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Pedro Didn't Want Any Tea

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Sue and Smartie

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Pedro Pig has lost weight recently, and he hasn't been eating quite as much as usual. But he has been eating - until this afternoon when I gave them their tea. He took one look and walked away.
I've been out with my headtorch on and raided a neighbour's garden for some fresh grass, and he's eaten some of that.
I'll be ringing for a vet appointment in the morning but I'm afraid I know what is wrong. I think he has a growth in his stomach, the signs are exactly the same as with a previous pig, many years ago. It could be a problem with his teeth - hopefully it is, as that can be sorted.
He looks otherwise healthy but if it is cancer, he will go downhill quite fast I expect. Then I will have a real dilemma as he and Panda are such good friends. They sleep curled up together, and hated being apart when Panda had his operation last summer. Would it be cruel to expect Panda to accept a new cage mate at his age? Would it be unkind to keep him as a lone pig? Or should I let them go together? (they are at least 5 yrs old)
My God, I hope it is teeth or I am going to be in proper turmoil :(
 
I wouldn't assume the worst until he has been properly examined. In the meantime weigh him daily and try and syringe feed him. Get well soon Pedro Piggy x
 
Yes, I do have some Critical Care and he's had some of that.
He's just looking so old all of a sudden.
 
No, his coat looks normal, eyes are clear, he can move about all right but he just seems to want to sleep.
 
I won't be able to update until later tomorrow evening but will do so as soon as I can. I think he would prefer to be cuddled up with Panda than with me! I am going to let him have some peace and quiet now, but I do have some more grass for him later :)
 
Sue and Smartie said:
Pedro Pig has lost weight recently, and he hasn't been eating quite as much as usual. But he has been eating - until this afternoon when I gave them their tea. He took one look and walked away.
I've been out with my headtorch on and raided a neighbour's garden for some fresh grass, and he's eaten some of that.
I'll be ringing for a vet appointment in the morning but I'm afraid I know what is wrong. I think he has a growth in his stomach, the signs are exactly the same as with a previous pig, many years ago. It could be a problem with his teeth - hopefully it is, as that can be sorted.
He looks otherwise healthy but if it is cancer, he will go downhill quite fast I expect. Then I will have a real dilemma as he and Panda are such good friends. They sleep curled up together, and hated being apart when Panda had his operation last summer. Would it be cruel to expect Panda to accept a new cage mate at his age? Would it be unkind to keep him as a lone pig? Or should I let them go together? (they are at least 5 yrs old)
My God, I hope it is teeth or I am going to be in proper turmoil :(
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Please weigh him daily at the same time (before or after his dinner is a good time) to monitor his food intake. Start syringe feeding him asap; our step-by-step guide contains tips as to what you can do with what you have got at home. You want to keep his body weight up as much as possible.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Please book him in at your vets as soon as possible; until then it is sadly going to be a very anxious time when old fears tend to come back to haunt you; they certainly do that with me! :(

Loss of appetite can have many reasons; there is usually either a pain or mechanical issue involved.

PS: No guinea pig is too old to not find a new friend. I just paired a 7 year old sow of mine with a neutered toy boy of "only" 3 years old, so she had a very happy last months to her life. The boar has then found his own soulmate in the shape of a 6 weeks old rescue baby...
Here are our tips on how what you can do for a bereaved guinea pig in case you need it and to give you a bit of peace of mind for the time being: Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig
 
Thank you, that's comforting to read (about the pairing). Panda is a neutered male so I could get him some girlfriends maybe? I will read the link now.
 
Sue and Smartie said:
Thank you, that's comforting to read (about the pairing). Panda is a neutered male so I could get him some girlfriends maybe? I will read the link now.
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Yes, you can certainly look at sows - and he would certainly enjoy that! Cross gender pairings are the most stable, once initial acceptance has happened; that is the critical point. He and the top sow need to click, but that goes also for any boar if you want to go down that route, depending on what is available. I find it always so much better to let a bereaved guinea pig make their own choice as to they want to live with. It makes for a much happier and stable relationship.

All the best! I sincerely hope that what is causing the loss appetite is going to be solvable issue! However, it is vital that you step in with syringe feeding as soon as a piggy goes off food!
 
We're back, all of us came back :)
But there is no obvious reason for his loss of appetite. His teeth are fine, there are no mysterious lumps inside him (which was my biggest fear) and the lumps on his outside are fatty tissue (vet drew some fluid off and had a look under the microscope). He hasn't got a temperature and his chest is clear, heart is also OK.
The vet said that the next step would be to take bloods but that they would prefer to anaesthetise for that as it's difficult with such a small wriggly pig to do it. As Pedro was doing some vigorous wriggling at the time, I could see his point. He said because of the lack of signs pointing to anything sinister, that he wouldn't recommend this. He also said that it's a tricky business, interpreting the results as they don't have so much data on guinea pigs as dogs & cats.
His recommendations were to syringe feed (which you had already said :) ) and to keep raiding gardens for fresh grass, as he is eating that quite well. But he has lost 40 grammes since Sunday, which isn't good.
I am also going to get some more vit C syrup to syringe in. I have had some success with this alongside Critical Care, in the past and I'm hoping that this will be enough to get him past this crisis. Still, it's a good excuse to get him out for a cuddle several times a day and I shall make the most of it.
He may be older than I think, as the rescue didn't know their age, and it may be that he is just old and ready to go, in which case I shall do all I can to make him comfortable.
Thanks for your advice, Wiebke and Piggymum, it really helps to talk these things over and the links you've given me have been really interesting to read.
 
Wishing you all the best! Hopefully, the syringe feeding is going to help him over the tough spot. it is always very worrying when there is nothing you can put your finger on; I always hate it when it happens with a piggy of mine.
 
Just a quick update: I don't want to get my hopes up too much but he seems a little brighter today. He was up and asking for breakfast. Still not eating as much as usual but he's taking the syringe OK. I'm cautiously optimistic.
 
Not doing so well today, and he is fighting me every step of the way with the syringe feeding. He's very good at spitting it out. Weight is dropping and he's been inactive for most of today.
But he is still with us, so I'm not giving up just yet.
 
Sue and Smartie said:
Not doing so well today, and he is fighting me every step of the way with the syringe feeding. He's very good at spitting it out. Weight is dropping and he's been inactive for most of today.
But he is still with us, so I'm not giving up just yet.
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Jerry is currently under emergency surgery, turned out to be a stone! paws crossed they recover together x
 
I will keep my fingers crossed for Jerry.
Panda is the one who had a stone last summer and he is still bouncing around now, best £300 I ever spent.
 
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