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Vet Visit Has Left Me Confused And Still Worried

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Tangerine49

Tangerine49

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so I have been to the vet today with Amy my 5+ year old sow, when we got there the young vet said her heart sounds good and her chest clear but as Amy had diarrhea for the first time in her life overnight last night she said it might be a tummy bug/issue but she would take her into another room and get help to look at her teeth,so 30 minutes later she came back saying the senior vet has looked at Amy and suggested giving her fluids and an antibiotics and a injection to help her digestive system then sent us home with replacement food which I have to syringe in and a rabbit paste fibre mix to help her digestion. Now Amy weighed 810g yesterday today the vet said she's now 760g and skinny, the vet could not give me a diagnosis just said see how she responds to what we are doing and take her back tomorrow I feel she is deteriorating in front of my eyes and just as stressed as before I went, thoughts please appreciated I'm feeling desperate for my girl.
 
Tangerine49 said:
so I have been to the vet today with Amy my 5+ year old sow, when we got there the young vet said her heart sounds good and her chest clear but as Amy had diarrhea for the first time in her life overnight last night she said it might be a tummy bug/issue but she would take her into another room and get help to look at her teeth,so 30 minutes later she came back saying the senior vet has looked at Amy and suggested giving her fluids and an antibiotics and a injection to help her digestive system then sent us home with replacement food which I have to syringe in and a rabbit paste fibre mix to help her digestion. Now Amy weighed 810g yesterday today the vet said she's now 760g and skinny, the vet could not give me a diagnosis just said see how she responds to what we are doing and take her back tomorrow I feel she is deteriorating in front of my eyes and just as stressed as before I went, thoughts please appreciated I'm feeling desperate for my girl.
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Please start syringe feeding her asap, whether that is recovery mix, mushed pellets or a mix of the two, whatever goes in best! Also make sure that you water her regularly, as much as she will take. Did you get fibreplex paste? It often does the trick with a dodgy tummy. Take her off all fresh food and try to get as much fibre into her as possible; the more often round the clock the less you can get into her in one go. Be aware that any antibiotic can additionally impact on the guts.
Please take the time to read our detailed tips in the syringe feeding guide; they should help you with working out how much and how often she needs.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

It can be quite difficult for a vet to say what is exactly going on when the symptoms are not clear, but try to help Amy as much as you can to have a chance at pulling through. We all feel very low when there is not a huge lot we can do for a seriously ill piggy, but try to be positive for Amy's sake.
 
Wiebke said:
Please start syringe feeding her asap, whether that is recovery mix, mushed pellets or a mix of the two, whatever goes in best! Also make sure that you water her regularly, as much as she will take. Did you get fibreplex paste? It often does the trick with a dodgy tummy. Take her off all fresh food and try to get as much fibre into her as possible; the more often round the clock the less you can get into her in one go. Be aware that any antibiotic can additionally impact on the guts.
Please take the time to read our detailed tips in the syringe feeding guide; they should help you with working out how much and how often she needs.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

It can be quite difficult for a vet to say what is exactly going on when the symptoms are not clear, but try to help Amy as much as you can to have a chance at pulling through. We all feel very low when there is not a huge lot we can do for a seriously ill piggy, but try to be positive for Amy's sake.
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Yes it is fibreplex for rabbits?!?!? I have given her two lots of replacement and fibreplex the vet didn't mention syringe feeing water is that what I should do also? She's not taking this voluntarily I'm having to force it in I will always do my best for her she's not just a guinea pig she's different she's special amazing girl who had been calm happy willing since the day I got her 5 years ago thank you for replying.
 
Tangerine49 said:
Yes it is fibreplex for rabbits?!?!? I have given her two lots of replacement and fibreplex the vet didn't mention syringe feeing water is that what I should do also? She's not taking this voluntarily I'm having to force it in I will always do my best for her she's not just a guinea pig she's different she's special amazing girl who had been calm happy willing since the day I got her 5 years ago thank you for replying.
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If you look at our syringe feeding guide, you can find it listed and recommended for guinea pigs, too. Especially those with digestive problems. There is not a lot of guinea pig specific stuff around, so you come up against formulas for other species quite regularly. Fibreplex contains probiotics, so you do not need give any extra. ;)

Please be carefully when feeding a very ill piggy off its food and do never give more than it can swallow. Depending how weak and how large the piggy is, this can range from half a 1 ml syringe to just a 10th (i.e. 0.1-0.5 ml). Always make sure that your piggy has swallowed the previous lot before giving more. The same goes for offering water. If you get in very little, you have to feed about every 2 hours day and night.

If Amy is becoming lethargic, please stop. In that case, her body has started to close down and all you can do is making her as comfortable as possible.
 
