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Worried

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Tonight after giving piggies their veg I noticed Merlin wasn't showing any interest. I picked him up and when I did he SQUEALED - like pain squeal.

I sat him on my knee and gave him some dandelion which he munched down in no time but he is breathing loudly. He's lethargic and like previously mentioned is off his veg.

I put him back in his cage after a long cuddle and he went to one part and stayed there. I just checked on him and he was still there, he hadn't moved.

I've picked him out the cage again and syringe fed him cranberry juice, just IN CASE it could be cystitis and put him back, wrapped in a fleece to keep him warm, he crawled out but when he's walking (which isn't very far) he's got a slight head tilt.

He was showing no signs of ANY illness earlier in the day otherwise I would've taken him straight to the vets. I'm gonna phone them in the morning to see if I can get an appointment tomorrow.

What could it be? I know laboured/noisy breathing could indicate heart problems etc but would that also cause him to squeal in pain when I picked him up? And would head tilt be a symptom of that or is it totally unrelated?

I'm cacking meself. He's only been with me for 12 days but I've become so attached to my piggies already. Is it something I've done wrong? I know I'm not gonna be able to sleep tonight with worry.

If anyone can offer any explanation please do. I'm so anxious about this little lad.

Donna. x
 
You need to watch him to see whether he is eating. It could be that something startled him enough for him not to want to eat for some reason and that the squeaking was unrelated.

I kept having these kind of scare when I first got my piggies only to find that nothing was actually wrong.

If he doesn't eat overnight then this really is serious and he needs to get to the vet asap.

Pollie.

I've just re-read your post and if he is eating dandelion on your knee then in my opinion he was just startled by something. My gang often squeak for this reason or because they are interacting with each other.
 
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It's worrying especially when they're new and not used to all the little quirks. Hopefully Pollie's right and he's just a bit freaked over something. Let us know how he is in the morning. :)
 
Well I went downstairs this morning to check on the piggies and give them their veg, top up their hay etc and Merlin was lying in the exact same place as I'd left him. On the plus side I put some celery, cucumber and spring greens in front of him and he started tucking in. Should I keep him in a separate cage (I've got one on standby)? Cos I'm sure the last thing he wants is 4 noisy boisterous girls running around him. I'm taking him to the vets later today (I'm at work now) so hopefully it won't be serious and the vet can sort it.
 
Sorry to hear he's not himself, it is very worrying when they are like that.

How is his breathing now? Is he fairly strong in himself or does he seem quite limp? How old is Merlin?
 
Laura-CCC4 said:
Sorry to hear he's not himself, it is very worrying when they are like that.

How is his breathing now? Is he fairly strong in himself or does he seem quite limp? How old is Merlin?
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If I remember correctly I think Merlin is only about 4 or 5 months old.
When I came out to work this morning he was just sitting there in the fleece I put him in last night.

Like I mentioned he ate a little veg whereas last night he didn't eat any and I couldn't hear him breathing this morning where last night it was really audible so thats a good thing isn't it?

I'm taking him to the vets later today hopefully its something easily remedied. Poor little thing, its obvious he's unwell cos he's normally so lively.

Just need to ask, if it was a stroke causing the head tilt then would the rest of him not also be affected? Ie would he not also be paralysed on his body aswell as it just affecting his head? X
 
Pleased to hear there hadn't been a deterioration overnight. He is about 1 year old though, but that is an approximation as not sure how old he was when he came in, but going by weight he was an adolescent, and is pretty much fully grown now.

If his head is tilted he may have an ear infection. His behaviour is very out of character as he is a very lively bold guinea pig usually.

In case it helps with giving background information to the vet he was neutered in December.

Let us all know how you get on, hope he is better soon,

Layla x
 
I do hope you have good news at the vets later today and that Merlin is feeling better very very soon. Can't offer any advice though, so sorry, but sending lots of love for you and Merlin. XX
 
Well I've just got back from the vets. Its not an infection, its not heart problems and its not a stroke - its his teeth.

The vet had a good look in his mouth and said his teeth are growing in at an extreme angle. It not down to them grinding down lop-sided, they're actually growing out the gums awkwardly. 8...

