Old age issues or something else?

[Jarmins]

Hi everyone, this is my first post on here. We have two brother guineas who we first had as rescues about 5 years ago. We think they were 18 months old when we got them but they may have been older, so they're getting on a bit. Last week we noticed they hadn't eaten all of their fresh food from the previous day. Over the weekend we tried different things, and they both showed a keenness to eat but when confronted with food didn't eat it. But when we put dandelions and grass in for them, they would eat that.

I took them to the vet early this week who checked their teeth and felt for lumps and bumps, and couldn't find anything. The only thing we noticed is that the larger brother - Bill - who has had bumblefoot before, seems to have a bit of a flare up of that (he is a big lad), which may have put him off food. They are both now on antibiotics but haven't shown any improvement, and I'm just a bit worried they are wasting away. The vet said it could be just old age, but it is odd that both are not eating. Has anyone had anything similar with older guins? I think I'll take them to a different vet tomorrow. They've eaten a few dandelion leaves tonight, but hardly anything compared with what they eat normally.

Thanks

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

Hi, welcome to the forum, i am sorry to hear your piggies are unwell.

generally speaking older piggies tend to slow down and might eat a little less but to go off their food in the way you describe suggests they are unwell or have dental issues. dandelions and grass are often the only things a poorly pig will eat, regardless of their age so i would take them to a cavy savvy vet tomorrow for a second opinion.

they could have gone off their food for a number of reasons but whatevever the reason, not eating can quickly lead to other serious conditions such as gut stasis and dehydration. did your vet give you any syringe food for them? if not you can soak guinea pig nuggets in water and syringe feed them that. also, being older they will be more affected by the cold so make sure they are nice and warm.

 

[first_time_piggie_mum]

Hi Jarmins, welcome to the forum

I agree with the above comments....something to add to that is about their weights -

Do you weigh your pigs weekly? Its a really good idea to do that, as any weight loss can be a sign of an illness. Obviously if your boys are eating less then they will drop some weight, but if its a lot of weight over a short space of time then it could be an indication that something is wrong.

have you changed their brand of food or hay recently?

 

[Jarmins]

Thanks for your ideas. Last night I tried giving them both syringes of recovery (we had some left from when our rabbits have had ops) and the little thin one (Ben) couldn't get enough, almost ripping the syringe from my hand with his mouth! We left small bowls of recovery in water in their hutch and this morning it has all gone. I also tried mashing up some of their pellets but they weren't so keen on that. Phoning the vet shortly to get them in. I think the vet we saw on Tuesday just used their age as an excuse. He did look at their molars, but I almost felt he was writing them off because they are old. Hoping to see a different vet today

 

[Wiebke]

Have you insulated the hutch well overnight - just a big drop in temperatures can cause loss of appetite.

http://www.guinealynx.info/anorexia.html

 

[Guinea pig slave]

Can't really offer more advice than already given but would advise anyone to remove any left over veggies after a couple of hours as they can upset their tummies if eaten. How often do they have fresh stuff ? - Twice a day is better than once as stuff deteriorates quickly.
Certain antibiotics upset the gut flora too especially Baytril - are they having a Probiotic ?
What are their poo's like ? Are they normal or soft etc. My piggies poo's are checked religiously :x as it is a great give away if there is something not right. Impaction in older boars may be the problem so check their nether regions if you already haven't.

http://www.guinealynx.info/impaction.html

Sorry for all the questions, just gives us a bigger picture of things but would still seek the advice a of savvy vet :red
Please keep us updated with the boys x>>