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Think Something Might Be Wrong

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Mie

Mie

New Born Pup
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Hi!

We have a female guinea pig named Mie (born in November 2006, so seven and a half years old). She appears as quick and healthy as she's always been, she eats and drinks like normal, and she weighs 870 grams. Lately I've noticed that she's constantaly very dirty around the vulva/anus. She has also lost a lot of hair beneath her left back leg, and is often quite wet in this area. There is also very little poo in her cage, which I find alarming. I suspect she might be eating some of it, though. She does not appear to be in any pain or distress. A bit difficult to describe what's wrong, but I hope you get the general idea of what I'm trying to express. Any comments?

Regards,
Norwegian guinea pig enthusiast
 
Could it be diarrhoea? But then I wonder what would be causing it... Does she eat a lot of hay for fibre? Has she lost weight lately? Could be vet time
 
Hi welcome to the forum.

My first thought would be a urinary tract infection and it sounds like she has been sitting in her wee and may have slight urine scald. However, other possibilities are bladder stones, ovarian cysts or tumour or even a uterine infection. She needs a vet appointment for a diagnosis. Glad she seems fairly bright in herself.

As for the poo, if she is under the weather she may not be eating quite as much as usual which would affect her output and so this needs checking by the vet too.
 
I agree with helen that you had best checked her out by a vet re. UTI/bladder issues. The urine scald and wetness could also be due to arthritic joints and her not moving around as much. Older piggies can lose control over their bladder to some extent and it can impact as they sleep more with old age and don't move around much, but you want your vet to check through it all. Weigh her daily at the same time to keep an eye on her food intake.

It is a ripe old age for a piggy, so you can be very proud that she is still bright!
 
Thank you all for your replies.

I think I will take her to the vet to see what's going on. She is very active still; when the dog is out of the house, she runs about in the kitchen and the living room. Usually two times a day. No troubles with movement.

I think it might be right that she sits in her wee too much, she seems to be weeing a lot in her cage, but as I say there's very little poo.
 
IMG_2085.webp We went to the vet a week ago. Just before we went, I noticed that a lot of the hair on Mie's back leg had actually grown back. Coincidentally, the vet had a Czech intern with her who breeds guinea pigs. They couldn't find anything wrong, but suggested that we use more fiber in Mie's diet. The last few days there's been nothing wrong, luckily :-). Her fur looks very nice these days. The picture was taken in the kitchen a few days ago. She sits in front of the fridge until someone gives her something to eat :P.
 
Good to hear that Mie's doing well...
 
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