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Rapid loss of weight

Little Ones

Little Ones

Adult Guinea Pig
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Barnsley, UK
So my guinea pig (age 4) has lost quite a lot of weight. At first it was gradual and then it happened quite rapidly. I took him to the vets today and on Tuesday he’s going under anaesthetic to have blood tests and an X-ray as they don’t know what could be causing it as he’s eating & pooping fine.
He only weighs 185g now and I know GA has a lot of risks anyway but I’m worried that because he’s so skinny (can see his spine & feel his ribs) it might kill him easier. Obviously I’m still going ahead with it anyway I’m just really worried, he’s really energetic and happy and seems so much better in himself than he did before losing all the weight (he used to be quite a fat piggy who preferred sleeping over any kind of movement lol). The vet didn’t out right tell me but kind of insinuated that if I don’t get the tests done, he’s going to die.
I’m also worried that whatever he has will be untreatable, if somethings causing him to lose all his weight i feel like it’s something that will inevitably kill him but then I don’t know a lot about guinea pig illnesses.
I also don’t know what to do if they want to euthanise him. Perhaps I’m thinking way too far ahead but I want to be prepared for anything. He seems so happy but obviously he could be in some kind of pain but just hiding it. And in another few months he may be suffering even if he isn’t now.
Ive just had him out for about 40 mins one on one (usually I have both boys out at the same time) and he pooped like 20 times and ate all but one. Maybe that hints as to what could be wrong with him somehow? Don’t know if I’m just reading into things. I just so badly want him to be okay and for it to be treatable :(
If anyone can offer any advice on how I should deal with this situation and how I should prepare myself it would be so helpful. Ultimately I’m fearing for the worst and have sought out guinea pig rescues for if I need to be on the ball and finding another piggy to go with my other boar after bereavement.
Just any kind of advice would be so helpful, even if it most likely will be bad news.
 
Little Ones said:
So my guinea pig (age 4) has lost quite a lot of weight. At first it was gradual and then it happened quite rapidly. I took him to the vets today and on Tuesday he’s going under anaesthetic to have blood tests and an X-ray as they don’t know what could be causing it as he’s eating & pooping fine.
He only weighs 185g now and I know GA has a lot of risks anyway but I’m worried that because he’s so skinny (can see his spine & feel his ribs) it might kill him easier. Obviously I’m still going ahead with it anyway I’m just really worried, he’s really energetic and happy and seems so much better in himself than he did before losing all the weight (he used to be quite a fat piggy who preferred sleeping over any kind of movement lol). The vet didn’t out right tell me but kind of insinuated that if I don’t get the tests done, he’s going to die.
I’m also worried that whatever he has will be untreatable, if somethings causing him to lose all his weight i feel like it’s something that will inevitably kill him but then I don’t know a lot about guinea pig illnesses.
I also don’t know what to do if they want to euthanise him. Perhaps I’m thinking way too far ahead but I want to be prepared for anything. He seems so happy but obviously he could be in some kind of pain but just hiding it. And in another few months he may be suffering even if he isn’t now.
Ive just had him out for about 40 mins one on one (usually I have both boys out at the same time) and he pooped like 20 times and ate all but one. Maybe that hints as to what could be wrong with him somehow? Don’t know if I’m just reading into things. I just so badly want him to be okay and for it to be treatable :(
If anyone can offer any advice on how I should deal with this situation and how I should prepare myself it would be so helpful. Ultimately I’m fearing for the worst and have sought out guinea pig rescues for if I need to be on the ball and finding another piggy to go with my other boar after bereavement.
Just any kind of advice would be so helpful, even if it most likely will be bad news.
Click to expand...

Hi!

How old is your piggy? 185g is the weight of a two week old!

Please step in with offering syringe feed (mushed up pellets will do in an emergency), keeping in mind that hay is making over 80% of the daily food intake and veg and pellets about 15%. Hay is often the food source that is impacted first and most massively. This to help keep your boy alive and give him a fighting chance.
It is however a good sign that his digestion is still working. The poo output is usually running a day or two behind the input.
Emergency and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
Wiebke said:
Hi!

