Hello,
Sorry for the long story but I would really like to ask you all for some advise.
I took my 5 year old guinea pig to the vet a month ago because he was having a little mucus and blood in his poop. The vet gave him an antiinflmatory and a b12 injection and that issue resolved. However, a week later he did bloodwork and a chest x-ray because on the first visit he said that he thought he might have a heart murmur. The tests came back fine, except for a little anemia. So we went home with some vitamins to treat the anemia and thought everything would be fine.
However, he started to act differently and eat less and less since we did those tests (already a month ago) and since one week ago he just wants to hide in his hidey and refuses to eat anything.
We are currently syringe feeding him critical care, enough to maintain his weight. We have been to the vet multiple times during this month and he says that physically he is fine, that this situation is due to the stress from the procedures, and that the stress could have initiated some kind of cognitive deterioration as he is already old.
Has anyone experienced something like this? Is there anything I can do for him? I have tried all types of hays, veggies and pellets but he just doesn't want to eat or go outside his little house. We are really sad and we feel responsible for letting the vet do the tests, he now says that we can only put him to sleep.. But, as there's a lot of people here with experience I wanted to know your opinion first.
Thanks a lot.
Not eating after vet visit
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Lynx
- Resist!!!
I am so sorry he is doing poorly.
When you said he did a chest xray, did it also include the bladder and urinary tract? Was the blood in poop bright red? On the outside? Are you still seeing it? Any injuries ? I wonder about trace blood in urine getting on the poop and the blood actually originating from the urinary tract system. A possible bladder stone (seen in an xray).
At the moment this is the only idea I have.
When you said he did a chest xray, did it also include the bladder and urinary tract? Was the blood in poop bright red? On the outside? Are you still seeing it? Any injuries ? I wonder about trace blood in urine getting on the poop and the blood actually originating from the urinary tract system. A possible bladder stone (seen in an xray).
At the moment this is the only idea I have.
Thanks for your reply.
It was a whole body x-ray, he said everything was fine... The blood in the poop was dark and I haven't seen it again, the vet also said in our last visit that he thinks he doesn't have anemia anymore, because his eyes look bright and have good color around them. He hasn't suffered any injuries.
The vet really insists that this is a stress related cognitive deterioration, and that there are no meds for that, has anyone tried a natural supplement in guinea pigs that can reduce stress or improve cognitive function? I see that these exist for cats and dogs.
We have another vet visit on Monday and I will bring in a urine sample just in case that can give us further information. If anyone has anymore suggestions I would really appreciate them, besides from not eating he does seem healthy and we love him very much, we really want to find a way to restore his quality of life at least to some extent.
It was a whole body x-ray, he said everything was fine... The blood in the poop was dark and I haven't seen it again, the vet also said in our last visit that he thinks he doesn't have anemia anymore, because his eyes look bright and have good color around them. He hasn't suffered any injuries.
The vet really insists that this is a stress related cognitive deterioration, and that there are no meds for that, has anyone tried a natural supplement in guinea pigs that can reduce stress or improve cognitive function? I see that these exist for cats and dogs.
We have another vet visit on Monday and I will bring in a urine sample just in case that can give us further information. If anyone has anymore suggestions I would really appreciate them, besides from not eating he does seem healthy and we love him very much, we really want to find a way to restore his quality of life at least to some extent.
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Lynx
- Resist!!!
Yes, always important to check them!
Another thought here on the blood in poop. Sometimes beets, for example, can change the color of urine. It is possible other foods could change the color of poop so you might want to review diet around the time you saw this issue.
I am glad you had an xray done. It is an important diagnostic tool.
Another thought here on the blood in poop. Sometimes beets, for example, can change the color of urine. It is possible other foods could change the color of poop so you might want to review diet around the time you saw this issue.
I am glad you had an xray done. It is an important diagnostic tool.
I think his teeth were checked during the first visit around a month ago, I'll ask the vet to check them again on Monday.
Is it rare for piggies to be stressed for a simple procedure during more than a month? Its hard to help him relax because I have to feed him critical care 4 times a day and that really stresses him out too..
I just asked today at the pet shop where we buy his hay what we could do, the person that runs it is a vet also and he told me I could use rabbit pheromones to help him feel better, it is a plug in diffuser and apparently it generates a calming smell, but I'm afraid to use it as it is meant for rabbits, anyone knows if this could be of any help and if it is safe?
Thank you all for your kindness.
Is it rare for piggies to be stressed for a simple procedure during more than a month? Its hard to help him relax because I have to feed him critical care 4 times a day and that really stresses him out too..
I just asked today at the pet shop where we buy his hay what we could do, the person that runs it is a vet also and he told me I could use rabbit pheromones to help him feel better, it is a plug in diffuser and apparently it generates a calming smell, but I'm afraid to use it as it is meant for rabbits, anyone knows if this could be of any help and if it is safe?
Thank you all for your kindness.
You can check his front teeth yourself, if they are not straight it can be a sign there is something wrong with his molars. You need equipment to check the molars, sometimes the piggies mouth needs to be flushed with water first to get food out of the way. There might be spurs trapping the tongue or poking into his cheeks, making the piggie not want to eat as that will hurt.
