Worried About My Daisy

[Littlepig&co]

So for those who don't know, sadly Daisy's half sister and companion of 3 years; Ruby passed away on the 1st of December.
We then went to Cottontails rescue where Daisy chose herself a new friend, they aren't really that close as Ruby and Daisy were.
Delilah has also been barbering Daisy's fur, although there has been no fighting so I am not concerned there. I understand that it takes a while for a bond to establish and to settle down.

However I weighed Daisy last night to find she has dropped weight again, in November she was 1.01kg, then in December she stayed the same.
However in January she dropped to 970g and then in less than 4 weeks (when I weighed her last night) she had dropped to 840g. This got me so
anxious and It took me a long time to settle and sleep last night because I could not stop worrying about what could be wrong.

Managed to get an appointment earlier this evening with John Chitty and he checked her over; her heart sounds ok with the stethoscope - although
this does not necessarily rule out any heart problems. He also checked her teeth and they aren't too bad, on one side they are slightly long but it is
hard to see the full dental anatomy whilst they are conscious. So I have left her behind (along with Delilah) so she can have an anesthetic tomorrow
morning so she can have her teeth properly checked, an X-ray and blood tests.

I am beyond worried, I really can't bare to lose my girl. She is so special to me and we have a close bond. What concerns me is that Daisy's half sister
Ruby died of sudden acute heart failure (result from post mortem) what if it was hereditary and Daisy has a heart condition? They did have different
mum's but the same dad. I have Daisy's brother and he is completely fine. So might just be coincidental.

She is otherwise acting lively and 'normal' despite the weight loss. There really is no time to lose when you notice a symptom with a pet, especially
weight loss as that can be an indication of many of health problems.

Here is my gorgeous girl

 

[piggyfan]

Aww I'm so sorry you have been worrying so much. I wish you would have posted last night so you would not have been lying awake worrying. It is a good idea to weigh pigs once a week at the same time so any weight loss can be monitored. From what you have said Daisy has lost weight due to her teeth being a bit long. You did the right thing by taking her to the vet. I'm sure after her dental she will be back to her usual self. It sounds like she is in good hands. Please try not to worry. Daisy is a beautiful girl. I know it was so hard losing her sister and I understand your concerns.

 

[Littlepig&co]

Aww I'm so sorry you have been worrying so much. I wish you would have posted last night so you would not have been lying awake worrying. It is a good idea to weigh pigs once a week at the same time so any weight loss can be monitored. From what you have said Daisy has lost weight due to her teeth being a bit long. You did the right thing by taking her to the vet. I'm sure after her dental she will be back to her usual self. It sounds like she is in good hands. Please try not to worry. Daisy is a beautiful girl. I know it was so hard losing her sister and I understand your concerns.

Thank you, Yes I know it is a good idea to weigh weekly which I now will be making sure I do. Daisy's new friend has also lost some weight too which has confused me, she has lost 54 grams in the past month. Could that just be due to stress of a new home and settling in? I will be keeping a close eye on her and will check to see what her weight is in four days time. Daisy seems to be eating ok though which is odd, they have plenty of hay too and she is always eating it. I am not sure if she will be having a dental or not; I guess it depends on what John thinks when he checks her under anesthetic. She is indeed in the best of hands with John, he is an exotic vet and quite well known.

Dental issues is something completely new to me in piggies; I have experienced it in rabbits before and know how to deal with it. But i'm completely new to dental piggies (if she is one!). Why would it suddenly be an issue at 3 years old? and how do you go about caring for a dental piggy?

Thank you, Jack

 

[Wiebke]

I am very sorry; a sudden weight loss is always very worrying. It can have unfortunately lots of reasons if it doesn't come with clear symptoms. Your vet needs to turn detective!

Wishing Daisy and you all the best for tomorrow. Please make sure that you have got hand feed ready and if necessary get a syringe from your vet. Daisy's mouth is likely to be sore and painful and she many not want to eat and chew. Also ask your vet for a painkiller when you pick her up.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/

 

[Littlepig&co]

I am very sorry; a sudden weight loss is always very worrying. It can have unfortunately lots of reasons if it doesn't come with clear symptoms. Your vet needs to turn detective!

Wishing Daisy and you all the best for tomorrow. Please make sure that you have got hand feed ready and if necessary get a syringe from your vet. Daisy's mouth is likely to be sore and painful and she many not want to eat and chew. Also ask your vet for a painkiller when you pick her up.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/

Thanks Wiebke,
Am already onto it, luckily we have a lot of critical care left over from the big 454g sachet that we got last summer, plus enough metacam to last a few weeks as I had a poorly bunny who was on long term metacam for 2.5 years and also lived on critical to supplement his feed. The metacam is ok to use until the end of February as it would have been open 6 months at the end of the month. Plus have 100 x 1ml syringes!

