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Balding, Weight Loss And Limp

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5littlepigs

5littlepigs

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Hi, my guinea pig Scruff is now around 6 years old. She is losing a lot of fur on her left side, neck/chest, behind ears and places where fur grows out. The only thing is that on her side fur, it looks almost as if it's been bitten off as there is still short, fine hair left. But she can't even reach to that part of her and none of the other pigs do anything so I don't know. She's very bony and small and she seems as though she limps. Earlier I was putting her back into her cage and she just kind of stopped halfway off the towel I held her in with her legs out behind her. She kind of hobbles along and looks quite unsteady. It pains me to see her like this. I would go to the vet about it but I don't want her to get stressed out any more. I should think it's just old age, I just don't want her last days/weeks/months to be painful ones. Have added a picture of her large bald patch. DSCN8230.webp
 
This seems like a combination of things.

The baldness - looks like mites, so I would firstly treat with some xeno treatment. Three times. 10 days apart. If this doesn't work then there may be a hormonal element to the problem.

The limping - it's likely to be arthritis due to age, she needs some paint relief which you can get from the vets. Something like metacam, if your vets worried about her age and kidneys then tramadol may be a better choice.

The weightloss - could be any number of issues dental disease, kidney disease, cancer, thyroid problems etc. your vet would need to give her a proper check over to decipher the likely cause for the weightloss. It's not something that just happens with age.

Please get her seen by a vet soon. Even if to just get some pain relief to keep her comfortable for the time being.

x
 
Does she just need 1 pipette 3 times over the days?

Thank you.
 
One pipette once, and then 10 days later another pipette dosage and then 10 days later another pipette dosage. (But check the box for exact dosage as it depends on your piggies weight)

I think she still does need vet attention too though.

x
 
Could it be hormonal? Maybe ovarian cysts for the baldness? Definitely treat for mites though! I think the best thing you can do for her is make her really comfy and get her to a vet :hug:
 
I did think it could be ovarian cysts... I can't feel any lumps and the vet checked but they couldn't either, or can you not feel them? I don't know, but I will definetely treat her for mites. I have noticed mites on my pigs before but we treated them; maybe they have come back. I think they got it from the hay, so do you know any hay that is definitely mite free?
Thank you for your help piggie friends!
 
I think you can usually feel them, but I guess if they're small maybe not :( Perhaps they'd show on an ultrasound? But hey, I'm no vet lol XD
 
Sadly she was put down today. Thank you for your concern, though. xx
 
5littlepigs said:
Sadly she was put down today. Thank you for your concern, though. xx
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Oh gosh, no! That's awful. I'm so, so sorry - I know it's a cliche but we lost our Simmy at just over a year old in August so I know what you're going through. It's so hard at first, like a blur but eventually the hurt settles rather than goes away and you just learn to cope with it over time :( You must be heartbroken. You are in my thoughts, take care x
 
Thank you so much. I'm very sorry for your loss too, it really is an awful feeling. I hope you're okay too! :(
 
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