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Sick Bella lethargic

Smileandnod

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Thanks for the update @ Artista.

Have you asked about administering subcutaneous fluids since she is still dehydrated?
 

Artista

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It doesn't make it easier to feed because the pig has dental issues, [MENTION=27627]Artista[/MENTION]. It makes it easier because shes a guinea pig who hates being fed! You don't actually leave the two syringes connected. You just fill the 1ml from the 12ml repeatedly.

I'm glad to hear she's doing a little better. The small poops with points are indicative of not enough food and dehydration.

Keep us posted on how shes doing. Fingers are crossed that she's feeling herself in no time!

So then to get through the 1 ml it needs to be thinner than applesauce consistency?
 

Artista

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Thanks for the update @ Artista.

Have you asked about administering subcutaneous fluids since she is still dehydrated?

They did on mon, 30 ml. Sub q needs 2 people I was told with a very anti wanting to be held let alone anything else pig.
 

Smileandnod

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My most recent who needed sub q fluids twice a day really squirms and rears up head when being handled. She was a rescue from a really bad hoarding situation.

So I was really nervous about having to administer it to her because I also thought it was going to be impossible, but I found a trick that worked really well for me and her.

I placed her in a cuddle cup with high sides and placed her so she was facing the high side away from me. I put a piece of fleece draped over her head and some cilantro in front of her. She was not eating and being fed critical care at the time, so the cilantro was just an "aroma distraction" ;-) and she bit it a little out of her frustration at me.

I put her on my desk for a good height in front of me and safety in case she tried to jump. I made sure I had good light and took a deep breath ;-)

The most difficult part was lifting the skin between her shoulder blades, but to my surprise she wiggled and reared her head, but didn't try to escape completely thanks to the cilantro keeping her attention and quickly sticking the needle in. If I hesitated it took a while to calm her, so I had to toughen up ;-)

I used the butterfly needle with tubing connected to a 60cc syringe. This allowed me to not have to hold the needle & her so I could accomplish the task as one person and she could move while the needle stayed in place. When I warmed the fluids, she barely noticed the push of fluids.

I did this twice a day pushing about 25-30cc of fluids at a time. I also syringed her water throughout the day with her critical care feedings of 120ml per day of critical care.

It's funny because it was really mostly about getting over my own fear about the process and once I did it went surprisingly well...and she actually tolerated it better than at the vets, which also really surprised me! The sub q fluids really did make a positive difference.

Maybe if it doesn't work for you, your vet would allow you to pop into their office to have a tech administer fluids without paying office fee?
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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So then to get through the 1 ml it needs to be thinner than applesauce consistency?

A little thinner, maybe. You don't want it too runny but obviously not too thick that its too difficult to syringe. If you cut the curved tip off the 12ml, the hole should be about the same size as a 1ml syringe. I just found that a 1ml syringe is MUCH easier to fit in a guinea pigs mouth. A 12 ml tends to be too fat and if the tip is too short, you'll bump that big syringe into the pigs snout and can't get the tip back to their molars.

That was the problem I had with Scooter and to some degree Punkin as well.
 

Artista

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A little thinner, maybe. You don't want it too runny but obviously not too thick that its too difficult to syringe. If you cut the curved tip off the 12ml, the hole should be about the same size as a 1ml syringe. I just found that a 1ml syringe is MUCH easier to fit in a guinea pigs mouth. A 12 ml tends to be too fat and if the tip is too short, you'll bump that big syringe into the pigs snout and can't get the tip back to their molars.

That was the problem I had with Scooter and to some degree Punkin as well.

Thanks. I did the syringe thing and it went much faster, much less mess and easier! Thanks for explaining it to me!

Bellas doing better. More poops. Slowly looking better but not quite there yet. Ate red pepper, some wheatgrass, lettuce, hay, some pellets. Water is 0 on her own. Very strange. She has been coming in her kitchen to eat hay but ignores the water bottle. She takes the water easier than cc though. Weirdest gp thing I've ever seen.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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I know exactly how that feels. Both Scooter and Punkin completely ignored the water bottle when they were ill. Pretty positive that was the reason (along with me not syringing enough water) that Scooter ended up with a bladder stone that ultimately took his life. Pretty hard pill to swallow.


I'm glad she seems to be doing better. I'm sure you already know this tip but I'll say it again here anyway. If she's dehydrated, you can also syringe her unflavoured pedialyte to help with that. Don't give it to her exclusively as it contains sugar, but a few syringes along with several syringes of water will definitely help her.
 