 

[piggyfan]

Guinea pigs weight can fluctuate 30g each day due to a full or empty bladder so Daisy's friend has not lost a vast amount of weight. I have not had a dental piggy either but strangely, like you, I have a dental bunny too! If Daisy does turn out to be a dental piggy then furry friends on here will be able to give you wonderful advice as she runs a sanctuary for dental pigs. Please try not to think of the worst case as her teeth could be fine.

 

[Littlepig&co]

Guinea pigs weight can fluctuate 30g each day due to a full or empty bladder so Daisy's friend has not lost a vast amount of weight. I have not had a dental piggy either but strangely, like you, I have a dental bunny too! If Daisy does turn out to be a dental piggy then furry friends on here will be able to give you wonderful advice as she runs a sanctuary for dental pigs. Please try not to think of the worst case as her teeth could be fine.

Thank you this is very reassuring! Luckily my four boys have stayed healthy weights, only Gino has gone down a little 6 grams. Trying to tempt a dental bunny to eat hay is very hard work, you can go through several types and still not get anywhere! I've had two dental bunnies now, sadly we have since lost them both. We soon found out how expensive bunnies were with those two; although we wouldn't of changed them for the world! They were worth every penny

 

[piggyfan]

Thank you this is very reassuring! Luckily my four boys have stayed healthy weights, only Gino has gone down a little 6 grams. Trying to tempt a dental bunny to eat hay is very hard work, you can go through several types and still not get anywhere! I've had two dental bunnies now, sadly we have since lost them both. We soon found out how expensive bunnies were with those two; although we wouldn't of changed them for the world! They were worth every penny

Aww I am sorry you lost your bunnies. Please do not worry about 6g. That could have been the difference between Gino doing a few poops!

 

[Littlepig&co]

Aww I am sorry you lost your bunnies. Please do not worry about 6g. That could have been the difference between Gino doing a few poops!

Thank you, I do miss them very much as what with them both being so poorly and requiring hands on care; we formed such close bonds. I do however have four bunnies still as their partners were re-paired and luckily all 4 (touch wood) are all healthy and well. Flopsy who we sadly lost in October had Kidney disease, heart disease, arthritis and dental disease, he was on 4 twice daily drugs which he had to have every 12 hours. It was very strange not having him around at first as It became my routine to medicate him then feed him separately 3-5 times a day as he didn't eat hay. He was so worth it though. Never again will I have any more after this lot as I am constantly on edge and anxious about them and it's far too upsetting when they are poorly and pass away.

 

[piggyfan]

Thank you, I do miss them very much as what with them both being so poorly and requiring hands on care; we formed such close bonds. I do however have four bunnies still as their partners were re-paired and luckily all 4 (touch wood) are all healthy and well. Flopsy who we sadly lost in October had Kidney disease, heart disease, arthritis and dental disease, he was on 4 twice daily drugs which he had to have every 12 hours. It was very strange not having him around at first as It became my routine to medicate him then feed him separately 3-5 times a day as he didn't eat hay. He was so worth it though. Never again will I have any more after this lot as I am constantly on edge and anxious about them and it's far too upsetting when they are poorly and pass away.

I can totally understand that. It is so hard to care for a poorly little one. I hope you feel able to sleep tonight and get some rest.

 

[piggyfan]

Hi, how did Daisy get on at the vets?

 

[Littlepig&co]

Hi, how did Daisy get on at the vets?

The X-ray showed that Daisy has arthritis in her jaw, she had to have a dental too as a result of this causing her molars to get overgrown. Everything else on the X-ray appeared all fine which was a relief. We are still awaiting on the results from the blood tests but hopefully it will come back all clear.

We were not expecting the bill to be as high as it was though. I only brought £180 with me and my mum had to pay the excess, which she wasn't happy about and it has ended up causing a bit of an atmosphere now. The bill was £335 in total.

Anyway what is done, is done. She has to have 4 drops of metacam every twelve hours for the pain relief and she has to have 0.5ml of Septrin twice a day too; as she might have an Infection in her jaw too. Have to start the meds today (Wednesday morning).

She has been eating since and is active which is a really positive sign. I have no experience with arthritis in the jaw/dental issues in piggies so I'm going to have to learn. I just hope it won't end up a frequent occurring issue.

I really need a part time Job, I hate having to rely on other people. I want to pay my own way. I check indeed and the reed website on a regular basis but there never seems to be anything. I have no experience either.

 

[piggyfan]

I am sorry the fees were so high. I wish Daisy lots of luck with her condition. I know you will do a wonderful job of looking after her.

 

[Tbag]

I'm sorry to hear that the cost of Daisy's treatment has caused you some trouble. I find it very admirable that as a dependent without a source of income that you managed to provide the £180 on your own!
Have you considered insurance for your piggies? It might not be feasible for Daisy or any others with existing issues but it could help you out a lot if you only had to pay a certain amount each month.