She said the head tilt will be because of him being in pain. He's got a lot of food and saliva which has built up at the back of his throat so his making a gurgling noise when he was squealing - this also explins his noisy breathing.

She said he'll need his teeth rasping every 2-3 months for the rest of his life. Unfortunately they will only do this under GA. They've kept him in overnight cos I'll have trouble getting him to the surgery early morning with being at work but they're gonna do his teeth tomorrow.

The only positive thing is that at least his problem isn't life-threatening.

Donna. x
 
Hi Donna,

I have emailed you.

I am really sorry to hear that. I didn't expect it to be his teeth, that is really unfortunate. It is good that the vet could see into his mouth so well. Which vet is it you are seeing?

Well done for picking up on the problem so early. Fingers crossed for the GA tomorrow.

Thanks for keeping us updated,

Layla
 
Aww so sorry to hear this Donna but it sounds as though it's something that can be treated at least. I'm not sure if the vets we use will do it without GA or not ( it's Abbey vets in chester le street ) but I sent Laylas list of questions to them today so if they're willing to do it without GA I'll let you know x
 
Gems said:
Aww so sorry to hear this Donna but it sounds as though it's something that can be treated at least. I'm not sure if the vets we use will do it without GA or not ( it's Abbey vets in chester le street ) but I sent Laylas list of questions to them today so if they're willing to do it without GA I'll let you know x
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Hi Gemma, I took Merlin to Cestria Vets at Ch-Le-St (along from Wilkinsons - you don't need to make an appointment if you go within certain hours of the day). He's staying overnight. They said they can't do the dental without GA which is unfortunate but I'd rather that and get it sorted than to wait and see if I can find a vet who doesn't use GA.

I've gotta phone tomorrow morning to find what time they're doing his teeth and then if all is well I can pick him up later in the afternoon. x
 
Aww poor little mite, well I really hope everything goes smoothly, keep us updated how he gets on x
 
Sorry its so late in the day but once I'd picked Merlin up and got brought him home I got a stinking migraine and had to go lie down.

Anyways, he was fine with the GA, he's the worse for wear at the mo though, very groggy. I've been given some recovery food (a bit like critical care) which I've gave to him. He's grinding his teeth a lot but I think thats just down to discomfort where his teeth were digging in.

The vet said that his teeth were very large spikes at the back and are definitely growing in at an angle. She has rasped them right back but said it won't be long before he needs them doing again. She also said that they cleaned his ears while he was out cos they were quite waxy, but that was probably down to the head tilt.

For the time being though, he's ok.

Donna. x
 
I am glad that he has made it so far and hope that his appetite will pick up; often it takes some time as his mouth is probably still quite sore.

Best of luck - and I hope that your headache is better, too!
 
I've just got a quick question... would I be better off putting Merlin in a cage on his own while he recovers? He's just sat there in the cage, hardly moving and there's 4 noisy, boisterous girls running round him and I don't know if he'd appreciate a bit peace and quiet.

I have a spare cage which is ready for him should he need it. x
 
If you can, have him in his own cage right next door to his girls until he's stronger. It helps to monitor what he is eating and how much he is peeing and pooping until he's in a better condition.
 
well he's in his own cage right next to the girls. He's very quiet still but I imagine that will go on for a few days yet.

I've given him some more recovery stuff by syringe and also syringe fed him some water cos I hadn't noticed him drinking.

He's grinding his teeth - a LOT is this normal after having a dental?

After discussion with Layla and a lot of thought I've decided that Merlin would be better off going to back to her. He's such a beautiful gentle piggie and he deserves to have someone with extensive experience of piggies especially of those needing ongoing dental care.

Please don't judge me harshly, it is not a decision I've made lightly, in fact when it comes to my animals there's only one decision which has been harder for me to make and that was to have my cat pts when she drastically deteriorated when suffering from feline aids. Thats how hard a decision it has been for me. Layla has assured me that he's going to go in with her group of girls so that should cheer him up a bit.

