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Desperate - Massive fast weight loss and no vet diagnosis

G

gunniebeansmalavita

New Born Pup
Joined
Feb 22, 2021
Messages
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140
Location
Leicester
I've made an account out of desperation as I really need help with my piggy

His name is Gunnie he is about 2.5 years old. He has been eating less and less and has been making noises like he is in pain when he pees.

He has been weight for the past 3 nights, all between 10 pm - 12am:

19/02 1056g
20/02 1000g
21/02 978g
(78g/2.75oz total lost in 48 hours)

He went to the vet on Wednesday (not sure of exact day but somewhere this week) and was given pain killers and antibiotics. I'm not sure of my specifics as he currently lives with my sisters in Norwich as I am in Leicester for university.
He has an appointment for 5:30 pm tomorrow.

Following his weight change tonight I told my sister to call the vet as I'd consider it an emergency that he has lost almost 3oz in the span of 48 hours. They said there was nothing they could do until his appointment and they would try their best to find out what is wrong with him.7

I am so scared he won't make it through the night please tell me what we can do to make sure he's okay.

Will syringe feeding help? If so will crushed up pellets with water be okay? There's not much to get at this hour.

He has unlimited hay and has a separate area for himself to make sure bullying doesn't prevent him from eating.

Please help

TL,DR: 2.5 year male piggy lost almost 3oz in 48 hours. Vet appointment late in the day tomorrow but very scared he will not make it through the night. Please tell me what I can do to help him
 
This time is usually the time where most of our forum members are asleep. Syringe feeding will most definitely help to keep his gut from going into stasis if he’s not eating for himself, I’ll try and grab you the information on it from our forum quickly
 
Hang in there! He's on meds and has an appointment pretty soon. Id say if he'll take syringe feedings, that's great and can't hurt.

I'm definitely not an expert. Id say try to relax about the weight till he gets to the appointment. 25g doesnt seem that alarming, and their weight can vary throughout the day.

Sounds like you're doing all you can 💕
 
Rivervixen said:
This time is usually the time where most of our forum members are asleep. Syringe feeding will most definitely help to keep his gut from going into stasis if he’s not eating for himself, I’ll try and grab you the information on it from our forum quickly
Click to expand...

Thank you so so much for replying I've told my sister to do that and she's trying now - just crushed up pellets and water but anything to help him.

I've looked over everything on the forum and I've watched quite a bit on youtube and making a post was really the last resort I'm just glad someone could help thank you so much
 
Scooter Pie said:
Hang in there! He's on meds and has an appointment pretty soon. Id say if he'll take syringe feedings, that's great and can't hurt.

I'm definitely not an expert. Id say try to relax about the weight till he gets to the appointment. 25g doesnt seem that alarming, and their weight can vary throughout the day.

Sounds like you're doing all you can 💕
Click to expand...

Thank you I'll try not to be too anxious to be honest I'm fully considering getting the first train out just to help him and my sister
 
gunniebeansmalavita said:
I've made an account out of desperation as I really need help with my piggy

His name is Gunnie he is about 2.5 years old. He has been eating less and less and has been making noises like he is in pain when he pees.

He has been weight for the past 3 nights, all between 10 pm - 12am:

19/02 1056g
20/02 1000g
21/02 978g
(78g/2.75oz total lost in 48 hours)

He went to the vet on Wednesday (not sure of exact day but somewhere this week) and was given pain killers and antibiotics. I'm not sure of my specifics as he currently lives with my sisters in Norwich as I am in Leicester for university.
He has an appointment for 5:30 pm tomorrow.

Following his weight change tonight I told my sister to call the vet as I'd consider it an emergency that he has lost almost 3oz in the span of 48 hours. They said there was nothing they could do until his appointment and they would try their best to find out what is wrong with him.7

I am so scared he won't make it through the night please tell me what we can do to make sure he's okay.

Will syringe feeding help? If so will crushed up pellets with water be okay? There's not much to get at this hour.

He has unlimited hay and has a separate area for himself to make sure bullying doesn't prevent him from eating.

Please help

TL,DR: 2.5 year male piggy lost almost 3oz in 48 hours. Vet appointment late in the day tomorrow but very scared he will not make it through the night. Please tell me what I can do to help him
Click to expand...

Hi!

I am very sorry; it is tough being with a very ill piggy and not getting any help from the vets but even worse when you cannot be there. You need to step in with syringe feeding and watering around the clock because your piggy has hardly eaten or drunk anything with this kind of weight loss.