 

[Tbag]

On a similar note is there a way you could repay your mum a little bit each week to help smooth things over? Before I got piggy insurance I once had to ask my parents for money to cover a vet bill (after having left home some 10 years ago!) but I repaid them £25-50 per month.

 

[Littlepig&co]

I'm sorry to hear that the cost of Daisy's treatment has caused you some trouble. I find it very admirable that as a dependent without a source of income that you managed to provide the £180 on your own!
Have you considered insurance for your piggies? It might not be feasible for Daisy or any others with existing issues but it could help you out a lot if you only had to pay a certain amount each month.

Thank you. Fortunately my birthday is only 2 weeks after christmas so I have money from both christmas and birthday to spend on vet bills etc. The money was supposed to be for driving lessons (I'm 18) but my little girl is far more important and I will do whatever to make sure that she will be ok. We haven't no, as we have the four current rabbits insured as well as our two cats and it's quite expensive. I believe my parents pay nearly £100 in insurance a month - one of the cats is 14 so the premium is quite high! Although it certainly would of been well worth while for Daisy had she of been insured. If only you could foresee the future! Think it would cost too much to insure 6 guinea pigs anyway? one of my boys is 7, he will be 8 this year.

On a similar note is there a way you could repay your mum a little bit each week to help smooth things over? Before I got piggy insurance I once had to ask my parents for money to cover a vet bill (after having left home some 10 years ago!) but I repaid them £25-50 per month.

Things seem ok today luckily, think it was just the shock of it and a bad day that did not help. If I had to repay her then I would owe her about 3/4 thousand pound. We had two very poorly rabbits in the past few years and they required a lot of vet treatment, ongoing medication and operations. Each of them probably cost about 2 thousand pounds or over, we had to sacrifice holidays as 1) We couldn't afford it and 2) They could not be left with anyone as I couldn't leave them with anyone that I could trust.

My mum will be just happy for me to get a job and to take the financial stress and strain off her, she doesn't want me to pay her back. Which is lovely of her! So i am determined to get a job - have been searching today and there are 4 vacancies is my two local tescos, so I am just about to submit an application for them.

 

[piggyfan]

Good luck with the job. I hope you do not mind me saying I think you are such a lovely person and a wonderful dad to your little ones.

 

[Littlepig&co]

Good luck with the job. I hope you do not mind me saying I think you are such a lovely person and a wonderful dad to your little ones.

Thank you! Aw that is very kind of you to say. Daisy is doing well, she is currently munching on some readigrass with her friend Delilah. She wasn't too keen on her meds this morning but I am hoping she will be a bit better taking them tonight - I guess it is all new to her!

Oh and great news, Daisy's bloods came back and they are all clear - everything is fine!

 

[piggyfan]

Thank you! Aw that is very kind of you to say. Daisy is doing well, she is currently munching on some readigrass with her friend Delilah. She wasn't too keen on her meds this morning but I am hoping she will be a bit better taking them tonight - I guess it is all new to her!

Oh and great news, Daisy's bloods came back and they are all clear - everything is fine!

Hurray! That is wonderful news! Daisy sounds like she is doing so well too.

 

[Tbag]

Good luck with the job. I hope you do not mind me saying I think you are such a lovely person and a wonderful dad to your little ones.

I couldn't agree more!
There should be more young people in the world like you!
Good luck with the job applications

 

[ayemee]

So glad that the bloods came back clear. What a relief for you! At least you're getting to the bottom of the problem with her. I don't doubt for a second that you will look after her extremely well. She's in good hands. Fingers crossed for little Daisy. x

 

[Littlepig&co]

Thanks everyone, does anyone have any weight gain suggestions?

The pigs are fed Science selective pellets, have unlimited farm baled hay too and fed veggies daily.
Got some readigrass from viovet the other day (only a small bag) but can get a 15kg bale if this would be a good idea?
Bought her a 1.8kg bag of the alfalfa king timothy hay too as a treat (i am hoping it will last a while with just being fed to the two girls).

@Wiebke @furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary

 

[Wiebke]

Please be careful with alfalfa for adult guinea pigs; it is very rich in calcium and protein and can cause stones if overfed, especially in combination with pellets that already pretty high in calcium and protein and should only be fed to pregnant and nursing sows as a small top up. To be honest, I would recommend to stay away from alfalfa altogether! If you really want to fatten up your piggy, you simply up the usual half to handful of pellets. If that doesn't do the trick, nothing else wwill stick either!
The same goes for readigrass - it is fine in small measures (pinches rather than handfuls) but do not overfeed in the long term. With just two guinea pigs, you'll never get through a 15kg bag without the readigrass going off; the big bag is for horses!

