Guinea pig eating normally, drinking a bit more, but losing steadily?

[RheMae]

Hi guys!
So I recently lost two piggies, my Judo and Guts. It's been hard going, but of course, Bert had a check up. I noticed he was drinking more water than normal. His poos are very dark, regular shaped, sometimes pinched off, and shiny. So overall, healthy, as far as I know.
He was treated for lice with a shot, and we were given antibiotics, since he had scratched himself here and there. I was a little scared of the antibiotics, due to my previous piggies, and don't want to use them unless necessary.
He's still in treatment for lice, so itchy here and there, but lately he's been sitting in a corner kind of hunched and spiky. I know this means pain, but he's eating very well, drinking from his favorite filtered water bottle- about a bottle a day. And he still plays with me and comes to say hello, he just needs to smell me first.

Should I give him the antibiotics? Will this mess with how well he's eating? I switched to weighing him daily and he seems to be losing 10-30 grams a day. I stepped in with syringe feeding and he fought me for the syringe, so I put it on a spoon, and a dish, and he loved it. He even ate pellets and drank water with it, like it was a fancy meal, my cute boy.

He has another check up soon, I just didn't want to give him baytril because the vet said "in CASE of infection". I don't see any black spots in his fur and his skin appears to be pretty clear- other than being a bit dry from the bath, but he's doing okay getting back to his slick self.

Sorry for the long post, everytime I tell myself I'll keep it short, I word dump.

 

[Piggies&buns]

You need to be guided by your vet. If they think antibiotics are a good idea then you should give them.
Antibiotics can deplete the good gut bacteria and cause loss of appetite, but they don’t all have a severe effect in reducing appetite (some antibiotics are worse for it than others), not all piggies are affected by it. Giving probiotics can help combat the effects of antibiotics.

If he has been losing 10-30g a day, how much weight has he lost in total?

On its own 10-30g is considered normal fluctuation - the difference between a full bladder or tummy for example. For this you don’t need to step in provided the weight is generally going upwards.
If that small daily weight loss continues and forms a longer term downward trend and piggy has actually lost weight from their starting point, then that becomes concerning.
A continual downward trend in weight loss of course means that a piggy is in fact not eating hay properly.

Did he have mites or lice?
Black dots in her hair would be indicative of hay mites. You cannot see hay mites, you can only see their evidence ie excessive scratching and the black dots stuck to the hair shaft which are their empty egg casings.
Lice are pale creatures which you will be able to see crawling in their fur.

 

[RheMae]

You need to be guided by your vet. If they think antibiotics are a good idea then you should give them.
Antibiotics can deplete the good gut bacteria and cause loss of appetite, but they don’t all have a severe effect in reducing appetite (some antibiotics are worse for it than others), not all piggies are affected by it. Giving probiotics can help combat the effects of antibiotics.

If he has been losing 10-30g a day, how much weight has he lost in total?

On its own 10-30g is considered normal fluctuation - the difference between a full bladder or tummy for example. For this you don’t need to step in provided the weight is generally going upwards.
If that small daily weight loss continues and forms a longer term downward trend and piggy has actually lost weight from their starting point, then that becomes concerning.
A continual downward trend in weight loss of course means that a piggy is in fact not eating hay properly.

Did he have mites or lice?
Black dots in her hair would be indicative of hay mites. You cannot see hay mites, you can only see their evidence ie excessive scratching and the black dots stuck to the hair shaft which are their empty egg casings.
Lice are pale creatures which you will be able to see crawling in their fur.

He has lost about 100 grams in total now. Which I know is the limit. I will start the antibiotics right away, I'm just a bit scared I guess. And by black spots, I mean when he would scratch his little cheek, I could see the scabbing through his fur. He definitely had lice, we had him checked, but I also watched and I could see them occasionally, and he would pull them from his fur.
Also, I'm apparently allergic to the lice on guinea pigs, which explains why all of a sudden, I couldn't hold them without breaking out into a rash anymore. Which my vet told me can happen.

And I do have probotics I got for his brother before he passed, I give those a few hours before or after antibiotics, right? My vet said she doesn't really like probotics, they can make antibiotics not work and she said there's no proof they help. Which seemed odd to me.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yes 100g is the limit in steady weight loss (50g in sudden weight loss). You need to syringe feed a minimum of 40-60ml per day to stop the weight loss.

Ah right ok - so by black spots you means scabs not the black dots associated with mite eggs.

Yes probiotics need to be given with a 1-2 hour gap before or after antibiotics - never give them at the same time as.

Does your vet think it is the fact he has lice which has stopped him from eating?
If there is any underlying infection causing him not to want to eat then he will need the antibiotics.
Is he on any painkillers?

 

[RheMae]

Yes 100g is the limit in steady weight loss (50g in sudden weight loss). You need to syringe feed a minimum of 40-60ml per day to stop the weight loss.

Ah right ok - so by black spots you means scabs not the black dots associated with mite eggs.

Yes probiotics need to be given with a 1-2 hour gap before or after antibiotics - never give them at the same time as.

Does your vet think it is the fact he has lice which has stopped him from eating?
If there is any underlying infection causing him not to want to eat then he will need the antibiotics.
Is he on any painkillers?

He is not on any painkillers currently, other than the lice and a few scratches, he was overall in good health. He was roughly 1100 grams when he was at the vet, and during his weekly weigh in, he went to 1080. I changed to daily and it just continued down until he hit 998 grams today. He has been eating hay and pellets and drinking like mad, and I haven't phoned the vet yet since I was really hoping he'd pick up weight. Since he's not sitting occasionally spiked up, I'll call the vet in the morning, and start the antibiotics.

It just shocks me because he's always eating when I check on him, which is frequently. His tummy sounds good, the only thing I noticed was he's been drinking a lot of water. I know a lot has changed, the cage moved, he lost two brothers, and he had a long car ride and a bath, which he hated. So I was thinking at first it was stress.

 

[Piggies&buns]

How much are you syringe feeding him each day?
Is the amount he is drinking normal for him or has it suddenly increased?

 

[RheMae]

How much are you syringe feeding him each day?
Is the amount he is drinking normal for him or has it suddenly increased?

The amount he drank increased around the time his second brother got sick I'd say, towards when he was passing. But also when he got itchy. I noticed it quickly, he seemed to itch and then drink. He drinks about a bottle a day now.

And I just started syringe feeding him today but he easily eats it, and took about 45 ml. He also had greens, hay, and pellets. I plan on starting earlier tomorrow, so I hope to get him to 60 ml.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Definitely get him checked by by the vet for the weight loss and also mention the increase in drinking

 

[RheMae]

Definitely get him checked by by the vet for the weight loss and also mention the increase in drinking

Okay, I'll call them asap and inform them of my concerns, and admit I didn't give the antibiotics like I was suppose to. Here's hoping he starts feeling better here soon