ItsaZoo

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When mine was ill and not eating or drinking, I syringed Pedialyte mixed with watermelon water. It got her to take the syringe easier and I gradually watered it down a bit. I also used watermelon water in the CC to make it easier to feed her. Anything just to get some food and water into her.
 

Artista

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1 week in. Poops are a mixed bag but small. She eats some of her pellets and hay. Eats her pepper slice. Behavior is more normal now. Goes to the side of the cage biting the bars when she knows it's time for lettuce. She eats that as well and some fresh cut wheatgrass.

I feel like this will never end. 0 water on her own. Not enough food and hay on her own. I feed her about an oz of critical care 2 x a day. Her teeth grinding sounds like a rattlesnake. Cute but oy. She's 4 this month so not terribly old. I hope I'm not doing this for the rest of her life. It's tiring. I also wonder how much my syringing a lot of water makes it unnecessary to use the bottle herself. But her labs showed dehydration so I'm afraid to test it. When the critical care is really low, I put water in it and syringe it as water. Should be getting the urinary culture results this week and next Friday is ultrasound with another exotic vet on her abdomen. It's Adobe Hospital in Los Gatos CA where she's been 1 x before in 2019 with Dr. Nakamura. This is Dr. Blackwolfe who has 2 gps herself and has been there for 20 years. Sounds good to me, having gps yourself.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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It was weird when Scooter stopped using the water bottles. We assumed it was because the cold water hurt, but we were never sure. When Scooter first became ill just after Punkin did that September, he never touched the water bottle again for just over 3 months. That changed when he was introduced to Leo. Like, instantly. He was in the introduction pen with Leo when he started again.

Similarly, he stopped when he fell ill again the next February and again, didn't touch it for months. And again, just like flipping a switch, he started using them again. This was about 3 weeks before I lost him.

I wish I had something I could tell you to try that would work, but I don't. I tried everything I could think of, short of switching to a bowl.

I'm just hoping she's feeling better soon and back to normal.
 

Artista

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I got this to help make cc palatable. I mix some in with the banana cc. She seems to take it better. But the fighting me is just delayed. I'm wondering if when she starts that she is full. She ates some pellets and hay on her own. Her poops are a lot more but pointy at some ends and not the size of Bianka's.

Vet did email me urinary culture results. She has uti. Recommending Baytril and probiotic. Her vet there has given Mooshy another one because of something negative. Can't remember why. So I'm waiting for her to respond to me about this. I'm also asking if a uti alone can cause loss of appetite and 0 drinking water. Would be great if the answer is yes..
 

Artista

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Duh. Forgot to post pic..
Screenshot_20210803-103026_Samsung Internet.jpg
Screenshot_20210803-103235_Gallery.jpg
Screenshot_20210803-103213_Gallery.jpg
 

bpatters

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I don't recommend Sherwood products at all. Their claims about alfalfa pellets are based on junk science, and that's enough for me to avoid anything else they produce.
 

Artista

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I don't recommend Sherwood products at all. Their claims about alfalfa pellets are based on junk science, and that's enough for me to avoid anything else they produce.

I'm just adding 1 very small spoon they provide for better flavor. It's postponed her fighting me I think.
 

Artista

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I now have all 3 flavors of critical care. Seems likes anise a little better. Maybe papaya next a bit then banana. Picking up antibiotics tomorrow with benebac.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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You're becoming a Critical Care connoisseur! How is Bella doing?
 

Artista

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You're becoming a Critical Care connoisseur! How is Bella doing?

If you see her, you wouldn't think anything is wrong, aside from the water level not going down. She eats hay, pellets, lettuce, wheatgrass just fine. I give a fresh carrot chip as a treat at night. Poops are plenty it seems but still on the smaller side. I mean maybe that's her normal now. Getting the UTI antibiotics tomorrow and benebac gel should arrive from Amazon by tomorrow night so by Saturday I'll start the med. Hopefully that'll solve the issue. Next fri is the abdominal ultrasound at Adobe hospital with another exotic vet. I kind if feel guilty not using her regular vet at Wildwood Veterinary Hospital but it's $400 cheaper to do it at Adobe.
 

ItsaZoo

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I hope she continues to eat and starts drinking. My understanding is dehydration causes digestive slowdown and can cause impaction because there isn’t enough fluid to lubricate the intestines. So syringing fluids is important and takes time to get hydration back and digestion moving. It’s a tough job.
 

Artista

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I had forgotten how hard it is to get benebac gel out of syringe and then into small mouths. Any tips? And how many ml each time? So hard to measure out. Tia
 

bpatters

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I always used the knurled syringe that holds 15 doses. You just set the ring at the proper place and depress the plunger.
 
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