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Conditions New Addition: Elderly Harry

Amalee

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Hey guys! I haven't written in awhile. I rescued a guinea pig 2 weeks ago. He is estimated 6 years old, which my vet confirmed as well. He got a COMPLETE check up. It's a sad, sad case of serious neglect. He's been alone his whole life, and only fed fruit loop pellets and grass from their outside yard. He has shown NO interest in any vegetables or fruits. I've even put human food to his nose, NO interest. He really was only fed fruit loop pellets, some grass occassionally, and water from an old leaky water bottle that went empty and got filled once a week. As admitted by the owner.


No one ever touched or held him because they were scared of him, and then he got way too filthy for the family to interact with. When I got him, it looked like his small 2x1.5 pet store cage had not been cleaned in 6 months, at least. I was told they just threw pellets into the cage. He had no hideys, or cover whatsoever.

He came to me with his nails 2" long wrapped around soiled bedding that was literally stuck to his feet. He had bad impaction. Weirdly shaped teeth. Matted, soiled fur covred in feces, urine and dirt. It took me 3 hours of careful cleaning the best I could. I took him to the vet the next day.

His conditions/problems so far:
Teeth - She grinded his teeth. He will need to go back in 2 months. He is eating some hay, sometimes.
Eating - Been feeding critical care 4x daily. He loves this. Will not eat any vegetables or fruit at all.
Impaction - On and off issues with impaction. Soft and hard stools. I clean with mineral oil.
Joints - He has scurvvy. Supplementing as directed by the vet. He has a limp in one of his legs and couldn't walk right for a few days. Been improving.
Pain - He has mouth ulcers. He is on metacam for this. Unsure if he eats more on pain meds or not yet.


I've never had a pig this old, this neglected, and with teeth/impaction issues. Any advice taking care of this pig will be appreciated.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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Bless you for taking in this poor, neglected soul. I get so blind angry when I hear of people who treat animals this way. It makes my blood boil.

After having his teeth planed, he likely CANT eat anything other than critical care. I have a boar with malocclusion who is having his teeth planed about every 5 weeks now. His thread can be found here:

https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/114592-Sly-s-Medical-Thread/page5

So far it sounds like you're doing everything right. Time is the only thing that will tell. As his diet improves, so too should his issues with the impaction. If he's suffering from scurvy, at his age he's likely got issues with arthritis as well. The metacam should also help with that.
 

Amalee

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I forgot to add that he is eating his paper bedding (white carefresh.) He even eats it after he has a full tummy of critical care. I don't know if that's because he's used to doing that, pain, habit, "teething," etc. Is this something to be worried about? Can it make his impaction worse?
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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My pigs eat toilet paper tubes, especially after having something citrus. It's never seemed to bother them, and it's essentially the same as carefresh.

As long as he's not eating a ton of it?
 

Amalee

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I'm not sure how much of it he's eating. Sometimes it comes out in his poop as a clump.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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I think time is the only way you're going to tell with this poor old fella. Just keep doing what you're doing.

How is everything going? Is he eating much at all yet?
 

pigmommy89

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Are you absolutely sure that what you're seeing is Carefresh that he's pooping out? Is it possible that he's dragging his butt and getting it in his anal sac, and then it comes out with the poop? I'd be surprised if he passed the Carefresh so that it was undigested and recognizable.
 

Amalee

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Is it possible to get farther up there and mix with his poop and makes a big clump?


Huge Update

Harry is eating lots of hay!! He no longer shows signs of impaction and his poops look almost 100% normal. He is eating bell pepper, but not lettuce yet. Big, big improvement in energy levels, new curiousity and big healthy eyes!

20180207_183316.jpg
 
Last edited:

Pammers2169

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Hi Harry, you’re in good hands now Sweetie. He is adorable. I adopted a piggie who was thrown and had a broken back, nails like Harry’s, an abscess the size of an human adults big toe, and ate cabbage and fruit loop pellet mix for her first 2 years. I think I got very attached to her because of what I knew she had been through. After 2.5 years she died, so did a part of my heart.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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Yay! So happy for you and for Mr Harry, too!

Sly used to have the same problem with Carefresh when he was very very young, which was one of the reasons we switched to fleece. I used to call him Mr Dirty Bum lol.

He still has, and has had for most of his life, problems with very soft stools. But being on fleece has definitely helped him stay much cleaner.
 

Sofia claire

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This made me sad. But I am VERY happy he gets to spend the rest of his life happily with you! I rescued a 1ish year old piggy about 4 weeks ago and he was too neglected with a terrible diet including seeds! He has become very social and happy here! He had a cage about .5x1.5 cage (as in grids) and now has 14sq.ft to run around and play with his "brother" Kindie! The amount of energy he had stored up was CRAZY, every time I let them run around (twice a day) he blots everywhere while popcorning and wheeking!
 
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