Neutering/Spaying Recovery after surgery

[Michelle81]

On Sunday I rescued a little guinea pig living in horrendous conditions. (All by himself, dirty cage, inadequate food, etc.) After a 500 mile drive home with our new little guy he still hadn't completely settled in. School starts Monday so today was the last day until middle of October I could get him neutered so he could be with my 2 girl piggies and no longer alone. He seemed to do well with the surgery and was healthier than we thought. Tonight though he's not eating, drinking, or pooping yet. If he doesn't start by the morning I was told to call, but I'm very anxious. Any tips or things to try? Unfortunatly he doesn't recognize any food except pellets and carrots currently.

 

[bpatters]

This may have some help: https://www.guinealynx.info/postop.html

But I'd get up in the middle of the night and hand feed him some Critical Care or a pellet slurry if he still hasn't eaten.

 

[Michelle81]

This may have some help: https://www.guinealynx.info/postop.html

But I'd get up in the middle of the night and hand feed him some Critical Care or a pellet slurry if he still hasn't eaten.

How do I make pellet slurry?

 

[bpatters]

Soak the pellets in some water for several minutes, then put them in a blender or food processor.

Here's some handfeeding info: https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/115000-Handfeeding-a-guinea-pig

 

[spy9doc]

He needs to have food moving through his g.i. system to avoid stasis, so feeding a pellet slurry or Critical Care is mandatory if he's not eating on his own. If you have Amazon Prime, you can have Critical Care delivered in 24-48 hrs. And BTW, Critical Care is an important ingredient in your piggy first-aid supplies.

It's not at all uncommon for a neutered boar to not be very active post-surgery. They are often groggy from the anesthesia and just not very hungry. That being said, he still needs to have some food moving through his system. The pellet slurry uses what you have on hand until you can get some CC if needed.

I would also get some Pedialyte and syringe it to him. Buy the generic unflavored (much cheaper) and syringe it with a 5-10mm syringe which you can buy in almost any pet store. I use it straight, mix it with Critical Care, and use it to dissolve medications that need to be crushed up and administered by syringe. I've never met a cavy yet who didn't love pedialyte.

Thanks for rescuing this little guy. Good luck with him!

 

[Michelle81]

He's turning into a little poop factory again. I took him back to the vet to double check everything and he was put on critical care. He only needed 2 feedings and started eating on his own. He has decided the only worthy part of real timothy hay that must be eaten is the bulbs and after that pellets are better. (First time he has had a chance to eat hay in his life was this week and didn't try them until yesterday.)

 

[spy9doc]

Don't discontinue the Critical Care just yet. Despite the fact that he seems to be eating on his own, it's probably not enough. At a minimum, I would feed him CC twice a day and give him as much as you can possibly get in him. When I'm syringing CC I feed 30ml/cc at each feeding.

As I mentioned previously, I often mix the Critical Care with pedialyte to get maximum nutrients and electrolytes into the cavy. Also, I sometimes mix the CC with a little baby food to vary the taste. Beechnut makes an organic line with some cavy-licious flavors such as pumpkin/squash, kale & carrot, etc.

Sounds as though things are moving in a positive direction. Good for you for being proactive!