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Dental Why? I Can't Understand.

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Dorothy Uranga

Dorothy Uranga

Junior Guinea Pig
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It has been one week since my baby got sick.

Last sunday (march 8), I noticed my baby didn't eat anything but I did nothing until tuesday. That day me and my sis went to the vet.

What the vet told us was that my little boy ate a lot of hair and that's why he pooped little strings (with mucus). It was strange because he was still eating, but didn't eat a lot like he usually do. So yes, the vet gave to my baby "Quimobac" (enrofloxacin) and "plantago pysllium". Everything was going fine the first days but now he just don't eat anything! (Just little pieces of veggies or fruit). I'm so worried and crying. Tomorrow I'm going to the vet again but I'm so scared. I feel like my baby has a lot of air in his belly.

My baby's 5.3 years old, he never ever got sick. I don't know why it happened. I'm desperate. I don't know what to do.
 
Hi Dorothy I've just read your post in introductions. Sorry to hear about your little piggie :(
The people who are very experienced in these matters will be awake soon as they live in the UK
Meanwhile I would hand feed hay and offer water also as piggies need to eat regularly to keep their gut moving properly.
Have you got any probiotics cause medications do make piggies tummies upset.
Give him kisses from me
 
I second the hand feeding/syringe feeding, he needs food in his system. Also keep up the fluids as mentioned above water and probiotics - can do this by syringe. Do it gradually though and certainly no more that 0.5ml at a time.

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...guides-probiotics-links-first-aid-kit.115390/
This will help you.

As for the gas, do you have an electric toothbrush? If not (I haven't) use your hands and massage his tummy if you feel there's gas in there. It should gradually help ease the gas out which will allow the poop to go through and reduce any pain he is in.
This will help until you see the vet.
I've had to do this twice this week and it has worked.

Also if you could get some gripe water? I'm not sure what it would be called where you are, it's for babies with colic/gas? But this helps with the gas too.
 
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I'm so sorry that he is ill. I would read up about syringe feeding as well. I wonder what is going on inside him :(
 
Hi Dorothy - sorry you're going through this. Quimobac is a different name for Baytril, which is an antibiotic. I'm uncertain how useful it is in your piggies current situation as it has been known in some piggies to cause a bit of stomach upset. Plantago pysllium is fibre, basically, which might help bind things together in his gut a bit more and keep him going until he can eat more hay.

Highly recommend not feeding him any veg, reduce his diet to the bare minimum - nuggets and hay (and his medication). Its possible a type of veg doesn't agree with him and has caused the upset stomach.

Seconding the belly massage for him too, just gently enough to help some of the gas to shift. He may not be eating as he is so uncomfortable.

He may need a gut stimulant such as Emeprid - this is a question you must ask a vet as to whether it is appropriate or not. I definitely recommend seeing another vet for a second opinion - if you can find one who specialises more in cavies that would be fantastic. I'm not sure if our forum vet locator can help you where you are but it is worth a try. Ask the vet whether Quimobac is appropriate due to problems it can cause in some piggies (loss of appetite, stomach upset) and ask about the use of a gut stimulant to help things move a bit better for him. Keep syringe feeding him as others have advised, but don't give him any more veg.

Good luck :)
 
I am very sorry for your problems. Guinea pigs usually don't have problems with hair balls unlike many other species. Long stringy mucus covered poos hare a sign of a digestive problem; the mucus is usually a symptom of acute dehydration. Pain is often at the bottom of any sudden loss of appetite.
Please take your piggy off any fresh veg to help stabilise the guts with lots of fibre. Offer addditionally some brown cardboard or toilet roll inners; guinea pigs appreciate some very rough, nutritionally poor fibre to rebalance the guts. Fibre (i.e. unlimited hay) should make up to 80% of the daily food intake anyway.

If any medical treatment is not showing any improvement within 24-36 hours after the implementation, please contact your vet again. I would strongly recommend to ask him for a gut stimulant. Perhaps an x-ray or scan may bring more clarity as what is going on in the guts.

A guinea pig needs to eat and drink regularly as they have got a very fast metabolism; if it doesn't for more than 24 hours, the guts will start to close down. It is important that you hand feed and syringe water as soon as possible when you notice a guinea pig going off its food. Baytril/quimobac is additionally known for its appetite killing side effect. You can also try to massage/vibrate the guts to stimulate them, if necessary with an electric tooth brush.
Here is our step-by-step guide to hand feeding; you can find all necessary information in there: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/

I am keeping my fingers firmly crossed for your boy. He is a good age for a guinea pig, but older piggies are also more susceptible to health problems and less able to fight them off.
 
Thanks a lot for your kind comments.

I've been hand-feeding him since march 14. And yes, his belly is full of gas. I tried with the massage and I can hear his stomach making noises.

