Jay and Jersey's thread

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Sat Dec 11, 2021 11:57 pm


Thank-you puffin losing Jill and Jersey with in 4 weeks was a shock and hard to deal with. Usually when lose one we loose another shortly after. Jessie December 2014, Jemma January 2015, Jupiter February 2017, Jasmine February 2017. Jaffa December 2019, Joy January 2020.
Now for Jay is still only eating cherry tomato and cucumber. Not sure if she has put on weight or whether sugar content. I bought a jar of apple baby food to add to Critical Care.

She is urinating a lot even before hand feeding but not a great drinker but not dehydrated. Her weight is 9th 815grams a lost of 15grams on my scales, 10th 815grams-stable, 11th(start of baby food) 835grams up 20grams. Today the 12th 830grams down 5 grams. I weigh her before I hand feed her first feed of the day. In the time I am awake she gets fed 5 X 1ml syringes every 3 hours on average 5-6 feeds in 24 hour period.

she is interested in eating but sniffs the food and just walks away. whether it is a medical problem or just hates the food i am unsure. She has never been a great eater. the only change I have made in diet is they get either cat or rye grass depending which one is long enough to cut.

Other things to eat, oak green/red lettuce(won't touch!), cos lettuce, carrot, grass, tomato, cucumber, timothy hay, meadow hay, Oxbow adult pellets. Due to drought and fires hay is off poor quality, full of seeds and prickles in it. If I was to remove prickles would be there for close to a week.

She has 2 doses of Bactrim left which may also be causing the lack of appetite. Still on Pron8ture and will be for another week. Any advise much appreciated!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Dec 12, 2021 8:59 pm


Do you know what kind of plant the prickles are? I ask because there is something called fox tail in the states which can really be a problem. If there is an injury to the mouth, it could affect appetite. Perhaps if you have some sort of agriculture department, they could identify the plant and tell you if it is at all hazardous.

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Sun Dec 12, 2021 9:23 pm


Not sure what prickle it is just know they are common in most grasses/lawns. Weighed Jay today and she has lost 30grams. She has had last dose of Bactrim so have everything crossed she gets her appetite back.

No offense to my piggies but I am sick of sick piggies and doing something wrong to have so many in short period of time. What I mean is I want healthy piggies and happy piggies and not having the worry of sick piggies and useless vets!

If I find more prickles will keep them and take to vet and let them have a look see. Thanks for the reply Lynx. Most of the vets and nurses keep horses, cows and sheep etc. So they should know what the prickles are. Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong???

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Dec 13, 2021 10:29 pm


I can't answer your last question (I know you are trying to do everything right) but as to askin the vets about the prickles, great idea! I hope they can tell you if they are a hazard of any kind.

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Fri Dec 17, 2021 7:28 pm


OK, yesterday got up way early as had shopping to do. Jay got syringe fed 7 times instead of 6, plate fed 4 times instead of 3. Yet when I weighed her this morning she has lost weight! She is eating 90% of her food but she is doing it slowly. It will take her roughly 4-6 hours to eat what the other 3 take to eat in 5 minutes.

This is why I was leaning towards teeth as she has also stopped eating pellets which she loved! I would sometimes be filling her pellet bowl 2-3 times a day. When I am asleep I think she is losing weight as she is not eating her pellets like she use too.I have not seen her at them for a long time.
Her weight is up and down 14th 825g 15th 795g 16th 840g 17th 820g 18th775g. I have not started on the Anaplex vet wanted me to start her on as she is eating even if slowly, drug is a steroid, it is for cats and dogs and I remember what it did to poor Jill's poops.

I mean I am paying for it how much for a little gas and look in her mouth at teeth or x-rays to check for elongated roots? I remember poor Jaffa had teeth looked at quite a few times at consult and sedated, even had teeth filed until it was discovered a tooth had pierced the tongue and put a hole in it. I think she had Jessie's problem of a bad tooth which had caused swelling and she starved to death! Poor thing. NOT once was I referred to a specialist if they exist here!
I mean a guinea pig's mouth is small and they have molars way back in their mouth, some hard to see unless sedated or to a trained eye.

I weigh her roughly same time a day-first thing each day when I get up and before first syringe feed. Anywhere from 7.00am to 10.00am.

I feel she is going same way as Jaffa. Maybe a bad tooth or swelling in the mouth? Jessie had this bad tooth and even though she had teeth filed many times it was never picked up. It was discovered she had bad tooth, swelling and she was slowly starving to death. Vet removed bad tooth, saved her life but broke jaw in 3 places and she never ate by herself again due to misaligned mouth. But she loved being syringe fed and lived a happy life till she was 8 after being syringe fed for 5 years. And we loved doing it but it was also sad as we would have loved to see her eat by herself just once!

