Illness Seems A Mystery At Moment. Don't Want To Say Goodbye Yet

[squigglies]

One of my poor girls has suddenly become ill. Sunday gone I noticed that all of a sudden she looked really thin. I weigh them every couple of weeks and the scales showed this so off to the vet we went.
Baytril given but no improvement from what I see. So xrays have been taken and nothing seems to be showing up. A specialist is looking at them at the mo.
She's eating drinking and pooing although not completely proper pig poos. Beacause of baytril it is a little wetter.
She's had all clear for sound of chest and lungs and any lumps. Eyes have been a bit crusty and respiritory infec has been ruled out.
Has any one else's pig had any of these symptoms?
Any help or thoughts much appreciated. (No critisism please )

 

[Wiebke]

One of my poor girls has suddenly become ill. Sunday gone I noticed that all of a sudden she looked really thin. I weigh them every couple of weeks and the scales showed this so off to the vet we went.
Baytril given but no improvement from what I see. So xrays have been taken and nothing seems to be showing up. A specialist is looking at them at the mo.
She's eating drinking and pooing although not completely proper pig poos. Beacause of baytril it is a little wetter.
She's had all clear for sound of chest and lungs and any lumps. Eyes have been a bit crusty and respiritory infec has been ruled out.
Has any one else's pig had any of these symptoms?
Any help or thoughts much appreciated. (No critisism please )

It can be very difficult to guess just what is wrong with a sudden mystery weight loss. Often it boils down to pain somewhere in the body, but finding out what is the matter can trickier once the most obvious offenders have been excluded. Have you got an exotics vet within your reach?

Are you syringe feeding, watering and weighing daily at the same time so you know how much you need to top her up?
It is important to make sure that she is eating enough to give her a chance at pulling through. 80% of the daily food intake should be hay, and that is something you cannot control just by looking at her munching on veg. Hay is often the food group dropped first if there is a pain issue somewhere. You adjust the frequency of the feed as to how much she is taking in one go. Your support now can make a huge difference!
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

You can also support her gut by giving a pinch of probiotic 1-2 hours after each dose of baytril. Alternatively, soak fresh healthy poos from another piggy in a little water and then syringe that - it mimics natural behaviour and also helps re-stock the guts with the right stuff.

 

[squigglies]

Thanks for reply. I'm confident she is drinking enough. And I am giving her probiotic and weighing her. She's lost just over 200g in 2 weeks.
The hay part you mentioned is interesting as I haven't really seen her eat much hay. That's a difficult one to syringe feed .....Or is it? Seen her eating pellets but I will start mushing up and syringing that.

It cen be very difficult to guess just what is wrong with a sudden mystery weight loss.

Are you syringe feeding, watering and weighing daily at the same time so you know how much you need to top her up?
It is important to make sure that she is eating enough to give her a chance at pulling through. 80% of the daily food intake should be hay, and that is something you cannot control just by looking at her munching on veg. Hay is often the food group dropped first if there is a pain issue somewhere. You adjust the frequency of the feed as to how much she is taking in one go.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

You can also support her gut by giving a pinch of probiotic 1-2 hours after each dose of baytril. Alternatively, soak fresh healthy poos from another piggy in a little water and then syringe that - it mimics natural behaviour and also helps re-stock the guts with the right stuff.

 

[squigglies]

The other major thing I didn't put was her laboured breathing.

 

[Claire W]

Did the vet check her teeth to rule out dental issues? If not, I suggest that you ask for her mouth and teeth to be checked including the molars at the back of her mouth.

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for reply. I'm confident she is drinking enough. And I am giving her probiotic and weighing her. She's lost just over 200g in 2 weeks.
The hay part you mentioned is interesting as I haven't really seen her eat much hay. That's a difficult one to syringe feed .....Or is it? Seen her eating pellets but I will start mushing up and syringing that.

200g in two weeks is a LOT and means that she is not eating enough. You first aim must be to stabilise the weight as much as possible.

 

[Adelle]

The other major thing I didn't put was her laboured breathing.

Laboured breathing and weight lose could be a sign of a heart issue, since the antibiotics didnt help its unlikely to be a URI. Did your vet xray her chest to look for any fluid or enlargement of the heart? Other heart disease symptoms include:
Lethargy
Difficulty to rouse from sleep
Cold ears and feet when other pigs are warm
Blue/pale nose, lips, tongue or feet
Coughing/wheezing/hooting/crackly breathing.

The other thing to look into would be a pain issue. Has she had her teeth checked properly?

Keep up with syringe feeding as detailed in the link, as well as the probiotics. It might be worthwhile seeking advice from a vet more specialised in guinea pigs.

All the best