At the same time I tried with green pepper but he doesn't want it. So I won't try anymore. And as I read, 0 veggies would be OK?

I'll go out with the vet in a few hours, I'll tell her about the probiotics. For now I'll feed him with pellets.

The bad news is that he's not pooping well. They're like tiny and brown (normal brown).
 
It's good that he is pooping at all while he's unwell - things are still moving through his system and keeping him going. :) Don't give him any veggies - remember to ask your vet about a gut stimulant as well. Keep giving his belly a massage too. Sounds like some gas may have be moving through when you did it last time.

Hope all goes well at the vets!
 
Dorothy Uranga said:
Thanks a lot for your kind comments.

I've been hand-feeding him since march 14. And yes, his belly is full of gas. I tried with the massage and I can hear his stomach making noises.

At the same time I tried with green pepper but he doesn't want it. So I won't try anymore. And as I read, 0 veggies would be OK?

I'll go out with the vet in a few hours, I'll tell her about the probiotics. For now I'll feed him with pellets.

The bad news is that he's not pooping well. They're like tiny and brown (normal brown).
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Tiny poos are an indication that there are still issues with the food intake (i.e. that he is not eating enough), but the fact that they are a normal colour means that there is nothing wrong with the food absorption and that they are still being processed, so his guts are basically still working, which must be a relief for you!. All the best for your new vet trip!
 
I've been doing the massage and I can feel some gas/movement.

Glad the color is not bad, but I'm still worried about the size.

The bad thing is that the 1ml syringe broke and I'm so mad.
 
Dorothy Uranga said:
I've been doing the massage and I can feel some gas/movement.

Glad the color is not bad, but I'm still worried about the size.

The bad thing is that the 1ml syringe broke and I'm so mad.
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Can you get one from your local pharmacy? Your vet should also be able to give you some spare ones. In the meantime, use a spoon. When your piggy is not eating much, you need to feed little but often. If he takes on more food in one go, you can feed less often. Older piggies will need 40-90 ml per day in order to survive.
 
The small poops are likely due to his lowered food intake and inability to process it properly while he is unwell - you should see an improvement back to normal when he begins to feel better.

Edit: Apologies, just realised Wiebke posted the same thing!
 
Hey I'm back but the vet didn't help at all. He just complained about the way I was feeding him (with the syringe) and told me: "you don't have to feed him if he doesn't want to". I'm upset, honestly.

He told me to keep giving him the "plantago psyllium". Oh, and that my baby has air in his belly too.
 
I'm shocked, and I'm sorry he was no help. You need to keep massaging, you need to get the gas out. Has he given you any pain relief?

Also keep up the stringe feeding!
 
No he did not.

I think I'll give my baby some probiotics...

Yeah I'm surprised too, he didn't help at all, just telling me things like I didn't know how to do it or why to do it. But I'll keep searching how to remove the air.
 
Dorothy Uranga said:
No he did not.

I think I'll give my baby some probiotics...

Yeah I'm surprised too, he didn't help at all, just telling me things like I didn't know how to do it or why to do it. But I'll keep searching how to remove the air.
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Some form of gripe water and massage therapy, I'm not sure of medications, but this is what I've always done for it, I appreciate though you probably cannot get the gripe water. Tagging @Pebble for medication advice.

Probiotics are given in the water as fluid intake, so ensure food is still syringe fed.

Wishing you the best of luck x
 
Oh no, so sorry the vet isn't helping! :(

It's quite important that he gets some gut stimulant. Were you able to ask the vet about this?
 
Piggly said:
Oh no, so sorry the vet isn't helping! :(

It's quite important that he gets some gut stimulant. Were you able to ask the vet about this?
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I think I'm not. I don't really trust anymore...

I am now giving him the massage with a thermo (with warm gel) and he ate 4ml of pellets (mashed).
 
Piggly said:
:( is it possible to see a different vet elsewhere?
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Yes, the bad thing is that it is very far away from where I live and I don't own a car, so I need to use the subway and my baby gets very scared because of the noises and people :(
 
Dorothy Uranga said:
Yes, the bad thing is that it is very far away from where I live and I don't own a car, so I need to use the subway and my baby gets very scared because of the noises and people :(
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How long is the journey? Maybe it would be a good idea to ring them and chat to the vet about your piggies problem. If they're willing to offer the right sort of medication and understand that you are doing the right things for him it would be worth the journey.
 
Piggly said:
How long is the journey? Maybe it would be a good idea to ring them and chat to the vet about your piggies problem. If they're willing to offer the right sort of medication and understand that you are doing the right things for him it would be worth the journey.
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Maybe one hour and a half or less.

I'll tell my sis too, maybe we can go.
 
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