Any suggestions for Jay much appreciated, the only medication she is on is Pron8ture( Protexin) and she loves it! She has gone off Timothy hay too but is eating the Meadow/Pasture hay. Thanks for reading. was hoping to have this fixed before Christmas where everything will be closed except for emergency cat and dog vets or farm animal vets.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Dec 17, 2021 9:41 pm


I know how hard these illnesses are on you and your guinea pigs. By now, you are so knowledgeable about teeth issues and hand feeding! It is frustrating to see her not eating enough and losing weight. Is there now any vet who you trust that can successfully do a good dental evaluation?

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Fri Dec 17, 2021 10:52 pm


Is there now any vet who you trust that can successfully do a good dental evaluation?

Sadly no! After 30 years with piggies I have seen no improvement in vet care for piggies. The one who Jessie saw was suppose to be a piggy expert but he treated her roughly, knocked her out completely for x-rays or scans with surgery drugs. Pump her full of other drugs and every time she saw him she would be in pain. No sorry Lynx not found any piggy vet who i would trust.

Sad thing is my piggies suffer and die painfully and unnecessarily. Like poor Jan, some vet gave me a drug like Morphine that would make her sleep 10-18 hours. Guinea pigs need to eat. I didn't use it! Another didn't know how to take a piggies temperature. Another asked me if piggy had thrown up!

Dr Fowler another piggy expert saw Jasmine and Jan, Jasmine not eating losing weight. She was going on about x-rays, scans, full bloods, sticking camera down her throat to name some things she wanted to put Jasmine through! Another vet said guinea pigs never have heart problems.

You have no idea how bad vets are here. It is bad enough to have a sick piggy let alone putting up with bad vets too! Another vet took dental x-rays but she couldn't read them. Another vet gave my pigs Terramycin injections. Thankfully I didn't lose any of them-she was supposed to be piggy expert too!

I dread it when my babies get sick. Since husband left money is extra tight! It breaks my heart to waste money on useless vets and piggy is no better for the visit! If only I could see Dr Vella in NSW but he is over 1500kms away and vets consider it an insult if I dare to ask. Current vet won't even use Vin.

Thanks Lynx for your reply. I think these 4 will be my last piggies as can't bear seeing them suffer at the hands of vets. Jay is my 3rd piggy who has seen vet this year and I lost 2 of them. Pointless I know but Jay booked in at vets Wednesday.

Here is link for Anaplex he put Jill on and wanted me to put Jay on. It is for dogs and cats. https://www.jurox.com.au/product/anaplex/ If not redirected just click on yes I am a vet.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Fri Dec 17, 2021 10:54 pm


I think you are right to pursue a mouth issue. I personally stopped feeding timothy hay because it’s so coarse I sometimes get slivers when I handle it. I can’t imagine a soft guinea pig mouth dealing with that, but maybe they bypass the coarse stalks.
So I’m feeding mostly orchard grass.

When Lacey was sick, I made smoothies using hay, carrots, corn husk, water, and pellets or Critical Care. She was able to eat that so maybe you could give that a try.

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Fri Dec 17, 2021 11:39 pm


Thanks for advice ItsaZoo. I am adding rockmelon and red Capsicum blended to Critical Care. Jay is eating just slowly. I fed her at 9.45am and would have eaten around 15% normally by now she would have eaten 85% Maybe the Critical Care is filling her up? Looked at food plate, tomato cucumber and carrot bit of grass gone.
Thanks for reply. Will keep you posted. Timothy hay for Jay cutting up to around 3-6 inches long but won't touch it long or short. She prefers Meadow/Pasture hay.

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Fri Dec 24, 2021 12:16 am


Jay has just had X-rays(not got copy yet), teeth filed and ultrasound(no pictures saved) so after $717.80 am no better off in knowing why Jay is is not eating. Any suggestions? Maybe bloods? Hate the thought as vets here take too much!!!

Also for anaesthesia vet use Ketamine/acp/Isoflur. Is this safe on guinea pigs? my other vet always used Isoflurane and that was it. unsure on other 2 drugs used-Ketamide and acp.

Been home 5 hours and jay is still sleeping it off and for Christmas she got a bad hair cut where she had ultrasound. thanking any replies in advance. Merry Christmas from the girls and me from down under!

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Fri Dec 24, 2021 2:44 am


The x-ray and/or ultrasound should tell you if it is a stone or something else like a mass or obstruction. Trust me. I learned that lesson the hard way. Until you get those results, there's not much else you can do besides keeping her watered, nourished and medicated if she's been prescribed any. If nothing turns up on the images, you might need blood work. I'm sending you my best wishes for Jay to pull through.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Dec 24, 2021 8:44 am


Don't know what acp is but it seems Ketamine has a function in veterinary medicine. I imagine the dose has to be accurately managed:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=ketamine+vete ... use&ia=web

Hoping for the best for you both. And a Merry Christmas to you too!

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