The only thing i can add to @Wiebke s advice is to give additional probiotic such as pro-c from pets at home. Iv found fibreplex good for diarrohea but with gut bacteria upsets the other probiotic is better x
 
Wiebke said:
If you look at our syringe feeding guide, you can find it listed and recommended for guinea pigs, too. Especially those with digestive problems. There is not a lot of guinea pig specific stuff around, so you come up against formulas for other species quite regularly. Fibreplex contains probiotics, so you do not need give any extra. ;)

Please be carefully when feeding a very ill piggy off its food and do never give more than it can swallow. Depending how weak and how large the piggy is, this can range from half a 1 ml syringe to just a 10th (i.e. 0.1-0.5 ml). Always make sure that your piggy has swallowed the previous lot before giving more. The same goes for offering water. If you get in very little, you have to feed about every 2 hours day and night.

If Amy is becoming lethargic, please stop. In that case, her body has started to close down and all you can do is making her as comfortable as possible.
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How would you describe lethargic she has sat in the same place for 24 hours without moving then did move when on the vets table? Sorry for all the questions I don't like forcing her it's awful.
 
Tangerine49 said:
How would you describe lethargic she has sat in the same place for 24 hours without moving then did move when on the vets table? Sorry for all the questions I don't like forcing her it's awful.
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If she is that lethargic and still passing diarrohea id be worried about dehydration. You may need to consider contacting an out of hours vet for more subcut fluids I'm afraid
 
Tangerine49 said:
How would you describe lethargic she has sat in the same place for 24 hours without moving then did move when on the vets table? Sorry for all the questions I don't like forcing her it's awful.
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Lethargic is when a very ill piggy is no longer struggling or voicing protest when you handle or feed/water them. If your piggy is still protesting syringe feed, then she is not well, but she is not dying. if you have never had to syringe feed a very ill guinea pig, it is not a pleasant, but unfortunately absolutely vital task. Thankfully, piggies are forgiving once they are well enough to be off and often grateful that you have made them well again.

If your piggy is not moving around, please change the bedding twice daily, so she is not sitting in her own waste. keep her as comfortable and warm (but not hot) as you can.
 
Wiebke said:
Lethargic is when a very ill piggy is no longer struggling or voicing protest when you handle or feed/water them. If your piggy is still protesting syringe feed, then she is not well, but she is not dying. if you have never had to syringe feed a very ill guinea pig, it is not a pleasant, but unfortunately absolutely vital task. Thankfully, piggies are forgiving once they are well enough to be off and often grateful that you have made them well again.

If your piggy is not moving around, please change the bedding twice daily, so she is not sitting in her own waste. keep her as comfortable and warm (but not hot) as you can.
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I have just managed to give her 5 syringe gulls of water and she was willing feel loads better now we might just get her through this I sincerely hope it's the fist drink she's had today the vets gave her fluid and said she was dehydrated but never told me to do this so I will keep doing this thank you so much.
 
No more stools since lunch time yet thank you I will keep my eyes peeled
 
You're doing ok :)
Keep it up if she's responding to the extra food &water that's good :nod:

If u can give little &often its better than a few bigger feeds.
If the gut has a constant supply of food it should get a good kick-start &the poops should increase -hopefully returning to normal :)

You should find that the intake of the last 24hrs will reflect on the output of the day. So it may take a bit of time to show any difference in poop output.

Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery. Xx
 
Tangerine49 said:
I have just managed to give her 5 syringe gulls of water and she was willing feel loads better now we might just get her through this I sincerely hope it's the fist drink she's had today the vets gave her fluid and said she was dehydrated but never told me to do this so I will keep doing this thank you so much.
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Just continue - it is rather little but often at first, and you may have to get up through the night. ideally, you want to get about 40-60ml of syringe feed into her over 24 hours to just keep the guts going, plus as much water as she wants. it is very exhausting, but it may do the trick as it is vital to keep the guts going and to keep her hydrated. The more she does on her own, the better. Sadly, many vets are not very good at getting the importance of syringe feeding and watering across nor are they often aware how much a piggy needs to stay alive, but it is vital to keep your guinea pig going and to prevent the body from closing down.
This is why we have written our syringe feeding guide which includes the needs of watering). You will really find the tips in there most helpful! Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
Tangerine49 said:
Yes it is fibreplex for rabbits?!?!? I have given her two lots of replacement and fibreplex the vet didn't mention syringe feeing water is that what I should do also? She's not taking this voluntarily I'm having to force it in I will always do my best for her she's not just a guinea pig she's different she's special amazing girl who had been calm happy willing since the day I got her 5 years ago thank you for replying.
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Yes give her water, you must keep her hydrated
 
Any still won't eat or drink by herself going back to the vet now I obv will continue with this but wondered how long can she survive for like this ?
 
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