Last Wednesday Rufus didn't eat much, since it was hot that day, I blamed the weather. However, it was cooler Thursday & he was still not eating his regular amount. Friday morning I called the animal hospital.
Rufus's regular vet was in surgery all day & couldn't see him, so I started calling others. I had wanted one closer to me anyways & the rodent vet I liked at that hospital had left. A lot of places don't treat small pets, but one recommended me to a really nice clinic that's about 20 mins away. It's run completely by females & is an small renovated house with trees all around. They are very patient & thorough, explaining things clearly and very considerate of the animal's feelings.
When I first arrived & set his carrier on the counter, many of the employees came out to see Rufus & say how pretty his color was or how cute he is. He liked the attention.
The dr. checked him all over & couldn't find anything obvious wrong that is curtailing his eating ability.She recommended a whole bunch of fresh veggies to entice him, which I got immediately after bringing him home.He dislikes cilantro, but really enjoys parsley. He's now eating Oxbow kibbles which don't have alfalfa in like the pet store kind does.
However, she took some x-rays & says it looks like he has kidney stones. I'm trying to get a urine sample to take in, meaning I had to take the newspaper out of his cage, scrub it & put him in on the bare plastic & wait for him to make a puddle, so I could extract it with a syringe & take it to the office.
If the sample shows crystals, then they will have to do surgery, which I'm trying not to think about, because I start crying when I do.Some guinea pigs have a bad reaction to anesthesia. I know if he has stones that there's no other option, so I'm going to have to deal with it sooner rather than later.
The vet will call me Wednesday with the results of the sample, and tell me where we go from there. I'll let you know when I find out anything.
