An Odd Case - bloating issues and major weight loss

[GuineaBuddy]

I have a guinea pig who is around 2-3 years old. She lives with another girl guinea pig who is 1-2 years old. They are both rescues. Recently I noticed she had a sort of balloon feeling in her lower hindsection, like it was bloated. I adjusted her diet and gave her massages to help. I've been carefully watching her, and it has progressed to the point where it now feels more taunt and harder, and she has lost a lot of weight, I can feel her bones. Instead of a normal guinea pug shape, she's a more teardrop shape. I have a vet appointment scheduled for tomorrow, and I would of brought her sooner, but I was saving money for the vet. The strange thing is, besides the weight loss and bloating in her intestines, she acts normal, still happy and active, eating normally and drinking water. She is still going to the bathroom as normal, as well. Do any of you know what this might be?

 

[Merab's Slave]

Only a vet can give you a proper diagnosis.
Hope all goes well tomorrow.
Please keep us posted.
Welcome to the forum and do let us see pics of your piggies

 

[Flutterby]

I agree, it does sound serious. Glad you have an vet appointment for her.

 

[Wiebke]

I have a guinea pig who is around 2-3 years old. She lives with another girl guinea pig who is 1-2 years old. They are both rescues. Recently I noticed she had a sort of balloon feeling in her lower hindsection, like it was bloated. I adjusted her diet and gave her massages to help. I've been carefully watching her, and it has progressed to the point where it now feels more taunt and harder, and she has lost a lot of weight, I can feel her bones. Instead of a normal guinea pug shape, she's a more teardrop shape. I have a vet appointment scheduled for tomorrow, and I would of brought her sooner, but I was saving money for the vet. The strange thing is, besides the weight loss and bloating in her intestines, she acts normal, still happy and active, eating normally and drinking water. She is still going to the bathroom as normal, as well. Do any of you know what this might be?

Hi! Good that you have her seen by a vet; it really needs a piggy savvy' vet's hands-on examination and likely a scan.
There is a range of issues that can cause bloating and weight loss, from not being able to eat properly/enough through overgrown back teeth to ovarian cysts/a womb going wrong, anything else that is pushing on the guts, irritable bowel syndrome, bladder stones, just to name a few.

Please always switch from weighing weekly to weighing daily at the same time in the feeding cycle when you suspect a health problem. Decreased food intake is reflected in the poo output 1-2 days later. Start with syringe feeding top fibre as soon as your guinea pig is losing more than 50g/2 oz in a short amount of time to keep the weight up and the guts going; the less food comes through the slower they will get; it can ultimately lead to GI stasis (the guts stopping altogether).
Please keep in mind that 80% or more of the daily food intake should be hay and that you cannot that by eye; you need to weigh. Cheap kitches scales from a supermarket are perfectly adequate for keeping an eye on the food intake from one day to another. Your care at home in that respect is important as well. It doesn't replace vet care and medication, but it will serve to keep your guinea pig alive and fighting until you can see a vet and until any medication can kick in, which may take some time.
Not Eating, Weight Loss Over 50g And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Unfortunately vet cost is the biggest budget post in any pet's life; there are no 'cheap' pets. It is important that you save up on a weekly or monthly basis throughout the whole life as an integral part of their regular living cost and ideally have a fund saved up before you get any pets. There is never a convenient time for illness or emergencies.

 

[Qualcast&Flymo]

Glad you are seeing the vet tomorrow, it does sound serious if she has lost a lot of weight.
It sounds similar to what my piggie had a few months ago, he lost so much weight I could feel all his bones, whilst he became balloon shaped at the back. If I were in the same position again, I would ask for an X ray to see if he has gas or something else in his guts that shouldn't be there and is causing his loss of appetite and weight. My pig had a massive amount of gas, which was treated initially with gut stimulants and when they didn't get rid of it, a drug to kill off bacteria overgrowth in his gut that was producing excess gas (metronidazole in his case).
As Wiebke says it is also critical to start syringe feeding your piggie, mushed nuggets or Critical Care/ Recovery Food to stop and reverse the weight loss.
Good luck at the vets tomorrow, I hope you have a cavy-savvy vet.

 

[GuineaBuddy]

An Update: I still have the vet scheduled for tomorrow, however I have been massaging her for the last half hour and seen great results. She has urinated three times and pooped, 17 times. She is also a more "normal" guinea pig shape.