Lethargy help, my piggys are sick and 2 died rapidly!

[craze]

Hello, first post here. We have 4 piggys, 3 live outside in a cage with fresh hay, the other one (is a baby) lives inside. They are all boys.

Last week i got them a sleeping bag for the upper level in case they get cold (its 0degC at night lately) and they loved it, all 3 would snuggle up like sausages.
Now since they got the bag they kinda seemed more relaxed and not as active, i though perhaps they were just being lazy, the food consumption and water went down (hardly touched it) again i did not think much of it.
Last night i gave one of them a wash and washed the sleeping bag as they were both smelly. 1 piggy basil seemed sluggish but still fine.

Today when i got home, basil could not use his back legs and was cold and looked very sad and sick, also little ruffles was slow (back legs moving ok) we took all 3 to the vet. Within an hour ruffles also could not use his back legs and then both of them had diorehha.
They gave them antibiotics and some liquids and painkillers and we hand fed them with a special food for them to give them nutrients.
We took them home and kept them inside on a warm hot water bottle.
4 hours later (i set my alarm for 1AM to check them) 2 of them were dead.

Why would they die so quick? The last piggy ferdi seems ok, but not 100%, he has long poop and is still eating but not 100%.

Why did they die so quick they have fresh hay and veggies etc etc. Was it the sleeping bag?
The only thing i notice was fat slugs in the cage at night (i pluck them out). Also a week ago we had mice so i put bait in the roof, is it possible they somehow transported the bait and fed it too the piggys? Will our last one survive and will the little 1 catch it (he played with them the other day), the are only 1 year old at the most.

RIP 2 piggys, stay strong ferdi!

 

[GuineaPigPosse]

I would thing since you had the poison close enough to fall in their cage or pen, the mice may have dropped some and the piggies ate it. The only certain way to know is to have an autopsy (can't remember the term for animals) to see what killed them.

If it's getting that cold out, you really should have them inside, either the house, garage or a barn. Just being outside, even with the sleeping bag, they can still get very cold coming out to eat.

So sorry about the two passing, I hope the other one pulls through.

 

[craze]

Hi thanks, the poison was well away and in the roof of the house, it would be quite a trek if they were to bring it in to them.

The piggy house is double story with separate isolated sleeping compartment on the 2nd floor, rain cannot get in, during the day its warm enough, only at night it drops a bit lately, I read around and some say don't worry and other say bring them inside, i loaded up the top with lots of hay and gave them the sleeping bag.

Its strange as our parents live nearby and there piggys are outside with not as much love and care and they are like special ops piggys, they never get sick, ours had mites and 1 got something stuck in his eye when we first got it.

Is ferdi likely to recover if he is eating, his poop is a little longer and darker than the normal size?

I really want them to live inside full time, not sure where to put them though.
The other option is bring the piggy cage in our undercover dining area, would that be warm enough?

Reading around the symptoms sound like it could have been anything (back legs not moving, tired, sleep around eyes, cold, 1 had high heart rate, the other normal) poisoning, phemonia or a bug of some sort.

 

[PooTrishy]

What did the vet say when you took them? Was it a cavy savy vet? Maybe just in case, you should remove the poison and use another form of pest control to make sure it isn't what is killing your piggies. Also, maybe just bring them in for now til they get better. Also, is it a sleeping bag for pigs? Or for people? Is this their first time being out in cold weather? When you bather them and took them back outside, were they still damp?

 

[craze]

The vet did not say much and not cavy savvy, it was late at night and they were the best place we could get too.

I will remove the bait and the remaining 1 is living inside now. The sleeping bag is for pigs.
They have been out in cold before as we had them for a year.
I made sure they were dry with a towell and hair drier.

They were fine before i got the sleeping bag, is it possible they can get sick from each others poo and wee??? Not sure if it was coincedence. I made sure it they hay in the bottom was dry (fresh hay) for them to run around during the day.

I want to keep them inside now or maybe undercover at least. Is the sleeping back a issue? When i am sure the last 1 is ok and the baby is older i will put them together and replace all bedding.

 

[PooTrishy]

Honestly I'm not sure. All I can really suggest is trying to find a vet who is cavy savvy. And I think it's definitely a good Idea to keep them inside. I think if the sleeping bag was going to cause any problems, it would be suffocation. Unless it was previously used by a sick pig. I'm sorry that you're going through such a stressful time with your pigs. I hope the little one gets better!

 

[lissie]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I've never heard of piggies getting sick from sleeping bags.
My coworker told me he used to have 2 ferrets and one of them died suddenly. He didn't know he had rat issues until he found his ferret dead. The second ferret got sick and he took him to the vet but also died following the first one. The vet said rats could have urinated on the food and when the ferrets ate the food, they become sick and died.

