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Wobbly and Lethargic - urgent help please

Turtz

Turtz

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
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Location
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I posted a few months back about a guinea pig that had very bad teeth problems. I was suggested to see Simon Maddock, and I did. Eventually he started to eat hay and veggies (never pellets) and was fine for 2-3 weeks. Then he took a sudden turn and stopped eating. His poop looked much smaller and they came out as if they were attached by strings. Within 2-3 days he was wobbly and lethargic. I went to see Simon again yesterday and he said that my guinea pig has an ulcer in his mouth, and is probably wobbly from lack of energy. He also has a case of bumblefoot that hadn't improved after 3 weeks. He lost weight (about 40g), which makes me think that he had stopped eating for more than 2-3 days and I somehow hadn't noticed. Simon prescribed him some itrafungol (0.4ml daily) for the bumblefoot and the ulcer, some loxicom (0.15ml twice daily) for pain relief, and some karidox for his digestion issues. He also suggested syringe feeding 10ml every hour. It's been around 24 hours since I saw Simon and I haven't noticed any improvement. My guinea pig is still interested in food and has tried to bite some cucumber, banana and some grass. But he can't seem to grab it at all. The syringe food is somewhat going down, but a lot of it is sitting in his mouth behind his front teeth and he can't chew very much. He's still very wobbly and lethargic; when he tries to walk he falls over and he can't seem to keep his head lifted up. I'm extremely worried for him, and I'm not sure when I should expect to see improvements or if this situation sounds very bad. Has anyone had any experience with this type of thing before and has any advice for me?

Thank you in advance.
 
This is outside my experience so I can’t offer advice .
I just wanted to offer support to you
 
Merab's Slave said:
This is outside my experience so I can’t offer advice .
I just wanted to offer support to you
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Thank you very much. He's been having health issues since about the 20th of January. Just when he was finally eating again this happened. He's only 3 years old and it's been very hard to watch so much happen to him.
 
Turtz said:
I posted a few months back about a guinea pig that had very bad teeth problems. I was suggested to see Simon Maddock, and I did. Eventually he started to eat hay and veggies (never pellets) and was fine for 2-3 weeks. Then he took a sudden turn and stopped eating. His poop looked much smaller and they came out as if they were attached by strings. Within 2-3 days he was wobbly and lethargic. I went to see Simon again yesterday and he said that my guinea pig has an ulcer in his mouth, and is probably wobbly from lack of energy. He also has a case of bumblefoot that hadn't improved after 3 weeks. He lost weight (about 40g), which makes me think that he had stopped eating for more than 2-3 days and I somehow hadn't noticed. Simon prescribed him some itrafungol (0.4ml daily) for the bumblefoot and the ulcer, some loxicom (0.15ml twice daily) for pain relief, and some karidox for his digestion issues. He also suggested syringe feeding 10ml every hour. It's been around 24 hours since I saw Simon and I haven't noticed any improvement. My guinea pig is still interested in food and has tried to bite some cucumber, banana and some grass. But he can't seem to grab it at all. The syringe food is somewhat going down, but a lot of it is sitting in his mouth behind his front teeth and he can't chew very much. He's still very wobbly and lethargic; when he tries to walk he falls over and he can't seem to keep his head lifted up. I'm extremely worried for him, and I'm not sure when I should expect to see improvements or if this situation sounds very bad. Has anyone had any experience with this type of thing before and has any advice for me?

Thank you in advance.
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Hi! Please continue with syringe feeding, little but often; it is very time consuming if a piggy struggles to swallow as you need to wait with the next lot before the first has gone down. You may need to adjust how much of a syringe you can give at once (can be anything between 0.1 - 0.5 ml).
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

You can try a little metatone to see whether that is pepping him up, about 0.2 ml twice daily as well as add dioralyte to the water you offer for the same reason.

40g is not a huge weight loss so he is still getting some food in. A piggy that is not drinking or eating at all will lose 100g in 24 hours.


All you can do is try and hope for the best in these situations. Fingers very firmly crossed!
 
Wiebke said:
Hi! Please continue with syringe feeding, little but often; it is very time consuming if a piggy struggles to swallow as you need to wait with the next lot before the first has gone down. You may need to adjust how much of a syringe you can give at once (can be anything between 0.1 - 0.5 ml).
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

You can try a little metatone to see whether that is pepping him up, about 0.2 ml twice daily as well as add dioralyte to the water you offer for the same reason.

40g is not a huge weight loss so he is still getting some food in. A piggy that is not drinking or eating at all will lose 100g in 24 hours.


All you can do is try and hope for the best in these situations. Fingers very firmly crossed!
Click to expand...

Thank you for your crossed fingers! I will try the metatone, hopefully this helps him.
 
I’ve used Metatone with a lot of success, it provides energy and increases appetite..indeed I have used it myself when syringe feeding overnight!

Wishing you the biggest healing vibes, you are clearly trying so hard for your boy. X
 
Guinea Slave said:
I’ve used Metatone with a lot of success, it provides energy and increases appetite..indeed I have used it myself when syringe feeding overnight!