It is possible that a bladder stone has been washed into the urethra, got stuck in the awkward inglenook that boars have in there and could be blocking the flow of urine. However, I am only guessing. :(

Please take the time to have a look at our one stop emergency guide, which contains all the necessary information and tips, including what you can do with what you have at home or easily available in a pinch. However, if your piggy is refusing to fight the syringe well in excess to his weakness, then it is sadly very likely that his body has started to close down. You can find information on what you can do in this case in the last chapter. You may want to forward this link to your sister, too.
Here is the link: Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

Fingers VERY firmly crossed in this very anxious time.
 
Wiebke said:
Hi!

I am very sorry; it is tough being with a very ill piggy and not getting any help from the vets but even worse when you cannot be there. You need to step in with syringe feeding and watering around the clock because your piggy has hardly eaten or drunk anything with this kind of weight loss. Mystery weight loss is my least favourite symptom.

Please take the time to have a look at our one stop emergency guide, which contains all the necessary information and tips, including what you can do with what you have at home or easily available in a pinch. However, if your piggy is refusing to fight the syringe well in excess to his weakness, then it is sadly very likely that his body has started to close down. You can find information on what you can do in this case in the last chapter. You may want to forward this link to your sister, too.
Here is the link: Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

Fingers VERY firmly crossed in this very anxious time.
Click to expand...

Thank you for replying despite the time.

My sister is trying to syringe him so far he has had 1ml (the whole syringe) and she's giving him a 10 minute break before irritating him again. I will look through everything and link it to her as well.

Thank you all again
 
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He is being syringe fed at the moment. Still got the spirit to be cheeky enough to kick and fuss about in retaliation so I’m seeing that as a good thing.

He is drinking water and eating some hay. No pellets at all (apart from surging feeding). He still wants veg.

My sister seems to think that his teeth are also involved - he is chewing whatever and he might now want to eat pellets because they’re so hard?

Can’t say anything for sure but will definitely bring it all up with the vet.

thank you all again for responding despite the time and giving advice. I will post updates, hopefully good ones. 🧡
 
Hi.
Sorry your piggie is poorly.
You have done a lot to help and some great fantastic advise given. . . Write things down to ask the vet etc. I do that because it helps me. .
Come on little piggie. X
 
David Piggie Lover said:
Hi.
Sorry your piggie is poorly.
You have done a lot to help and some great fantastic advise given. . . Write things down to ask the vet etc. I do that because it helps me. .
Come on little piggie. X
Click to expand...
Thank you - I’ve made a note of lots of things I wanna tell and ask the vet to make sure nothing is looked over. Hopefully the tests will test us what’s wrong
 
If you think it’s his teeth, can you get him to the Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton they are the best for assessing oral problems with piggies and can do a proper examination of the mouth and correct any teeth spurs there and then, consciously. Ask for an appt with Simon or Kim they are amazing GP vets. They open at 8.00 am and emergency appts go fast as people travel from all over the country to see them x
Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic | Northlands Vets
 
Chewing at things can be a sign of pain or even a side effect of some antibiotics as the gut can be upset by them and it makes them chew anything. Loss of appetite can be a sign of pain even if the teeth are perfect. If he makes a pained noise when he is peeing it is likely that he has either a urinary tract infection (and you have antibiotics) or some sort of stone (in the bladder, or in the urethra which he pees through) which they will be able to spot using x-ray. Both of these are not uncommon. It won't be cheap I'm afraid but it is always best to find out what is wrong if you can. They should test his pee for the presence of blood/bacteria/calcium crystals. They should check his bladder is not blocked by a stone... it is important that he keeps peeing even if it is hurting him poor fellow. If a stone is there then surgery is probably your only option in a boar - sows can sometimes pass them as their tubes are a bit wider and more accessible, but boars do suffer. The weight loss is dramatic but they can lose more and get it back... the important thing is that they do not go into gut-stasis where the guts just stop working. This can happen quite quickly even in a heavy animal - they don't have to get thin first. The owner steps in with the syringe to support feed to keep everything moving through the crisis. Keep an eye on the amount and quality of his poops (size, dryness) which will give you an idea about how much he is eating.

It is awful when they are ill - I hope you can get/have got some answers 💕
 
UPDATE

After his appointment today just wanted to update anyone who was watching over this/was concerned.

Unfortunately the appointment was just a "follow up" - the vet didn't quite worry about his weight loss as much as we did but he did conclude that we'd need investigations to find out what was wrong.
He said he felt something "uneven" in his stomach or genitals area, I can't be sure as he had quite a thick accent.
He suggest an ultrasound and x-ray, estimating the price to be upwards of £300 and further if he found something requiring treatment.

