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My poor snowdrop- weight loss and hair loss

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mart

Hi everyone

My beautiful pig Snow drop looks a state :( She has lost quite a bit of fur and you can feel all the bones in her body.

She gave birth 5 weeks ago and has seemed fine up until now. When i first got her in november and she was 4 months she weighed 569g, she is now 7 months old and weighs 555g. I think she might have mites, which i have treated her for but i don't understand why a couple of days ago she was fine fully furred and didn't seem too skinny, and now you can feel all her bones. She is wheezing on one side but seems as bright as a button- eatting and drinking and still running around like her usual self.

Any advice?
 
hi mart sorry to hear snowdrop is unwell

i would advise taking her to a vet ASAP when she was fine yesterday and has become ill in a short time :)
 
If you have such a quick deterioration, you'd better see a vet as soon as possible. Is she still eating or has she stopped? What kind of poos is she making?

Fungus or mange mites can be the reason. How did you treat her for mites?

Here is more info on possible causes hair loss:
http://www.guinealynx.info/hairloss.html#
 
A rapid onset of symptoms is a concern, I agree that a visit to a guinea-experienced vet is important before there's any further deterioration.

The birth and weaning the pups may well have taken its toll on her and she's generally run down which has led to illness. Did she seem to cope well with her pups, how many were there and are any males separate now? Is she eating well, a good varied diet?
 
Some guineas do drop condition when they've had the strain of carrying and feeding young, and once the babies are weaned the mums can look a bit sorry for themselves, hairloss can be hormonal but I would have expected it to happen sooner after the birth than this. Are the babies fully weaned now? I usually remove even the sow babies at this point to let the mum have some space to herself and TLC to recuperate, it is hard on them when they put everything into their babies.

Sophie
x
 
Ok

So i separated mum and boar babies at 3 weeks and sow baby at 3 weeks and 2 days and she had 3 babies- all weaned pratically straight away.

I'm more concerned about sudden drop in weight- my vet is away for 2 more weeks and i don't trust the locum.

The hair like i said is probably mites and my breeder friend gave her some ivar mac (i think she said it was called that) which she uses on all her 70 piggies and i have sprayed her with stuff since.

Thing is she is absolutely fine in her self, she is currently inside on her own, as she attacked a female i put in with her.

Her paws and ears were cold when she was outside and i have brought her in to keep her warm- so she has warmed up (none of the other piggies are cold) and she is still a little bit wheezy.

She has gone off nuggets a little bit so i have giving her some food that is by supreme science and is rich in vitamin c and i am also giving her veggies- which she scoffs within 10 seconds! :)

so i don't know what else to do- do i take her to a locum and risk them saying put her down or do i nurse her myself if she starts acting ill, take her into the locum regardless.
 
I am wondering if there is something respiratory there, the wheeziness in one side of her chest and the beginning of the loss of appetite. Now she is indoors it is best to avoid taking her outside again until she is back to normal.

What's her normal diet like? Is she currently eating hay normally? Giving her some syringe-food may help strengthen her up a little, you shouldn't need to give too much if she is eating mostly for herself.

Is there no other veterinary practice you can get to? If you visit the locum and he does suggest having her PTS you can refuse, she is your pig and they've no right to put her to sleep without your consent. Guineas with chronic and severe medical problems can do well and can recover with the right care and treatment. Getting a diagnosis from someone guinea-savvy in the first place is the important but tricky bit!
 
A small sow, pregnant at a young age and who has given birth to 3 pigs could be expected to be in a run down condition.
Her condition should improve now that the babies have been taken away from her.
You say she was cold when you brought her indoors, had she been living in a hutch/shed with any form of heating?
I would keep her warm and give her plenty of food.
As to the thought of what the vet may suggest as "treatment", you can supply your own comments!
 
I am worried about the wheeziness - it can indicate an URI (upper respiratory tract infection). It is an easy thing to contract after the stresses her body has been through and should not be left untreated, as that could be fatal. You best keep a beady ear on her chest!

AS Laura has said, please do not put her back outside again until spring; guinea pigs do not cope well with sudden changes of temperature, especially in her weakened state.
 
hiya

She was in a hutch that has a towel over and tarpooling and everyone else was fine but yeah i agree on keeping her in now.

The wheezing has stopped now (i gave her sudafed) and that seems to of worked.

I promise you she does not need me to sirringe feed her as she scoffs all her food :)

I am tempted by the vets- i will weigh her today to see how she is :)

She had babys at 4/5 months so she was the right age and she weighed a good weight as well.

Lets hope she gets better :) x
 
You often find that a young sow who has babies never grows to full size, even if she were the "right age".
All too frequently a wheeze is diagnosed as a URI.
No-one seems to realise that it is a LRTI that is potentially serious. A URI is where it says it is, it is not in the chest!
I would suspect she has an "allergy" type reaction to the hay and/or change of living quarters. I would certainly keep her indoors, at least until early Summer.
 
4/5 months is VERY young to have babies - sows need to litter around 10 months and certainly not before 8 months - they're still babies themselves at 4/5 months.


Teresa x
 
The hair loss is very normal in sows who have given birth, its to do with the sudden changes in hormone levels or could be "barbering" depending on what the hairloss looks like.

Lots of TLC will probably bring her condition back up to standard. If the wheezing comes back...I'd take her to the vets to be seen.
 
well she gave birth at 6 and a half months- 8 months to start is too old i have been told.

Besides it doesn't matter cos shes fine.

The hair loss is symetrical if that helps. Also i am very pleased that in 3 days of being in again she gained 50g so thats good news :)
 
Teresa J said:
4/5 months is VERY young to have babies - sows need to litter around 10 months and certainly not before 8 months - they're still babies themselves at 4/5 months.


Teresa x
Click to expand...

This is true. Her growth may well be stunted from being bred from so young. I'm not sure who told you eight months was too late, but if there was going to be an 'ideal' age this would be it. Please get her seen by a vet ASAP, respiratory infections are dangerous and can turn serious very quickly. Sudafed may treat the symptoms, but she may need antibiotics.
 
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Her wheezing has stopped and she is doing well. Just gonna monitor her for now xx
 
Most cases of "respiratory infection" are nothing of the sort.
As I wrote on another thread we shall soon be in the season of "respiratory infections".
It is rather interesting to note that this season always seems to occur at the time of hay fever problems....!
 
thats what i thought but she didn't start losing hair until 5 weeks after birth and she has mites, well not anymore but she did when i checked her and none of my other pigs have them although them and all all hutches have been treated xx
 
yeah shes getting better :)

She still attacks any sow put in with her so i know she must be feeling alright :)
 
How is the hairloss? Is she gaining any weight following the birth?
Just wondering, didn't Snowdrop have a sow baby? I've found mums often bond well with their daughters.
 
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