Unsure If Pig Has Illness Or Not?

[donnachmari]

Hi I'm new here. I have a guinea pig roughly 11-12 months old, male. I had a female, kept in a seperate cage, who died from wheezing 4 days ago. My male is lethargic, has slight crustyness around the eye and just wants to sit and cuddle all the time.
He is pooing, eating, drinking etc. I thought i heard him wheezing yesterday, but its gone again. He seen a vet yesterday, who said there was no wheezing, she said he had no gut movement, so she gave him an injection. Never said what it was etc, then gave him an injection of pain medicine. She weighed him said he was quite skinny, but she never told me his weight.
Today, he still been the lethargic, sitting in the corner of his cage. Hes still eating normal. No wheezing. But i dont have money to take him to another vet. I got annoyed when i heard his wheeze last night, emailed his vet annoyed. So yeah going to different vet next time lol. She said she would see me today and i never went (working, and her lack of knowledge. What vet has to read from a textbook on how to give an injection?)
The thing is, after paying a vet to look at him and for treatement, i still have no idea whats wrong with him, if anything. She said could be a dental issue (its not his teeth are fine and hes eating normal) or it could be an infection. She never said he had one etc so I'm confused?
Symptoms are - Lethargic, sitting in corner of cage, rather quite.

 

[biscandmatt]

he does sound ill. i would take him to an exotics/guinea savvy vet as soon as possible. most can offer a payment plan to help with the cost. there is a vet locator at the top of the forum page to help find your nearest one.

 

[Lilly]

Oh dear, yes he sounds ill. A visit to a piggy savvy vet is in order I reckon.

 

[helen105281]

I agree he needs the vet ASAP. I would think your vet gave him a gut stimulant. It sounds like he has a URI and if he is struggling to breathe he won't want to eat which will then affect his gut. The vet may offer a payment plan, please can you confirm your location?

 

[donnachmari]

his breathing is fine now he is eating and going to the loo ok. The only thing he has is lethargic ... even the crust round his eyes going away. I cant go to any the vets under vet locator they waaayy too far away from me

 

[donnachmari]

i got him from a pet store about 5-6 months ago, and hes always been what i though was small. i think he needs to be built up weight wise. what is the best way to do this?

 

[Gizi]

Maybe you could try to syringe feed him? sorry for your loss

 

[Wiebke]

his breathing is fine now he is eating and going to the loo ok. The only thing he has is lethargic ... even the crust round his eyes going away. I cant go to any the vets under vet locator they waaayy too far away from me

Please have him seen by any vet that you can get to, as soon as possible!

Lethargy is a sign that he is very ill. Untreated respiratory infections can kill or at best leave a piggy with lifelong lung disease and open to recurring infections. Your piggy needs an antibiotic treatment if it is diagnosed with a URI. Any general vet worth his salt can diagnose a respiratory infection and he should also be able to check his heart, in case you are dealing with a heart problem. Were the crusts on his eye yellowish and how long since he's been lethargic, off food and had crusty eyes?

Please also ask the vet for bisolvon powder to help dissolve any mucus if he has URI and for diuretics if his lungs are fluid filled. You may also ask him for a probiotic to bolster the impact of the antibiotics on the guts. If you are dealing with URI, your piggy will need any help it can get.

A piggy needs to breathe before it drinks and before it thirdly eats. You won't be able to build him up unless you address the main issue.
The sooner you have him seen, the more of a chance he has to pull through if he has a major illness; guinea pigs go down quite quickly, so you can't afford to dither and wait. The symptoms you have reported are serious enough to warrant an immediate vet visit. We cannot diagnose through the internet without seeing a piggy. Only a qualified vet can do that and treat appropriately.

Here is our hand feeding guide. If your piggy is lethargic, losing weight and not eating on its own, then it will need hand feeding to prevent the guts and then the body from closing down. But this can only support his medical care and increase his chances of a recovery, it cannot replace medical treatment. Please weigh any ill piggy daily at the same time to monitor its food intake and also check his poos to see whether enough is passed through.
http://www.guinealynx.info/uri.html
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/

 

[biscandmatt]

you could go to your local vet and most will be happy to consult with a specialist via the phone/email/fax etc. he really does need to be seen asap.

 

[BPM7]

was the vet guinea pig experienced?

 

[donnachmari]

they said they were x but thats what i dont get the crust has gone around his eyes and hes bk with plenty of energy. He never went off his food in the first place i dunno why he is skinny but he eats plenty and hes never been any different from when i got him x i think its just the way he built. I think it was stress from the other one dying. Not a thing wrong with him today i was eating a cracker and he crawled up to my chest and tried to grab it from my hand lol.

 

[donnachmari]

He's decided he's comfy under my laptop so he's not moving x lol