Sick Thoughts on what could be wrong with my boy

KathrynM · Feb 6, 2017

I have a call into our vet but I just noticed my piggy is not right. I went to give him his favorite lettuce and he usually comes out squeaking as soon as someone walks by. I notice he has been quiet the past few days. Today he came out slowly and looks weird. His fur is spiky looking and he looks fluffy and weird. His eyes look different and his fur by his eyes are watery. I got him celery because he didn't seem that into the lettuce, he did eat that but obviously something is wrong. I went to pet him and he made that sound that he normally makes if he's running around. Like a low chuckle. I am not sure if he is hurting or in pain so I didn't pick him up. I don't think he is that old. We adopted him and another guy 2 years ago from a shelter. They were ditched by a dumpster so I have no clue where they came from. Assuming a petco type of place. Don't know how old he is but my guess is 2.5 years old. He has grown quite a bit since we got him 2 years ago. His buddy was sick from the get go. UTI's and URI and passed really young.

Anyways hope I can get him in first thing tomorrow. He's such a sweet boy. He's an American short hair cavy I think and I have read those ones tend to be the healthier breed and live longer. Anyone have any ideas what would cause the fluffy, spiky fur and weepy eyes. I want to say they even look somewhat sunken in. It looked like he was walking slow and almost a limp but I could really tell, I wanted to leave him alone. Poor baby.

CavyTV · Feb 6, 2017

Would you mind showing him to us with a few pics? It's kind of hard to understand what you mean about "spikey" hair, considering he's a short hair.

jaycriae · Feb 6, 2017

Could be a URI, that's probably the most common cause of appetite loss and lethargy (including that puffed-up posture). There are other illnesses that could cause the same symptoms, though, so hopefully you have a good exotics vet to check him out.

KathrynM · Feb 6, 2017

CavyTV said:
Would you mind showing him to us with a few pics? It's kind of hard to understand what you mean about "spikey" hair, considering he's a short hair.

So here are a few of him. One is how he normally looks and the last 2 are him today.

KathrynM · Feb 6, 2017

I did finally find a vet that took pocket pets and she was really good last time. Made me feel comfy that she owns guinea pigs and other exotic pets. I was shocked how hard it was to find a vet that would even see my guys let alone have some. I live in San Francisco Bay Area with tons of vets I really didn't think it would be that hard.

KathrynM · Feb 6, 2017

Now that I am looking at these pictures, his eyes are definitely sunken in.

bpatters · Feb 6, 2017

I'd guess URI.

But there are plenty of vets in the Bay Area. https://www.guinealynx.info/records/viewtopic.php?t=243&sid=0ea7e41cb49b799073e281875bf34e4b

KathrynM · Feb 6, 2017

bpatters said:
I'd guess URI.

But there are plenty of vets in the Bay Area. https://www.guinealynx.info/records/viewtopic.php?t=243&sid=0ea7e41cb49b799073e281875bf34e4b

OHHHH thank you for sharing this. I live in San Jose area. With all the damn traffic around here I couldn't take him to the farther ones but I am def reaching out the the los gatos and San Jose ones here. I called so many before and got nowhere.

KathrynM · Feb 8, 2017

Well we saw the vet today, she said his lungs sounded good, no lumps that she could feel although he did not like his tummy being pushed on and what she could see from his mouth and teeth they looked good but in order to do a full inspection they would need to sedate him and I could run all the tests or we can try and treat him with the antibiotics and pain medication for a week and see how he does. He really doesnt look good. We also gave him IV fluids because he was so dehydrated. I gave his cage a good clean. His poo does look different then normal. Almost lumped together and not as solid but still semi solid. He's such a sweet boy, I have to give it a shot before having to put him down. I wish I would have noticed his symptoms earlier. They are just so good at hiding it. His urine is an interesting yellow color but I think the meds effect that too. Anyways thank you all for your help. If he pulls through this I am going to spoil him even more. Some people think I am nutty for paying $200 for a vet appointment for a piggy but I don't care what kind of pet I have, I cant watch them suffer.

jaycriae · Feb 8, 2017

I hope he improves soon! If he's not eating or drinking on his own you'll have to syringe him food and/or water every so often. Keep offering him water-heavy veggies and see if he'll eat them.

And don't worry, nobody here judges you for paying 200$ for his vet care. It's the right thing to do, and many of us have paid more over the years of piggy ownership. Sometimes pets get sick, it's just how it is, and it's our job to take care of them.

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Sick Thoughts on what could be wrong with my boy

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