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Conditions Moving Cross Country, Pig Status Declining

akagron

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Hey guys, sorry if this isn't formatted well. Bit of an emergency here.

My girlfriend is moving cross-country from the far west coast to the far east coast, and she's bringing her pigs along with her. She's relying on her mother to drive her, since those were the stipulations of the move. No point getting into that here though.

Right off the bat, the pigs were not drinking. They were initially eating cucumbers and lettuce, but now they have stopped that. They're making less and less noise and not moving much at all. They've also stopped defecating.

These pigs are extremely important to her but her mother's a sh!#bag and keeps making personal stops to go shopping and get drunk, making an already long 4-to-5 day trip take potentially longer. To put it into perspective, it's been 3 complete driving days and they're only halfway here. I need to know anything that can be done to save these pigs. An emergency vet is not an option; her mother refuses to go. She's going the route that the pigs deserve to die if they can't make it and they're a waste anyway.

Please help. I know whatever suggested might not be ideal, and if they're not settled in once (and if) they arrive here, we'll be taking the pigs to a vet. But that isn't an option until she gets here.

Mods, if this isn't properly formatted or not in the right place, please help me. Ban me if necessary but give me time to get something that might save these pigs' lives.

Thank you.
 
Last edited:

stray hares

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Hi, first of all this sounds like a really horrible, stressful situation and I'm sorry you, your girlfriend and the piggies have to work out a way to deal with it all.

Is there anyway your girlfriend on one of these shopping/drinking stops could duck into a pharmacy and pick up some 1mL syringes? She can mention they're for handfeeding guinea pigs. If she's careful she should be able to get some water into the pigs on the road that way. I don't know how easily available Critical Care would be depending on where your girlfriend is, but even if she could obtain some vegetable/fruit based baby food where the only ingredients are blended piggy-friendly vegetables and fruit (and they usually add vitamin C as a bonus) to syringe feed to the pigs that would help I believe and might be able to keep them going until she gets to the east coast. It's really important they get fluids and food at this stage and get their guts moving again.

I would suggest 1mL syringes only as they allow the greatest control when depressing the plunger so the piggies are far less likely to aspirate or take on too much water/food at once.

I will try to think of anything else that might work in this kind of situation too.
 

akagron

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Thank you so much, I'll forward this info to her. If you think of anything else, please feel free to let me know. I did some googling and someone suggested draping a sheet over the carrier to make it darker, and they seemed to like it. She heard them eating, bleeting, and moving about but still doesn't seem like as much as normal. She's going to keep checking on how much they eat but seems like they're still not drinking.

I will give updates as I hear them.

Again, thanks so much.

Hi, first of all this sounds like a really horrible, stressful situation and I'm sorry you, your girlfriend and the piggies have to work out a way to deal with it all.

Is there anyway your girlfriend on one of these shopping/drinking stops could duck into a pharmacy and pick up some 1mL syringes? She can mention they're for handfeeding guinea pigs. If she's careful she should be able to get some water into the pigs on the road that way. I don't know how easily available Critical Care would be depending on where your girlfriend is, but even if she could obtain some vegetable/fruit based baby food where the only ingredients are blended piggy-friendly vegetables and fruit (and they usually add vitamin C as a bonus) to syringe feed to the pigs that would help I believe and might be able to keep them going until she gets to the east coast. It's really important they get fluids and food at this stage and get their guts moving again.

I would suggest 1mL syringes only as they allow the greatest control when depressing the plunger so the piggies are far less likely to aspirate or take on too much water/food at once.

I will try to think of anything else that might work in this kind of situation too.
 

Soecara

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If her mother is the one driving is it possible for her to sit in the back of the car with them next to her? The most concerning thing is the lack of poops.

If so she might be able to take steps we would usually take for guinea pigs who are not eating, which is getting critical care/making a pellet mush and syringing it to them. She may also be able to syringe them some water. To get a syringe for feeding she can either go to a pet shop and see if they sell a pet feeding syringe (i believe I have seen people mentioning a 30cc syringe in one of the chain pet stores in the US) or go to a pharmacy and ask them for a syringe with no needle and explain you need it to feed a sick animal (she may have to cut the tip off of the syringe depending on the size the pharmacy is able to provide).

Here is a link with some more info https://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html
 

stray hares

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I would keep offering them wet veggies (cucumber, lettuce, etc.) because piggies rarely drink I find when travelling... usually they can stay hydrated through high water content veg though, you can even sprinkle/spritz some water on the veg so they get more fluids that way. I'm glad they're eating again though, please keep us updated. Hoping for poo!
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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I'll definitely second giving them all of their favourites, and as wet as can be. In a situation like this it's imperative that they eat to keep their gut moving, and offering their favourites will help with that. It's not optimal to be sure, but it would definitely help.

Hoping to hear some good news over the next couple of days.
 

HunterRose13

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Are they crossing the United States (there are members here from several countries and I didn't see a location)? If they are near Missouri I would take the piggies in and work out transportation to the new destination at the earliest opportunity I could if that is an option.

Please post updates. Prayers that the piggies make it.
 

spy9doc

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If they are near Missouri I would take the piggies in and work out transportation to the new destination at the earliest opportunity I could if that is an option.

Ahhh.......you just want some new piggies! (teasing, of course). What a lovely,generous offer! This is just one of the reasons I was hoping that you would stick around the Forum and participate. Thank you for extending the kindness!
 

HunterRose13

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Ahhh.......you just want some new piggies! (teasing, of course). What a lovely,generous offer! This is just one of the reasons I was hoping that you would stick around the Forum and participate. Thank you for extending the kindness!

This would be strictly a rescue mission and foster. I certainly would not mind having piggies in the house though.

I hope we hear a good outcome on this situation.
 

Beatrix187

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In addition I would just make sure the piggies aren't getting too hot. Guinea pigs are very sensitive to high temperatures (80 degrees can be very dangerous) so make sure in addition to having water and veggies, the air conditioning is working well and they are kept cool. Also try to keep temps regular and not swinging around all over the place.

Do they sleep in the car overnight? I'm a bit confused as to how that all works out.


I truly hope everything works out, and you guys are in my prayers.
 

akagron

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Hey guys! An update:

The piggies made it safely to their destination and are now very happy and seemingly healthy in their new home.

One of them lost weight over the trip but she's purring, chirping, and popcorning plenty while eating her typical amount she ate before the trip. Everything seems to have worked out for the best, and they're both enjoying their new home.

Thank you for the tips everybody, I really appreciate your pointers.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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So happy for the good news!

Hope everything works out now for you all!
 
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