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Weight Loss

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chesca_27

chesca_27

Junior Guinea Pig
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Just weighed Oreo today and he's lost almost 80 grams! He's gone from 1037g to 953g. I last weighed him on the 18/03/17. What could be causing it? He seems to be eating and drinking well but he did have antibiotics recently, so would this affect him? Should I syringe feed him?

He is an old pig (coming up to his 6th birthday) so could this be an old age thing? I am trying to give him a few things to help him put weight on again. I've given him a bit of alfalfa hay (I have a load because I thought I was getting another baby pig, but I got Pemba instead) just now.

I'm so worried because he's such an old, sickly pig and he's my baby.

Thanks
 
Hi! I would offer him top up syringe feed. Please always weigh a guinea pig on treatment daily at the same time. The weight loss is not drastic, but older piggies struggle to put weight back.

Please don't resort to alfalfa ands sugary/starchy or fatty things in order to put on weight; it's not healthy for the long term. Rather concentrate on a healthy normal diet and invest in a course of fibreplex to support the guts and the gut fauna to optimise food absorption.
 
Ok thank you! He is no longer on medication and hasn't been for a couple of weeks. I've just weighed him and he is 937g. That's exactly 100g! I can't find anything wrong with him and he is on a strict veg and pellet diet. I'm scared he will lose any more weight as he used to be 1220g, at his healthiest.
 
chesca_27 said:
Ok thank you! He is no longer on medication and hasn't been for a couple of weeks. I've just weighed him and he is 937g. That's exactly 100g! I can't find anything wrong with him and he is on a strict veg and pellet diet. I'm scared he will lose any more weight as he used to be 1220g, at his healthiest.
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As said, please offer him top-up syringe feed: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
Ok will do tonight! He's just been moved into his travel cage and is settling in at the moment.
 
Thought I'd update everyone. Oreo continued to lose weight over the weekend. I have been putting softened nuggets in the cage for him to eat because he seems to want to eat, but can't.

I took Oreo and Pemba to see the exotic vet today. The vet was excellent with Oreo and is clearly highly knowledgeable. He has diagnosed Oreo with an ear infection. We have drops to apply to each ear, twice a day. An ear infection makes sense to me as the cause of Oreo's lack of eating. If his ears are sore, it probably hurts him to keep moving his jaw all day, hence why he's eating less and losing weight. Soft food makes it easier for him to eat.

I am so glad to have an answer for his weight loss. It really goes to show how important regular weighing is because Oreo has showed no other sypmtoms.

I am having a follow up appointment next Wednesday and if Oreo is still losing weight, he will look into dental problems, like Oreo's molars. His tongue is definitely not trapped though. The vet will also check to see if the ear infection has cleared up.
 
No actually I forgot to ask about pain relief! If he really seems to be struggling, I will speak to the vet, but I think he is starting to feel a bit better.
 
Well he is an elderly gent, so he could have arthritis. My Petal had it in her stifles & a low daily dose of Metacam worked wonders as it has anti-inflammatory properties :)
 
Well done for being such a good piggy slave and noticing the weight loss.

Hope he feels better soon.
 
Poppy'sMum said:
Well he is an elderly gent, so he could have arthritis. My Petal had it in her stifles & a low daily dose of Metacam worked wonders as it has anti-inflammatory properties :)
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To be honest, he is more active than ever so I do doubt he has arthritis, because he was only looking poorly the last few days. Since he started the ear drops, he has really perked up and is back to pretty much feeding himself. I am giving a bit of soft nuggets just in case, but he is finally eating hay again. I really believe his ears were causing his jaw pain when he eating, so he ate less. His weight is gaining slightly and stabilising, without much intervention :). Thank you for the suggestion though.

Jaycey said:
Well done for being such a good piggy slave and noticing the weight loss.

Hope he feels better soon.
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Thank you :)
 
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