The vet said we were "fat". So we're sulking

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NotFondOfCarrots

NotFondOfCarrots

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How can *anyone* accuse a guinea pig of being a salad-dodger?!

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Branston 1.28kg
Pickle 1.27kg

Overweight? No chance - just a happy, healthy pair of pigwigs!

Unless I'm wrong, and I've been a naughty slave giving treats after bed time...!
 
Cute and Cuter! Fat? How dare he?! I think guineas should be nicely plump anyway. A vet once told me that you can't get "overweight" piggies because they do not over eat, they only eat until they are satisfied, which kind of makes sense why my piggy will sometimes turn his nose up at a special treat but I suppose if he's full he's full.

PS laughed out loud at names as am eating my lunch - a cheese and Branston pickle sarnie! LOL!
 
They look almost identical in the photo - with identical sulking expressions! :))

I think you *can* have a fat guinea - this was found out when Cameo got opened up and there was fat everywhere! The vet referred to her as fat no less than 6 times in the notes made of her operation!

I think my only non-fat pig is Boxy, who is one of these (like people!) who can eat and eat and eat and still weighs a svelt 780g!
 
Oh I am so sick of vets saying that! They are not fight they are gorgeous.
 
How old are they? Out of curiosity.
The salad dodgers comment made me giggle and will probably keep me going all day lmao
Fatter guineas are better, more cuddly :) my rocky is a skinny thing, although he used to be alot heavier than Rambo even tho Rambo looked bigger.
 
Salad dodger also made me laugh and the pic of the two boys sulking :))
Poor boys we all think your gorgeous! xoxo xoxo
 
The vet once told me that Mocha was fat (wasn't one of the vets I like) so when I took her back next time (she was the same weight), I asked for one of the vets I like and she said, not fat - just butch :p a very chunky, muscly pig! lol!

And the vet (again not one of the two I like) when I took the boys in to be neutered told me that Rasher and Wiiiiieek were fat (by looking at them, not weighing) until I said, Rasher is a Teddy and Wiiiiieek is a Rex and both look bigger than they are - when you wash them you lose half of them in soggy fur lol! So she weighed them and said they were fine mallethead
 
HelsBels said:
How old are they? Out of curiosity.
The salad dodgers comment made me giggle and will probably keep me going all day lmao
Fatter guineas are better, more cuddly :) my rocky is a skinny thing, although he used to be alot heavier than Rambo even tho Rambo looked bigger.
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They're just two years old next week.

They don't look, feel or act fat.

Vets :p
 
my vet always says that my boys are 'erm... looking really happy and healthy'. Yeah, well, with one over 1500g and the other just over 1400g, sure they are plump but they ain't fat!



hhu! Fattist!
 
Awwww, I don't think 1.2kg's is fat. Beautiful piggies x) x)
 
I think that unfortunately, if vets all agree independently that our pigs are fat, it probably is because they only have seen those poor creatures in their labs, unloved, underfed and condemned... 8...
 
Yoshi weighed in at 1600g this week, eeeek! - it just keeps going up :{!, I don't think yours have anything to worry about with such respectable weights! ;)
 
Love the names and they dont look fat at all look healthy stunning piggies x
 
My girls weigh a similar amount and don't look fat at all. Neither do your pigs, I do wonder where vets get there info from sometimes! You have 2 very gorgeous piggies :)
 
Aww, love their lovely matching non-fat faces x)

Our vet once said to me that a fat pig is a happy one. I think he was implying that piggies are supposed to be a bit plump and have a healthy appetite :)
 
The only way a piggy can be "fat" is if they dont exercise enough compared to what they eat. :)

And surely that couldnt be measured on weight, only percentage of body fat!
 
Awww, they look like twins! I really don't think that is fat! They are just healthy chunky boars! x)drooldrool
 
It depends on the actual size of the guinea pig. For one guinea pig being 1.2kg would be fine and for another it could be rather overweight. My piggies range from 700g to 1.3kg and are all pretty much normal for their size.

I do find it concerning though how many people think the heavier the better when it comes to piggies. They can be overweight and some can be obese. This isn't good or healthy for any species.
 
furryfriends said:
It depends on the actual size of the guinea pig. For one guinea pig being 1.2kg would be fine and for another it could be rather overweight. My piggies range from 700g to 1.3kg and are all pretty much normal for their size.

I do find it concerning though how many people think the heavier the better when it comes to piggies. They can be overweight and some can be obese. This isn't good or healthy for any species.
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I completely agree! It's no different to people. Too much fat coverage is unhealthy, whatever the species. It's not just under the skin where fat is stored, it's stored in the organs too!
 
furryfriends said:
An overweight piggie is more likely to have problems during anaesthetic too, than a piggie of a normal weight.
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conversley, overweigh animals are more likely to NEED an anaesthetic for medical resons resulting from obesity!
 
