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Slow gradual weight loss / no other symptoms

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adavies2

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hello all,

Recently my piggy (1 year 2 month old Sow) has started to lose weight.
She was around 980 grams around the beginning of January, she had a respiratory issues that took 3 rounds of antibiotics to beat. 3rd course was Baytril and Doxycycline that was for 10 days and ended last monday 16th Feb.

When on Baytril, she lost her appetite completely and I think she lost about 90 grams as expected. We gave probiotics often and critical care when needed.
Since coming off her antibiotics, she has been very active, happy, talking and very eager for salad time each evening and hay.

I weighed her this evening before salad and she was 860 grams, on Sunday she was 885 grams. And its been fluctuating between 900 and 880, but 860 is the lowest.

She has no other symptoms, poos are getting back to normal, she still eats hay and salad. She has a small frame, so maybe she is a normal weight for her frame.

Any advice would be great, if I have to go to the vet, I will. Hopefully it wont be necessary, as the last vet visit in January, she only had a slight crackle which the antibiotics fixed and no other issues found.

Thanks for your time reading my post.

From an anxious Pig Dad
 

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Hi, the slight weight loss could be a normal fluctuation for her. You are generally looking for a sudden drop in weight or a gradual downward trend at her weekly weigh in which would indicate she isn’t eating enough hay and you should seek veterinary advice. But for now, I would monitor her but hopefully she’ll start to gain weight or at least maintain now she has recovered from her illness but you may find that this new weight is normal for her but a fluctuation of +- 50g is normal x
 
Thank you so much for your quick reply!
After salad, she is 891 grams and is now munching on hay. So I probably think you're right in that this is her new possible weight.
Ill continue to monitor her. She just looks so tiny compared to her sisters.
Thanks again! This forum is full of lovely people, its nice that piggy parents can all talk on here
 
adavies2 said:
Hello all,

Recently my piggy (1 year 2 month old Sow) has started to lose weight.
She was around 980 grams around the beginning of January, she had a respiratory issues that took 3 rounds of antibiotics to beat. 3rd course was Baytril and Doxycycline that was for 10 days and ended last monday 16th Feb.

When on Baytril, she lost her appetite completely and I think she lost about 90 grams as expected. We gave probiotics often and critical care when needed.
Since coming off her antibiotics, she has been very active, happy, talking and very eager for salad time each evening and hay.

I weighed her this evening before salad and she was 860 grams, on Sunday she was 885 grams. And its been fluctuating between 900 and 880, but 860 is the lowest.

She has no other symptoms, poos are getting back to normal, she still eats hay and salad. She has a small frame, so maybe she is a normal weight for her frame.

Any advice would be great, if I have to go to the vet, I will. Hopefully it wont be necessary, as the last vet visit in January, she only had a slight crackle which the antibiotics fixed and no other issues found.

Thanks for your time reading my post.

From an anxious Pig Dad
Click to expand...

Hi

A guinea pig's weight goes up and down about 20-40g over the course of 24 hours. Just the difference between a full and an empty bladder is 10g. That is why we talk of weight loss only from 50g onwards. Your weight swing is still within this tolerance zone and it is very much on the minimal side.

Please make sure that you only weigh first thing in the morning before you feed when the body weight is at its lowest for best day to day comparison. This will then also allow you to then plan any necessary feeding support during the day. Right now, you do not need to; just keep an eye on the situation.

Please take the time to read these links here. You will hopefully find them very helpful, especially if you feel very insecure and have anxiety issues .

The first link explains weight loss, when it actually become critical; how to check whether your guinea pig is actually underweight or not at any age and size; what the different monitoring methods do and don't and how you can use it all but be able to put it into the correct perspective.
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels

The second link is just some very practical advice if you suffer from anxiety in order to avoid the risk of panicking and obsessive health monitoring etc.
Pet Owners Anxiety - Practical Tips For Sufferers and For Supporters

We have an information for New Owners, which you may find very helpful. We try to make our guides as clear and precise as we can. Literally tens of thousands of member questions and nearly 20 years of collective forum experience have gone into them.
New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection

I hope that this helps you. If the weight loss continues or speeds up, please see a vet during normal opening hours and consider supplementary top up feeding.

Mystery weight loss is personally my least favourite symptom because so many very different and some really out there things can be behind it, as I have found with my own piggies over the years. Right now, all you can do is wait and see, which is making you very anxious because you feel helpless and would rather know what is going on. It is never a nice position to be in, no matter how experienced you are.
 
You've already had sound advice, it sounds like you will gain a lot from Wiebke's links.

It's always worth logging pig weights in a way that allows you to see patterns, we use a spreadsheet and a line graph to help us catch long-term trends. Good to watch for, but not healthy to obsess over!
 
Hi everyone,

So today we went to the vets because her weight dropped to 840 from 900, but more worryingly she was squealing everytime she did a poo.
Her poos smelt like she was sick, and they were softer and wetter than normal.

Shes now on metacam and Fibreplex, and has been eating and drinking.
She is peeing without any pain, but still sometimes squeals when she poos.

As she is peeing fine and theres no blood, I imagine its a gut issue and not a urinary tract issue.
The vet also did a faecal test which came back fine, so hopefully its just a bad gut (she came off baytril on the 12th Feb) from previous antibiotics or something.

Would love to hear what others think as I am trying to remain chill. Thanks everyone
 
Well done on the vet visit. Antibiotics can really do a number on a pig.

It sounds like an improvement!

Hopefully someone with more expertise will be along soon to advise.
 
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