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Elderly Guinea Pig

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ESeidel

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi all!,

I'd like to know what to expect from all you seasoned guinea pig owners! Our beloved Rosie is 7 1/2 and we've had her since she was about 3 months old. She's still going strong and has generally been super healthy! She was on an antibiotic a couple month ago as a precaution (possible respiratory infection) which really messed her up (stopped eating any fresh food, soft poops,lost some weight). We're getting her back to normal with probiotics but it seems to be going very slowly and I'm wondering if it's due to her age. She's drinking well, eating lots of hay and slowly starting to eat more fresh veggies but seems even pickier than before;and she's pretty picky! Poops have gotten better, still the random soft one here and there.

Anyway, I'm wondering what to expect as she ages. She hasn't regained much of her weight but I think she's still at a healthy weight (850 ish grams)-she was a bit overweight. I want to make sure she's comfortable and we do what she needs as she ages!

Thanks!
 
what a great success you had with your piggie! I don't think it is only genetics; no doubt that you have made the right things with her.
If Rosie lives with an healthy mate, you could try to feed her with the mate's poo (diluited in water)... it sounds weird, but it can work and it is a method studied now also in the university hospital in Rome fro difficult and strong infections; of course human patients are not asked to eat the poo, they receive it as a drug, but it is prepared with the poo of someone healthy. Also piggies can have some benefit. Consider that the immune system of the pig starts from the gut and the gut itself is delicate. For this reason most antibiotics cannot be used, not because they are poisoning, but only because they could kill the balance necessary for keeping the pig alive... Maybe that antibiotics was strong for Rosie's old and delicate gut...
I would feed her as natural as possible; that is hay and fresh grass, if she is used to it; their gut was designed for digesting grass (or hay which is dried grass). Vegs are different... don't contain much fibre and contain nitrogen.
Of course Rosie cannot have the eternal life... but she is living a great life, thanks to you.
 
@ESeidel I think you're doing a fantastic job.

With my older pigs I've noticed that their weight does decline. My last boar who was 7 was around 900g, and had been 1200g for the majority of his life.

They can get aching joints, and arthritis sometimes which can slow them down and cause muscle loss too. But I've managed that with Metacam in the past.

Everything seems to be a bit slower with them. They don't run around as much, sleep more. But if they're happy then I'm happy
 
ESeidel said:
Hi all!,

I'd like to know what to expect from all you seasoned guinea pig owners! Our beloved Rosie is 7 1/2 and we've had her since she was about 3 months old. She's still going strong and has generally been super healthy! She was on an antibiotic a couple month ago as a precaution (possible respiratory infection) which really messed her up (stopped eating any fresh food, soft poops,lost some weight). We're getting her back to normal with probiotics but it seems to be going very slowly and I'm wondering if it's due to her age. She's drinking well, eating lots of hay and slowly starting to eat more fresh veggies but seems even pickier than before;and she's pretty picky! Poops have gotten better, still the random soft one here and there.

Anyway, I'm wondering what to expect as she ages. She hasn't regained much of her weight but I think she's still at a healthy weight (850 ish grams)-she was a bit overweight. I want to make sure she's comfortable and we do what she needs as she ages!

Thanks!
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Rosie seems to be very healthy! her fur is soft and shining :love:
I think in some days she will come back as the same Rosie she used to be before
 
My Truffles is 7 3/4 and her weight now is 860 - when she was younger she was 1100g - so that seems to be about an avearge eight for an oldie - although Adelles Fudge is a little bit heftier and and a month or so over 8 yrs.
 
Hi, my little fang is 7, 8 in march. The oldest guinea pig my vet sees however, when his hay is stretched out over the cage floor he has trouble walking over it and drags his legs he doesn't do it when he's on his bedding or on the floor he is quite large and I would like to excersise him also. But he doesn't run around anymore so do you have any tips his weight is mostly near his bum and his legs are really slinn
 
Hi, my little fang is 7, 8 in march. The oldest guinea pig my vet sees however, when his hay is stretched out over the cage floor he has trouble walking over it and drags his legs he doesn't do it when he's on his bedding or on the floor he is quite large and I would like to excersise him also. But he doesn't run around anymore so do you have any tips his weight is mostly near his bum and his legs are really skinny and cannot support himself on his back two I know this because he cleans his face with one paw at a time, does anyone have any advice for both statements
 
I do find in elderly pigs that their weight tends to decline gradually (they loss muscle mass and may feel bony at the shoulders and the hips) and it is harder, if not impossible, for them to put it back on after an illness. At over 7, your pig is doing just great and glad she is recovering from an illness!
 
Freela said:
I do find in elderly pigs that their weight tends to decline gradually (they loss muscle mass and may feel bony at the shoulders and the hips) and it is harder, if not impossible, for them to put it back on after an illness. At over 7, your pig is doing just great and glad she is recovering from an illness!
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Yeah he has had a tough time with it from the age of 6 when he did show signs of aging he got bulmbke foot three times which was the first time he had ever been to the vets and then fell over and couldn't get up due to over grooming because of stress which has been dealt with and treated for mites just incase, through all this his weight gained however the excessive drinking makes me think he may have diabetes or an infection but he seems fine if he declines I will have him taken to the vets
 
With elderly pigs, like us humans, they need to have a nice warm cosy home, a healthy nutritious diet, regular exercise and exposure to natural daylight to keep their bones healthy.
Arthritis is not uncommon causing problems with mobility and grooming, painkillers can help.
Renal failure is also common, causing weight loss and excessive drinking.
I find the very old piggies just fade away, but they are made of tough stuff!
 
What is renal failure? He's fine in himself it's just mobility which I find upsetting but when the time comes or when he isn't happy I will do whats best for him
 
Nathan2002 said:
What is renal failure? He's fine in himself it's just mobility which I find upsetting but when the time comes or when he isn't happy I will do whats best for him
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Renal failure just means the kidneys are starting to shut down. I've had two piggies develop it and the first it was found after initially suspecting diabetes. Basically they lose protein through the urine which means they lose weight and drinking a lot can be an indicator also. There is no treatment for it and my first girl that had it went from 1200g to just over 600g and then maintained that weight. She also had ovarian cysts and in the few weeks before her passing a suspected abscess but she lived 18 months after the renal failure diagnosis and remained happy and comfortable for that time.
 
renal failure is where to kidney function diminshes,causes increased drinking and weight loss,but this can go on for sometime before they may quietly fade.x
 
Nathan2002 said:
What is renal failure? He's fine in himself it's just mobility which I find upsetting but when the time comes or when he isn't happy I will do whats best for him
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As already said its a common occurrence in old age, but is painless and doesn't cause suffering in my experience. Piggies remain well and often just die in their sleep when their weight drops too low.
 
Hi you may have seen previous posts but with muscle loss in elderly guinea pigs has anyone else experienced them not being able to jump into/ out off their cages and is there anyway I can build up muscle mass again
 
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