Kidney disease?

[sophiew (EAGPR)]

One of the first guineas I ever rehomed has come back for a stay, as she is painfully thin. She has been treated for mites and lice, and has been well fed. She was originally rehomed with her sister, but her sister died last winter and I paired her up with a single sow that had come into rescue - they seem to get on just fine. Recently, she has become TINY and the other sow is huge (sorry I am not referring to them by name, when I rehomed them the little girl called them 'Pig' and 'Other pig'!).

Anyway, the tiny one is well enough in herself - bright eyed, no hairloss, good coat condition, no mucus around nose, no dribbling, teeth look ok... the only other guinea I have had that wasted away like this was Sirius Black, and Vedra thought he had kidney disease and that it wasn't really treatable. This little pig is drinking a bottle of water a day, which made me wonder if it was the same?

Any ideas, anyone?

Thanks

Sophie
x

 

[doglovinpiggylover]

no advice sorry, just wanted to say i hope she is ok, bless her x

 

[lexybee91]

One of the first guineas I ever rehomed has come back for a stay, as she is painfully thin. She has been treated for mites and lice, and has been well fed. She was originally rehomed with her sister, but her sister died last winter and I paired her up with a single sow that had come into rescue - they seem to get on just fine. Recently, she has become TINY and the other sow is huge (sorry I am not referring to them by name, when I rehomed them the little girl called them 'Pig' and 'Other pig'!).

Anyway, the tiny one is well enough in herself - bright eyed, no hairloss, good coat condition, no mucus around nose, no dribbling, teeth look ok... the only other guinea I have had that wasted away like this was Sirius Black, and Vedra thought he had kidney disease and that it wasn't really treatable. This little pig is drinking a bottle of water a day, which made me wonder if it was the same?

Any ideas, anyone?

Thanks

Sophie
x

Well, I'm not one hundered percent sure about Guinea's but, my mum had a kidney transplant and when her kidneys were packing up she bloated as opposed to thinned.

If she's drinking a lot it may be dehydration as it has been really hot lately or, it could be a digestive problem. Equally, i'm not sure if guineap's can get diabeties, but that could be a cause too.

either way, any of these things can be quiet serious and fatal to humans, my advice would be to take them to the vet. I always think it's better to be safe and sure than sorry and,well dead.

Hope they're okay xx

 

[sophiew (EAGPR)]

I believe kidney disease in guineas is a 'wasting' disease i.e they waste away and lose body condition, as I said I had a guinea with it previously and she looks the same. She has seen a vet, they couldn't find the cause but suggested putting her to sleep as she's so thin. However as she is bright and eating and doesn't seem to be in pain, I was hoping to shed some light on it

 

[Pebble]

Hi Sophie

When Fleure had kidney stones she kept her weight/size relatively constant provided she was given pain relief. She was drinking loads and originally lost weight because she stopped eating owing to the pain of a large urethral stone which was removed - unfrotatunely however the X ray also showed stones directly in the kidneys which were inoperable.

So I suppose first question is is you piggie still eating well and does she look in pain (ruffled spikey fur)? Has she actually lost weight or is she maintaining her weight but losing muscle mass?

If she is eating normally then other causes of wasting in piggies that I have experienced include heart problems, fluid in and around the lungs and finally unfortunately lymphoma. All these piggies also drank far more than the rest as these conditions do also impact on the kidneys

If you;re sure her teeth are fine and she is eating a normal amount I would suggest X rays and palpation for swollen lymph nodes by the vet to see if it could be any of the above.


And it also might beworth getting the vet to check for diabetes too as I understand this can also cause wasting


Good luck - it's really distressing to see them lose weight with no obvious cause

x

 

[mojules]

A couple months back or maybe more Jules lost a bit of weight compared to what he was like and I thought it was the end and was howling and snottering all over him which I'm sure he didnt appreciate we took him to the vet who examined him for tumours, tummy bloatedness etc said there was nothing.

Laura (Laura CCC-4) suggested it may be worms and so we got him (and Maurice much to his disgust) wormed he started to improve but all through the weight loss he was drinking and eating normal was bright and his coat still shining - we then rewormed them about a month later and they have been fine ever since though Jules is not back to his original weight but is alot better than he was

We used Xeno450 it seemed to help Jules especially

Hope the little piggy is ok

karen x

 

[mojules]

A couple months back or maybe more Jules lost a bit of weight compared to what he was like and I thought it was the end and was howling and snottering all over him which I'm sure he didnt appreciate we took him to the vet who examined him for tumours, tummy bloatedness etc said there was nothing.

Laura (Laura CCC-4) suggested it may be worms and so we got him (and Maurice much to his disgust) wormed he started to improve but all through the weight loss he was drinking and eating normal was bright and his coat still shining - we then rewormed them about a month later and they have been fine ever since though Jules is not back to his original weight but is alot better than he was

We used Xeno450 it seemed to help Jules especially

Hope the little piggy is ok

karen x

 

[missy]

Sorry to hear that your little one has come back in need of help, but I'm sure she's come to the best place.

Just wondering if her mobility is ok?

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

My piggie Hannah has exactly the same symptoms and on examination was found to have very enlarged kidneys. My vet, Simon, decided to try the same treatment he would give for a cat, and started her on Fortekor tablets. I have previously used these tablets in piggies with heart problems. She takes 1/4 Fortekor tablet daily and immediately began to put some weight back on. She is still very thin but much improved on how she was before she started on the tablets.

 

[lexybee91]

Sorry if I gave you the wrong advice, It was not intentional. I can only go by my mothers experience with kidney failure. But perhapes it effects people's differently.

 

[sophiew (EAGPR)]

Thanks everyone. Yes, apart from being tiny she looks well in herself - bright eyed and bushy tailed. As she is not mine, I am not the decision maker in her veterinary treatment, she's just with me temporarily so we can house her alone and monitor her food and water intake. I'll see if we can get a second opinion and investigate further. She is about 3 years old. I am going to worm her in a mo!

Thanks

Sophie
x

 

[Laura-CCC4]

She sounds pretty typical of a pig with impaired kidney function/kidney failure, from what I understand of the condition anyhow.

Would you be able to test her urine? Certain readings can give a basic idea of whether the kidneys are functioning well, I will have to check what exactly (memory fails me at present). I can pop some test sticks in the post if needs be.

Worth worming her just to be sure it isn't that, as that can cause such weight loss, but beyond that, until a diagnosis is made or even if kidney disease is diagnosed, I'd warn the owner not to give any medications without consulting the vet.

 

[Laura-CCC4]

She sounds pretty typical of a pig with impaired kidney function/kidney failure, from what I understand of the condition anyhow.

Would you be able to test her urine? Certain readings can give a basic idea of whether the kidneys are functioning well, I will have to check what exactly (memory fails me at present). I can pop some test sticks in the post if needs be.

Worth worming her just to be sure it isn't that, as that can cause such weight loss, but beyond that, until a diagnosis is made or even if kidney disease is diagnosed, I'd warn the owner not to give any medications without consulting the vet.