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Not Eating My guinea pig stopped eating after emergency vet hospitalization.

skippersolo

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I have a male guinea pig who recently had to be rushed to the vet because he fell from a 3-foot drop (he jumped out of a friend's hands as he was being put back in his cage, it was a complete accident but terrifying none the less). He started coughing and his breathing was weird so we took him right in, where he spent the night. They said he was fine and I was able to pick him up at noon the next day.

The receipt the vet tech gave me said he had an injection of Baytril and "Furosemide/Lasix Cc". I read that pigs can lose their appetite after taking Baytril, but it's been three days since the injection and he wasn't given any take-home meds. I noticed he has barely touched his food since he came home. I always give him the recommended amount of timothy pellets every morning (1/8 cup) which always disappeared before morning, but lately it's only been less than half eaten. He completely rejects his veggies in the evenings, I even tried feeding him some treats and he rejected those too. I noticed he's been drinking lots of water and chews on his hay but his actual food is barely touched. And usually he poops like crazy in massive piles but I barely notice poop anymore in his cage.

Should I take him back to the vet or wait it out? I've already spent nearly $300 on vet bills this month for him as well as my mouse so I'm kind of broke. I can always ask my Dad to pay for it but I feel bad asking for money. Again, I will do that if I have to but I'm wondering if his decreased appetite is just out of stress from his recent tumble/medical procedures and something that will go away soon.

Thanks for any help. :)
 

lissie

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How long ago was the fall?

How much hay is he eating?

If he is not eating on his own you have to handfeed him. See this page for more info: https://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html

Did they say why he was given Furosemide? This medication is used for reducing fluid buildup caused by heart failure or kidney failure.

I would take him back to the vet. He could be in pain.
 
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mochi the pig

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I'm not experienced with emergency hospitalization, and my guinea pigs have never been hurt or sick (so far), so my words may not be as reliable, but one of my close friend's guinea pigs was in the same situation, and had a loss of appetite. She told me she fed him Critical Care and cut up vegetables into small pieces to ease him back into his usual eating habits. Again, I am not completely sure if this works, but I just wanted to put it out there. Maybe try comforting your guinea pig while hand feeding him some food? Hope your guinea pig gets well soon!
 

skippersolo

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How long ago was the fall?

How much hay is he eating?

If he is not eating on his own you have to handfeed him. See this page for more info: https://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html

Did they say why he was given Furosemide? This medication is used for reducing fluid buildup caused by heart failure or kidney failure.

I would take him back to the vet. He could be in pain.

The fall was on Tuesday, I picked him up Wednesday. When I went to pick him up the vet tech told me his body went into shock after the fall and they gave him some "meds" (receipt said injections of both Furosemide and Baytril) to get him back to normal. I remember while I was there they examined him and said it sounded like there was fluid in his lungs which is why they decided to keep him overnight. I don't know any details beyond that.

As for his eating, I tried making an emergency appointment and told the tech what was going on, so she put the vet on the phone. He said it was normal for animals to lose their appetite for a couple days after receiving those meds. My pig's appetite was slowly coming back so he said he'll be fine, and to give it another day. Now he's eating again. He's eaten most of his timothy pellets today and I gave him some romaine lettuce a short while ago and it's already gone.

Sooo yeah, no appointment was necessary thank God.

I'm not experienced with emergency hospitalization, and my guinea pigs have never been hurt or sick (so far), so my words may not be as reliable, but one of my close friend's guinea pigs was in the same situation, and had a loss of appetite. She told me she fed him Critical Care and cut up vegetables into small pieces to ease him back into his usual eating habits. Again, I am not completely sure if this works, but I just wanted to put it out there. Maybe try comforting your guinea pig while hand feeding him some food? Hope your guinea pig gets well soon!

I will do that if for any reason he loses his appetite again. Seems like everything's good now.

Thanks all!
 
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