Elderly pig out of sorts

[Pigglemama]

My gorgeous 5 year old boar Percy has been acting a bit out of character. It’s very hard to pinpoint - I know of I were to take him to the vet if he asked if he was eating, drinking, weeing and pooping to which the answer is yes but he seem a little ‘off’.

He goes in to a bit of a trance and has been sniffing the air a lot. I know guinea pigs do stare into space but this is different it’s as if he’s ‘zoned’ out. He has also been drinking more so I am wondering about kidneys.

I’m unsure what to do as I am wondering if I’m imagining it all! I am super paranoid about my piggies anyway! My local vets aren’t great- fine for haypoke etc but I struggle to find a decent exotic.
I’ve attached a pic of him- he means the world to me!

What would you advise/ do if it were you? X

 

[Merab]

Sorry that I can’t help as this is outside my experience, but I want to assure you of my support

 

[Roselina]

He’s a lovely boy
Percy has such a cute face

Is his weight stable ?
My boy Geoff was ok and saw the Vet when he was 5 for a check up and nail trim. ( he’s 6.3 now)
He was eating, pooping, weeing and his weight was stable - he had mild impaction and I’d noticed he was sleeping more and ate lying down a lot.
She diagnosed a bit of arthritis and he’s been on Johnson4joints since .He’s more active and has less impaction

I’m only mentioning this as I didn’t think anything was wrong with Geoff
So I’d say go to the Vet and see what they say
Good luck

 

[Pigglemama]

He’s a lovely boy
Percy has such a cute face

Is his weight stable ?
My boy Geoff was ok and saw the Vet when he was 5 for a check up and nail trim. ( he’s 6.3 now)
He was eating, pooping, weeing and his weight was stable - he had mild impaction and I’d noticed he was sleeping more and ate lying down a lot.
She diagnosed a bit of arthritis and he’s been on Johnson4joints since .He’s more active and has less impaction

I’m only mentioning this as I didn’t think anything was wrong with Geoff
So I’d say go to the Vet and see what they say
Good luck

Yes I think I’ll take him just to check- I’ll probably book in an overall health check. My main worry is that he is in pain. So glad that Geoff is ok! I love his name!
Thank you! X

 

[Wiebke]

My gorgeous 5 year old boar Percy has been acting a bit out of character. It’s very hard to pinpoint - I know of I were to take him to the vet if he asked if he was eating, drinking, weeing and pooping to which the answer is yes but he seem a little ‘off’.

He goes in to a bit of a trance and has been sniffing the air a lot. I know guinea pigs do stare into space but this is different it’s as if he’s ‘zoned’ out. He has also been drinking more so I am wondering about kidneys.

I’m unsure what to do as I am wondering if I’m imagining it all! I am super paranoid about my piggies anyway! My local vets aren’t great- fine for haypoke etc but I struggle to find a decent exotic.
I’ve attached a pic of him- he means the world to me!

What would you advise/ do if it were you? X

Hi

It is very difficult to diagnose from these symptoms and with your sharp owner's eye but not clearly showing up yet for a vet.

I suspect that one of the metabolising organs like the liver could be starting to pack in but you would need an experienced vet and lab tests because I am going just on a hunch here from past piggies of mine who died from suspected but not diagnosed liver failure in years gone by when guinea pig knowledge was still very limited, but they had that vague slightly spaced-out feel. However, this is just a personal observation.

All we can advise you to see a vet if you have concerns or the weight is going down but not to be disappointed if they cannot find anything. Otherwise, all you can do is weighing daily first thing in the morning but please not to hover constantly because all you achieve is working yourself up and then transmitting your stress and anxiety.

Unfortunately, treating organs like kidneys, liver etc. is very much lagging behind and not at all well if at all to treat, yet, outside the more advanced exotics vets who see guinea pigs more regularly.

 

[Pigglemama]

Hi

It is very difficult to diagnose from these symptoms and with your sharp owner's eye but not clearly showing up yet for a vet.

I suspect that one of the metabolising organs like the liver could be starting to pack in but you would need an experienced vet and lab tests because I am going just on a hunch here from past piggies of mine who died from suspected but not diagnosed liver failure in years gone by when guinea pig knowledge was still very limited, but they had that vague slightly spaced-out feel. However, this is just a personal observation.

All we can advise you to see a vet if you have concerns or the weight is going down but not to be disappointed if they cannot find anything. Otherwise, all you can do is weighing daily first thing in the morning but please not to hover constantly because all you achieve is working yourself up and then transmitting your stress and anxiety.

Unfortunately, treating organs like kidneys, liver etc. is very much lagging behind and not at all well if at all to treat, yet, outside the more advanced exotics vets who see guinea pigs more regularly.

That’s really great advice - what helped me about your response was the ‘not hovering ‘ comment because I am in and out of the piggy room like an idiot and it’s probably driving Percy mad! Not to mention my husband and daughters who are fed up of me mentioning it! Xx

 

[Eriathwen]

Ive lost count of the amount of times I've taken my pigs to the vet just to tell the poor man "I don't know what's wrong but somethings just off with them"

Sometimes he finds nothing and then a week or 2 later an actual symptom will pop up we can actually use to diagnose something. Equally, sometimes I'll take them along and he will find an internal mass, or a hard/painful bladder.

Best case scenario is you take them in, get a clean bill of health to stop you worrying and just monitor input, output, behaviour etc over the next couple of weeks just in case.

I agree with the "not hovering" though, when you suddenly change routine you'll see things you don't normally which can exacerbate the worry.

 

[Wiebke]

That’s really great advice - what helped me about your response was the ‘not hovering ‘ comment because I am in and out of the piggy room like an idiot and it’s probably driving Percy mad! Not to mention my husband and daughters who are fed up of me mentioning it! Xx

You and your family may find this very practical and down to earth guide here very helpful. I've not just written it for anxiety sufferers but also for those living with them.
Pet Owners Anxiety - Practical Tips For Sufferers and For Supporters

This here is another very useful guide that can hopefully prevent a few panic attacks: Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels

 

[Pigglemama]

Ive lost count of the amount of times I've taken my pigs to the vet just to tell the poor man "I don't know what's wrong but somethings just off with them"

Sometimes he finds nothing and then a week or 2 later an actual symptom will pop up we can actually use to diagnose something. Equally, sometimes I'll take them along and he will find an internal mass, or a hard/painful bladder.

Best case scenario is you take them in, get a clean bill of health to stop you worrying and just monitor input, output, behaviour etc over the next couple of weeks just in case.

I agree with the "not hovering" though, when you suddenly change routine you'll see things you don't normally which can exacerbate the worry.

They’re such complex little creatures aren’t they and I think as their owners we know them best but I’m the same- in one of my not too finer moments I took Percy to the vets because he had a twitching ear. I’m going to monitor him in a non hovery way