How old is your piggy? 185g is the weight of a two week old!

Please step in with offering syringe feed (mushed up pellets will do in an emergency), keeping in mind that hay is making over 80% of the daily food intake and veg and pellets about 15%. Hay is often the food source that is impacted first and most massively. This to help keep your boy alive and give him a fighting chance.
It is however a good sign that his digestion is still working. The poo output is usually running a day or two behind the input.
Emergency and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Click to expand...
He’s 4 years old, he’s eating perfectly fine so would I need to syringe feed him? He’s eaten a lot of pellets and tons of veg in the past 4 hours, can’t say anything on the hay intake. I’m sure she said he weighed 185, I’ll double check tomorrow to be sure, he’s extremely skinny though bless him :(
 
185g is very very light for a 4 year old pig. Ive had a sick boar look horribly skinny at 700g. ( age 6 and a small boy anyway) I think you might have got it wrong, or whoever weighed your pig
 
Yes that surely is a mistake - my boy is a bag of bones at 635g (miraculously his weight is up today to 685g but i can feel every rib and his spine.
 
Wiebke said:
Hi!

How old is your piggy? 185g is the weight of a two week old!

Please step in with offering syringe feed (mushed up pellets will do in an emergency), keeping in mind that hay is making over 80% of the daily food intake and veg and pellets about 15%. Hay is often the food source that is impacted first and most massively. This to help keep your boy alive and give him a fighting chance.
It is however a good sign that his digestion is still working. The poo output is usually running a day or two behind the input.
Emergency and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Click to expand...
SkyPipDotBernie said:
185g is very very light for a 4 year old pig. Ive had a sick boar look horribly skinny at 700g. ( age 6 and a small boy anyway) I think you might have got it wrong, or whoever weighed your pig
Click to expand...
Just done a really quick weigh and think he falls more 785g... phew? The vet was quickly getting her words out to me and corrected herself from saying 85g to 185g so maybe she meant 785. Still is really light for him but not extremely and very worryingly light. He’s so skinny I’m scared to break him when I pick him up. Thanks for the heads up to double check!
 
Little Ones said:
Just done a really quick weigh and think he falls more 785g... phew? The vet was quickly getting her words out to me and corrected herself from saying 85g to 185g so maybe she meant 785. Still is really light for him but not extremely and very worryingly light. He’s so skinny I’m scared to break him when I pick him up. Thanks for the heads up to double check!
Click to expand...

Please step in with syringe feeding support NOW.
 
tabelmabel said:
Yes that surely is a mistake - my boy is a bag of bones at 635g (miraculously his weight is up today to 685g but i can feel every rib and his spine.
Click to expand...
Yep, I just posted a comment above. Think he’s about 785g, the vet was fumbling over her words and must’ve told me wrong! Thank you though :)
 
Little Ones said:
Yeah we have syringes and for the food I just assume putting pellets in some water will do? That’s how I’ve syringe fed in the past
Click to expand...
Yea that will do the job. Not as good as critical care by oxbow. ( in my opinion)But it is ok and alot cheaper.guinea pigs tend to like pellet mash more anyway. Not mine but alot of other peoples
 
So what steps are you taking next. You probably wont be able to gain weigjt back on your boy. So youll probably be keeping the weight stable that he is at now, keep checking the weight of him daily at the same time each day. And seek out a vet that has experience with guinea pigs. There is a vet locator on this forum
 
SkyPipDotBernie said:
Yea that will do the job. Not as good as critical care by oxbow. But it is ok, guinea pigs tend to like pellet mash more anyway. Not mine but alot of other peoples
Click to expand...
I’m sure he will do, can’t remember which one I’ve syringe fed before but he didn’t seem to mind it anyway lol. I’m so worried about him though, he seems happy enough but these past few days I keep checking on him at night to make sure he’s still alive :( I went to the vets about two months ago and the lack of weight didn’t concern her too much whereas this vet was rightfully worried, probably because of how much he’d lost since the last appointment. I just hope he survives the GA :(
 
