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Oldie Boar

MrPiggles

MrPiggles

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Dec 16, 2018
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Location
West Lancashire
Hello, my old little man Frasier is nearly 8. I adopted him at 5. He has been a very friendly and healthy pig up until about 2 weeks ago, started to loose weight and sit in a more puffed up way. I started on metacam, daily weigh ins and booked vet
He had a full exam and no problems reported. Teeth fine, no tumours present etc.
As of today, he eats a little hay, hardly any pellets, hardly any water. Loves his veg still though. Loves critical care by syringe. Has metacam. Loves cuddles and being warm.
His weight is down to 850g and stable at that.
My worry is if I were not to be syringe feeding him, he would decline. But I also know by syringe feeding him his facial muscles will inevitably go hindering his ability to feed himself even more.
Just looking for any guidance from other senior pig parents or end of life care really. Thank you.
 
What a lovely age he is! There is something very special about looking after them into their old age.

It’s good nothing was found and it’s also good that he is now on pain meds to help him.

Syringe feeding is not going to ruin his facial muscles and stop him from eating by himself. Hay and hay fibre is needed for correct and proper gut (and dental) function. Without the fibre from hay (or syringe feeding when independent hay intake is insufficient), consequently an unbalanced consumption of veg to fibre would make gut problems more likely (soft poops - Dysbiosis. By old age their systems can already begin to struggle anyway) (even aside from the likely weight loss).
So he needs you to be topping him up until the time comes that you decide it’s prolonging the inevitable rather than helping him - a quality of life consideration.
At his age it’s about keeping him comfortable rather than any longer term considerations.

Have you tried just putting a bowl of critical care in his cage (can be trickier if there is a cage mate likely to eat it all) or removing him from the cage for periods of time with a bowl of critical care and allowing him to eat it himself rather than via syringe?

When my boys were old, they lost weight over prolonged time due to age (not through any illness) but stabilised at a lower weight until they passed. They were given some porridge oats as a calorie boost to help them but they were still eating sufficient hay independently.
Critical care is better in your case given his hay intake is down as he still needs the fibre.

Journey through a Lifetime: The Ages of Guinea Pigs
 
What a gorgeous boy.
He’s a great age and your love for him shines through.
I can’t add to the advice given but want to offer support
 
Your boy is adorable. He has reached a great age.
I find my oldies get a bit fussy with hay (6 and 7). I tend to have several types of hay here now so I can change it each time I give them a top up. I put it in paper bags and cardboard boxes as well as piles on the cage floor to try and keep them interested. Mixing in a bit of dried forage helps too. I think they loose their ability to smell well, dried mint stirs up some interest.
 
So we have been trying syringe feeding, veggies, etc. upped metacam.
He is not doing great. Still loosing bits of weight each day despite feeding. Hunched up most of the time, I am really not sure what to do - my vet is back on tomorrow so think I will call first thing.
 
Yes, in my experience they can resist food, although age itself doesn't necessarily cause that. With my piggies (all since deceased, I don't have any atm), those who resisted syringe feeding all had a medical reason for it, e.g. they couldn't swallow anymore. Unfortunately, I didn't know that back then and tried to force, which I shouldn't have done.

A hunched-up guinea is generally not feeling well. Nearly 8 is a grand age. Maybe it is her time, sad though that always is. There should be a link on the forum for this. I'll put it in a separate post because links have to be okayed by the mods.

I certainly think it's a good idea to phone your vet tomorrow morning.
 
Just wanted to say thank you so much for being kind. As he is managing at home, vet has advised to up pain meds and see if he can live out his time at home and safe. Of course if anything changes we will take him.
 
Hi there your boy Frasier is such a sweetie and what a lovely photo of him please feel free to share more 🥰
I have the pleasure of fostering an 8 year old darling boy named Rusty from Merrypigs at the moment he has Johnsons for Joints to help his joints and loves it, it took him 2 or 3 days but now he happily has it no problem 💙
 
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