Senior piggie health advice needed

[smskar]

Hello
I have 2 rescue guinea pigs; Peanut and Fonzi. They are approximately 5.5 years old.
In the last month, Peanut has lost his appetite 3 times. The first time we took him to the vets who checked his breathing, teeth and stomach for bloating and all was fine. We were given Critical care but Peanut didn't like it. I bought Emeraid herbivore sustain (I read somewhere piggies like it better) but he didn't like that either so I syringed fed him his usual pellets with some prebiotic added. He perked up but after a few days the same thing happened. He looked sad and lethargic and the fur on his flank looked dull. We persisted with syringed feeding and tasty veg and bit by bit he recovered. He lost a lot of weight (I don't know his original weight) but his appetite returned and was running around as usual demanding grass cuttings and hay. He had started putting some weight on when 2 days ago the same thing happened. Thankfully it wasn't as severe as before and he is already eating hay and demanding grass when he hears the kitchen door closing.

Does anyone know what may be causing this intermittent loss of appetite? The other piggie is absolutely fine. No stress or change to their routine. The first time this happened it was the day after they had been in the garden. But their run was in the shade and we live in Scotland, it is not exactly tropical. I have put them in the garden once since for only 2 hours. Physically, I noticed his body was in spasms (just before the most recent episode) but when I googled spasms / fits / seizures the videos didn't match what I observed. His body moved as if he was coughing if he could cough.

I don't understand how he can be his usual self for 2 weeks and then out of the blue he takes a turn for the worse and then he picks up again and so on. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

 

[VickiA]

With any sudden change it’s a good idea to switch to daily weighing (same time each day) to check that sufficient food intake is being taken in.
If each time it happens it’s after being in their run, I’d query whether it’s eating too much grass. If they aren’t used to grass then suddenly getting unlimited grass can cause an upset in their tummies or even mild bloat. What s the poop outlook like? Any change?

 

[Truffolo]

Sending support, I hope Peanut gets better soon

 

[weepweeps]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I’m sorry Peanut is poorly. I hope he’s soon feeling better.

 

[Viennese Furbabies]

It's always terrible if you are battling a mystery disease.
Bonny had a few problems with her tummy in the last months, always out of the blue, on and off with normal behaviour and digestion in between. A very experienced vet had a look at her and didn't find anything. He adviced me to write down everything, what I fed them, what was going ... to see if there was a pattern I had missed.
Maybe you could give this idea a go.
Or try a different vet?

 

[smskar]

With any sudden change it’s a good idea to switch to daily weighing (same time each day) to check that sufficient food intake is being taken in.
If each time it happens it’s after being in their run, I’d query whether it’s eating too much grass. If they aren’t used to grass then suddenly getting unlimited grass can cause an upset in their tummies or even mild bloat. What s the poop outlook like? Any change?

Thank you for your reply. I hadn't thought of that because interestingly grass was one of the foods he wanted to eat when he was poorly. But you are right; they go through months without any grass, too much can be a triggering factor. I'm pleased to say he has put on more weight The poop was sometimes smaller than usual and slightly moist but not soft.

 

[smskar]

It's always terrible if you are battling a mystery disease.
Bonny had a few problems with her tummy in the last months, always out of the blue, on and off with normal behaviour and digestion in between. A very experienced vet had a look at her and didn't find anything. He adviced me to write down everything, what I fed them, what was going ... to see if there was a pattern I had missed.
Maybe you could give this idea a go.
Or try a different vet?

Thank you. That's a great idea!

 

[Roselina]

I hope lovely Peanut remains ok ….and I hope you find out what the problem was