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Piggy-chan

Piggy-chan

Junior Guinea Pig
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Has anyone heard of or seen a condition where the only symptoms are a noticeable spine and sunken sides near the rib cage followed not my days later by death due to something that resembles a stroke? I’ve lost a male and female to this recently about a month apart. Now 2 more previously healthy piggies are exhibiting these symptoms. I’m afraid.
 
Sorry it's hard to say from the symptoms but it sounds like they have had a large weight loss for you to notice this. Guinea pigs are prey animals so hide illness well, often the first sign is weight loss which is why we recommend weighing at least once a week for healthy pigs to be able to see when there is a problem. If you have noticed high weight loss then they need a vet asap, if they are not eating then they will die quickly as they go into stasis and their organs shut down
 
I took one of the more effected pigs to the vet today and the vet told me she’d never seen anything like it.
 
The vet was able to tell me that the bones had become obvious due to muscle disappearance. I know I phrased that wrong sorry.
And also the mucus in the mouth was an off color.
 
Sorry, I really have no idea, but I so, so hope the vet would be able to figure it out and save your remaining piggies.

Tests can sometimes be too invasive for gentle creatures as guinea pigs, but would a post-mortem be possible on one of the piggies that have passed away? If not, I'd think a blood panel could be helpful or maybe an ultrasound (check the liver, pancreas, etc). For this to affect all piggies, I'd think along the lines of an infectious disease or some sort of an environmental factor.
 
I was going to get charged for an autopsy. Plus there’s no guarantee there’s even a cure. I just don’t have the money. She recommended isolation for the obviously affected ones but overall I can only treat my herd like hospice patients.:(
 
If there are piggies that are as yet unaffected, I'd separate them immediately and at all costs. Whatever is going on, it's obviously contagious and terminal, so containing it would be my first priority.

In my experience, infections (whether they are bacterial, viral, parasitic or fungal) are treatable, but only with a correct diagnosis. Viruses are by far the hardest to tackle, but I've seen piggies recover with the correct supportive and anti-viral care. Really, I wouldn't give up on them yet - there's hope, especially considering that they're not declining that rapidly and there are days between the onset of the symptoms and the time they pass away. This means their immune system is fighting it, and the correct medication can make the difference between life and death.

I don't think it would be possible to treat them without a conclusive diagnosis though, which is only possible by a vet. I'm fortunate enough to live in a country where quality vet care is financially very accessible, but I know vet care fees can be expensive in the US. Would a payment plan/paying in installments be possible? Or an alternative way to fund the piggies vet care, like a loan, etc.?
 
Are you weighing them daily? Have they lost a lot weight? I'd start syringe feeding immediately, practicing impeccable hygiene between pigs. If they have sunkern sides and are very boney I would think they're not eating?

I would definitely opt for an autopsy, I know it's expensive but honestly if it means it saves the lives of your remaining pigs it would be worth it.

Is there a more experienced vet you could see? Is your vet treating for anything at all?

I hope they're okay!
 
no. where I live you're lucky to find any vet that even sees piggies.
they're eating and drinking like normal even up until a few hours untill death.
 
Well if they are showing prominent ribs and spine then there's a good chance there's an underlying problem that's causing them not to eat properly. Like cows they need to eat a vast amount to live.

Your main course of action is syringe feeding them mushed pellets and critical care if you have it to try and maintain their guts so they don't go into gut stasis.

You need to weigh them all as well to see how much they've lost (they will have definitely lost weight if they're exhibiting the symptoms you described).

It could be a respiratory infection if there's mucus in the mouth, has your vet prescribed anything?
 
No. She said it wouldn’t be able to be determined whether it’s a virus or bacterial without the autopsy. She did explain a different diet than I’d been feeding them. Even if it was curable I cannot afford the autopsy let alone medical treatment.
 
There’s only 3 vets that take pigs where I live and one I don’t think I’d recommend.
 
Have you started syringe feeding? That's definitely key to making sure they survive.

Can the vets not tell if it's a URI? They should be able to try something. Is the breathing crackly? They will probably need antibiotics. Are there any rescues nearby that could help?

Without any treatment your remaining pigs could die which I'm sure you don't want :(
 
The vet said to cut out the fruit and vegetables from their diet and recommended a better quality dry food. Also to give them Timothy hay daily and a vitamin c supplement.
 
She said it was muscle mass that they’re losing that’s why they remain fatty.
 
Are they having bloat or loose poos? If not then I don't know why you'd cut veg out of the diet?

Do they get hay 24/7? They always need unlimited hay :)

How old are they and have you got any pics?

Honestly I can't stress how important it is to syringe feed if they've lost weight. How much do they weigh?
 
No bloat or unusual poos. They vary in ages from a few months to almost a few years.
 
The vet told me to cut the vegetables out. She took a sample of the cud but when I asked if tests could be run using that she said no.
 
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