Male Rescue Guinea Pig Chronic URI and Not Eating Hay (Stumped)

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Rynn21

Post   » Mon Apr 04, 2022 2:48 pm


When Covid started, I took in two male 1 year old guinea pigs off of Craigslist. They were originally form a pet store. Since the start, one of the males was sneezing and had a running nose from his left nostril. He'd constantly wipe his nose on his paw. I took him in to see an exotic vet. He was given baytril as an antibiotic. The pair ended up badly fighting.

They became neighbors. A year later, I'm up to 14 after hoarding situations, intakes and adoption rehoming. The boy ended up with a baby that was born here, and they were buddies for at least 6 months. When my boy ended up attacking him, sneezing worse, and refusing to eat any type of hay, I took him to another vet. He was given orbax. No change.

All boys are now neighbors in one room, females in a different room. He slowly began eating hay again, but being picky. I had to feed him a lot of critical care and try other means to get his weight back up. I was concerned about his teeth during all of this and tried to get it checked out. A lot of exotic vets around here are either too far away, or only know basics.

I can't knock them too much, but I got a lot of shrugs and guesses as a diagnosis between four different people. His teeth seemed fine, maybe slightly overgrown in the back molars (nothing concerning according to a vet). He was even put on a nebulizer treatment from a vet in Pasadena (I'm in California), and that didn't help either.

Now last month he stopped eating hay again and I noticed him wheezing/squeaking while napping. His heart checked out perfect, and it all seems to be centered around his upper respiratory still. The wheezing stopped for good right before seeing a vet, of course. He will eat veggies, his hard treats, pellets...kinda...critical care, but no hay. I've tried timothy, and timothy mixed with orchard. I picked safe grass from our yard and he will gladly eat that. Keep in mind every other guinea pig gladly eats the bales I get.

Green, fresh. I tried mixing the grass with his current hay, having it in a cardboard toy, scattered on the floor. He will pick out the grass and leave the hay. The week he was started on a mixture of baytril and Doxycycline, he began nodding his head repeatedly and licking his mouth. It would last for at least thirty minutes, sometimes the nodding even when the medicine was discontinued.

I gave him some ChildLife vitamin c in a syringe to counter the taste. Same behavior. He started to become destructive and aggressive about it, and he's never been that way before. He destroyed the rim of his cage, began ripping the fleece, put holes in his favorite hide, and would try to eat my clothes. I'm truly at a loss of what to do. I love him. He was one of my original boys and I feel I've run out of options.

[Edited - broke up long strings of text with line of space between for readability - Lynx - 4/23/22]

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Mon Apr 04, 2022 3:14 pm


Sounds like maybe a bad reaction to the AB combo, but I haven't heard of that nodding behavior before. Is he still exhibiting it? The biting and chewing sounds like it could be pain related.

You mentioned overgrown molars. How thorough was the dental exam? Has he ever had x-rays done? I think at this point I would want a thorough dental exam by someone with more experience in dealing with teeth. Depending on what they do or don't find, I'd ask for head/dental and chest x-rays to check for underlying issues with teeth, ears, and heart. You stated that his heart checked out okay, but how did the vet determine this?

Is he on any meds right now?

User avatar
Rynn21

Post   » Mon Apr 04, 2022 3:56 pm


He isn't making the licking motion, but he will occasionally nod his head in the same fashion.
He was given an x-ray on his heart and lungs, and another vet listened for any abnormalities.
He isn't currently on any meds.
If there is something wrong with his teeth, I wonder why he can eat really hard treats, etc. but the softest hay, and vice versa aren't appealing to him. Not one vet has suggested a tooth x-ray, and not sure any here do work on exotic teeth.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Mon Apr 04, 2022 4:41 pm


Is the head nodding associated with when he eats?

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Mon Apr 04, 2022 5:24 pm


My guess is that if the antibiotics haven't helpED, it's not a bacterial infectin. Has your vet considered that the problem might be aa fungus?

User avatar
Rynn21

Post   » Mon Apr 04, 2022 5:25 pm


It seems to be [nodding]. I will double check today though to see if it happens when he isn't.

I wrote to my vet to ask about the fungal possibility. We'll see their response.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Mon Apr 04, 2022 8:09 pm


Ditto the advice so far.