Please consider keeping your piggies inside full time. They would appreciate living inside in warm place with you. Plus you'd enjoy them a lot more.

I hope your piggies pull through.

 

[craze]

Thank you all.

We always try to look after them as good as possible and like i said they have been outside for 1 year already.

I will keep my 2 remaining ones inside and be sure they are warm.

 

[craze]

A little update (almost 24 hours on) ferdis legs seem strong and he is fairly good. He has not pooped for a few hours (will check soon again when i get home) and he did not eat too much.

I will keep him on antibiotic just in case and also feed him the special nutrient rich mixture with a syringe just to be sure.

I hope he does not deteriorate, he still purrs and seems pretty good.

Although 1 eye is a little closed sometimes compared to the other???? Could it be related to what the others had? (1 had crusty sleep on his eye)

 

[lissie]

Is there a cavy savvy vet that you can bring him to? Which antibiotic did the vet gave you? Did they give you probiotics?

https://www.guinealynx.info/antibiotics.html

https://www.guinealynx.info/probiotics.html

 

[CavyMama]

Guinea pigs really should be inside full time - for a number of reasons other than just temperatures. There are many reports of guinea pigs being stolen or killed by vandals. There are predators outside that would make a quick snack of the pigs. A quick temp fluctuation either a cold snap or a heat spike can make for a sick piggie.

No one can predict a heat spike or cold snap, a wind storm or any other type of potentially dangerous weather. These types of things like the extreme and sudden changes in temp have killed guinea pigs before.

Don't forget about human predators. People for whatever reason can and have stolen guinea pigs right out from their hutch or harmed/killed them - sometimes just for the "fun" of it.

Plus, there are insects like flies buzzing around the pigs or even parasites to bite them.

You don't know the lengths that animals will go to if they are hungry enough. How about snakes? They can slither right through the holes in a wire cage.

The fact of the matter is, it's safer inside for guinea pigs (or any pets). Chances of being killed by a predator inside: 0%.

 

[CavyMama]

Not to mention that 0 deg C/32 deg F is the temp at which water freezes. What's to prevent their water supply from freezing overnight? Indoors is a controlled climate and predator free.

I am sorry for your loss. It's never easy to lose a beloved pet and it sounds like the survivor is making good strides.

 

[craze]

I will check to see what the name of the medicine is when i get home, there is a vet that has experience with little piggies, if ferdi does not improve i will book in for tommorow night that is the earliest i can get there.

I do realize its safer inside (i prefer them too) but i am not the only 1 in the house, our back yard is small and well protected, like i said our parents live close by had many animals including piggies (we look after ours much better) and they are still strong after a long time.

Hopefully when i get home in 1 hour ferdi is looking better and i can give him a tickle. I want both the boys to stay inside from now on.

Will keep you updated, thank you all

 

[foggycreekcavy]

I think the name of the antibiotic is very important for you to tell us before you give him any more. The symptoms of the pigs that died could very well be poisoning from the antibiotic. Many vets who aren't experienced with guinea pigs prescribe antibiotics that are toxic to them.

 

[craze]

Ok its baytril .3ml daily, also the food is critical care.

His right eye is wet around it and his poo is kinda long and a little darker/runnier than its meant to be.

The little one is James and he is healthy.

 

[krystalmoore86]

I'm glad you decided to move the otter piggy inside! I am sure he will much enjoy the company of you and the baby! I wish your pigs a speedy recovery and am so sorry for your loss of your other two companions I haven't lost one yet and I can only imagine how devastating it must be. My thoughts are with you.

 

[craze]

Ferdi ate some carrot and we fed him more critical care. He seems a little colder than normal, he has not pooped since about 8 hours, if he does not poop I will take him to specialist tommorow morning.

He seems happy and quite active running around.

Thank you all for your wishes, i want to post some pics but am limited to a tiny size? Our baby James is so sweet he was bouncing around on the carpet before LOL.

We buried the 2 outside before and gave them a last pat, sweet little piggys.

 

[Deb's4Pigs]

Can you get a probiotic for him? Sometimes Baytril causes them to stop eating.

 

[craze]

Where can you buy it from??? I checked him this morning, gave him a warm towell and hot water bottle, some more food, he ate a little carrot.

He pooped which is good, a little darker/longer than normal and sticky a little bit.

I think he will be ok (i hope).

 

[craze]

I bought a heater mat off ebay for pets. Is this a good idea? Its about 15deg inside at home and 21deg when the heating is on. He has hay and blankets to keep warm also.