Weight Loss - Is It An Alerting Level?

[Kosson]

Hi.

I have a 4&1/2 years old sow who is currently suffering from a little stone in her bladder.
As for the stone the exotics vet suggests me to give her vitamineC as the size of the stone fairly small so normally it would pass. - The vet found the stone last Monday (8/Jan). Prior to that a nearby vet (not exotics) said my piggy had polyps after ultrasound - it was towards the end of December.

The exotics vet told me to keep eye on her weight, as sudden weight loss could mean something more serious than a little bladder stone. He told me to weigh Kosson every three days, however I do so everyday (but 09/Jan).

Here is how my piggy loses her weight.
08/Jan 1180g
10/Jan 1170g
11/Jan 1170g
12/Jan 1150g (seemed to poo a lot so I assumed it caused the weight loss)
13/Jan 1145g
14/Jan 1135g (no pellets to avoid too much calcium)

It is slow but in a week she lost 45g in total. Is it because she suffers from pain (but she did not lose weight up to now even she urinated blood since mid-October)? Is it because I have changed her diet (less pellet mix and now no pellet mix)? Or, is it because it is chilly a piggy can be less active (I put a heating mat underneath her cage, no direct contact so it warms up the floor of her cage without doing any harm to my piggy) ? Or, is there something serious ( I must admit I am scared as non-specialist vet actually said polyp in Dec).

She urinates with blood from time time, but she drinks (75ml - 100ml) and eats hay & salad bowl (twice a day), and happily exercises, running after me (more precisely dandelion leaves).

I just would like to know if the weight loss is alerting and I should take my piggy to the vet. Maybe I should ask the vet but here, there are lots of people who really knows about guinea pigs (maybe even more than certain vets at some points) so I think it is worth asking you first.

Your opinion would be much appreciated - thank you in advance!

 

[Wiebke]

Our rule by thumb is that you see a vet if a piggy is losing more than 50g (which is out of range of the normal daily weight fluctuation) if a piggy is losing weight very quickly in a matter of days or between 50-100g if it is a very slow and gradual weight loss.

If your guinea pig has been diagnosed with a problem and is being treated for it, but there has not been an improvement or there is a steady deterioration over the course of a week, then please contact your vet as the the treatment is obviously not working. Contact them sooner whenever a piggy gets worse very quickly instead of better.

Please be aware that hay is the bulk of a guinea pig's food intake (80%), so just seeing a piggy eating and drinking can be deceptive - you only verify about 10-15% of the actual food intake. Pain is a great appetite killer, but it generally manifests first in the hay intake (i.e. the weight loss you are experiencing).

Please contact your vet again as the stone is obviously not disappearing on its own.