70g lost in a week, down 190g in total

[PiggiePerson]

Hi friends,

My poor baby boy Pepper (4.5 years) has been at a stable weight of around 1150g for the last few years, but noticed a couple of weeks ago that he was doing small wees (no blood, but he’s had this in the past a few times, latest at Christmas) and small poos, plus had lost some weight - dropping to 1030g. Most importantly he seemed to be in pain when going for a wee with some sad squeaks a trip to the vets last weekend put him on 2 weeks of 0.2ml of cat/GP metacam daily (0.4ml first dose) and a urine sample that I’m waiting back on. However he still seems to be in pain despite the meds and is now 960g. He seems to be eating ok, especially on the grass now the days are sunny - he gains about 10g after 30min outside!

I’m going to call the vet tomorrow morning but is there anything in the meantime that you would advise? I asked the vet last weekend if I should be syringe feeding him to get his weight up and she said no. I feel like I should be giving him some critical care…

Thank you in advance for your help xx

 

[Wiebke]

Hi friends,

My poor baby boy Pepper (4.5 years) has been at a stable weight of around 1150g for the last few years, but noticed a couple of weeks ago that he was doing small wees (no blood, but he’s had this in the past a few times, latest at Christmas) and small poos, plus had lost some weight - dropping to 1030g. Most importantly he seemed to be in pain when going for a wee with some sad squeaks a trip to the vets last weekend put him on 2 weeks of 0.2ml of cat/GP metacam daily (0.4ml first dose) and a urine sample that I’m waiting back on. However he still seems to be in pain despite the meds and is now 960g. He seems to be eating ok, especially on the grass now the days are sunny - he gains about 10g after 30min outside!

I’m going to call the vet tomorrow morning but is there anything in the meantime that you would advise? I asked the vet last weekend if I should be syringe feeding him to get his weight up and she said no. I feel like I should be giving him some critical care…

Thank you in advance for your help xx

Hi

Smaller poos and pees (both food and water intake) in combination with an increased weight loss are pointing to a developing health/pain issue. Please switch to weighing on your kitchen scales first thing in the morning for best day to day comparison and to help you plan out the level of support feeding for the day. Step in with offering syringe feeding top up and up the level if the weigh continues to go down.

You may find this newer guide here helpful, which explains the different monitoring methods and what each contributes (or doesn't), how they combine so you can put any weight and appetite loss into its individual perspective and support your piggy optimally.
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support

Please see a vet. That kind of amount of weight loss is significant enough to warrant an proper hands-on examination. Mystery weight loss without any clear pointers is one of the more difficult challenges for any owner or vet (it's my least favourite symptom because so many different problems can be behind it) but nevertheless, they need to be tackled.

All the best and please keep us updated.