Guinea pig not eating

[Cookie2020]

One of our guinea pigs (female, 4 years old) stopped eating last weekend. She was nibbling food and it was just coming out of her mouth. Took her to the vet who gave pain killers, anitbiotic, antiemetic and something else for her gut. Xray just showed gas in abdomen - teeth and mouth looked fine. Since then she seems more comfortable but still isn't really eating. She will nibble lettuce and seems hungry but can't seem to chew hay or pellets. won't touch other veg. Next step is CT scan to check tooth roots. Having discussed it at home, we decided to go ahead but been waiting all day for vet to call me back to book this in.
My question is, she seems to be losing about 15g of weight a day. Is this a lot? Does this mean she must be eating something more than the 4 or 5 lettuce leaves I see her eat? I can't really say about her poop because she's in with her friend so I can't be certain whose it is!
I do have some emergency food that I was syringe feeding her but she really fights it and it's obviously very stressful for her. Vet said to stop and see how she goes without.
How urgent is this? Do I need to keeping phoning them hourly until they call back?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this.

Hay is the most important part of the diet, making up three quarters of what she needs to eat in a day. Veg is merely supplementary so while it’s good she is eating it, it isn’t the part you need to be focusing on.

For the smaller amounts of weight loss each day (50-100g of loss in 1-2 days is an emergency), not the amount she is losing per day as such, it’s the cumulative effect and downward trend - 50g of weight loss is the point at which it is considered weight loss (before that it is just normal fluctuation). If she has lost more than 50g then it is clear she isn’t eating enough (even if she is eating some) and the weight loss would continue to get larger.
If she cannot eat hay then you must syringe feed her. She needs the fibre to keep her gut functioning properly and to keep her weight stable. Lettuce alone won’t sustain the gut and with veg only being 15% of the daily food intake you can see that it isn’t enough. (4-5 lettuce leaves is a lot anyway - 1-2 small leaves would be the recommended daily amount)
It’s also depending on her start weight - whether she is a bigger pig to start with and can afford to lose a bit. A smaller piggy cannot afford to much.

The guide below explains more

Thread 'Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support'

Jun 20, 2024

1 Weight and Weight Loss
- Why regular weight monitoring matters
- How weight changes over a lifetime
- How to weigh on your kitchen scales (with video)
- The weight loss rules
- How critical is the weight loss for my piggy?
- Possible causes for weight loss
2 Body Mass Index (BMI) or 'Heft'
- Why is understanding your piggy's weight so important?
- 'Average' weight vs. individual weight - the big trip up
- How to check for the BMI
3 The...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 5
• Forum: Health & Illness

• 

 

[Cookie2020]

I’m sorry to hear this.

Hay is the most important part of the diet, making up three quarters of what she needs to eat in a day. Veg is merely supplementary so while it’s good she is eating it, it isn’t the part you need to be focusing on.

For the smaller amounts of weight loss each day (50-100g of loss in 1-2 days is an emergency), not the amount she is losing per day as such, it’s the cumulative effect and downward trend - 50g of weight loss is the point at which it is considered weight loss (before that it is just normal fluctuation). If she has lost more than 50g then it is clear she isn’t eating enough (even if she is eating some) and the weight loss would continue to get larger.
If she cannot eat hay then you must syringe feed her. She needs the fibre to keep her gut functioning properly and to keep her weight stable. Lettuce alone won’t sustain the gut and with veg only being 15% of the daily food intake you can see that it isn’t enough. (4-5 lettuce leaves is a lot anyway - 1-2 small leaves would be the recommended daily amount)
It’s also depending on her start weight - whether she is a bigger pig to start with and can afford to lose a bit. A smaller piggy cannot afford to much.

The guide below explains more

Thread 'Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support'

Jun 20, 2024

1 Weight and Weight Loss
- Why regular weight monitoring matters
- How weight changes over a lifetime
- How to weigh on your kitchen scales (with video)
- The weight loss rules
- How critical is the weight loss for my piggy?
- Possible causes for weight loss
2 Body Mass Index (BMI) or 'Heft'
- Why is understanding your piggy's weight so important?
- 'Average' weight vs. individual weight - the big trip up
- How to check for the BMI
3 The...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 5
• Forum: Health & Illness

• 

Thank you for this. I was wondering if she might be eating hay while I wasn’t watching! But you’re right, I will give her some syringe feed now. She is going to the vet tomorrow for the scan (they did phone me back!) and hopefully we’ll get some answers!