Pig not eating his veg.. only hay.. and acting off

[Lucy1991]

Hi everyone. Hopefully someone can give me some advice

So my boy Leroy.. I trimmed his nails yesterday and caught a quick he seemed fine at the time, he carried on eating his lettuce.. I only noticed because it was bleeding. Anyway I stopped the bleeding and all was okay.. gave him lots of romaine and some cucumber to cheer him up after the trauma.. then when I came into him this morning with his veg he didn’t come running out like usual and stayed in his bed.. he had one nibble of lettuce then wasn’t interested.
He had a few pointy poops.. I thought maybe he’s got a bit of an upset stomach because of all the veg .. he did have some normal poops in his pen when I got back from work.. and he’s been wandering about.. I’ve taken him to the vet who checked him over.. teeth fine, feet fine, nothing abnormal. And he was still eating his hay. Since coming back he’s had a little bit of hay.. but now he keeps gnawing on his wicker ball and sticks and he’s only had 1 very small poop. I can’t even tempt him with parsley.

Somethings just not right and I’m really worried. He’s recently turned 4 and the vet thinks it’s just old age.. but I feel like there’s something off.

Could it be stress? Has he just got a bit of dogey tummy?

Any advice or any similar experience would be greatly appreciated

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this. I wouldn’t attribute this to old age.

In this situation we would advise that you switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh him daily, each morning. This is so you can accurately gauge hay intake. Watching them eat hay is very deceptive - they can appear to be eating it but it doesn’t mean they are eating enough.
If weight drops then that means hay intake has dropped and syringe feeding needs to start.
In this case you would need to return to the vet to find out what has caused it.

- Weight monitoring and management
- Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support

Pointed poop does mean a bit of a tummy upset.

Wiebke's Guide to Poops

I hope he is ok

 

[Lucy1991]

I’m sorry to hear this. I wouldn’t attribute this to old age.

In this situation we would advise that you switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh him daily, each morning. This is so you can accurately gauge hay intake. Watching them eat hay is very deceptive - they can appear to be eating it but it doesn’t mean they are eating enough.
If weight drops then that means hay intake has dropped and syringe feeding needs to start.
In this case you would need to return to the vet to find out what has caused it.

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/weight-monitoring-and-management.171577/
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support

Pointed poop does mean a bit of a tummy upset.

Wiebke's Guide to Poops

I hope he is ok

Thank you so much for your response. He was weighed today at the vets so I will weigh every day to keep an eye on him. Hopefully it was just a bit too much romaine..

Can stress potentially cause a temporary change in appetite?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yes piggies can be sensitive to stress

 

[Lucy1991]

Thank you for your advice. I’ve been keeping a close eye. He’s much better today. He’s had some veg.. had some poops. And he’s roaming around at floor time. Seems a lot more sociable. I think it was a combination of too much lettuce and all the stress? I will continue to monitor him. I really appreciate your support . Thank you so much