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Charcoal is losing weight.

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StephieAck

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Hi there
My guinea pig boar, Charcoal, seems to be losing weight and I dont know why.
He was weighing in at the high 900's but had hit 1013 ish.
He is still eating and drinking and seems chipper enough, so I tried not to worry.
But today he hit around 910g (before his meal).
I know that thats a decent weight for some pigs, but I used to call him the big man but I cant nowadays.
I took him to the vet and she checked his teeth, which looked fine.
She had a good old feel around, she couldnt seem to find anything wrong.
He is bright and happy, but tired looking.
The vet thinks that maybe he is just getting old and doing what old piggies sometimes do.
He is four and a half years old now.
Like the vet said, for some piggies thats not old at all and then for some, it IS.
He has always seemed a little more fragile than the other pigs, but now, he just doesnt feel like he has much about him, you hold him and he is sooooooo light!.
Ive never really felt as though he would be with me for like 7 years, I dont know why, I just always felt 4-5 years, dunno why.
So, can anyone tell me if they think that he is showing signs of slowing down and aging?
Ive never lost a piggy due to 'old age' you see, so I dont know what to expect.
I mainly want opinions because if it does appear to be him winding down, then I want to be sure to cuddle him for that extra ten minutes and give him those extra veggies.
Anyone advise me or share their wisdom?
 
Tiger ,who died last week,had lost weight even though he was eating as normal.He had slowed down a fair bit and seemed almost as if he wasn"t with me sometimes.....he didn"t take any notice of his house mates.He had his breakfast last thursday and died later that day.I don"t know how old he was as he was a rescue piggy.Hopefully Charcoal won"t leave you yet but I would spoil him rotten anyway.
 
Some piggies do start to lose weight when they are over 5 years,but 4.6 years is not realy all that old.Have you noticed Charcoal drinking more than usual?.He could possibly have diabetis. which is treatable. It could also be chronic renal failure which is not treatable.However,they can go on for quite a long time with this condition which is not painful.
 
steph
so sorry to hear this my thoughts are with you :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:

eden and gaius send hugs and kisses to you both oh and a squeak off each of them :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
Nope, from what Ive seen he isnt drinking any more than usual.
The vet said that she will do x-rays and further tests if he loses much more weight or if his health declines.
He's still pretty chirpy, if he was really slowing down or looking depressed then Id force the vet to do the whole board of tests on him.
As long as Charcoal stays around the weight he is now (920g-ish) then Ill relax a little, if he hits 890g or seems to go downhill, then Ill rush tests.
Thanks for the replies guys.
Oh yes, his exact age is a rough estimate, I got him from a pet shop that said that he had been there for six-ish weeks, so I dont know how old he was exactly when I got to him, but he sure wasnt a little fella, so I could be a couple of months behind on my estimation of his age.
Thanks Tonya :)
 
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