Advice and care for broken ribs

Newpiggymom

Post   » Tue Dec 11, 2018 1:24 pm


We got two guinea pigs only 6 days ago. We have never owned pigs before. Only 4 days in, our dog grabbed a pig off of the couch. It was only a split second but in that time the poor pig was hurt. Yes we know a HUGE mistake was made and we feel absolutely horrible. Devestated! Took him to an exotic vet and he has 7 broken ribs. The vet was hopeful that he may recover with a lot of care. So we brought him home. It's been two days and at first, he was eating but that has now slowed down. He only munches on hay a little bit. Haven't seen him drink water. He'll sniff at the water bottle but won't take a drink. Tried a bowl and he refused it. He ate some wet dandelion leaves yesterday but won't touch them today. He is on pain meds and antibiotics, the correct meds that pigs are supposed to get. I'm trying to hand feed him and give him the meds but it is very difficult because I'm so scared to move him too much. He's going back to the vet tomorrow for more xrays and to see how he is doing.
My main question is, has anyone ever seen a pig recover from injury like this? Is this what's best for him or should we euthanize? I don't take that decision lightly at all, and I want to give him a chance but also don't want him to suffer. The vet mentioned doing an ultrasound or exploratory surgery to check for internal injuries not seen on xray, but the first visit was already $300 and I don't have much more. I don't know what to do. We are heartbroken over this.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Dec 11, 2018 2:20 pm


I am so sorry about this incident.

Along with the vet, I would be concerned there were other internal injuries not seen. I don't know if the broken ribs (which must be painful) caused any internal injuries or perforations. It sounds like what your vet is doing is hoping for the best and covering several bases in the hope that he can recover.

Right now it is important to weigh him daily and hand feed if he is losing weight. You can put him on a counter with his feet in contact with it and corral him in the crook of your arm, feeding him by syringe. This way, you are minimizing handling. Added fluids are important. Is the pain med meloxicam? It could be that another medication might help more if he still seems to be in pain.
www.guinealynx.info/pain.html
www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Tue Dec 11, 2018 2:20 pm


You MUST feed him, or he'll die. Guinea pigs are wired to require food moving through their guts at all times, or else they'll develop painful, even fatal, stomach ulcers and/or bloat. I know it would be very difficult to do that with him having broken ribs, but it will be necessary if he's to survive.

You might try wrapping his ribs, if they aren't already. And if you can put him on a towel on a table and snuggle him into the crook of your elbow and cover his eyes with your hand while you're holding his head, you may be able to get him to take the food and meds without struggling.

Good luck with him, and let us know what happens.

Newpiggymom

Post   » Tue Dec 11, 2018 5:35 pm


Thank you both. He just ate some iceberg lettuce. Just trying to get something into him. I'm looking to see if I can find somewhere to buy the critical care, and I read about pellet mash so we'll try that. He was so terrified while I was trying to give him the meds, I'm sure due to pain and the fact that he barely knows us! I'm trying to give him what he needs with minimal handling. I will try your suggestions. He's going back to the vet in the morning.

rjespicer

Post   » Tue Dec 11, 2018 5:57 pm


Avoid Iceberg lettuce. It is mostly water and has little nutritional value. I would go for Green or Red Leaf Lettuce or Butter Lettuce or similar leafy green veggies

You can check here for suitable diet
https://www.guinealynx.info/diet.html
https://www.guinealynx.info/fave.html

You can get Critical Care on Amazon if you cant find it locally.

Newpiggymom

Post   » Tue Dec 11, 2018 6:29 pm


Thank you, I've tried various other veggies today but the iceberg lettuce was the only thing he agreed to eat. We will keep trying.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Tue Dec 11, 2018 6:37 pm


He needs to be fed a pellet mash or Critical Care whether he wants it or not. He needs the fiber to keep his gut moving. You can try to make it more palatable by blending something he really likes in it, but don't just feed him small bits of what he'll agree to take. He really doesn't have a choice if he's going to make it through this. THE most important thing you can do is to make sure he gets food.

A guinea pig that's not eating anything else needs 100+ cc. of Critical Care or pellet mash for every kilogram it weighs, every day, split into 6-8 feedings around the clock. Adjust up or down according to the pig's weight, and down if he's eating a significant amount. A few nibbles of lettuce aren't nearly enough.

User avatar
TeddyGram
Supporter

Post   » Tue Dec 11, 2018 6:46 pm


When I needed Critical Care quickly, I ordered through Amazon Prime and got it the next day. Pellet mash until then. Vets also often sell it. My vet gave me a handful of plastic syringes to feed my gp with. The directions for hand-feeding found on this site really work.

rjespicer

Post   » Tue Dec 11, 2018 6:55 pm


It may be difficult and heart breaking to force him to eat but by making him eat you are, as bpatters says, quite literally saving his life.

