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Guinea pig unwell?

M

Maeve

New Born Pup
Joined
Aug 13, 2024
Messages
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Location
England
Hi,
My boy is getting on now, he turned 7 a few months ago. Within the past week, he’s changed? I noticed the other day that one of his teeth had snapped and the other one was very long, although it has also now snapped. This isn’t diet related (I don’t think, because my girl’s teeth are fine). He’s also permanently puffed up and much more hungry, all the time. He’s constantly begging for food even when he’s just been fed. I’m not sure if this is normal or if he’s unwell, but I’d really appreciate any advice on if he’s unwell or if this is just age.
 
I’m sorry to her this.

Please do see a vet - any change in behaviour should always be checked out particularly given his age. Being puffed up can be a sign that he is in discomfort/pain.

Please switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh him daily. The daily weight checks enable you to more closely monitor hay intake and check he is remaining stable, and enable you to step in with any required syringe feeding more quickly and efficiently.

Wiebke

Thread 'Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment'

1 Statement
2 Emergency assessment and accessing vets
- How urgent is my guinea pig's problem?
- Finding an emergency vet
- Seeing a vet not familiar with guinea pigs (including lists of safe and dangerous medications)
3 First Aid care and easily available products
- General 'always have at home' stuff and comfort measures for very ill guinea pigs
- Improvising support feed; recovery formulas...
  • Like
 
Piggies&buns said:
I’m sorry to her this.

Please do see a vet - any change in behaviour should always be checked out particularly given his age. Being puffed up can be a sign that he is in discomfort/pain.

Please switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh him daily. The daily weight checks enable you to more closely monitor hay intake and check he is remaining stable, and enable you to step in with any required syringe feeding more quickly and efficiently.

Wiebke

Thread 'Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment'

1 Statement
2 Emergency assessment and accessing vets
- How urgent is my guinea pig's problem?
- Finding an emergency vet
- Seeing a vet not familiar with guinea pigs (including lists of safe and dangerous medications)
3 First Aid care and easily available products
- General 'always have at home' stuff and comfort measures for very ill guinea pigs
- Improvising support feed; recovery formulas...
  • Like
Click to expand...
I’ll ring the vets today. I didn’t know if this was an age thing or not (he’s my first guinea pig 😅) and I go away on Friday, so I hope they can see him before then
 
Maeve said:
I’ll ring the vets today. I didn’t know if this was an age thing or not (he’s my first guinea pig 😅) and I go away on Friday, so I hope they can see him before then
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome

Seven years is a great age.

Being puffed up is usually sign of some internal pain somewhere in the body or head. The bigger the puffing the greater the pain.
Wiebke

Thread 'Signs of Pain in Guinea Pigs'

1 Symptoms of pain
- Loss of appetite and slow or reduced eating
- Eyes
- Ears
- Teeth clicking and grinding
- Skin biting, self-barbering and hair loss
- Fur standing up/puffed up coat
- Hunching
- Bunching up and stopping to sleep on the side
- Grunting
- Twisting/Fitting
- Squeaking when peeing/pooing; arching and straining
- Limping, hopping, swelling of foot or leg
- Partial or full back leg paralysis
- Screaming and whimpering
2 Life-saving practical how-to care and information...
  • Like

What you cannot control by eye is the hay intake, which makes over three quarters of the daily food intake, for that you need the kitchen scales. In the very elderly, the organs and the metabolism can also down and nutrition may no longer be as easily absorbed as the body is failing but before you come to that conclusion, you have to exclude mechanical or pain related issues first.
Wiebke

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

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...
  • Like

Here is our elderlies care link: Caring for Older Piggies and Facing the End - A practical and supportive information collection

Good that you are trying for a vet appointment. It all depends on what is going on inside the body.
 
Update:
The vets managed to get him in quickly, and I’ve just got home. His teeth were very long, so they’ve shaved them down and gave me pain meds and recovery sachets to feed him, and told me to avoid hard foods for a few days. He already seems a bit better, but that might be my wishful thinking. The vet thinks that the weight loss is just to do with age, and he’s not got arthritis or any lumps.
I’m glad this is a good update and not a sad one as I feared, I’ll let you know how he gets on!
 
Which teeth did they shave down?
How did they conclude his teeth are too long? - Normally they need to be sedated for them to have a good look at the molars.
Piggy incisors are meant to be long. They are self sharpening and are kept in check by the correctly functioning molars. If there is an issue with the incisors being slanted then that signifies the problem is at the back of the mouth with the molars. The molars get issues due to them not chewing hay properly at the back. Spurs then start to form where they are avoiding chewing and then the teeth on that side continue to overgrow, trap the tongue and the whole issue gets worse.