Can you do a bmi on guinea pigs?! My four all eat the same amount and the 3 oldies get about the same amount of exercise and yet it's only poor Yoshi who's expanding. I have to keep an eye on Moonpig's weight and let the vet know if she loses any because of her teeth so am loathe to reduce Yoshi and Moonpig's intake anymore ( they already have less nuggets ) in case it affects Moonpig's weight when it's nice and stable at the moment. I don't know what else I can do - I am well aware of his weight problem, have reduced his nuggets and am trying to get him to move about more but it seems like some piggies ( like us hoomans ) are just more prone to weight gain than others. :{
 
Some pigs are more prone to weigh more - as Furry Friends says, she herself has piggies ranging quite substantially in weight, but each one is healthy for their size.

I think it is more important to watch the rate of the weight gain or loss. My JoJo and Bumble are both in the 1.3kg range, but neither shot up overnight, they have taken time to reach this weight and have now levelled out and I don't expect them to grow anymore. Neither are fat, as in you can feel bones where you should, they are just generally bigger than the others.

Looking back at the individual guinea pigs breeding and origins and early care can give an idea as to why some guineas are big and some are small, IMO. JoJo and Bumble both came from a lady who does breed and also shows very successfully in pet classes, now I know we don't advocate this BUT as she wants to be in the ribbons in the pet classes her pigs have to be in good overall condition - she isn't trying to hit a breed standard, just best pet. As such they receive a lot of very good care from day one. On the other hand, two of my rescue pigs I know came from a far less scrupulous breeder originally, who bred them for their colour (the rescue has told me this and I have no reason to disbelieve it) and due to the overbreeding etc. they are much smaller, however still have good bone coverage and good overall condition.

A BMI for piggies would be great, I may discuss this sort of thing with my vet (very cavy savvy) on Monday, Amanda can you help with this at all?

I personally HATE overweight animals with a passion, as it is not their choice or ability to limit their food, and WE have a responsibility to monitor this and their exercise levels.
 
I weighed rocky last night and he's about 1100g he wouldn't keep still lol
Randy being only young un was 800 again he deffo wouldn't keep still, randy is my mr mischief with a capital huge M lol
Mine are very active and run like mad pop corning everyday round the lounge
 
Doeylicious said:
A BMI for piggies would be great, I may discuss this sort of thing with my vet (very cavy savvy) on Monday, Amanda can you help with this at all?

I personally HATE overweight animals with a passion, as it is not their choice or ability to limit their food, and WE have a responsibility to monitor this and their exercise levels.
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I guess something *could* be worked out, but even in humans, BMI is totally unreliable. BMI (in humans) only takes into consideration height and mass - it doesn't take into account muscle/bone/fat proportions. Someone who was 6ft could weigh 100kg of solid muscle, and be considered to have a BMI in the obese range, despite being very healthy and not over weight.

It's not mass that's important here (although we all like to be able to put an "ideal" number on things!) it's more about the degree of muscle vs fat and fat coverage.

Does that make sense? :))
 
My pigs range in weight from 900g to 1.6kg.

My heaviest pig is a big-boned Aby who weighed in routinely at a healthy 1.4kg but has now gone up to 1.6. Part of this is fluid on the lungs (treated with furosemaide) and mobiity probs from severe arthritis in 3 paws (diagnosed on x ray and treated with metacam long term)....and he is also now on a hay/vit-only diet to get him back to 1.4kg. Also he has no muscle on his back/chest and so this is of concern.

My smallest pig is a smooth haired female rescue pig at 920g. I would prefer her to have a bit of extra weight on her to provide a cushion should she fall ill in the future...but she is very healthy and sleek with plenty of muscle in all the right places and determined to maintain her weight at this level.

Overall I would say that depending upon bone/frame size; piggies can vary between 900 and 1.4kg.


BUT:....It's not just about what the scales say - (although at 1.6kg Amanda I would be concerned about fluid accumulation if there is no evidence of obesity) It's about how much muscle on their back/thorax is contributing to that weight..and unlike us humans, most piggies are pretty good about maintaining a healthy weight!

If a vet pronounces a piggie as fat then they really need to have done an investigaion for fluids on the lungs/in the abdomen first..and checked for muscle (or lack of)

HTH
x
 
Forgot to say: ideally my pigs are 1.0-1.2kg unless their frame prevents that.

I have 11 piggies here with weights as follows:
1.5kg (Maple fat-git)..desrable weight 1.4kg
1.3kg (Carson big boned and majestic...but not enough muscle on his back yet)
1.22kg Ginger (slightly porky)
1.19kg Willow - underweight - normal weight for years 1.27kg
1.17kg Sambucca - healhty hot blooded intact male
1.14kg Lewis - fully grown intact bor just adopted so needs to stabilise
1.00 Jackson - just been neutered but now creeping back to his normal weight for a slight frame piggie of 1.05kg
980kg Tamarind - healthy spayed sow
960kg Bandit - (1.12kg when healthy - undiagnosble illness continues to keep him at reduced weight)
940kg Rowan - intact sow with slight frame and she is very healthy
920kg - Tia - noramlly 980kg but diarrhoea and other gut pobs atm have reduced her weight

HTH
x
 
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