I've also told Layla that I would like to sponsor Merlin for his lifetime to help contribute to his dental treatment.

X
 
I don't think anyone will think badly of you Donna, you've done exactly what a caring pet owner does, put the animals needs before your own. I know it must have been an extremely difficult decision for you.

I can't comment whether the grinding the teeth is normal or not as I've never had any piggies who've had to have dental treatment, but I would imagine it would be normal, obviously thats just my opinion though.

What recovery solution are you feeding him? Just the one we got from our vets for cleo when she was poorly she couldn't stand ( I think it was science recovery or something like that ) I have some of the oxbow critical care in if you need it, just let me know and I'd be happy to drop it off for you x
 
That must have been a hard decision to make but you're right to put Merlin's best interests first. He'll have a lovely life with Layla and it's great that you want to sponsor him. I'm still a newbie with pigs (5 months in now) and don't have any experience with dental problems; I think I would make the same choice in your situation.

Best wishes and big hugs. x
 
Well, Merlin isn't causing me any less stress...:0

He's very wobbly on his feet and disorientated.

He ate, of his own accord, a tiny amount of cucumber, rocket, and carrot this morning. He's pooing and weeing but not drinking any water. I've been syringe feeding him the science recovery and also giving him water via syringe.

I read that the wobblyness could be down to a vit. C deficiency which would make sense seeing he hasn't eaten anything over the last few days and he's only just started nibbling on veg this morning.

I went out and bought some Probiotic http://www.petsathome.com/shop/proc-probiotic-100gm-by-vetark-15796 and mixed it up at the recommended dose however rather than put it into a water bottle I've mixed it into a jug and have again been syringe feeding him this.

Is this the correct thing I should be giving? It does say it has vit. C and I thought that the probiotic aspect would be good to give considering what he'd been through the last few days.

I've decided to see if he improves with this added supplement but obviously if he doesn't I'll get him straight to the vets again. How long should it be before I notice an improvement?

The poor little thing, he's really been through the mill the last few days.

Just another quick question... could the wobblyness be down to him having his ears cleaned whilst he was under sedation for his teeth? It could have maybe caused an imbalance within his ears, causing dizziness?

He does seem to be improving in himself, he's moving around more, he's trying to fight me giving him stuff via syringe (whereas even yesterday he just sat there and took it) and like mentioned he's making an attempt to eat some veg which he has never shown any interest in before this morning.

Please, if someone can give give me any advice about something else which could be doing, I'd be really grateful. If he deteriorates further I won't hesitate in getting him to the vets.

Donna. x
 
Gems said:
What recovery solution are you feeding him? Just the one we got from our vets for cleo when she was poorly she couldn't stand ( I think it was science recovery or something like that ) I have some of the oxbow critical care in if you need it, just let me know and I'd be happy to drop it off for you x
Click to expand...

Thanks for the offer, I'll see how he gets on after the Probiotic. Yep, he's on the science recovery, although it doesn't come with any instructions, I've had to surf the net to find out any info.

Will keep you updated on the situation. x
 
I also have metatone tonic in which is an appetite stimulant if you need any. We give athena extra vitamin c in the form of a tablet we bought from sainsburys. It's the 60mg chewable ones but we just crush it to a powder and syringe her that. The probiotic we use is different to the one your using but we give 1g per day to Athena, we just sprinkle it onto a bit of cucumber which she eats herself but I think whilst he's not eating of his own accord its definitely worthwhile giving the probiotic and if you have any metatone tonic in you could try giving him some of that ( Laura knows the dosage but if you do a search I think its 0.5ml a day but please check first ) as it might give him his apetite back. The only thing is if your dissolving the probiotic in alot of water it might not be as effective as unless your able to syringe all of the water to him theres no guarantee how much of the probiotic he's actually getting.

I'm by no means any expert on this, just we've had a few piggies with problems so I'm just letting you know the things we've tried!
 
Wobblyness could be dehydration which can be very serious. You can test him for dehydration by gently pinching a bit of skin. It should ping back instantly, if it takes a second to ping back he's dehydrated and you should probably get him back to the vets so he can be given fluids.
 
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