Persistent URI or allergies? help!

piggylovexo · Post » Sun Sep 14, 2014 10:03 pm

Yes. Everything seems to be normal. I'm just so puzzled. I don't like the fact she's lost an ounce. I know it isn't a dramatic loss and it was over a weeks period. Is there any substitute for hay? I know it's vital for her to have hay. It was literally in a days time she stopped. It wasn't slowly. She ate it in the morning and then just stopped that evening and hasn't really ate any since. And she's drinking water with no problem.

Post » Mon Sep 15, 2014 10:50 am

I wish there were some magic potion you could sprinkle on the hay so he would eat it.

Main problem is the teeth will not be self-grinding like they should - oh, along with the digestive issue. You can perhaps finely crush grass and mix with some CC or something else that can be hand fed in a slurry to benefit the gut. But the teeth is another issue. The finely ground hay may end up not being further chewed by your guinea pig.

piggylovexo · Post » Mon Sep 15, 2014 7:33 pm

Ah as do I! I will definitely be trying the slurry for sure. I went out and bought another bag of hay just hoping it would be different. But it wasn't. I stopped with her ear drops on Thursday, is it by any chance possible that it's still in her system causing her to not want to eat? It started the 3rd day of the ear drops so I can't help but think it might be related. She has been also getting probiotic during this time.

Post » Mon Sep 15, 2014 9:51 pm

If the antibiotic was the problem, she should have recovered her appetite. I think of antibiotics given orally as causing the most problems.

Talishan · Post » Tue Sep 16, 2014 3:56 am

Mm. Antibiotics orally do cause the most problems, but we have had a transdermal reaction as well. That said, by now, if you stopped the drops last Thursday, she should be okay.

This is a long shot, but she may have smelled something in the hay she didn't like. Oxbow only sells first cut, and the second bag you got was probably from the same cutting as the first bag (the one she stopped eating). Consider trying these:

http://store.smallpetselect.com/5lbs-th ... ay-p7.aspx

That stuff is TO DIE FOR. If she won't eat that, she won't eat anything. Don't pass out at the price ;-). They're offering free shipping right now, and per pound it's less than you're paying for smaller bags.

2nd cut. Not quite as nice but this has been my "go-to" hay for years.

piggylovexo · Post » Tue Sep 16, 2014 1:53 pm

Excellent. I am going to buy the third cut timothy hay! I hope it works. If not, looks like a trip to the vet. Is there a certain way to store the hay? I have never bought hay in bulk before and 5 lbs is going to last a while!

Also, I measured how many pellets she is eating. Her bowl holds about 1/3 of a cup (4 oz). She will eat this whole amount in approximately 24 hours give or take. Is this enough? Am I giving her too much? She is now about 5-6 months old. I believe I stated before, but she is drinking water perfectly fine.

Oh, she also NIBBLES the hay while she poops, lol. I have no idea if this information is relevant. She likes to eat while she poops. So she will grab a piece and eat it while she's going. But that's the only time. So I keep a tiny pile close to her pooping corner :-).

bpatters · Post » Tue Sep 16, 2014 2:23 pm

Too many pellets. At about six months of age, she should be reduced to 1/8 cup of pellets per day.

All guinea pigs poop when they eat.

Also, five pounds of hay isn't much, so you don't have to worry about any particular storage method.

piggylovexo · Post » Tue Sep 16, 2014 2:36 pm

Only 1/8 of a cup? Even though she isn't eating hay and is slowly losing weight?

bpatters · Post » Tue Sep 16, 2014 2:43 pm

If she's still under six months, she can have more. But pellets don't really make up for not eating hay. If taking her off the antibiotics don't stop the weight loss, I'd make up the difference with Critical Care or, preferably, Critter Be Better, as it already has probiotics mixed in with it.

piggylovexo · Post » Tue Sep 16, 2014 9:21 pm

How much critical care should I give daily if she isn't eating hay? She weighs 1 lb and 2 oz.

bpatters · Post » Tue Sep 16, 2014 9:55 pm

A pig that's not eating anything else at all needs at least 60 cc of critical care per day, split into 5-6 feedings. If she is eating something, you can reduce the amount of critical care accordingly.

piggylovexo · Post » Mon Sep 22, 2014 4:21 pm

I ended up taking her to the vet(an actual exotic vet.) He put her on Bactrim and Doxy. Although, I wondering about the Doxy dose. It could be the right dose, it just seems high. I had to have it compounded at the pharmacy. I called my vet to check the dose, and I didn't actually talk to him. It was just the vet technician so I wanted your opinion.

Sorry had to cover up my name lol.

She weights 18 ounces, which I converted to be about .5 kg (if I did it correctly.)

Some input would be helpful! [/img]