Guinea pig losing weight but still eating

[TheCrazyPiggies19]

Hi
My female guinea pig, Patches, is 5 years old and keeps losing weight but is still eating.
She has had it repeatedly 3 times now this year and the vet couldn't find anything wrong.
She gets runny poo when she has fresh veggies but taking those out of her diet seems to of helped. Grass seems to be fine as does dandelions and other plants.
She loses over 100g normally in the space of a couple weeks but puts it back on in another 2 weeks.
She's still eating (not as much as normal but she still has a good appetite) which is good.
She lives with my 3 other female piggies and I want to find out if it's the vegetables or something underlying.
Any help would be much appreciated

 

[Wiebke]

Hi
My female guinea pig, Patches, is 5 years old and keeps losing weight but is still eating.
She has had it repeatedly 3 times now this year and the vet couldn't find anything wrong.
She gets runny poo when she has fresh veggies but taking those out of her diet seems to of helped. Grass seems to be fine as does dandelions and other plants.
She loses over 100g normally in the space of a couple weeks but puts it back on in another 2 weeks.
She's still eating (not as much as normal but she still has a good appetite) which is good.
She lives with my 3 other female piggies and I want to find out if it's the vegetables or something underlying.
Any help would be much appreciated

Hi and welcome!

Mystery weight loss is my least favourite symptom because there is such a wide range of issues that can be behind it. How piggy savvy is your vet?

Here is just a small range of possible causes with yoyo-ing weight by an overall downward trend that I have come across in my own guinea pigs:
- internal growths (in the case of my Llewelyn a deep seated abdominal tumour that had unfortunately already spread to the gut by the time it was finally found. Depending on where the growth/mass is located, it can easily impact on the gut
- large fluid filled ovarian cysts that can get stuck to the bowel (painful)
- thickened lower gut/IBS, can cause irregular pooing, mild bloat and up and down weight
- diabetes or kidney problems
- hyperthyroid
- issues with nutrient absorption/beginning organ failure
- (very rare) Cushings (usually connected to irregular hair loss)

Other members may extend the list, but I hope that you can understand a bit better how difficult it can be for a vet to work out what is wrong.

Generally you are dealing with an underlying problem and often with problems from an aging body or organs, as your sow has now reached the lower end of the average life span for a healthy guinea pig.
Like with the very old humans, older guinea pigs can become more sensitive to some food groups and react more likely with diarrhea or mild bloating, mostly as a side effect to an underlying problem. In these cases it is a matter of working out yourself
which foods cause problems and which not. When playing around with veg, try fresh herbs and a very little fresh grass first; they tend to go down well in most cases.

Unfortunately, there is no straight forward answer - hence why it is my least favourite symptom because of its very vagueness...

Do you have access to an exotics vet?
Vet Locator

 

[TheCrazyPiggies19]

Hi!

Mystery weight loss is my least favourite symptom because there is such a wide range of issues that can be behind it. How piggy savvy is your vet?

Here is just a small range of possible causes with yoyo-ing weight by an overall downward trend that I have come across in my own guinea pigs:
- internal growths (in the case of my Llewelyn a deep seated abdominal tumour that had unfortunately already spread to the gut by the time it was finally found. Depending on where the growth/mass is located, it can easily impact on the gut
- large fluid filled ovarian cysts that can get stuck to the bowel (painful)
- thickened lower gut/IBS, can cause irregular pooing, mild bloat and up and down weight
- diabetes or kidney problems
- hyperthyroid
- issues with nutrient absorption/beginning organ failure
- (very rare) Cushings (usually connected to irregular hair loss)

Other members may extend the list, but I hope that you can understand a bit better how difficult it can be for a vet to work out what is wrong.

Generally you are dealing with an underlying problem and often with problems from an aging body or organs, as your sow has now reached the lower end of the average life span for a healthy guinea pig.
Like with the very old humans, older guinea pigs can become more sensitive to some food groups and react more likely with diarrhea or mild bloating, mostly as a side effect to an underlying problem. In these cases it is a matter of working out yourself
which foods cause problems and which not. When playing around with veg, try fresh herbs and a very little fresh grass first; they tend to go down well in most cases.

Unfortunately, there is no straight forward answer - hence why it is my least favourite symptom because of its very vagueness...

Do you have access to an exotics vet?
Vet Locator

Thank you for replying.
I did think it was going to be hard to find out due to the fact she is old and has otherwise been healthy.
Due to the current circumstances I'm going to wait to take her to the vet a bit longer but will find a piggy savvy vet local to me.
Our vets do have a good amount of knowledge on guinea pigs and the one she saw last time has their own piggies and they have operated on one of my other girls when she had a tumor a few years ago.
Thanks for your help