Age related weight loss?

[danuutka]

Our sow Nelli is a rescue who had a plethora of health issues - including an emergency spay for pyometra. Since June she has been steadily losing weight - she has gone from being around 1050g consistently, to now weighing in at 835g only 4 months later.

We’ve ran every test under the sun to try to figure out what could be causing this, including x-rays, dental examinations and blood tests. And absolutely nothing has come back. We have a very competent vet, who is extremely knowledgeable about guinea pigs so I know nothing is being missed.

As we rescued Nelli, she could be anything from 4 to 6+ years. She is still very happy in herself. She is eating, drinking, peeing and pooping to her typical standard. She wheeks and “zooms” around the cage. We’re trying all sorts to keep the weight on/help her gain some back - Emeraid Sustain daily, plenty of treats, porridge oats, VetCal Pro gel. She’s on daily Metacam in case she is in any pain (she tolerates Metacam very well so I know this isn’t causing her weight loss).

I’m just at a loss. I dread weighing her weekly because it just breaks me. She’s such a sweet and happy pig, and I know her well enough and have seen her unwell enough times to know how her behaviour changes. But it’s completely normal.

Could this just be Nelli getting older and older and slowly withering away? You can feel all of her bones, and it’s just so upsetting but my vet and I don’t feel like she’s at the stage of PTS because she’s thriving.

 

[Viennese Furbabies]

I have had piggies who lost weight in old age without obious cause. It is probably a decline of muscle substance due to old age.
Sometimes I managed to keep the weight by supplement feeding, sometimes it didn't work.

I know how hard it is to find that piggy has lost weight again and again, no matter what you do. But if she appears fine to you I would just cherish all the good moments you can spend with Nelli.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

It is very likely that

Our sow Nelli is a rescue who had a plethora of health issues - including an emergency spay for pyometra. Since June she has been steadily losing weight - she has gone from being around 1050g consistently, to now weighing in at 835g only 4 months later.

We’ve ran every test under the sun to try to figure out what could be causing this, including x-rays, dental examinations and blood tests. And absolutely nothing has come back. We have a very competent vet, who is extremely knowledgeable about guinea pigs so I know nothing is being missed.

As we rescued Nelli, she could be anything from 4 to 6+ years. She is still very happy in herself. She is eating, drinking, peeing and pooping to her typical standard. She wheeks and “zooms” around the cage. We’re trying all sorts to keep the weight on/help her gain some back - Emeraid Sustain daily, plenty of treats, porridge oats, VetCal Pro gel. She’s on daily Metacam in case she is in any pain (she tolerates Metacam very well so I know this isn’t causing her weight loss).

I’m just at a loss. I dread weighing her weekly because it just breaks me. She’s such a sweet and happy pig, and I know her well enough and have seen her unwell enough times to know how her behaviour changes. But it’s completely normal.

Could this just be Nelli getting older and older and slowly withering away? You can feel all of her bones, and it’s just so upsetting but my vet and I don’t feel like she’s at the stage of PTS because she’s thriving.

Hi

Older piggies can end up as a walking skeleton, yet going on for months or even over a year in some cases.
It is likely something with either the food absorption process or a smaller organ that would take lots of lab test but not necessarily much return in medical improvement as this is an area that has been totally neglected with already badly under-researched guinea pigs who are still struggling to shift the stigma of being short-lived children's pets and not an interesting species in their own right.

As long as Nelli is eating, active and clearly having a zest for life, you go on with her. Concentrate on creating happy memories with shared enrichment activities and giving her new challenges or things to explore to keep her zest for life tickled. You just can never predict the end - that part is still totally open, just a bit closer on the horizon.
It can be a slow gradual slide into organ failure but it can also a sudden massive illness or at some point just be her day when her body closes down. Finding a piggy suddenly dead can also happen but is in my own experience not very common. You can just never predict what gives first and in whoch order the body is breaking down.
However where you have control over is treat every day like it were her last and make it special. This way, you can be sad when her time comes but there are no feelings of guilt or failure because you are giving her exactly what she measures her life by: many happy todays.

You may find this thread here about old age and how to best deal with the concept of having only limited time left helpful: Caring for Older Piggies and Facing the End - A helpful and supportive information collection