Your girl will get her weight back on a normal diet once she is well again. She is still at a good age for making up any lost ground without special measures.

 

[theoretikos]

Hope Daisy gets better soon and good luck on the job hunt

 

[Littlepig&co]

Please be careful with alfalfa for adult guinea pigs; it is very rich in calcium and protein and can cause stones if overfed, especially in combination with pellets that already pretty high in calcium and protein and should only be fed to pregnant and nursing sows as a small top up. To be honest, I would recommend to stay away from alfalfa altogether! If you really want to fatten up your piggy, you simply up the usual half to handful of pellets. If that doesn't do the trick, nothing else wwill stick either!
The same goes for readigrass - it is fine in small measures (pinches rather than handfuls) but do not overfeed in the long term. With just two guinea pigs, you'll never get through a 15kg bag without the readigrass going off; the big bag is for horses!

Your girl will get her weight back on a normal diet once she is well again. She is still at a good age for making up any lost ground without special measures.

Thank you for the heads up, it isn't actually alfalfa I don't think. I believe the brand is Alfalfa King and it is timothy hay? http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/timothy-hay-18kg
What pellets would you recommend feeding instead of science selective? I have 6 guinea-pigs and 4 rabbits so It wouldn't last that long.

Hopefully her weight will go back on as she is feeling better as you say. I will be weighing her every four days to keep a close eye on her weight.

 

[aimzer]

Thank you for the heads up, it isn't actually alfalfa I don't think. I believe the brand is Alfalfa King and it is timothy hay? http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/timothy-hay-18kg
What pellets would you recommend feeding instead of science selective? I have 6 guinea-pigs and 4 rabbits so It wouldn't last that long.

Hopefully her weight will go back on as she is feeling better as you say. I will be weighing her every four days to keep a close eye on her weight.

This hay is fine to feed. Alfafa king is just the name of the brand. Hope Daisy's weight picks up!

 

[Wiebke]

Timothy hay is fine! We are currently working on an overview sticky of available UK pellet brands. I would stick with Science selective or Burgess for the time being. It only becomes an issue if you overfeed calcium on a long term basis - and the last thing you want right now is opening Pandora's Box for yet another health problem to come out.

Concentrate on getting her through this one; she'll make up for it again once she and her body have the energy.

I am keeping my fingers firmly crossed for Daisy! (even though I'd better hit my bed before I fall asleep in front of my computer!)

 

[Abbie]

So sorry to hear about Daisy, sending the healing vibes!

I know exactly what you mean about wanting to get driving lessons, ive been wanting to take mine for ages now but I always see something I want for the pigs and end up buying that instead! And I recently paid for two bunny spays! So driving has to wait haha!

But I hope all goes well with Daisy and good luck with finding a job!x

 

[Littlepig&co]

So sorry to hear about Daisy, sending the healing vibes!

I know exactly what you mean about wanting to get driving lessons, ive been wanting to take mine for ages now but I always see something I want for the pigs and end up buying that instead! And I recently paid for two bunny spays! So driving has to wait haha!

But I hope all goes well with Daisy and good luck with finding a job!x

Thank you very much! I wanted to learn last year but ended up having to spend my christmas and birthday money on vet bills for rabbits! I really hope that I am able to start learning to drive and hopefully pass this year; would make life so much easier being able to get out and about. Spays aren't cheap! luckily I have not had to deal with a bunny neuter in 3 years as my other 3 bunnies all came from Cottontails rescue and already neutered. x

 

[sport_billy]

The X-ray showed that Daisy has arthritis in her jaw, she had to have a dental too as a result of this causing her molars to get overgrown. Everything else on the X-ray appeared all fine which was a relief. We are still awaiting on the results from the blood tests but hopefully it will come back all clear.

We were not expecting the bill to be as high as it was though. I only brought £180 with me and my mum had to pay the excess, which she wasn't happy about and it has ended up causing a bit of an atmosphere now. The bill was £335 in total.

Anyway what is done, is done. She has to have 4 drops of metacam every twelve hours for the pain relief and she has to have 0.5ml of Septrin twice a day too; as she might have an Infection in her jaw too. Have to start the meds today (Wednesday morning).

She has been eating since and is active which is a really positive sign. I have no experience with arthritis in the jaw/dental issues in piggies so I'm going to have to learn. I just hope it won't end up a frequent occurring issue.

I really need a part time Job, I hate having to rely on other people. I want to pay my own way. I check indeed and the reed website on a regular basis but there never seems to be anything. I have no experience either.

Just catching up on this thread as others have said you are a credit to Daisy.

Our eldest girl has Jaw Arthritis, we have to feed her separately as she is slow at eating and she is on metacam twice a day and doing well.

Lots of love and healing vibes to Daisy