Please don’t avoid hard foods - he needs to be eating plenty of hay for both to stop weight loss and to ensure his teeth are working properly.
If he has had weight loss then it is due to not eating enough hay which can have multiple causes. Piggies can lose muscle mass and bulk as they age but will settle at a new lower weight.
Please weigh him daily and feed him as much recovery feed as is necessary to stop any further weight loss - that is around 60ml per day but can be more.

Wiebke

Thread 'All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures'

Introduction
1 Choosing the right place to medicate/feed your piggy
2 Guinea pig whispering and asserting your authority
3 Recovery products and emergency improvisation
4 Syringe recommendations
5 Weight monitoring: your biggest ally
6 Weight loss guidelines and when to step in with feeding
7 Syringe feeding amounts/frequency advice
8 Practical medication and syringing tips
9 Medicating and feeding cooperative guinea pigs (videos)
10 Medicating and feeding uncooperative guinea pigs (hold pictures and tips)
11 The line between life and...
  • Like
  • Love
Wiebke

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

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...
  • Like
 
Piggies&buns said:
Which teeth did they shave down?
How did they conclude his teeth are too long? - Normally they need to be sedated for them to have a good look at the molars.
Piggy incisors are meant to be long. They are self sharpening and are kept in check by the correctly functioning molars. If there is an issue with the incisors being slanted then that signifies the problem is at the back of the mouth with the molars. The molars get issues due to them not chewing hay properly at the back. Spurs then start to form where they are avoiding chewing and then the teeth on that side continue to overgrow, trap the tongue and the whole issue gets worse.

Please don’t avoid hard foods - he needs to be eating plenty of hay for both to stop weight loss and to ensure his teeth are working properly.
If he has had weight loss then it is due to not eating enough hay which can have multiple causes. Piggies can lose muscle mass and bulk as they age but will settle at a new lower weight.
Please weigh him daily and feed him as much recovery feed as is necessary to stop any further weight loss - that is around 60ml per day but can be more.

Wiebke

Thread 'All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures'

Introduction
1 Choosing the right place to medicate/feed your piggy
2 Guinea pig whispering and asserting your authority
3 Recovery products and emergency improvisation
4 Syringe recommendations
5 Weight monitoring: your biggest ally
6 Weight loss guidelines and when to step in with feeding
7 Syringe feeding amounts/frequency advice
8 Practical medication and syringing tips
9 Medicating and feeding cooperative guinea pigs (videos)
10 Medicating and feeding uncooperative guinea pigs (hold pictures and tips)
11 The line between life and...
  • Like
  • Love
Wiebke

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

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...
  • Like
Click to expand...
The vet said his bottom teeth were digging into his top gum, and as one of his teeth was snapped ragged it was most likely a reason he wasn’t eating. I can’t really limit his hard food intake as he lives with another piggie, so that was a loosing battle anyway. I’m really not a guinea pig expert so I’m kind of just trusting the vets to know what they’re talking about 😅. I’ll keep monitoring him (obviously), but hopefully it’s all up from here 🤞
 
Pellets should always be limited - no more than one tablespoon per pig per day only. Too many pellets are very unhealthy.

Hay should never be limited.

Carry out the daily weight checks to ensure you are syringe feeding him enough to keep his weight stable:
 
Hi all,
Thank you for all your advice, it really means a lot to me. This morning Jeremy passed on, and he’s now at peace. My attentions are now on my remaining guinea pig, and making sure she’s happy and healthy. I know of a local rescue that lends guinea pigs out so she can have a friend for the remainder of her life. She seems fine enough, eating and drinking, and she’ll get lots of treats and new toys until I can sort her out a friend.
Again, thank you all for your help!
 
I'm sorry you lost your Jeremy, he was obviously well cared for as he got to a grand old age.
How wonderful that you are already considering your remaining piggy's needs.
 
Maeve said:
Hi all,
Thank you for all your advice, it really means a lot to me. This morning Jeremy passed on, and he’s now at peace. My attentions are now on my remaining guinea pig, and making sure she’s happy and healthy. I know of a local rescue that lends guinea pigs out so she can have a friend for the remainder of her life. She seems fine enough, eating and drinking, and she’ll get lots of treats and new toys until I can sort her out a friend.
Again, thank you all for your help!
Click to expand...

BIG HUGS

I am so very sorry. Jeremy was much loved and clearly well cared for, just very frail from old age.

All the best with finding a companion.
 
So sorry that you lost Jeremy.
He was a great age, a tribute to your love and care.
Be gentle with yourself as you grieve
 
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