Little Ones said:
I’m sure he will do, can’t remember which one I’ve syringe fed before but he didn’t seem to mind it anyway lol. I’m so worried about him though, he seems happy enough but these past few days I keep checking on him at night to make sure he’s still alive :( I went to the vets about two months ago and the lack of weight didn’t concern her too much whereas this vet was rightfully worried, probably because of how much he’d lost since the last appointment. I just hope he survives the GA :(
Click to expand...
Hopefully he will, its just a fingers crossed thing now. What is the vet doing? An xray did you say
 
SkyPipDotBernie said:
So what steps are you taking next. You probably wont be able to gain weigjt back on your boy. So youll probably be keeping the weight stable that he is at now, keep checking the weight of him daily at the same time each day. And seek out a vet that has experience with guinea pigs. There is a vet locator on this forum
Click to expand...
Yes he goes to a guinea pig specialist. It’ll just be syringe feeding him until Tuesday when he goes under anaesthetic to get his blood test and X-ray. Really worried about him going under with how thin he is. When my other boy went under i wasn’t too worried because he’s a big lad and it was to get rid of a cyst-like thing (can’t remember what it actually was now) but with this one being so thin I’m just worried the GA will kill him :(
 
Little Ones said:
Yes he goes to a guinea pig specialist. It’ll just be syringe feeding him until Tuesday when he goes under anaesthetic to get his blood test and X-ray. Really worried about him going under with how thin he is. When my other boy went under i wasn’t too worried because he’s a big lad and it was to get rid of a cyst-like thing (can’t remember what it actually was now) but with this one being so thin I’m just worried the GA will kill him :(
Click to expand...
It is a worry i know, but try and stay positive, the better you do at syringe feeding the better itl be for the g.a i think. My sow is having an operation in may, I'm very worried aswell.
 
SkyPipDotBernie said:
It is a worry i know, but try and stay positive, the better you do at syringe feeding the better itl be for the g.a i think. My sow is having an operation in may, I'm very worried aswell.
Click to expand...
Oh no, I hope everything is okay for her :( it’s such a sad time and unfortunately most people don’t understand why you’d get upset and cry over an animal like a guinea pig because they think they’re insignificant when really they’re as much of a pet as a dog and just because they’re small animals in a cage doesn’t mean there’s any less love
 
Little Ones said:
Oh no, I hope everything is okay for her :( it’s such a sad time and unfortunately most people don’t understand why you’d get upset and cry over an animal like a guinea pig because they think they’re insignificant when really they’re as much of a pet as a dog and just because they’re small animals in a cage doesn’t mean there’s any less love
Click to expand...
I have a very good vet doing the op, so she has the best chances she can possibly have.

Yea its people who dont keep guinea pigs properly that cant see why people love them. They are seen as childrens toys. But thats a rant I'm not getting into again haha.

Keep us posted on your boy👍👍
 
Sending positive vibes that a reason is found that can be treated.

When my benson had his blood test, he had an anaesthetic and i was worried too (this was just last week) but the vet quoted some statistic for him coming through the anaesthetic which i can't recall now but it was one in many thousands. (That is to say one in many thousands don't come through - the many thousands do) As a comparison he gave the example of death during a neuter as 1 in 500 (MUCH riskier)

I had to sign a consent form and i said to the vet as i signed 'might he die?'' The vet replied that he could but he was extremely confident that he wouldn't.

Bearing in mind Benson is nearly 7 years old and was a similar weight to your pig when it was done, he came through fine. Well. Fine-ish! He was a bit cold for a while after so i had to sit and wait until the nurse was happy (a good half hour)

He seemed pretty good when we got home which is an hour's drive.

Unfortunately, for Benson, his blood results weren't good. He has massively elevated liver enzymes. We decided not to go ahead with any further testing given his age and that's why his weight is dropping further.

However, he is looking pretty perky and I'm really pleased that he can live out his final days or maybe even weeks with extra special care and attention.


Hopefully, your news will be better than mine but I certainly have found it helpful to know what the situation is with Benson and to have the chance to appreciate him more every day.

Sending all good wishes xx
 
tabelmabel said:
Sending positive vibes that a reason is found that can be treated.

