Guinea Pig Not Eating or Drinking, Making Painful Noises

Question
Hello,
My male guinea pig is about a year old and normally friendly and engaged with us. Two days ago, he stopped eating and drinking water, even his favorite veggie snacks! He keeps making noises that sound just awful. Almost like wheeking but but we can tell he is in pain. He hunches his back while he does it. His coat is also a bit puffed up. He has had diarrhea and today he became pooping out something that looks glue-like, it feels sticky and is clear. We are so worried about him but due to our financial situation, we are unable to take our sweet Louie to the vet. My husband and I are doing what we can, trying to keep him comfortable and handfeeding him water and a carrot and timothy hay mix puree. We just don't know what else to do! The glue substance is especially a mystery. Any idea what is going on?

Answer
First let me apologize for the delay in the answer to your question. I thought I'd sent it but apparently didn't hit the send button hard enough.

The posturing that he's doing is indicative of an animal with a bowel obstruction of some kind. He's in pain. Diarrhea happens even with humans when there's an obstruction because the liquid just makes its way around the blockage.

Don't apologize for your financial considerations. Let me assure you that no matter how much money you spent on him for this you would not be able to make him well. He's exhibiting signs of getting ready to leave you. The fluffing up of the coat is classic of the hours before death.

That whitish gluey looking stuff is semen. When an animal (and many times with humans) is getting ready to pass the body 'cleanses' itself of everything that's inside. You've done all you can do, and I'm fairly sure that by the time you read this he will have already gone.

We don't know why these things happen and unlike cats and dogs guinea pigs are very stoic about their illness until it's almost always too late. So please don't hold onto any guilt that you could have or should have done x, y or z.  It's so painful to watch our pets suffer and we're so helpless to do anything for them. Your actions or inaction would have made no change.

In all the years I've raised cavies I've tried everything humanly possible to reverse the inevitable. Most of the time I prolonged their death, not their lives. So please just know that my heart goes out to you and your husband, but you've done nothing wrong. This is just how nature is with some things and we're not supposed to be interfering.