• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Weightloss in my piggies

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sarahsteel2002
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

Sarahsteel2002

The weekend before last I noticed both my piggies were looking a bit thin so I weighed them and they seemed to have lost a considerable amount of weight. I took them to the vet the following day and Marmite was 1200grams and now is 800 grams and the same goes for little frankie. They were both eating and drinking fine no issues there, their toilet habits were perfectly normal as well, no discharge from nose or eyes or anywhere. Basically they are perfectly healthy apart from the weight loss.

The vet recommended worming them for starters see if that worked and to continue to weight them every day. Over the next few days I monitored their behaviour and nothing changed, their weight fluctuated day by day but nothing as dramatic. Sunday night I noticed they hadn't drunk as much water as normal so gave them extra veggies. I checked on them Monday morning before I went to work and found marmite had died.

I rushed Frankie back to the vet and they gave me two options. To try antibiotics or to take blood tests and a scan but this needed a bit of anastectic to keep him still. I chose option one as he was still weak and didn't want to risk it. He was very lethargic on Monday but I put this down to his friend dying. Now Wednesday. Over the past 24 hours I have noticed that his urine is a bit darker that normal but still drinking and eating as normal.

The vet did a PM on Marmite and they gave me the results today. He had a very large heart and when they went in further his heart was so big because it was full of water with a tint of blood in it. Also his lungs were full of water but his kidneys were fine.

The vet is going to do some research tonight as she has never come across this before.

Has anyone any ideas what is happening to my babies.

I do have other pigs and rabbits. So I know it isn't airborne and it isn't the bedding, hay, food or water because no-one else is poorly. Please any advise :-\
 
Re: Wightloss in my piggies

Obviously hopefully your vet will get to the bottom of this for you.

Just wondering if they were related, brothers? Could it be something congenital, maybe a heart problem, cardiomyopathy?
Even if not related, this can also be the result of contracting a virus, when the heart muscle is affected and damaged. Because of this the heart has to work harder and as a result gets enlarged, just as any muscle would. This would account for the enlarged heart...and when the heart is affected, so too are the lungs. This could explain the fluid on the lungs.

I've never heard of fluid in the actual heart before? So that's a bit puzzling? There is pericarditis, where fluid collects around the heart, in the pericardial sac. Again this can be caused by viral as well as other conditions. Kidney dsyfunction is one of them.

I'm not a vet, so just thinking out aloud here! And from the human nurse view point!

Dark urine usually points to dehydration, infection or poor kidney function?
How old are they?

Anyway, I hope your remaining little guy is okay, you are doing all you can to help him. Maybe it might be worth calling the Cambridge Cavy Trust for a chat if things don't improve?
Good luck, I'll keep Frankie in my thoughts.

Barbara
 
Re: Wightloss in my piggies

If they were brothers it may've been a genetic problem. Enlarged heart could be the result of a virus? From what I've read, dark urine is caused from dehydration.

But have no experience of any of this.

Hope things get on the up for your little fella - loadsa love

xxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
Re: Wightloss in my piggies

Can't offer any advice as to what's going on but i'd just like to say sorry for the loss of poor Marmite, and welcome to the forum :)

Bev x x
 
Re: Wightloss in my piggies

Gosh my manners! :o Forgive me :-\

Sorry for the loss of Marmite, big hugs. Welcome to the forum. :-* :-*

xxxxxxxxx
 
Re: Wightloss in my piggies

so sorry for marmites loss and hope Frankie improves, sounds as if you will have to wait for your vet to find a reason for this please let us know when you hear anything, :'(
 
Re: Wightloss in my piggies

aww sorry to hear of your piggies being ill :(
 
Hi everybody, Frankie is getting slowly better after a course of antibiotics. I doont think we will ever really know the reason why they were both so ill but I am glad Frankie is on the mend. Thank you everybody
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top