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Old Girl Hair Loss

My Piggies

My Piggies

Adult Guinea Pig
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Location
QLD, Australia
Hi,
I've just gotten Violet out for weighing and 'feeling' and I noticed that she has hard, sort of clumped hair that comes right off. It doesn't seem to be causing her any pain, but she now has a bald spot from where I took the hair off. Is this normal? It doesn't look irritated and it isn't bothering her, and she didn't even seem to notice when I pulled the hair out. She has arthritis, kidney failure and bone cancer and is on 0.12ml of Meloxicam (dog type) twice a day. I'm wondering if it's because she keeps peeing on herself, although I haven't noticed it as much since she started taking it twice a day.
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Wow what a great age for a guinea pig! You must be a very a very caring owner.
 
My Piggies said:
Hi,
I've just gotten Violet out for weighing and 'feeling' and I noticed that she has hard, sort of clumped hair that comes right off. It doesn't seem to be causing her any pain, but she now has a bald spot from where I took the hair off. Is this normal? It doesn't look irritated and it isn't bothering her, and she didn't even seem to notice when I pulled the hair out. She has arthritis, kidney failure and bone cancer and is on 0.12ml of Meloxicam (dog type) twice a day. I'm wondering if it's because she keeps peeing on herself, although I haven't noticed it as much since she started taking it twice a day.
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Hi!

Please keep an eye on it and if necessary see your vet. It is impossible for us to say what is causing it.
 
Thanks, if it starts to irritate her or the skin there looks irritated, I will definitely book her in for a vet appointment. At the moment though, it doesn't seem to be affecting her at all.
 
This would be a conversation for your vet, but it just strikes me that given the severe pain of bone cancer, the meds could be increased? Even with the kidney failure, once cancer has gone to the bone, pain relief would take priority? She's a great age.
 
Black piggies said:
This would be a conversation for your vet, but it just strikes me that given the severe pain of bone cancer, the meds could be increased? Even with the kidney failure, once cancer has gone to the bone, pain relief would take priority? She's a great age.
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Yes, she was originally only taking the Meloxicam once a day, but it was increased to twice a day on the advice of our vet after we discovered her cancer. She doesn't seem to be in pain, but I know piggies are very good at hiding this. We have been told that she doesn't have very long and we are expecting to have to take her in to be pts pretty soon, so it's just about keeping her comfortable.

Also, how aggressive is bone cancer? We were told by the vet that she has a couple of weeks at most but it's been 2 months and she hasn't gotten any worse - she's still eating, drinking, pooping, her weight is stable and she squeaks with the others at veggie time. She has a hard lump on one of her legs (the cancer), but is hasn't visibly spread.
 
Aw poor thing. Bone cancer is usually secondary (spread from original site) cancer, so already advanced and generally untreatable.
I had a fairly new adoptee earlier this year have an aggressive cancer removed from her dewlap, expected to spread, and she was on a lot more loxicom than that. That's why I wondered about your dose.
I asked the vet when I'd know when to have her put to sleep, and the vet said they often go off their food with end stage cancer, so by weighing regularly you can catch the decline.
Sounds as though she's enjoying her last time at least.
 
Black piggies said:
Aw poor thing. Bone cancer is usually secondary (spread from original site) cancer, so already advanced and generally untreatable.
I had a fairly new adoptee earlier this year have an aggressive cancer removed from her dewlap, expected to spread, and she was on a lot more loxicom than that. That's why I wondered about your dose.
I asked the vet when I'd know when to have her put to sleep, and the vet said they often go off their food with end stage cancer, so by weighing regularly you can catch the decline.
Sounds as though she's enjoying her last time at least.
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Yeah, the vet told us to watch her weight - for now it's stable and she's still eating and pooping normally. I might ask my vet about her dose, but she doesn't seem to be in any pain, which is why we haven't increased it already. I've heard though that the dog type is much stronger than the cat one, so you have to give less if giving the dog type (which is the one we have been prescribed for Violet). Maybe your piggie was on the cat type? 🤔
Thanks for your advice, I really appreciate it 👍
 
Glad she's still eating fine. Hopefully she'll defy the odds and be with you a while yet. My pig was on 0.4ml dog loxicom, twice a day, for secondary cancer. Maybe because of Violet's age and kidney failure, she can't have more, but maybe worth checking with vet.
 
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