Piggy Sick after coming home from vacation!

Question
Lacey,

I was on vacation for about 8 days and I left my sister in charge of looking after him.  She made sure that he had water and food, but for some odd reason didn't notice that he wasn't drinking or eating anything.  I came in today from vacation and instantly noticed something was up.  We began to try to get him to drink some water and I brought him lettuce, carrots, green peppers (his favorite), oranges and alfalfa.  We have began eye dropper feeding him with water to get him away from the dehidration.  We tried to take him in tonight, but the nearst open vet that will take him at 11pm is about 3 hours away.  So we are going to take our chance and take him in the morning.  What would be wrong with him?  Is it that we weren't around?

Answer
First thing I must ask, is he passing any urine or fecal matter? Does his cage look soiled? If he is urinating and deficating, it doesn't sound like a life threatening emergency to the point that he'll die tonight if he isn't taken to the vet right away. If you get this in time, take him to the vet ASAP in the morning. Call as soon as you can in the morning. Surely he had to have eaten and drank the tiniest bit in 8 days or he'd be dead. From personal experience, it takes less than 3 days for a pig to die if there is no food and water (my boyfriend's mother failed to feed & water one of my pigs while I was away). Your guinea pig could have been suffering from depression, especially if you two are as close as it sounds. I am not a veterinarian, though, and I believe it would be best for he or she to diagnose this better. Remember guinea pigs are social creatures. I must tell you though, do not puree any fruits or veggies as this will cause diahrea. The eye dropper feeding is fine, even a spoon is fine believe it or not. Nothing fancy, just a spoon you'd eat cereal or soup with. Try not to force feed him to the point he chokes; this does more harm than good. You are doing great for now. Please keep up the good work. I try not to bring religion into this because I know some are offended by this topic, but I will pray for you and your piggy. I'm almost certain everything will be fine since he has such a caring and loving owner. Please inform me of how he is doing, and how the vet trip goes. If I can in any way, answer any other question for you, no matter how small, please ask me. I wish you and your pig a lifetime of health, love and happiness. Keep up the good work, and I'm sure all will be fine :)