• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

older GP needs feeding up

Status
Not open for further replies.
gypsie

gypsie

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Aug 8, 2007
Messages
83
Reaction score
0
Points
150
Location
Birmingham
I need a bit of help last year i rescued a family of 3 GP's daddy mommy and baby.
Mom has had several litters and baby was the last one sadly daddy had been left in and killed the other babies, I never knew how old she was and the lady who i took them of hardly seemed interested and i was just glad to get the out.
Looking at my other pigs i always thought she looked older and i have now had her over a year so maybe she is about 4, she has never been a fat pig and i aways thought that was just the way she was but i do think that she has now lost a bit more weight, she has regular vegtables access to hay all the time and she is feed on excel along with the others but i really would like to know what else i can feed her to help build her up before i put her through the stress of taking her to the vets.
Also is they any way i can aged her correctly insteed of just guessing.
 
Assessing the age of adult guinea pigs is notoriously difficult; the best may be by having a good look at her feed. The claws of older pigs are getting thicker in the back feet and twistier in the front.

It is difficult to build up an older piggy; you can try by giving more starchy food like corn or porridge oats - it will build up fat, but a good diet should do even if it takes longer for her to recover from too many pregnancies and a hard life.
 
It is a fact, sad but true, that old age is often accompanied by a weight loss.
Is she still eating as much as she did a few months ago? A decrease in eating may be caused by dental problems.
Many pigs still eat as much as they have always eaten but they fail to absorb the nutrients as they did when younger.
Does she want to eat, but cannot eat, or does she not want to eat?
You could give her Metatone, 0.2ml, every other day for 7 days, as an appetite stimulant.
A look at her teeth may show problems.
 
Thank you very much for you reply's i check teeth of all the GP every couple of weeks and hers look fine with no changes.
It is difficult to see how much she is eating as she is in with 2 other GP but she always comes to the front of the cage for her vegies and eats them well so i dont think that eating is a problem.
How would i feed oats? are there any fruits/veg that are higher in fat that i could try feeding just to her.
I have had a quick look at her nails they seem slightly thicker at the back but she has got really short nails at the front.
 
Hi sorry for the delay i had one of my foster dogs spayed at the weekend and she was feeling a bit sorry for her self and keeping me busy.
I only check the front ones to make sure there are no problems there.
I have booked an apt for the vet tomorrow as i have noticed that she is a bit wet under her belly so i am a bit worried that she may have a urine problem as i know they can have crystals and such like so of to the vets to see what they can do for her.So fingers crossed that it is some thing they can treat
 
I give mine sweetcorn (either mini cobs or a section of corn on the cob) and green beans when I want to feed them up. the corn is calorific and the beans contain protein. Plus they usually love them. In the spring, I find grass is great for weight gain. Good luck with her at the vets.
 
While weight loss and age do seem to come hand in hand, there are certain things you can do to try and help. Porridge oats are great for helping gain weight, as is beetroot. It stains the fingers when you peel it, so be careful - it can also cause red wee so don't be alarmed. Corn on the cob is also good from what I've heard, and pigs usually like it because it's sweet. You can give the porridge oats dry, or mix it into porridge. Also from a health food shop, get a bag of bran and make a 'bran mash' (bran plus water) as pigs love this.
 
I would say that 80% of dental problems are related to the back teeth.
If there is a problem with the front teeth, there will, almost certainly, be trouble with the back teeth.
 
Well i am of to the vets shortly but i have been to sainsburys to get some extra supplies i have brought her some porrage oats some bran and some corn on the cob and some parsley i am going to set up a spare cage so she can have some alone time eating to ensure that she gets her fair share of food and the others dont just eat it and end up the size of small houses
I will update you all when i get back from the vets
 
Well we have been to the vets and i am not sure if it good or bad news the vet gave her a good check over and couldnt find any thing wrong her teeth are all ok her mouth is fine there are no lump or bumps her heart and lungs are fine so the vet just feels that she is a older GP that has just lost condition.
She has recomended that she has some time on her own for extra feeds to make sure that she is getting enough and see how she goes.
I am glad i took her as it has put my mind at rest a bit that there is nothing wrong that can be treated so i have left her tucking in to a bowl of sweetcorn and oats and bran and some carrots so fingers crossed she will be ok
 
Did the vet look at the back teeth and, if so, how did he check them?
 
Yes she did she used some thing that looked like what you use to look down your ear my little GP was so well behavied i held her while she checked them.
She tucked into the extra food i did her last night so i am hopeful that i can get some extra weight on her with a bit of time
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top