Wishing you the biggest healing vibes, you are clearly trying so hard for your boy. X
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That's good to hear, thank you! I may have to use some too! Thank you for your kind words, he doesn't deserve any of this. I just have to try the best I can to help. :(
 
Guinea Slave said:
I’ve used Metatone with a lot of success, it provides energy and increases appetite..indeed I have used it myself when syringe feeding overnight!

Wishing you the biggest healing vibes, you are clearly trying so hard for your boy. X
Click to expand...

Same here, especially when a piggy crisis has gone into its second or third night with hardly any sleep... :(
 
It’s so tough, I don’t envy you. You are doing your best but it’s incredibly stressful as it never feels enough does it? Keep going, we’re here for you X
 
Guinea Slave said:
It’s so tough, I don’t envy you. You are doing your best but it’s incredibly stressful as it never feels enough does it? Keep going, we’re here for you X
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It never does. :( You're very kind, thank you again. :) I will update on whether the metatone helps and if he does make any improvements!
 
Wiebke said:
Hi! Please continue with syringe feeding, little but often; it is very time consuming if a piggy struggles to swallow as you need to wait with the next lot before the first has gone down. You may need to adjust how much of a syringe you can give at once (can be anything between 0.1 - 0.5 ml).
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

You can try a little metatone to see whether that is pepping him up, about 0.2 ml twice daily as well as add dioralyte to the water you offer for the same reason.

40g is not a huge weight loss so he is still getting some food in. A piggy that is not drinking or eating at all will lose 100g in 24 hours.


All you can do is try and hope for the best in these situations. Fingers very firmly crossed!
Click to expand...

I actually couldn't find any metatone, but I did manage to find some dioralyte. Would this be okay alone to help through the night?
 
Turtz said:
I actually couldn't find any metatone, but I did manage to find some dioralyte. Would this be okay alone to help through the night?
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Either of them are just booster products. They do not guarantee success, but they can help perk up your poorly boy a little. All the best! Metatone you have to get from a pharmacy (say that it is for yourself).
 
I had to syringe feed a very sick guinea pig some months ago. It takes a lot of patience and it takes time. Keep up with the vet. It isn't an overnight fix so I wouldn't worry overly that it's not done completely in even a few days. As long as you are getting the food down and he's interested, he's improving.

I did make a mistake of leaving off of the vet after I felt mine was improving and not wanting to bother my vet more. Mine didn't have a teeth problem but was still very serious and having to give meds and syringe feed. I only recommend to be patient and absolutely stay in touch with the vet as much as you feel a worry coming on or doubt. Then to be sure even a few weeks after everything seems very well.

I am so sorry for the worry you are going through and your little one's health problems. You are really doing so much for him. Best to you guys. Everything will be fine, though.
 
I'm sorry you're going through this. He does sound very weak and the situation could go either way. :( The best you can do is attempt to syringe food in small amounts as often as you are able to manage. Of course, you can't make them swallow what you syringe... unfortunately my experience is that a piggie who won't make the effort to swallow is very sick and unlikely to pull through. That said, some pigs will rally and make remarkable strides, so don't write him off. I would offer small amounts frequently and hope for the best. ((HUGS)) and hope he turns a corner for you!
 
Hi everyone. Unfortunately, Dougle didn't make it through the night. He passed away in the early hours of this morning. Thank you all for your support, I tried my best and I'm grateful I had him for 4 more months. At least he's no longer in pain. Your kind words really helped me push through, and I'm sure Dougle would've appreciated how much you cared about a piggie you never met.
 
So, so sorry for your loss. You made Dougle really happy in his time with you, honestly. Sending warm thoughts to you both in sympathy.
 
Turtz said:
Hi everyone. Unfortunately, Dougle didn't make it through the night. He passed away in the early hours of this morning. Thank you all for your support, I tried my best and I'm grateful I had him for 4 more months. At least he's no longer in pain. Your kind words really helped me push through, and I'm sure Dougle would've appreciated how much you cared about a piggie you never met.
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I am so sorry; you have certainly done your best. It is not your fault that it wasn't to be, so please don't feel guilty!
There was likely some underlying problem that is not obvious at all that has contributed/caused his health issues.
Sadly often there is only so much we and any vet can do. While medical knowledge and treatment on guinea pigs has expanded massively in the last 10 years, it is still rather limited. When it comes down to it, they are pretty frail and small animals. :(

RIP Dougle - you have been much loved and well cared for.
 
I am so so sorry for you. Sleep well little boy. My Trixie who departed recently will be taking good care of him and I a, sure they are cavorting around somewhere lovely. Take care of yourself at such a sad time. Hugs xx
 
Turtz said:
Hi everyone. Unfortunately, Dougle didn't make it through the night. He passed away in the early hours of this morning. Thank you all for your support, I tried my best and I'm grateful I had him for 4 more months. At least he's no longer in pain. Your kind words really helped me push through, and I'm sure Dougle would've appreciated how much you cared about a piggie you never met.
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I'm so sorry for your loss. It sounds like you did everything you possibly could. Unfortunately sometimes they just aren't able to win the fight, no matter how hard we try to help them. ((HUGS)) to you.
 
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