Very Skinny Pig. Advice Please.

[Togepi]

I posted a couple months ago when we sadly lost Peanut pig, we have since lost Mocha who suffered a similar fate and now Rupert has lost a lot of weight.



We took him to the vet two weeks ago who checked him over thoroughly (teeth, ears, eyes, bottom and felt around for lumps/bumps) and came up blank, she said there is nothing wrong with him but we should come back in two weeks for a further weigh.



He was at 1KG two weeks ago and I feel he has lost more weight, we are taking him to the vet again at 7pm tonight but I dont know what they are supposed to do for him



He is still drinking and eating veggies, although he does appear to have gone off his dry food.



He is so skinny now and he used to be such a chunky pig. I really dont want to lose another one



All of this has happend to my poor pigs since I have been living at my nans who smokes indoors... the pigs are in my room where there is absolutely no smoking but I cant help but think its down to the environment.



Me and my boyfriend were renting when we bought the pigs and they were all fine for just over two years (both non-smokers), we have bought a place now but it hasnt been built completelty yet and we cant move in until May.



At the moment I am giving Rupert all the veggies he can eat with lots of haye and nuggets.



I really need some help, 5 pigs down to 3 in less than 6 months is awful.

 

[Bekki]

@Wiebke

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! I am very sorry for your losses; I've just lost three piggies to various causes in the space of a month and found it a very upsetting experience.

We have got a piggy savvy vet locator on the top bar. Perhaps you may want to get a second opinion as your first vet seems stumped? http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-vet-locator/

First - How are his poos; are they still normal and produced in normal quantities or have they changed in size, colour and texture? That gives you a bit of an idea whether his food intake is adequate or not or whether he is dehydrated.

Have you got scales at home to weigh him daily, so you can make sure that he is eating enough and if necessary top him up with hand feed? You can get cheap scales in any bigger supermarket and use a suitable dish for weighing the piggy on. Hand feeding is important whenever a piggy stops eating or is losing weight, as just seeing a piggy chewing can be very deceptive.

For instant hand feed, you can always mush up pellets in some boiled water; feed when cooled. Also make sure that your piggy is hydrated and syringe him water for every 3-5 ml of hand feed. It is vital to keep the guts going; the more the better. If a piggy is truly ill and off its food you may need to feed little but often round the clock. On average, you get between 5-15 ml in one go; use a 1ml syringe with the narrow tip cut off just below the plunger (which should not come out). You can also syringe 1/8 to 1/4 of a human vitamin C tablet that has been dissolved in a bit of water to make sure that he is getting enough of it.
http://www.guinealynx.info/anorexia.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html

Second - has the vet checked his back teeth to make sure that they are not overgrown and that there are no sores/rush in the mouth? Sudden weight loss can have a wide range of reasons, so we cannot give you a diagnosis on here. Has he halso checked the urine re. kidney problems or diabetes?