Is your piggie alone? He might be a bit depressed, a piggie friend could help.
No experience with diffusers. I tend to not use anything like that because my lungs and nose mostly dislike it and piggie lungs are way more sensitive than mine.
Is your piggie alone? He might be a bit depressed, a piggie friend could help.
No experience with diffusers. I tend to not use anything like that because my lungs and nose mostly dislike it and piggie lungs are way more sensitive than mine.
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ItsaZoo
- Supporter in 2023
In my experience, the after effects of a vet visit and extensive tests usually clear up in a few days. They don’t show up weeks later. This sounds like something else is going on. Hiding and not eating are signs of pain and illness. Especially if he doesn’t want to eat at all.
If you have multiple hiding places does he move from one to the other? Do you have a hiding place where you can put his favorite food or mix some of his favorite food with the Critical Care? I have used shredded carrots or a little shredded apple to get mine to take Critical Care more easily.
If you have multiple hiding places does he move from one to the other? Do you have a hiding place where you can put his favorite food or mix some of his favorite food with the Critical Care? I have used shredded carrots or a little shredded apple to get mine to take Critical Care more easily.
Yes, he does move from one hiding place to another and I place food in all of them, he does eat a little hay and a vitamin c oxbow treat, he doesn't want any veggies except from a couple of bites of red pepper. He has always lived with another guinea pig, and they get along very well. About the pain, he is on metacam since monday but hasn't improved his appetite.
I also think that more than a month is just too much time for this to be due to stress...the vet said that the stress triggered some kind of cognitive decline, as he also started to show weakness in his back legs, and everything else appears to be normal but im having a hard time believing this is the issue. However, my vet does not use sedation to draw blood for bloodwork and during the procedure it seemed he fell unconscious as he laid on his side and didn't react for a minute o two, after that we returned home and day after day he started a slow decline until reaching the point we are now.
I'm starting to wonder if when this happened he actually had some kind of stroke provoked by the stress, even though I have asked the vet multiple times and he says that was nothing, just a usual stress response. Could it have been a stroke? If so, can he get better with time and is there any treatment I can give him for this?
I also think that more than a month is just too much time for this to be due to stress...the vet said that the stress triggered some kind of cognitive decline, as he also started to show weakness in his back legs, and everything else appears to be normal but im having a hard time believing this is the issue. However, my vet does not use sedation to draw blood for bloodwork and during the procedure it seemed he fell unconscious as he laid on his side and didn't react for a minute o two, after that we returned home and day after day he started a slow decline until reaching the point we are now.
I'm starting to wonder if when this happened he actually had some kind of stroke provoked by the stress, even though I have asked the vet multiple times and he says that was nothing, just a usual stress response. Could it have been a stroke? If so, can he get better with time and is there any treatment I can give him for this?
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Lynx
- Resist!!!
I can't answer your particular question (if it was a stroke, recovery odds) but was actually going to point to potential heart issues when you mentioned the unconsciousness during the blood draw.
https://www.guinealynx.info/heart.html
You are very thorough and I think your concerns are legitimate. I too wonder about the stress diagnosis.
https://www.guinealynx.info/heart.html
You are very thorough and I think your concerns are legitimate. I too wonder about the stress diagnosis.
Thanks a lot for keeping this post going, your support is helping me a lot.
When I took Gizmo in the first time for the stomach issues the vet said he had a heart murmur, that's the reason why we did the x-ray and the blood test, however i asked him to give him treatment for a possible heart condition and he said that the murmur was not pronounced enough and that the x-ray showed the heart was a normal size and the lungs had no fluid and therefore it wasn't the heart that was causing this situation. But he does seem very tired, sometimes he just falls a sleep standing up, he just gets tired very easily... Maybe I should ask the vet tomorrow to start him on heart meds to try and see how it goes.
When I took Gizmo in the first time for the stomach issues the vet said he had a heart murmur, that's the reason why we did the x-ray and the blood test, however i asked him to give him treatment for a possible heart condition and he said that the murmur was not pronounced enough and that the x-ray showed the heart was a normal size and the lungs had no fluid and therefore it wasn't the heart that was causing this situation. But he does seem very tired, sometimes he just falls a sleep standing up, he just gets tired very easily... Maybe I should ask the vet tomorrow to start him on heart meds to try and see how it goes.
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Lynx
- Resist!!!
Does he show any signs of heart issues? On the link I gave, there is a list.
SIGNS: Early signs may be loss of energy, a tendency to move less.
Other possible signs are:
SIGNS: Early signs may be loss of energy, a tendency to move less.
Other possible signs are:
- Labored breathing
- Cough or wheezing
- May produce a "hooting" sound
Chronic upper respiratory infections (URIs) - Fluid in the lungs
- Reduced activity, lethargy
- Loss of appetite and weight loss
- Malocclusion
- Enlarged heart on x-ray
- Ear margins may become necrotic from poor circulation
- (necrosis on pink ears appears as black margins, on black ears as white margins)
- Bluish or pale mucous membrane color
- Difficulty coming around after being put under anesthesia
- Deep sleeping, easy to pick up (does not run away)
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