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Guinea pig dying?

Brooke03

Brooke03

New Born Pup
Joined
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Hey everyone, about a week ago I noticed my 4 1/2 year old guinea pig felt much skinnier and had some crust on her nose and eyes. She was eating normally but I still made an appointment with the vet and they said her lungs sounded clear and didn't see any obvious organ failure happening. The gave me meloxicam to give her for 7 days and some ofloxacin solution for her eyes. She seemed good for a day or two and now she feels skinnier than before. I don't have a gram scale and don't weigh my guinea pigs weekly (sorry I know I'll start doing it asap). She still is eating and running around the cage but I feel this is the end for my piggy, as I had one with similar issues who had a stroke of some kind and died in my arms last November. I know she is older and this is common in older guinea pigs to give out as they approach 4-6 but I wanted some advice if I should do something different. IMG_2555.JPG
 
It'd be better to start weighing her, like you said, before we could really determine any further course of action. An OK from the vet is always a good sign though.

Just keep track of her weight, and be sure to make note of her behaviour. Piggies are prey animals, so they'll try to hide any signs of illness. If she seems less interested in food, less active, more irritable, or anything else out of the ordinary, like separating herself from other pigs, facing a corner, etc, don't hesitate to call a vet. It's best to let her gain weight on her own, but if she continues to lose weight, you can try syringe feeding mushed up pellets, and calling the vet.
 
If she feels thinner then she possibly isn’t eating enough. Without weighing her you can’t know whether she is eating enough hay or not As you can’t judge hay intake by eye - if can look like they are eating enough hay but in fact arent. Veg and pellets only jointly make 20% of their daily food intake so eating those doesn’t really count. Older piggies do lose tone but at 4.5 she isn’t desperately old.

You need to get some scales and step in and syringe feed her to stop further weight loss. Weighing her is important while she is being syringe fed as it is the only way to know you are getting enough syringe feed into her.
Crusty eyes and nose can be a sign of a respiratory infection, the treatment for which is antibiotics. It’s good the vet didn’t hear anything in her lungs though. But if you are noticing a change in her behaviour, then she needs to see another vet and have another check up. She could be suffering from something very easily treated so it doesn’t need to be the end for her.

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Weight - Monitoring and Management
 
Hope she is ok and makes a speedy recovery.
Thinking of you at this tough time. X
 
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