Fluctuating weight and ongoing stuffy nose?

[TheGreeds]

Hello!
Please excuse my grammar, as English is not my first language.
I weight all my guinea pigs once a week, and Cookies' (2yo, Abyssinian) weight keeps fluctuating quite a bit almost every weight in. (Ex. 18.10. she weighted 790g and today, 25.10. she weights 662g) Which worries me. She's eating and drinking fine, so that is not the cause. My theory is, the weight fluctuations are connected to her on-going stuffy nose problems(?), which she has had ever since I had gotten her. I have been to multiple vets concerning her stuffy/wheezy(?) breathing and not one has been able to find anything. Her lungs were always clear. I'm at my vits end as to what the issue/cause of all this is. At least it does not seem to bother her.

 

[Claire W]

I am very sorry that Cookie is losing weight A guinea pigs weight can fluctuate a lot but a gradual weight loss of 50g or more is classed as an emergency and a vet visit should be made. I know you say Cookie is eating but is she eating enough hay which is the most important part of a guinea pigs diet? It can looks like they are eating when in fact, they’re just snuffling around in it.

Have you any allergens in the room that she is kept in? Ie air fresheners, candles etc that could be causing the stuffy nose? Guinea pigs have tiny airways and can’t breath from their mouths so any tiny particles could be affecting her.

But I would definitely have her seen by a vet again for the weight loss and be prepared to step in and syringe feed her.

(((Hugs))) x

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

As she has lost weight, it does mean she is not actually eating hay properly. Hay is the most important and largest part of the diet so as soon as they stop eating enough, they start to lose weight very quickly.

The fact she has lost 128g in a week (which makes over 10% of her body weight) is very concerning. This is so much more than fluctuation (fluctuation is anything less than 50g).
She is not a big piggy to begin with so she cannot afford to lose much weight.

The need to breathe comes before the need to eat so the fact she has a stuffy nose is very likely to be the reason she has reduced the amount of hay she is eating. Piggies can’t breathe properly through their mouths so they simply stop being able to eat enough

It is very important you step in with support feeding her a fibre rich recovery feed immediately. You need to stop any further weight loss.
You also need to switch to weighing her daily, every morning, rather than weekly as that will allow you to monitor her more closely and ensure you are giving appropriate amounts of syringe feed each day. She will need ideally 60ml of syringe feed per day (she could need more but the weight checks are your guide)

If her chest is is clear and the vet can definitely find no medical cause, then you would need to look to environmental causes - is the air too dry? are their irritants such as air fresheners or candles in the room etc.
What type of bedding is she on?

She should be seen by the vet again though given she has lost a concerning amount of weight quickly.

I’ve added some guides in below to help further

Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels
How to Improvise Feeding Support in an Emergency
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

 

[TheGreeds]

Hi! Thank you so much for the reply.

The humidity in my room is generally around 60%. I use no candles and no scented cleaner or anything in my room. So that is probably not the cause. As for their bedding, I use sterilised, kiln dried, dust extracted pine shavings.

Her stuffy nose comes and goes by. It can last a day or sometimes week or two. Sometimes she can clear it herself by sneezing.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Have you tried changing to a different type of bedding and even a different source of hay, by way of experiment to see if she improves.
Dust extracted doesn’t mean it’s totally dust free.

Piggies have narrow airways, any dust from shavings or hay can really irritate them. That kind of nasal obstruction and irritation is usually cleared by sneezing.

Her large amount of weight loss in a short time is of concern.
Definitely step in with syringe feeding straight away

 

[TheGreeds]

Have you tried changing to a different type of bedding and even a different source of hay, by way of experiment to see if she improves.
Dust extracted doesn’t mean it’s totally dust free.

Piggies have narrow airways, any dust from shavings or hay can really irritate them. That kind of nasal obstruction and irritation is usually cleared by sneezing.

Her large amount of weight loss in a short time is of concern.
Definitely step in with syringe feeding straight away

I have, and this bedding they are currently on is the least she has had stuffy nose problems with. I am currently trying to save up so I can buy them fleece bedding to see if that will improve her on-going breathing problems or not. I have tried different hay brands and types as well, no improvement there. I will be stepping in with syringe feeding, don't worry, I always have some recovery feed stocked just in case.

 

[Merab]

Welcome to the forum.
So sorry to hear that Cookie is having problems.
There is good advice already given so all I can add is my support