tess
Junior Member
Posts: 50
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Post by tess on Nov 8, 2007 13:28:35 GMT 7
We have a couple of guinea pigs who are not looking their best. One is very fat, eating well, but seems to have swelling inside the mouth. The other is thinnish, doesnt seem to want to eat, doesnt want to drink, will not suck on a syringe with water in it, and on cleaning out his house ( we use shredded paper for their nests) appears to have left behind pinkish coloured paper. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
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Post by Helen on Nov 8, 2007 14:24:47 GMT 7
I am afraid that sounds like a vet one to me.
I am very careful at this time of year about feeding my guinea pigs fresh grass as they can get the seeds stuck in their mouth/ throat which can cause swelling and the inability to swallow or eat, they then need the seed removed and a course of antibiotics.
I am only saying this because the first one sounds similar but I would take them to the vets. It sounds like it could also be a contagious condition for them both to have it.
Good luck, let us know how they go.
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tess
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Post by tess on Nov 8, 2007 16:11:28 GMT 7
Both boys are 5 months old and when we first had them they both had abcesses under their chins but that cleared up. They are not in direct contact with other animals and are in separate cages.
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Post by Helen on Nov 11, 2007 5:59:33 GMT 7
How are the boys going? I hope they are OK.
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tess
Junior Member
Posts: 50
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Post by tess on Nov 12, 2007 15:19:02 GMT 7
Helen Thankyou for your concern. The boys seem to be getting better. One had really long teeth so we cut them, older daughter is a vet nurse, and he hasnt dirtied his paper again, he has also started eating and drinking again, for some reason he decided he coulnt drink from the bottle on the side of his house. The other ones mouth seems to have gone down, and he is lively again. We are wondering if they were given something to eat by someone else (we have had quite a few visitors here lately) that they shouldnt have eaten.
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Post by Helen on Nov 12, 2007 15:46:16 GMT 7
I am glad to hear they seem to be getting better. It is certainly possible that they may have been fed something that they shouldn't. Be wary of the grass as I said before, my cavies are rather cross with me at the moment because all the grass has turned to seed. The other thing is the hay, make sure that it does't have any nasty seeds in it but make sure they get some fresh every day, good roughage and helps to grind the teeth down. I would still make sure that they are quarantined just in case.
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Post by Matt on Nov 12, 2007 17:05:22 GMT 7
Sorry I missed this post. I am glad both boys have come good! Sounds like maybe they were fed something wrong by someone, but then again one could have developed a small abscess as well, the other I have no idea and am glad he came good on his own!
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tess
Junior Member
Posts: 50
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Post by tess on Dec 29, 2007 18:31:11 GMT 7
Back again!! Our little man Spike is sick again. He usually lives with his friend Angel, but we have had to separate them as Angel is getting bigger and Spike smaller. Spike is very thin and only wants to eat carrots, and he wont eat his usual food. We have checked his teeth and given them a bit of a trim, although they were not particularly long and have just about run out of ideas. His house and water a cleaned regularly and nothing has changed with regards to his food or lifestyle.
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Post by Helen on Dec 29, 2007 18:52:33 GMT 7
How long ago did you separate them? Is he walking strangely and is he still getting lots of green grass and vitamin C? Have you got any Nutrigel or Nutripet that you can give him? Any other signs like diarrhea or wet around the mouth or just thin?
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tess
Junior Member
Posts: 50
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Post by tess on Dec 29, 2007 19:28:49 GMT 7
We separated them 2 days ago. No sign of diarrhea or wet mouth, just excessively thin and lack of appetite. We dont have any green grass here at all, everything is brown, we are having to feed the sheep and horses with extra feed as there is nothing in the paddocks.
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Post by Helen on Dec 29, 2007 19:38:48 GMT 7
It sounds like your other boar was not letting him eat and he was starving. Guinea pigs, especially boars can be big bullies some times. Try him on celery, hay, capsicum, things like that might tempt him to eat. He is probably very weak. If you have any Nutrigel or Nuptripet give him some of that. If not, if you have some berocca Vitamin B plus C make some up and give him about 5 ml. If he has not been eating properly, he may get scurvy and vit B will help his immune system.
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Post by Matt on Dec 30, 2007 6:33:29 GMT 7
I agree with the green feeds. If you do not have access to green grass then anything like celery, cabbage (small amount) and capsicum is a good source of vitamin C. He may have been bullied by the other animal, or he could just be deficient in something. I also recommend vetafarm suppliments. Spark replaces electrolytes and give the sick animal energy, probiotics are good too for starting up gut movements that may have slowed down. Good luck.
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Post by Helen on Jan 2, 2008 8:40:47 GMT 7
How is Spike?
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tess
Junior Member
Posts: 50
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Post by tess on Jan 2, 2008 12:33:14 GMT 7
Thank you for your concern. He is eating some capsicum and celery, and even seems to be a little more interested in his food, but is still very thin. He also seems to be smelling up his cage more than he used to, is that a sign of something wrong?
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Post by Matt on Jan 2, 2008 14:55:23 GMT 7
Sounds like he may have some gut problems, but if his faeces are firm there shouldn't be a problem. He could take some time to come back from the state he was in, we have had a few that suddenly appeared thin like you have described and they do take a few weeks to gain all the weight back. One other thing I can think of is he may have an infection of some sort and maybe a dose of antibiotics would help? Good luck.
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