I also wonder about an inner ear infection. The chewing sounds very much like unaddressed pain to me, too. An x-ray of the head might show this (not sure).

I think I'd want to try a course of Metacam if it were me, just to see how he responds.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Mon Apr 04, 2022 8:19 pm


Good Metacam suggestion. Do you have any on-hand?

User avatar
Rynn21

Post   » Tue Apr 05, 2022 2:34 am


I really question the pain cause he eats very hard treats no issue, and chews away on wood toys, but is extremely picky about hay. I noticed he isn't even eating his pellets, but picking out the oats in it (an added way to keep weight on). I can feel his back again, and it took so long to get him at a good solid weight (months)...Whatever caused it the first time is repeating itself.

We're questioning if he could have a neurological issue that has developed/gotten worse over time from whatever he was born with due to mill breeding, because it's as if his taste buds aren't right. No matter the type of hay it's ignored for oats and grass from outside (and of course veggies).

He even prefers rags, and anything else he can chew on. He wasn't nodding while eating tonight. I can't remember if he stopped eating hay when we last gave antibiotics last year too. He hasn't been on it since mid-last week.

I was given metacam the first time his teeth were given a once over earlier this year. His eating pickiness didn't change. I might have a few drops left over?

As far as fungal goes, the vet said it's possible, but they can't know without a proper test. At this point, I don't know if I want to go back to this vet. She can't treat teeth due to arthritis, and a lot seems more guess work and money burning than help. I want one exotic vet that can help. I'm too far for the Pasadena vet, so I would have to find an alternative.

We feel awful cause we've wasted time and money on a lot of shrugs, put him through stress, and he's no better. I know she means well, but it was being treated as if not eating hay isn't a big deal. It's most of their diet. He keeps wheeking for food at all hours, and there's nothing I can do besides veggies and critical care. His weight keeps dropping.

[Edited - broke up long strings of text with line of space between for readability - Lynx - 4/23/22]

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Apr 05, 2022 9:28 am


How do his poops look? I thought you mentioned that he was eating pellets ("He will eat veggies, his hard treats, pellets..."), but he is not? Chewing on hard toys could be a pain response. We don't generally recommend feeding oats to guinea pigs unless they won't eat anything else (and then only sparingly), and I wonder if he would be more inclined to eat his pellets if you didn't add them. Handfeeding him again with Critical Care would be, I think, a better way to help keep weight up and supplement his diet.

I don't know what to make of the fact that he won't eat hay. Guinea pigs absolutely do need hay, as you said. The fiber helps keep the gut moving, and the regular grinding motion to keep teeth worn to the proper length. I'm surprised that your vet doesn't think this is a concern. I do think it might be worth seeing if it makes any difference if you give him Metacam for a couple of days, but other than that I really don't know what else to suggest other than finding a vet who is experienced in dealing with dental issues in guinea pigs and rabbits.

User avatar
Rynn21

Post   » Tue Apr 05, 2022 6:06 pm


I thought he was eating pellets, but he isn't. Just spilling them. His poop looks normal. I don't always add the oats. There's no oats the last day or so. It's only for sickly pigs. I only start to add it when a piggie drops weight drastically. It's what I like to do in small quantities during those times and it works for me. I will try metacam. I started it last night. He has critical care as well. It's a puzzling situation. I just made a coroplast "litter pan" out of scraps for him with a big pile of hay. No interest. I don't have any other vets that are "exotic vets". Waiting on a few responses from far away vets for their take...super frustrating. I was really trying not to lose faith last night, but didn't sleep well.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Apr 05, 2022 6:36 pm


Does he try to pick up the hay with his teeth, or does he just turn his nose up at it completely? Do you say you have tried other hays? Orchard grass, or oat hay? I've found Oxbow's botanical hay to sometimes be useful in jump-starting appetite at times. In a real pinch, I have even offered alfalfa short-term to ill or recovering pigs (unless the guinea pig was prone to sludge or bladder stones). Does it seem to help if you offer shorter bits of hay vs. longer strands?

I'd get aggressive with Critical Care if he's not eating well on his own. What is his weight? Are you able to look at his incisors yourself to see if they look overgrown?

I don't know if this is helpful (or up to date) or not, depending on where you are in California, but here is a GL listing of CA veterinarians:
https://www.guinealynx.info/records/view ... ba558c8cce

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