Jon880
Junior Guinea Pig
I posted a message on here some months ago asking for advice about my guinea pig Apricot's long-term weight loss. As you can see from the chart, she's been progressively losing weight since last autumn with a period of relative stabilisation in the winter. This isn't an environmental issue as her two herdmates have been stable throughout this time.
I've taken Apricot to see a couple of different vets, one of whom was an exotics specialist. They detected a small mass in a scan but were reluctant to operate citing her age (she was born on 11/11/21) and low weight. They prescribed Loxicom at increasing doses, and I'm now giving her 0.5ml twice a day. I'm also now supplementing her diet with critical care mixed in with very finely cut veggies, which she's eating quite well from a bowl or spoon. She also seems to be eating hay and nuggets regularly, and is still very keen on her veggie breakfast every morning, wheeking at me enthusiastically with the others as soon as I enter the room. Her activity level seems OK, although she does seem to have more moments of lethargy recently. That said, when I put the herd out for floor time a few days ago she was much more active than the others.
The guinea pig rescue lady who regularly grooms and checks our piggies advised me to raise with the vet the possibility of a thyroid disorder, citing a case of a piggie which was successfully treated in Northampton. Does anyone else have any thoughts and ideas on where to go from here? For example, should I ask the vets about anything else? Should I encourage them to do an exploratory operation regardless of their reluctance? If nothing can be done, when should I face the dreadful reality of having her PTS? I don't want her to waste away to nothing - but equally I don't want to prematurely end her time while she's still enjoying some quality of life.
I've taken Apricot to see a couple of different vets, one of whom was an exotics specialist. They detected a small mass in a scan but were reluctant to operate citing her age (she was born on 11/11/21) and low weight. They prescribed Loxicom at increasing doses, and I'm now giving her 0.5ml twice a day. I'm also now supplementing her diet with critical care mixed in with very finely cut veggies, which she's eating quite well from a bowl or spoon. She also seems to be eating hay and nuggets regularly, and is still very keen on her veggie breakfast every morning, wheeking at me enthusiastically with the others as soon as I enter the room. Her activity level seems OK, although she does seem to have more moments of lethargy recently. That said, when I put the herd out for floor time a few days ago she was much more active than the others.
The guinea pig rescue lady who regularly grooms and checks our piggies advised me to raise with the vet the possibility of a thyroid disorder, citing a case of a piggie which was successfully treated in Northampton. Does anyone else have any thoughts and ideas on where to go from here? For example, should I ask the vets about anything else? Should I encourage them to do an exploratory operation regardless of their reluctance? If nothing can be done, when should I face the dreadful reality of having her PTS? I don't want her to waste away to nothing - but equally I don't want to prematurely end her time while she's still enjoying some quality of life.
