Signs of recovery?
Hi there, I'm new to this forum (and guinea pigs in general). Just wanted some advice on my guinea pig Clover - I noticed last week she had stopped eating and seemed lethargic. We went to a specialist vet who couldn't find anything obviously wrong but prescribed Critical Care, Metcam, Ranitidine and gave her subcutaneous rehydration (next step would be CT scan or xray). Since then she has started eating again (mainly hay but a few bits of veg) but hasn't put on any weight. I'm struggling to get more than a few ml of Critical Care into her at a time as she attacks the syringe. I'm encouraged that she's eating and seems more active than she did last week - is there anything else I could be doing to help her? At what point can I stop worrying?
- Lynx
- Celebrate!!!
I take it you saw an exotics vet? What kinds of things did the vet rule out from the examination?
You were wise to see a vet since stopping eating and lethargy are clear signs of illness. I am surprised no antibiotics were prescribed.
www.guinealynx.info/antibiotics.html
You were wise to see a vet since stopping eating and lethargy are clear signs of illness. I am surprised no antibiotics were prescribed.
www.guinealynx.info/antibiotics.html
Hi, thanks for responding - yes, we saw an exotic vet. She checked Clover's eyes, ears, teeth, abdomen, listened to her lungs and heart etc, and couldn't find anything unusual and no signs of pain - said she possible tooth canal or inner ear discomfort which might (or might not) show up on an xray. I was surprised no antibiotics either, but she was very thorough. I've just weighed Clover again and she has put on 10g today so I'm actually feeling really happy that she is starting to recover. So nerve-wracking as it could have gone either way.
Thanks, that's good to know. I keep thinking she's better then becoming disheartened - this morning her weight had dropped again (I know there is a normal amount of variation over the course of a day but it dropped from 734g in the evening to 709g this morning, which is the lowest she's been). I still think it could go either way... I've also noticed that neither of them are eating many veggies at the moment. Normally (ie last week) they would be wheeking with excitement as I open the fridge and rustle the bag, then they would race to the food bowl. For the past few days the veg bowl has been virtually untouched, so now I'm worrying about my other pig too - though she is much plumper and could afford to lose a bit of weight. I don't think there has been a change in diet - I did give a bit of parsnip for the first time - could that have upset them? They're both happily eating hay and loving fresh grass from the garden. If I wasn't obsessively weighing Clover I might just think she's a bit quieter than usual, but I know weight loss is a big deal for guinea pigs.
Last Friday/Saturday she weighed 760g - how long would you expect it to take to regain this weight if she resumes normal eating?
She seems to be off her food again today and hasn't gained any weight throughout the day... I've also noticed her stomach is gurgling... any suggestions? She is already having Ranitidine 3 times a day. I'm starting to fear for the worse again.
She ate absolutely loads of fresh grass yesterday which she hasn't had for a while - is it possible she overdid it with the fresh grass or should that be fine? I'm pretty sure there were no buttercups, etc, in the grass as I just picked the tips and there isn't much growing in our garden right now.
-
- And got the T-shirt
You should never give "loads" of fresh grass to a pig that isn't accustomed to eating it. When starting (or restarting) a pig on fresh grass, feed only a tiny amount at first and gradually work up to larger amounts. It can really upset the digestive tract of any animal.
Ah... that could explain why her tummy is gurgling then - so much to learn with guinea pigs and I seem to be making every mistake in the book. I thought fresh grass would be fine as it's basically the same as hay, just dry, and that anything that got her eating again would be good. Can you advise what vegetables are gentle on the digestive tract? The usual pepper, cucumber, kale, carrot haven't been going down well.