Will My Pigs Ever Forgive Me?

[Elsie's pigs]

I have 2 indoor guinea pigs who are 6 months old. I got my pigs from Pets At Home before I knew what a mistake that was. After I'd had them around 2 weeks they were diagnosed with ringworm. After 5 weeks of syringe feeding medication they were given the all clear. I always felt that I was trying to catch up to bond with them after that. I had just started to make some progress when I noticed that one of my pigs (Ginger) was breathing noisily. Off again to the vets where they were both given baytril to take twice a day for 10 days. Still no improvement so I travelled to see an exotics vet (after posting on here) who is trying them on doxycycline twice a day for 10 days and also loxicom once a day for 6 days.

I still have a whole week of treatment to go and I hate it, my pigs hate it and now they hate me! I've always thought that Ginger tolerated the treatment well and as long as I gave her food she was back to normal again soon after. My other pig, Pickles, is much more timid and I have always worried about bonding with her. Both of my pigs have now started to run and hide from me as soon as they see me. Even if I get them to hand feed from me now they will run at the slightest movement. Ginger who is usually bold and inquisitive seems to spend all of her time (whilst I'm in the room) hiding and won't come out if I offer her food. They have stopped wheeking for food, even though they are both eating normally. After her medicine yesterday Ginger wouldn't take any food from me, started running manically around the cage as if to get away from me and teeth chattered at me! This morning she started teeth chattering as soon as I went near her. I find this heartbreaking, surely this means that she now hates me.

I know that they need their treatment and that I have to do this but I feel like I am torturing them and that they will never trust me again. I find it very distressing and I'm getting worked up about it hours before the medicine is due. I have 17 syringes per pig still to give- minimum! Has anyone else had a similar experience with a happy outcome? I need to know that my pigs will forgive me eventually and that this will all be worth it.

Thanks for reading.

 

[DM030819]

Sometimes looking after a sick pig will make your bond stronger. I do honestly think that they know that we're trying to help.

After the treatment is finished try to make the interactions you have with them fun. Give them little treats of food, or get some little treats like Oxbow support tablets or hay tablets so give them. Treat them to some toys like a hay stuffed toilet roll.

They'll soon become friendly again. It might take a little bit of time but they'll come round.

My Jon thinks that every time I come to the cage he'll get a "sweet" so he always comes trotting over. My scared Podrick has started to do it too.

 

[Wiebke]

Medicating new piggies is never fun! Just make a fuss over them afterwards with a little treat, if possible some dog or fox pee free fresh grass or dandelion, for instance.

You may also find these guides here helpful in building up a bond with your piggies in ways that they instinctively understand. Some timid or skittish piggies need more time than others, but you will get eventually there. Most piggies realise that you have made them better; they are also generally forgiving once the medication is over.

How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig

Lots more helpful information for new owners via this link here: New Owners' " How To" Starter Kit

 

[Elsie's pigs]

Thank you both for your replies.

I am trying to spend as much time as possible with them and hand feeding when they will take it from me. I am happy to be patient with them; as long as they come round eventually. Ginger seemed a bit better with me this morning after her antibiotic and took food from me straight away. I am now wondering if it is the taste of the loxicom that makes her so angry.

Does anyone know if I can mix it with ribeana? Also how much fluid can I syringe in one go? The antibiotic is mixed with pineapple juice and is around 1ml when mixed up, I have to give 0.42ml of loxicom so if I mix it with ribeana that will be around 2ml total each that I will be giving them. Is that too much for a piggy stomach?

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you both for your replies.

I am trying to spend as much time as possible with them and hand feeding when they will take it from me. I am happy to be patient with them; as long as they come round eventually. Ginger seemed a bit better with me this morning after her antibiotic and took food from me straight away. I am now wondering if it is the taste of the loxicom that makes her so angry.

Does anyone know if I can mix it with ribeana? Also how much fluid can I syringe in one go? The antibiotic is mixed with pineapple juice and is around 1ml when mixed up, I have to give 0.42ml of loxicom so if I mix it with ribeana that will be around 2ml total each that I will be giving them. Is that too much for a piggy stomach?

Loxicom (which is another brand name for metacam) contains honey and is very nice tasting anyway. I always give it before the antibiotic for that reason. I would not recommend to add any more flavouring to an already flavoured antibiotic.
Baytril is usually prescribed unflavoured, and it is truly horrible tasting. that is the reason for the recommendation to mix it with ribena in order to cover the awful taste.

I find that it is much easier to try and get a small dose of bad tasting antibiotic into a guinea pig and then give it a little treat and some fuss afterwards to wash away the taste than try to get a large volume of something not so nice tasting into a wiggly piggy. Please note that a mouthful is 0.3 - 0.5 ml (one third to half a 1 ml syringe) for an adult guinea pig, so you have to be careful when syringing.
Administering Medications

 

[Elsie's pigs]

Thanks again, I tried giving the loxicom first this evening and they tolerated the process much better, thanks for the tip. Fingers and paws crossed that this course of meds will finally clear it!

 

[Wiebke]

All the best! Doxycycline is an antibiotic that is mostly used for persistent respiratory problems.
If it doesn't clear, then you and your vet may consider alternative diagnoses.

 

[Tiamolly123]

They'll be fine when you stop being the bad medicine lady.
They really will be fine, maybe take a little while.
You'll win them over then you will have happy piggies.
I used to hate giving my hamsters Baytrill.

 

[Beans&Toast]

I know how you feel and how upsetting it is.

Toast has been the most ill out of my two and is on daily medication. Over the almost 2 years I've had her there's been times where she's been so bad that I've had to pick her up and syringe feed her every few hours and she absolutely HATES it. For a while it got to the point that she hated me picking her up because she knew it meant I was going to force feed her and she wouldn't tolerate it. I remember being so upset because I have a very close bond with her and I was so scared that she'd hate me and wouldn't trust me again. I honestly think she knew I was trying to help her, though and I feel like it made our bond stronger eventually.

Well done on all the hard work you're doing looking after your sick piggies, it's definitely not easy especially when they won't co-operate! You will build up a bond with them, they'll realise you're helping and they'll come around.

 

[Freela]

They will forgive you once the nasty medicine is over. I actually had one pig who was on antibiotics long term (to deal with a chronic bladder issue by keeping bacterial load low.) She got medicine from me daily for years. And she still loved me!

For what it's worth, I finished several weeks of antibiotics with Hadley a few weeks ago and, although she was REALLY unhappy with me while she was getting antibiotics, she seems to have completely forgiven me.

Also, a lot of pigs dislike being 'caught' when you pick them up, whether they are getting medication or not. It's natural instinct as a prey animal to fear the sensation of something coming to get them. So this is very normal behavior, even without the meds, and doesn't mean that they hate you!

 

[Elsie's pigs]

Thank you all for your supportive messages, they are very reassuring.

I haven't had anymore teeth chattering from Ginger so I'm hoping that she has forgiven me a little! I am worried about her though, this round of antibiotics doesn't seem to be doing anything for her snuffly breathing either. I'm beginning to wonder if it's an allergy she has, hayfever maybe? Surely 2 different antibiotics should have at least improved things if it were an infection? She is going to the piggy vet again tomorrow so we will hopefully get some answers. I can't wait for them to be healthy again so I can go back to being nice mummy!

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

Oh I went through all of that when my Bella had to have treatment, I thought she would hate me and now she's my clingiest pig! It certainly strengthened our bond in the end, although it doesn't seem like it at the time.

Good luck to yourself and your babies

 

[Flutterby]

They and you will be fine. Once they are well they will forget when all you do is bring them things for their stomach. Best way to a piggies heart!