Sam and Dean
Dean still looking better. His eyes are almost completely cleared up now. He's eating better too (knock on wood). I've been giving him carrot greens, parsley and cilantro almost exclusively and last night when my wife fed him for me, she gave him some lettuce and cucumber and he actually ate most of it. I've been making up a thick paste out of critical care, forming it into a ball for him and he's eating that too. He's not putting on any weight, but he's not losing any either. He's holding steady at 1.8 lbs. To think I almost ended his life a week ago makes me sick to my stomach. I'm still going to do that, but not until the time comes. That'll be when it's obvious that he's suffering in pain. As long as he keeps eating and drinking, I'm going to enjoy him.
3 years ago today, Sammy made the crossing to the green pasture of the rainbow bridge. Wow! Has it really been that long? Seems like yesterday. His brother, Dean is hanging on; now 6 years, 5 months, 5 days old. That makes him the longest living guinea pig I've ever had. I look at it as honoring Sammy, as well as the rest of my herd by giving his brother the longest living and happiest of all the piggies. So today, and always, I remember my little Sammy as I continue to nurse Dean for as long as I can. Rest in sweet peace, Sammy.
Dean is still doing better. He actually ate all of last night's veggies, including the few bits of lettuce I mix with his carrot greens and cilantro. When I picked the greens, a couple of them had baby carrots. I cleaned them up and gave those to him as well and he ate those too. I'm still taking a tablespoon of critical care, making a mush ball out of it and giving him that twice a day. He really likes that and eats all of it every time.
I changed his bedding last night and he spent his time in the collapsible pen moving around and enjoying the other guinea pig scents again. He was still doing that when his cage was finished so I let him stay in there until he decided that he had enough and wanted back into the cage. He's back to being excited and nibbling the cage when I bring his food. I'm doing hourly checks on him and keeping plenty of pellets available for him to forage whenever he wants and he eats most of them.
I changed his bedding last night and he spent his time in the collapsible pen moving around and enjoying the other guinea pig scents again. He was still doing that when his cage was finished so I let him stay in there until he decided that he had enough and wanted back into the cage. He's back to being excited and nibbling the cage when I bring his food. I'm doing hourly checks on him and keeping plenty of pellets available for him to forage whenever he wants and he eats most of them.
I'd feel better about things if he'd eat more hay, but between the critical care mush and the pellets he eats, he's getting Timothy hay. Hoping the critical care will help stimulate his appetite. I think I'm going to add a little bit of the probiotic powder into the mush and see if it helps.
Dean still hanging in there. Doesn't eat veggies. He eats grass, so it's a good thing there's some in the greenhouse. Being too lazy to get it out of there actually paying off. I found a way to get him to eat the apple banana critical care mush. I use a wooden pestle to grind the critical care into a powder, then I take an ultra thin slice of apple; just enough to moisten the critical care when its mashed and water to make the mush. I do that twice a day. He eats it, but I don't like the idea of having to give him so much apple.
The fine grind papaya flavor was going to be here tomorrow, but thanks to the snow, it's not going to be here until Saturday at the soonest. Meanwhile, he still eats pellets, grass and shredded carrots. I don't know how much longer he's going to last going like this, but I'll keep going with him as long as he's not suffering.
The fine grind papaya flavor was going to be here tomorrow, but thanks to the snow, it's not going to be here until Saturday at the soonest. Meanwhile, he still eats pellets, grass and shredded carrots. I don't know how much longer he's going to last going like this, but I'll keep going with him as long as he's not suffering.
The fine grind papaya critical care has been delayed, thanks to the weather. I'm able to use the coffee grinder to make a fine powder out of the apple banana critical care and Dean seems to like it without the piece of apple. I ordered a mortar and pestle from Amazon that should be here by Monday. That will make grinding his food easier while sparing the coffee grinder.
I had the idea to mash up some lettuce and cucumber to mix with the CC instead of the apple and he seems to like that. Going to try doing that with bell pepper. The wooden pestle works on the cucumber, but not so easily on the lettuce. The stone set should do much better. Just have to make sure I season it properly. I wonder why he doesn't just eat the veggies without having them ground up. Oh well. If this is what I have to do to get him the nutrients he needs, then so be it.
