and feed him, and he’s wolfing the veggies down,also yesterday I bought them pellets they had when they were younger and he stopped eating his lettuce and jumped back into his cage just so he could eat that instead, it was like a proud mum moment☺️
So he has improved a lot just over a night.

@Merab's Slave thankyou he’s only a baby so I refuse to give up even if it means I’m up all night making sure he’s eating, I’m trying my best and that’s all I can do.

@Wheekallweek I'm over the moon he’s put weight on and like I’ve mentioned he’s too young to go he’s not even a year yet, just wish I knew what it was that made him loose so much weight :(
 
The first photo was Friday morning he wasn’t bothered about the food
The second one is him an hour ago with no food left ☺️☺️
 

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