Distended belly, weight loss, but ok?

[heart<3]

Hi all! This is my first post here.

So I have a male guinea pig who’s approximately 2 years old. He was coughing once a day and had lost almost 200 grams (down from over 1200g) over like 6 months so I took him to the vet. There were no problems during the exam, she couldn’t hear anything wrong with his belly or lungs, and I thought X-rays and bloodwork were a bit much, so the vet was happy to just give him antibiotics which are finished now. And I haven’t heard anymore coughs.

She noted his weight loss and distended belly. She said that he should gain it back and to just focus on more hay and pellets and that my diet was fine, but slightly high in sugar and fruits (my mistake, I’ll definitely cut back). Anyway I hope he gains it back. Sometimes it looks like he is very slowly, but then just isn’t.

As for his belly, she said this was also ok and attributed it to just a big meal. Guinea pigs eat all the time though and he gets vegetables at night almost everyday. After more observation, it seems this is just his shape and it is slightly less big but I’m wondering if I should be concerned. Thanks

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

I would suggest you switch to weighing him daily so you can monitor hay intake more closely.
Please don’t not feed extra pellets - that is not healthy. Stick to just one tablespoon per day only. Any overconsumption of pellets will indeed cause weight gain but it will be unhealthy weight gain (with the risk of associated issues) with empty calories and it will simply all fall back off of him when his pellets are then cut down again.

If his weight is continuing to drop then it would be best to return to the vet

 

[Wiebke]

Hi all! This is my first post here.

So I have a male guinea pig who’s approximately 2 years old. He was coughing once a day and had lost almost 200 grams (down from over 1200g) over like 6 months so I took him to the vet. There were no problems during the exam, she couldn’t hear anything wrong with his belly or lungs, and I thought X-rays and bloodwork were a bit much, so the vet was happy to just give him antibiotics which are finished now. And I haven’t heard anymore coughs.

She noted his weight loss and distended belly. She said that he should gain it back and to just focus on more hay and pellets and that my diet was fine, but slightly high in sugar and fruits (my mistake, I’ll definitely cut back). Anyway I hope he gains it back. Sometimes it looks like he is very slowly, but then just isn’t.

As for his belly, she said this was also ok and attributed it to just a big meal. Guinea pigs eat all the time though and he gets vegetables at night almost everyday. After more observation, it seems this is just his shape and it is slightly less big but I’m wondering if I should be concerned. Thanks

Hi

Bloating can be the result of an unsuitable diet. Please be aware that over three quarters of the daily food intake should be hay/grass fibre. This is what you need to replace with topping up feed; ideally consisting of hay fibre.

All the other food groups together - preferably green veg and fresh forage - 1 tablespoon of pellets or dry forage - any occasional treats (including carrots, sweetcorn, pea flakes and fruits) replace the supplementary role of wild forage, which only makes less than a quarter of what piggies should eat in a day.

Please make sure that you review your overall diet and rebalance it.
You may find our comprehensive and very practical diet guide helpful: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

More information on digestive problems: Wiebke's Guide to Tummy Trouble

Please contact your vets again if bloating and/or weight loss persists or recurs.

 

[heart<3]

Thank you guys. I’m actually away and the guinea pigs are with someone so I can’t do that much. I’ll ask them to be more observant and give either less bell peppers or blueberries in the meantime. Also it seems I’ve definitely been giving them too much sugar.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you guys. I’m actually away and the guinea pigs are with someone so I can’t do that much. I’ll ask them to be more observant and give either less bell peppers or blueberries in the meantime. Also it seems I’ve definitely been giving them too much sugar.

Please stop any fruit. A slice of bell peppers a day is fine. Please take the time to read the links in my previous post. You will find them very helpful.