I have seen him sitting next to his hay and chewing on something. The hay pile doesn't look like it's going down, so he may be just getting the small bits. There's also plenty of pellets that he may be getting. He's been eating his fecals too so it could be that or all 3. He's drinking a good amount of water as well. He comes to the door of the cage and nibbles the wire when I bring food. Guess it's all just an old guinea pig thing.
I had the idea to mash up some lettuce and cucumber to mix with the CC instead of the apple and he seems to like that. Going to try doing that with bell pepper. The wooden pestle works on the cucumber, but not so easily on the lettuce. The stone set should do much better. Just have to make sure I season it properly. I wonder why he doesn't just eat the veggies without having them ground up. Oh well. If this is what I have to do to get him the nutrients he needs, then so be it.
I have seen him sitting next to his hay and chewing on something. The hay pile doesn't look like it's going down, so he may be just getting the small bits. There's also plenty of pellets that he may be getting. He's been eating his fecals too so it could be that or all 3. He's drinking a good amount of water as well. He comes to the door of the cage and nibbles the wire when I bring food. Guess it's all just an old guinea pig thing.
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Lynx
- Resist!!!
Many years ago I made myself a stoneware mortar and pestle (I used to make pottery). I am surprised that I have used it over the years. The unglazed stoneware surfaces worked pretty well.
For the vegs, some people use blenders? Perhaps a chopper with whirling blades might save you some work?
For the vegs, some people use blenders? Perhaps a chopper with whirling blades might save you some work?
The mortar and pestle came today and I'm preparing it for use. It involves washing it without detergent several times, grinding rice with it until all of the loose granite is gone and some seasoning. For now, I'm chopping the lettuce up as fine as I can and using the wooden pestle for the cucumber and bell pepper. A blender would be more efficient, but it's such a small amount that it seems like overkill. That and mashing it by hand saves all of the juice for mixing with the CC.
I made Dean a pretty good sized ball of CC, lettuce and cucumber and he ate the whole thing. It was a significant amount of lettuce and a chunk of cucumber equal to what I normally give him and the whole thing was golf ball sized. He had bell pepper, lettuce and CC mash this morning. I have to peel the skin off of the bell pepper. I still don't know why he'll only eat those veggies if I prepare them in this manner. No matter as long as he's eating it and getting the nutrients he needs.
I made Dean a pretty good sized ball of CC, lettuce and cucumber and he ate the whole thing. It was a significant amount of lettuce and a chunk of cucumber equal to what I normally give him and the whole thing was golf ball sized. He had bell pepper, lettuce and CC mash this morning. I have to peel the skin off of the bell pepper. I still don't know why he'll only eat those veggies if I prepare them in this manner. No matter as long as he's eating it and getting the nutrients he needs.
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Lynx
- Resist!!!
I made Dean a pretty good sized ball of CC, lettuce and cucumber and he ate the whole thing.
Very impressive!
Is there anything he can eat normally that would involve the molars? Are his incisors both present? Can he shut his mouth completely? I wonder if he has a problem with his teeth.
Glad to hear he can eat this food you so carefully prepare for him!
Very impressive!
Is there anything he can eat normally that would involve the molars? Are his incisors both present? Can he shut his mouth completely? I wonder if he has a problem with his teeth.
Glad to hear he can eat this food you so carefully prepare for him!
Near as I can see, his teeth are ok. No trouble biting off of the mush ball or picking up the small bits that he's still foraging up. No trouble chewing and he can close his mouth all the way. It wouldn't hurt to try and get him to the vet, but the closest one is Dr Hardy at James River Vet and it takes a week or longer to get an appointment with him. I got the mortar and pestle all set up and I used it to grind up his food this morning. It works very well and he got his full complement of veggies mixed up with the critical care. I don't mind putting in the extra effort to get him the nutrients he needs. It's far better than having to syringe feed him.
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