Guinea pig faecal sample

[Mirandapear]

Hi,

I posted about my 3y/o guinea pig Tony Moly a couple of months ago because he was gradually losing a lot of weight. About a year ago he was 1175g he’s now 930g. I have taken him to the vet several times since mid may for tests - blood test (he was found to be borderline anaemic but nothing else), head x ray, had his back teeth filed down but on inspection the vet wasn’t convinced this was causing the weight loss as his teeth weren’t that bad. Had an ultrasound and urine test all that didn’t show anything. £800 later the vet suggested a faecal sample. As this was going to be a further £200 she suggested giving him Panacur first to treat Giardia in case this was the issue. I’ve stopped syringe feeding him critical care and his weight seems to stay around 920-960g now, before it had dropped to 890g at his lowest. However he doesn’t seem to be gaining any weight so I’m worried giardia wasn’t the issue and it may be another internal parasite. I’ve heard it’s hard for guinea pigs to put back on the weight they lost due to illness, could this be the case and his gut is actually fine now? I don’t really want to pay even more money at the vet for more inconclusive tests.

I’ve also come across this website that does faecal testing much more cheaply. Has anyone had experience with Pals Vet Lab?Small Furry Kits - Pals Vet Lab

I’d be grateful for any advice!

Thanks,

Miranda

 

[PigglePuggle]

Hi! Beware home testing/cheap testing, in the UK it is illegal for anyone except a qualified vet or vet nurse to provide a veterinary diagnosis or treatment. Faecal sampling itself is easy but smelly- the test kit itself is cheap- however getting a qualified expert veterinary scientist to identify what can be seen in the faecal sample will reflect their rate of pay/ level of qualifications/ registration with the royal college of veterinary surgeons.
Analysing faecal samples is done by eye under a microscope and done correctly may take an hour, and that is after processing the sample.
I'm surprised your vet didnt suggest this earlier actually, but gastrointestinal parasites are quite unusual in UK piggies.
Do you have other pets? Does piggy play outside where they may come into contact with urine or faeces from rats/rabbits/hedgehogs/cats/dogs?

 

[Mirandapear]

No other pets but I do let the pigs run free in my parent’s garden every couple of months. They may have come into contact with urine/faeces from rats/hedgehogs/foxes but neither of my other two pigs has any issues.

 

[PigglePuggle]

No other pets but I do let the pigs run free in my parent’s garden every couple of months. They may have come into contact with urine/faeces from rats/hedgehogs/foxes but neither of my other two pigs has any issues.

If they do go outside then possibly they have picked up a parasite from another animal using the same space, if you have mystery weight loss then its worth getting a proper faecal test from the vet if everything else has been ruled out. I'd just get the test rather than giving panacur without a proper diagnosis. Best of luck.