Weight Loss And Drinking Lots

[Pets Palace TV]

One of my guinea pigs has recently lost quite a large amount of weight, he is approximately 1 years old and he once weighed around 1100g and he is now around 700-800g. I weigh all my guinea pigs weekly, his weight loss has been fairly gradual however I am very concerned as that's a lot of weight to loose! He has access to hay & pellets 24/7 and he gets veggies daily - he goes CRAZY for veggies - I know all guinea pigs do however he goes absolutely mad for it.. so much so that he actually jumped out his C & C cage without any trouble! As well as the weight loss he drinks excessively and sometimes drinks a whole bottle in one day but he has done this ever since we got him. We took him to the vets on Monday and we were told that he may need a blood test so he could be diagnosed or any illnesses could be ruled out. I am worried he may have type 1 diabetes due to his symptoms or some other serious illness. It would be great if anyone on the forum could give me some advice or suggest what may be causing these symptoms. Thank you

 

[Rodentopia]

Piggies vary with how much they drink between piggies, no two are the same. If eating larger amounts of dried food and hay then they may drink more water. That however is a large amount of weight to have lost though and to me would indicate an underlying cause. Has he any other symptoms? I would get the vet to investiage further as sooner you find out what is wrong the better

 

[sport_billy]

Is he eating okay, no sign of dental issues? Some piggies are Diabetic but is is normally managed fine with diet. Have you considered asking for an xray also? This can be done with just a small whiff of gas. It does sound like something is going on and getting a diagnosis is key.
Do you have a cavy savy vet?

 

[Tbag]

Good luck at the vets! A blood test would be a very thorough investigative procedure and should give you some answers. If he has always drunk a lot of water this could be unconnected, or it could be a sign of a problem that has been pre-existing but has now developed hence the weight loss. It could be diabetes or it could be a thyroid problem too, or something completely different!
Best bet is to get investigating ASAP and go from there, myself and @jenniferanneharris have had thyroid piggies and I believe there are a few forum members who have dealt with diabetes too so once you've got a diagnosis people can try offer some more concrete advice on top of what your vet recommends x

 

[Tbag]

ps. also echo @sport_billy in making sure your vet is cavy savvy - taking blood from piggies is quite a bit more fiddly than a larger animal so best to make sure hes in the safest hands possible!

 

[Pets Palace TV]

Thanks for all your replies! The vet rang us up and said that she had contacted a cavy savy vets and from the symptoms they told her it could be a dental problem however he has no trouble eating so I doubt anything is wrong with his teeth. She said that they could do a blood test but Badger won't sit still so he would have to be put under anaesthetic just to get some blood from him. For now I am just going to monitor his weight to ensure he gains some - if he looses weight again we will take him back to the vets for them to further investigate x