Jordan had me watch Bob for the summer while he was in Austin. I was to go to Jordan's apartment everyday and make sure he had enough water, pellets and hay and to give him a carrot a day.
I did that all summer but last week before going to the wedding I cleaned his cage and stuff to prepare him for me not being there ... I did not notice anything different about him. Jen and Aaron watched him for the weekend and didn't really notice anything weird except Jen had to throw away a carrot that he didn't finish.
I came back that Sunday and continued to feed him. I didn't notice anything wrong at all.
Jordan came this weekend to spend some time with me. He went to his place for the night and he decided to play with Bob. He took him out of his cage and noticed that he seemed lighter ... Jordan petted him a bit and found that he was really skinny. All bones almost. He didn't look that way at all because he is so fluffy.
He called me over and upon close examination, we found a week or so worth of carrots buried under Bob's bedding. Jordan said all the poop seemed old too. Bob had not been eating and was (and is) starving to death.
We went out immediately and got him a new shelter because we wanted to make sure all of his stuff was clean. He got a new water bottle ... Everything new. We bought new carrots, an apple, and fresh hay.
We moved him to my apartment so I could look after him better. We tried to feed him but he wasn't interested in anything for more than a second. He barely ate. We didn't know what to do so we let him be for the night.
This morning me and Jordan went to HEB to get a larger variety of treats. I read that guinea pigs love red bell peppers and cilantro so that's what we got. He didn't want any of it.
After Jordan left, I got more and more worried because I don't want him to die on my watch ... Or at all. I petted and stayed by his cage for a while and I noticed that his skin had almost no elasticity. I could pull his skin up a little and it would take forever to go back to normal and parts of his skin stayed puckered. That got me really worried because he can survive without a ton of food but no animal can survive being so dehydrated. I don't know what clicked but I finally I realized that I could hand feed him like I had to do the kitty.
I researched a little and went out to get materials. I bought some unflavored Pedialyte, a bottle of pure baby food (no sugar, etc. added), and a syringe.
I planned on making a pellet paste to feed to Bob but I couldn't make it smooth enough to get it into the syringe. So I went to my next plan and tried the baby food.
On the first feeding I gave him 2 tablespoons of baby food and 4 tablespoons of Pedialyte. That was at 8 on Sunday night. I put him down to give him a rest and when I picked him up and got him ready for some more, he refused. So, I left him alone.
Two hours later (10 pm) I fed Bob again. He ate a full tablespoon of the baby food and spit out a lot of the second tablespoon. He drank all of the 4 tablespoons of Pedialyte.
I checked up on him a lot between the feedings and he just stayed in the same place with no movement or anything.
I put Lump's old heating pad on one side of his cage so that if he was cold (the air in my apartment is pretty cold even with the fans off) he could get warm. I don't know if he likes it under the warmth or if he doesn't have the strength or care enough to move out from under it.
At midnight I went to check on Bob ... I wasn't going to feed him ... Just pet him and sit with him a little bit. I picked him up and noticed that his skin was a little more elastic. I decided to give him a little more Pedialyte to help him get more water in his system. It took about 20 minutes but I got him to take 5 tablespoons of water. He started fussing at the end so I just put him back in his cage.
That's the full story so far. We have some ideas about what could be wrong with him to start with ... His teeth may hurt him when he eats. He could have cancer. He could be old ... I don't know.
I have set my alarm for 3 am ... I am going to get up and give him some water and some baby food every two hours. As much as he will take. I won't let him get any worse.
I am going to take him to the vet tomorrow morning as soon as I can and see if they can do anything. If they can't do anything for Bob, me and Jordan decided that I would ask for some painkillers and some critical care formula and take Bob home and see if we can get him through it with some faith and care.
Please pray for Bob.
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