He will resist, he will squeak and squeal and you will feel like you are being mean but he has to eat, and eat plenty.

There are number of techniques for syringe/force feeding but here is what I posted elsewhere when a couple of our girls (Nala and Chunky) wouldn't take syringes either of food or meds

"We tried burrito wrapping in a towel but there is a real knack to it and it only worked a couple of times for us so we tried other methods. Nala would struggle and wriggle and break out of the towel and would not take the syringe that way at all, squealing and protesting the whole time. I thought I would never be able to get her to take it and was at the end of my tether. I even tried flavoring it with baby food or juice but that didnt work either.

Here is what worked for us.

With Nala we put a towel or spare fleece liner on the table (Or another suitable flat firm stable and safe surface) and sat her on it and then put another towel or light fleece over her back, just so she felt secure. I then wrapped my left arm around her (I am right handed) so she was in its crook, not touching her but enough to be able to make sure she didn't run off (really important if you are doing this on a high table), and with the left hand just in front of her chest. I would pet her and stroke her to calm her down the first few times. If you are tense they seem to sense it so take deep breathes and try and remain calm.

I would then put the syringe up by her mouth and just brush it along her lips on the side of her mouth nearest me (I had to have my glasses on so I could see what I was doing). She would move her head away but I just kept persisting until eventually she would bite on to the syringe, If she moved her head to the left I would put the syringe on that side, if she moved it to the right I would switch it to that side, it took time and patience but eventually she would give in. I would make sure it was a good way in behind her front teeth (They have long jaws so there is a lot of space there) and then slowly press the plunger. It would take several goes as they can only take about 0.2 to 0.3ml/cc of liquid at a time.
Over time I also found it helped if I got her to put her paws on my left hand and just lifted her front up slightly. After a while she would put her paws on my hand automatically.

My daughter took a different approach and would have her on her chest with her butt cradled in one hand and her paws on her chest (wrapped in a towel or small fleece blanket) and would just keep offering her the syringe until she took it.

With Chunkita, who hates being picked up, I would mix it in with some critical care. I would pull the plunger out of the 5ml syringe we used for critical care and load about 1ml of critical care and shake it so it slid down to the nozzle end and blocked the hole. I would then add the 1ml of Vitamin C and then put another 1ml of Critical care in. I would then carefully put the plunger back in but only a tiny way and then tip the syringe up so everything slid back down to the plunger end. I would then gently press the plunger to get rid of any air, shaking it if required to shift any bubbles. I could then offer the syringe to Chunkita (without needing to pick her up) and she would bite right on to it and I could slowly push the plunger making sure she was chewing and eating as the mix went in.

Patience and persistence are the key. You may feel like you are hurting her or stressing him out but whether it is Vitamin C, Meds or Critical Care if he needs it to survive the consequences of giving up can be dire.

It is tough, believe me I know I went through it with 3 sick piggies but you could, quite literally, be saving his life even though it doesn't feel like it. It does get better though or at least it did for us, I hope you find the same."

What we also found was that after syringe feeding for a while they became somewhat less timid and less scared of us.

You could also try him with Cucumber and /or Bell peppers

Here is a link to the hand feeding info TeddyGram mentioned

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

I hope you can get him to eat

Newpiggymom

Post   » Tue Dec 11, 2018 8:03 pm


Feeling positive at the moment because he is eating hay and just ate about a cup of spring mix. If I leave it in front of him, he won't eat it. But if I hold a piece at a time in front of his face, he takes it.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Wed Dec 12, 2018 12:00 pm


That's good news. Keep going.

Ditto everything everyone has said about hand/forcefeeding. It truly is the difference between life and death for them. In my experience it's vastly easier with two people; one to hold the pig and the other to gently but firmly hold the pig's head and administer the food. Can someone else help you with feeding?

Is he defecating normally? You can tell a lot about how well a piggy is doing from their droppings.

Is he on any kind of pain relief medication? A pig in pain is even less likely to eat.

Good luck. Hang with him and please keep us posted on how he's doing.

Newpiggymom

Post   » Wed Dec 12, 2018 1:05 pm


This morning he was still eating and pooping normally. Took him in to the vet for more xrays and they ended up hospitalizing him for fluid build up in his chest. She said she was going to try and drain it. She said he appeared to have declined a little in his vitals since she saw him two days ago. But she's going to do what she can for him and see how he is in 24 hours. So heart breaking.

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