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One of my pigs died!

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camstarstorm

camstarstorm

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Hi i'm after a little advice, I had three pigs and 1 has just died he didn't seem to grow like the other 2, he was still eating well. The other morning I knew something was wrong he was huddled up against the other pig, he also looked like he had shrunk and seemed skinny! His breathing was rapid he also kept on falling onto his side. I phoned the vets but they didn't get back to me in time and he sadly passed away! I ended up taking my dead guinea and the other 2 pigs to the vets the vet said they both seemed fine and she couldn't figure out what had happened to Mr Piggins aka Thunder. She advised a post mortem but my children wanted to say goodbye to him and that wouldn't of been possible if they'd done this.
Now my other pig Flash seems to be getting a little slimmer and I'm sure they're urinating more is it possible he has a UTI? I just don't want anything to happen to him!:...
Any advise would be great thank you
 
Your best bet is to take your pigs to another vet for further investigation, preferably an exotics vet as guinea pigs are a specialised at exotic animals and not every vet has the best knowledge on guinea pigs.

Hope you find whats wrong with your piggies.
 
How awful for you. If flash is losing weight I would seek a second opinion. It may be an idea to weigh your two each week and keep a record of their weights.
 
Thank you yes I think I will keep a check on his weight the vet said he was a healthy weight but I'm now super paranoid that something is wrong with him. Also is guinea pig wee supposed to be white?
 
I'm not sure whether we have any vets that specialise in exotic animals, ill have a check on Google thank you
 
When guinea pigs wee they get rid of calcium so it comes out white. How much do they both weigh?
 
I'm not sure how old they were when I got them from pets at home, ive had them about a month now I'm guessing they are not much older than 3-4 months give or take. I'm sure that's how much he weighs. she definitely said 45 and 60 for their weights.
 
I am very sorry for your bad shock. However, I am doubtful that at that advanced stage a vet trip would have changed anything. Young guinea pigs can go downhill very quickly. :(

Here is our forum map of recommended piggy savvy vets; there is a vet listed on your side of York: https://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msid=204458758673513849635.0004e111354a528da0dbb&msa=0

Please weigh any piggies once weekly throughout their life. It is a very good instrument to catch any problems early on. Guinea pigs are prey animals and will try their best to hide any problems for as long as they can; a weekly health check can help to prevent this. http://www.guinealynx.info/weigh.html

It is no wonder that you are very upset and panicky right now. But if you are really worried about Flash's health, have his urine checked for blood and weigh him daily, preferably at the same time in the feeding routine, so his weight is as comparable as possible. Just a full/empty bladder and full/empty tummy can make a difference of 30g/1 oz. Hopefully, it is just your apprehension.

Can you please weigh both your boys on your kitchen scales, as those weights don't make any sense for their age, either in grams or in ounces.
 
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the vet said they both a healthy weight for their age ( juveniles) when they had their health check a few days ago maybe I have the age wrong! Their diet consists of nuggets, red pepper, cucumber and toms and broccoli, hay. Also guinea pig honey sticks as treats.
 
Maybe you have the weight wrong as they are new born weights. Have you kitchen scales? Honey should not be given to piggies as it is high in sugar and also damages their teeth. I know they are sold for piggies but they are as useless as mineral stones.
 
Scrap the honey sticks! They are junk food for piggies. Rather give them dried forage as a treat.

Try Battle Flat Vets in Stamford Bridge. They are listed on the map link I gave you in my previous post.
 
thank you, my pig that died never lost his appetite he just quickly went down hill, he hid it from me but I was sure thee was something wrong a little while ago but I thought he would be ok and that it was just because the other guinea pig was being very dominant and pushing him out. I now know that I should of acted on my intuition and sought help! I'm going to buy some digital scales so that I can keep an eye on Flash.
 
Sorry but mineral stones are not suitable for piggies. Shame on companies who sell them.
 
They don't seem too far off the mark for 3 months, maybe just slightly under. Their diet seems OK apart from the honey sticks. To put weight on you could try them on sweetcorn. They're in season at present & you can usually get 3 for a £1. Give them the whole thing, ours love them. Fresh grass is also very good but if they aren't used to it give them small amount first till they get used to it. Porridge Oats are also good for underweight piggies. I've looked at the guinea pig savvy list & your nearest one is at Stamford Bridge, not too far away.
 
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It is best to weigh in grams. I think one pound is 450g. What a difference to 60g! Lol
 
camstarstorm said:
thank you, do you give them the sweetcorn raw or do you give them the dried ones?
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The fresh one you can buy at markets or some supermarkets such as Lidl are best. They come complete with husk & leaves. Give them the whole thing. They'll chew through the outer layers which is good for their teeth then get to the juicy centre.
 
haha I'm sure that's what the vets said though lol, ill put it down to being distraught at the time
 
piggyfan said:
It is best to weigh in grams. I think one pound is 450g. What a difference to 60g! Lol
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Looking at the original weights quoted, they should have been maybe 450g & 600g. A lot closer to their weights in pounds.

I usually weigh mine in both because being older, I understand pounds more but my vet measures in grams so I always quote their weights in grams to her.
 
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