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Worried please help

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Hannah Boo

Hannah Boo

Junior Guinea Pig
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Muffin was waiting for her dinner last night with the other two pigs as normal. But she didn't eat as much as usual. I grabbed her in and weighed her, she is about 1kg but I know shed lost weight as she was bigger. In the summer she was 1.5 kg. When I weighed her I tried to give her parsley as is her favouritr. She ate a tiny but then kept moving her head away. I put her in hutch and kept eye on her and she spent most the night under the ramp. I got up early to check on her, and she was still under ramp facing the wall. The other pigs had breakfast and muffin didn't move from under ramp. I grabbed her out and her eyes looked wet. I took her straight to vets. They said she sounds a little gassy. Vet seemed confident. I was given critical care. Vet gave her some while we were there. I've got muffin home now and will keep her indoors. I've noticed she keeps making heaving motions and critical care is coming out her mouth, like she us vomitting. Although I didn't think they could vomit. She keeps moving her back part of body. The vet said it may be trapped wind. She wasnt interested in grass I gave her a minute ago. Any advice or thoughts?
 
Hi Hannah, I'm sorry Muffin isn't well.

Is she pooping normally? How old is she?
 
Hi, she's nearly 3. She had a respiratory problem with blocked nose a few months ago but pulled through and has been lively with good appetite the last few weeks. She is pooing, different shape tho- bit softer and longer :-/
 
I'm trying to syringe feed her but can't get anything in her, she's really fighting me even if I hold her head still. If anything does get in her mouth she kind've vomits it out again, she is heaving all the time
I don't know what to do..
 
It sounds like she is quite poorly , is yours a good guinea pig vet?
Sometimes its not in there best interests to feed them if they are very ill, sorry I don't want to sound heartless I know how worried you must be I am going through it myself at the moment. Good luck
 
I wouldn't try and feed her if she's really fighting you when you try to syrings feed her. It will stress her out more and make things worse.

I'd put some critical care or mashed up pellets (get some pellets, soften with water and mix in a bowl) in her feed bowl and see if she eats after a lil while.

Keep her nice and warm, so keeping her inside is a good decision, and keep her as quiet as possible, no loud music or anything.

Unfortunately I'm not experienced in this area but someone else might be able to help you more.
 
It sounds like a dental problem and, taking a wild guess, possibly a heart problem. I do stress the word possibly.
In case she does have a digestive system problem, give her a Buscopan talet, crushed, mixed with 1ml of water and syringe fed.
 
the emergency vet I phoned advised me to stop syringe feeding as she is coughing it up. Is this correct?
 
Guinea pigs cannot vomit so it is more likely that she is unwilling/unable to swallow. In my experience this happens to pigs that are critically ill, she needs to be seen by someone/anyone who is knowledgeable about pigs.
 
It sounds like heart trouble. I am sorry!

What have you been given?
 
I am sorry she's still so unwell. Fluid on the lungs can sometimes be a sign of heart trouble, which would back up AP's thoughts. As he said though, the most we can say is that it is a possibility - someone with knowledge and experience with guineas needs to see the guinea to investigate.

What was given to combat the fluid on the lungs?
 
It begs the question; is it fluid in the lungs or fluid on the lungs, there is a difference which many people do not appreciate.
 
dunno what it us vets are generally just guessing anyway. Wasnt offered anything to help with lung situation. She ate a tiny bit of grass a little while ago. That came out of her mouth shortly after. She just isn't keeping anything down and is very weak. :-(
Both vets said her teeth are fine
 
She is still alive this morning. I didnt expect her to be. She is very wobbly but is moving about. I held the water bottle in front of her mouth at 6am and she drank some. She doesnt seem to be heaving anymore when I give her critical care but she doesnt really chew it. She still moves her head around but isn't fighting like she was yesterday. How would I know if her organs have started shutting down? I need to know what to do for the best. She definitely has wheezy breathing on and off, but not really any fluid coming out of her mouth that I've noticed. Should I go to vets (third trip) and let them treat her, or is it too late now (as she hasnt eaten by herself for over a day) or should I just keep her comfortable.
 
Hannah, given all her symptoms and her absolute refusal to swallow food, I would wonder if she's making the decision herself. I may be wrong, so do keep offering food and water, but without her taking an adequate amount of food soon she will continue to weaken and deteriorate.

The difficulty with emergency vets is that most will not have much inclination to treat a guinea pig, so a trip to a vet today may prove equally as unproductive as the previous visits. I can't tell you what to do, and I honestly do not know what I would do myself in that situation other than what I suggested above.
 
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Cannot really offer any advice other than that already given but we are thinking of you and hope the situation improves. Big hugs x x
 
I had her put to sleep, I didnt want her suffering any longer, it wasnt fair and I knew deep down she wouldn't get better, she'd lost weight, wasnt really fighting me with the critical care anymore, and wasnt happy generally. I'm so sad I can't stop crying, I've lost two lovely pigs in 6 months of similar illnesses, I've never experienced this before, my pigs usually live for 5-7 years. :-(
 
Oh no I'm so sorry i didnt see this earlier :( I would have asked you to bring her to me, although I'm fairly far from you.

Atleast now she is at peace. Popcorn free little one.
 
Very sorry, she was loved and cared for so you couldn't have done any better.
 
She would not have survived. As I first suspected, she had heart problems.
Nevertheless, it is still sad news.
 
My two pigs that died within about 6 months of each other were from a large well known pets store. Maggie died at two and a half and muffin at nearly 3 years old. In the past I've always had pigs from a proper breeder and they've always liver till 5-7 yrs. Is there any chance my pigs that I've lost had a genetic problem of some kind due to being from a pet store ? Or do g pigs generally vary in age regardless of where they came from?
 
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