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Weight Loss

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daisymaisy

daisymaisy

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My guinea pig Daisy who is only a year old seems to have been losing weight recently. I can't see any obvious reason on the outside as to why this would be happening, she is still eating and drinking too. Anyone have any ideas as to what could be wrong with her. I'm worried there could be a serious underlying problem. Should I consult my vet? What can I feed her in the meantime to fatten her up or just give her an extra boost! Thanks
 
Weight loss can be an early sign of illness so it's best to deal with this as soon as possible. If she's still eating I'm not sure what you can do, just make sure she has plenty of food and her favourite foods so she'll eat it all up! A trip to the vet would be a good idea just to check for anything that could be making her feel not quite herself.
 
She lives with her friend Maisy, who has always been a bit smaller than Daisy, but now Maisy weighs 787g and Daisy is 620g. So judging by that she has lost about 20-25% of her weight. I always thought they were quite small guinea pigs from my past experience of guinea pigs, but Maisy is a very healthy fat guinea pig for her, build!
I think I will be seeing the vet during the week then, they are my son's guinea pigs really and he would be devastated if anything was to happen to them. Do they do blood tests on guineas?
I'm going to get them some tasty treats now!
 
I think that with that sort of weight loss it will be essential to take Daisy to the vets. They only do blood tests if they think they are essential as the piggy has to be put under anaesthetic. If your vets is open on a Saturday afternoon I would ring them for advice.
 
I agree they need to see a vet, those weights seem quite low anyway. Can I ask what diet they have?
 
That is a noticeable amount of weight loss and I think a vet visit is in order. I would try to make sure that the vet has experience with guinea pigs, and I would suggest that he get a good look at her teeth (not just the front ones.... all the way at the back too.) Overgrowth of teeth can cause weight loss without any other obvious symptoms (for one of my pigs with dental issues, weight loss and generally being mopey were her only real symptoms. Her molars were overgrown in back and cutting her mouth when she chewed, and then she had an abscess that was probably quite painful. She would still eat, but did not eat as much and not enough to sustain her usual weight.)
 
They have guinea pig pellets as well as a variety of veggies and wild plants/grasses when outside, and also hay. They are quite small guinea pigs anyway but my other girl who is healthy is pretty fat for her size and is actually putting on weight.

I did think her back teeth might be an issue but she is only a year old and she doesn't seem to have any discomfort when eating, and she eats just as fast as she always has.
 
Thanks for the information. I think a vet visit is needed. Have you checked our vet locator? If you are able to get to Broxbourne I recommend Amir at Vets and Pets.
 
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