When my benson had his blood test, he had an anaesthetic and i was worried too (this was just last week) but the vet quoted some statistic for him coming through the anaesthetic which i can't recall now but it was one in many thousands. (That is to say one in many thousands don't come through - the many thousands do) As a comparison he gave the example of death during a neuter as 1 in 500 (MUCH riskier)

I had to sign a consent form and i said to the vet as i signed 'might he die?'' The vet replied that he could but he was extremely confident that he wouldn't.

Bearing in mind Benson is nearly 7 years old and was a similar weight to your pig when it was done, he came through fine. Well. Fine-ish! He was a bit cold for a while after so i had to sit and wait until the nurse was happy (a good half hour)

He seemed pretty good when we got home which is an hour's drive.

Unfortunately, for Benson, his blood results weren't good. He has massively elevated liver enzymes. We decided not to go ahead with any further testing given his age and that's why his weight is dropping further.

However, he is looking pretty perky and I'm really pleased that he can live out his final days or maybe even weeks with extra special care and attention.


Hopefully, your news will be better than mine but I certainly have found it helpful to know what the situation is with Benson and to have the chance to appreciate him more every day.

Sending all good wishes xx
Click to expand...
Thank you, I’m sorry for Benson it’s so sad but at least he gets to stay at home until it’s time for him to go. It definitely reassures me about my pig because he just doesn’t seem ready to die. Whatever happens happens, the main thing is acting in the best interest of the pig who actually is sick
 
Update- He had his X-ray and blood test today. He coped alright with the anaesthetic and seems his usual self which is a relief :) the X-ray also came back alright so that means we’re relying on the blood test to reveal what’s going on and hopefully it does, otherwise it’s back to the drawing board really
 
Finally got the results back after days of chasing it up. Turns out he has elevated liver enzymes. Since he has soft poos, the vet wants to send off some samples to check for parasites which is going to cost £70 on top of the £220 we paid before. If nothing comes back then she wants to do an ultrasound, will this require him having more anaesthetic? She said during the X-ray it was hard to see since there was a lot of feces in the way. I’m really anxious about the cost and I don’t want to fail him just because I can’t afford it. If anyone’s had any experience with elevated liver enzymes it’d be so helpful. Will an ultrasound even be worth it? Can you even treat this? Feeling a bit low about it all.
 
I cant help on the health side of things, but you might be able to do a payment plan
 
Little Ones said:
So my guinea pig (age 4) has lost quite a lot of weight. At first it was gradual and then it happened quite rapidly. I took him to the vets today and on Tuesday he’s going under anaesthetic to have blood tests and an X-ray as they don’t know what could be causing it as he’s eating & pooping fine.
He only weighs 185g now and I know GA has a lot of risks anyway but I’m worried that because he’s so skinny (can see his spine & feel his ribs) it might kill him easier. Obviously I’m still going ahead with it anyway I’m just really worried, he’s really energetic and happy and seems so much better in himself than he did before losing all the weight (he used to be quite a fat piggy who preferred sleeping over any kind of movement lol). The vet didn’t out right tell me but kind of insinuated that if I don’t get the tests done, he’s going to die.
I’m also worried that whatever he has will be untreatable, if somethings causing him to lose all his weight i feel like it’s something that will inevitably kill him but then I don’t know a lot about guinea pig illnesses.
I also don’t know what to do if they want to euthanise him. Perhaps I’m thinking way too far ahead but I want to be prepared for anything. He seems so happy but obviously he could be in some kind of pain but just hiding it. And in another few months he may be suffering even if he isn’t now.
Ive just had him out for about 40 mins one on one (usually I have both boys out at the same time) and he pooped like 20 times and ate all but one. Maybe that hints as to what could be wrong with him somehow? Don’t know if I’m just reading into things. I just so badly want him to be okay and for it to be treatable :(
If anyone can offer any advice on how I should deal with this situation and how I should prepare myself it would be so helpful. Ultimately I’m fearing for the worst and have sought out guinea pig rescues for if I need to be on the ball and finding another piggy to go with my other boar after bereavement.
Just any kind of advice would be so helpful, even if it most likely will be bad news.
Click to expand...
When are they doing the bloods and X-ray?
 
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