I'm worried about Crackers...

[BonBon2010]

I've noticed this week he's dropped a bit of weight.. being on his last weigh in, he weighed the same as my sow Treacle.. he's 3 and a half, and a Peruvian.. and I'm worried that as a pure bred, I've heard from a few people that they tend to be shorter lived?
He's eating fine, and still very playful with biscuit his younger pal.. could he have wasting disease, or is it just age? I'd take him to my vet, but after the last visit where they had to look up a problem in Humbug which made me feel they didn't deal with guinea pigs very often, has left me thinking, do I have to travel further a field to find a Savvy vet?
On a down side, I lost one a couple of years ago to wasting disease.. Patch.. She was lovely.. even though she died pretty sudden, she had all the classic signs, a great appetite, but just 'disappeared' in front of me
I really hop this isn't what's happening to Crackers8...

 

[Abi_nurse]

I dont know exactly what to suggest, has he lost a lot of weight?

If your worried then i would recommend finding a good piggie vet yeah. Not all vets will understand you going to have a consult just because a bit of weight loss. It might put your mind at ease seeing a savvy vet.

x.

 

[BonBon2010]

I think he has.. he used to have a portly belly, and now he's a bit too streamline.. I feed him P@H nuggets.. would I be better putting him on a more fattening diet? He loves his timothy hay and veg, he play mounts his pal (well, they do that too each other)..
I perhaps don't handle them as much as the females, which is why I haven't really noticed it:red I've already decided that when these two go, I won't be getting any more males, it'll be an end of an era, as I've had some lovely males in the past, but I find sows easier to manage..
In the past I've found that after 3, many of my piggies would loose a bit of the portly belly, but otherwise be fine and not loose any more - this seems to be more than that..

 

[Abi_nurse]

There isnt much more of a fattening diet, pellets tend to be the fattening part of the diet. Do you weigh your piggies regarly? It might be worth doing, so if he continues to loose weight you can see a vet?

x.

 

[BonBon2010]

I think that's what I'll do.. just got to find that Savvy vet now..
I want to take all of them for a full mot, piece of mind so to speak, the others are doing great, but I know as much that they can mask problems so well, that it can be too late to save them by the time they show symptoms

 

[Abi_nurse]

I want to take all of them for a full mot, piece of mind so to speak, the others are doing great, but I know as much that they can mask problems so well, that it can be too late to save them by the time they show symptoms

I know, Damn those piggies, there so good at it, makes it hard to see symptoms before they get really sick. Good luck. I'm sure they'll be fine.

xx.