I Never thought I'd be doing this again! :(

[EskieMom]

My Guinea Pig, Ellie, delivered a litter prematurely (possibly due to mishandling by a stranger). Cavies should weigh a good 135+ grams at birth and these babies were 82g, 82g, & 78g. Both parents are very high show quality - Dad is gargantuan.

#1 was still born
#2 was sleepy looking
#3 was bright-eyed, just SO tiny

I went about a day without intervention, hoping that Mom was feeding them, but Ellie is completely dry. Typically pups can eat solid food on day one, but it just wasn't happening. I'm watching these babies slow down, eyes closing more & more, hardly moving, and the thing that just kills me - Mom on one side of the cage, babies all the way on the other side. The little one randomly falls over - I KNOW they're going to die.

One thought I had was that they will probably never ever popcorn in their short lives.

After breeding Exotics for well over a decade and having several hundreds of babies here, I know that hand feeding can be completely futile despite even the most valiant effort. But being a human being with a heart, I can't help myself, and start hand feeing LifeLine w/colostrum.

Well they just sucked it down! And then they started running all over the place like little loonies. I did have to laugh to myself a little bit - "That's what LifeLine DOES, lol! I created it and it took me 2 days to remember that it exists for just this purpose"

I did kind of want to yell at them and say, "Stop running around, you need those calories to grow!"

One baby has gone from 78g. up to 102g. (30 grams smaller than a newborn) and soon as she started on LifeLine, I saw her eat a piece of hay WOOHOO! Solid food! She has the biggest bright eyes...still just a tiny little thing, but she'll live.

The other little baby has gone from 82g Down to 52g. Her eyes have completely closed. She doesn't move. When I pick her up, she shoves her mouth into my hand, searching for something to suck on. I feed her LifeLine/Dyne/Colostrum with an eye dropper. She takes it very enthusiastically...for about 10 drops, then she is DONE. When I pick her up she's cold, so I give her warming treatments before I feed her.

I don't think she'll live.

One thing I've learned is LifeLine + Eye dropper is a Huge pain because the bee pollen & oregano get stuck in the tip. She's too small for a syringe. So I've started sifting out the bigger pieces with a salt shaker and that has made the whole process MUCH more pleasant.

All I can do is what I'm doing. It's not fun watching a little animal waste away to nothing. Wish me luck.

Dawnna

 

[EskieMom]

The little one stopped eating and took a major turn for the worst. If I had known she was going to go down so fast, I wouldn't have bothered posting at all. At least one of the babies was able to be saved (I'm pretty sure). Another thing about hand feeding - It's impossible not to blame yourself when the animal dies.

 

[tunes]

You did what you could Dawnna. That's all anybody can do. At least you tried. Many people would not have bothered. They would have "let nature take its course", which I think is a euphemism for 'I'm stupidly lazy and only care about my animals in as much as they benefit me." People who don't care for their babies, people who won't take ill chins to the vet to be euthanized - they all fit in the same basket.

You're right though. You never stop blaming yourself. I'm sorry for the loss of the little one. I will hope for the survival of the other one.

 

[Jenn]

Dawnna, I'm so sorry. You knew from the beginning that their chances weren't good, but there is always that spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, with your help, a miracle will happen and they will beat the odds and live and thrive. And sometimes, despite your best efforts, it just isn't enough. You've given them the chance to beat those odds, and if one makes it, you've just given one baby the chance he wouldn't have had anywhere else. Thank you for trying so hard...you're one in a million!

 

[EskieMom]

Thank you Peggy & Jenn. Last night was horrible. She writhed and cried out for five minutes straight before she stopped moving. I just held her and kept her warm until she died. She was so cold. Listening to the little cries was horrible.

Here are the 2 girls at 5 days old. The tiny one WAS the bigger of the two. The bigger Red/White girl is 105g. I've been calling her 'Ginger'.

 

[Jenn]

Aw, I'm sorry last night was so terrible I've had stray cats given birth prematurely and have listened to the last cries of kittens before they pass and it is the most haunting cry ever...and there is nothing you can do but hold it and show it some love as it crosses over. I hope Ginger proves to be a fighter and continues to get bigger and stronger for you. I would love to see this little girl make it!

 

[addictedtochins]

I'm so sorry, I can feel your pain in your post. rip babies.
I would love it when you have time to post baby guinea pics in the "Other pets section" I had 6 babies born here once, all one litter, they all did great.