The vet did seem understanding of our financial situation though (both university students furloughed) and suggested doing the ultrasound first as it was cheaper. It also had much less risk as it did not require general anaesthesia.

I am very worried about the x-ray because gunnie has lost quite a bit of weight and barely eating apart from syringe feeding. I'm scared he won't be strong enough to handle it.

His appointment is at 10:15 tomorrow and I am praying we get answers no matter the cost.

At the moment all I can do is syringe feed regularly and offer him any food

thank you everyone for your answers and suggestions 🐻❤
 
Bill & Ted said:
If you think it’s his teeth, can you get him to the Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton they are the best for assessing oral problems with piggies and can do a proper examination of the mouth and correct any teeth spurs there and then, consciously. Ask for an appt with Simon or Kim they are amazing GP vets. They open at 8.00 am and emergency appts go fast as people travel from all over the country to see them x
Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic | Northlands Vets
Click to expand...
thank you for your reply. unfortunately neither my sister or I drive and due to the lockdown my driving lessons have been postponed :( the vet offered however to examine gunnie's teeth during the x-ray if it came to it
 
Siikibam said:
Could you ask your parents to pay for now? I’m sorry you don’t seem to have made any headway.
Click to expand...
our mum is currently working and staying in Dundee. I will ask her tomorrow and I'm pretty sure she will help but for now I'll have to dip into savings ://
 
Another vote here for The Cat and Rabbit Clinic, such an amazing team. Huge hugs to you and hope you can get to the source of the illness as soon as possible xx
 
Hope all goes well tomorrow.
Sometimes just trying to find the cause of the problem is more worrying than knowing what you’re dealing with.
Keeping you in my thoughts
 
I know some vets are able to do a conscious x-ray by wrapping piggy firmly in a towel but usually only vets with a bit of experience handling them. This also makes it cheaper as you're not paying for the GA. It might be worth phoning around to see if there are any other vets nearby who might do this? I understand Norwich is a bit of a long way from other places though.
One of my sows had an ultrasound and they had to shave the stomach to scan her. It didn't hurt her but she didn't like it (and she was quite bitey!) especially as they used a gel like when pregnant ladies are scanned which left her a bit sticky. They were looking for things wrong with the internal organs but I think they can sometimes spot stones this way too....
The vet might not have been too worried about the weight he is at the minute because in theory he can get thinner and still bounce back but the rate of weight loss is a concern especially because he's not eating well by himself.
Good luck and I hope you can get some clear answers

A note on pain relief:
The Metacam (or 'loxicom') painkiller comes in 2 strengths: 'Cat' type 0.5mg/ml and 'Dog' type 1.5mg/ml (3 times stronger but the same stuff) The 'cat' type (some brands at least) has also been licensed for use in piggies in the past few years but many vets, mine included, prescribe the dog type. The standard dose I got for a 1kg pig is about 0.23ml of 'dog' to be given twice a day but for stone pigs we have almost doubled this. Guinea pigs metabolise it quickly. How does this compare to your dose? For instance, I know that 0.2ml of 'cat' probably wouldn't have made any difference to mine and especially if only once a day. If you can get the pain under control they might start eating more. If you have been prescribed a low dose have a word with your vet before increasing it as I am not medically qualified - make sure he is happy for you to try this.
 
An ultra sound is a great place to start and should help with he ongoing diagnosis. However he probabably also needs to have his teeth properly checked and this is the sort of thing that really does require an experienced guinea pig vet. I hope you get some answers soon for you boy.
It is clear you love him very much and are doing the best you can to get him the treatment he needs.
 
UPDATE

I am so sorry to those that have been following this and those who may be in a similar position.

unfortunately this will be a final update and not at all a good one.

the ultra sound found enlarged kidneys on Gunther and the further x ray showed complete obstruction of his ureter due to stones. He was in so much pain that he reacted to being touched on his abdomen even under general anaesthesia.
It was his and his other colleagues’ opinions that should we choose to have him operated on, Gunther would not make it.

my sister and I love Gunther very much.
He has personally helped me through my darkest times, as dramatic as that sounds.
However, we are not selfish enough to make him stay through the pain. So we have come to the decision of letting him go.

the three boys we have are our very first guinea pigs so we have no experience with this. Unfortunately our family are not home owners and we do not have a garden to bury our Gunther in.

these are all decisions that we will have to make from today.

thank you so much to those of you who have replied and those of you who are following this thread.

I am so so so sorry that I do not have happier news.

if anyone could advise what we can do now or what we should do I would really appreciate it.
 
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