• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

guinea pig weight issue

Jessicaandteddy said:
Okay he is eating hard food grass and veggies and treats okay just not hay but my dad won't take him till the vet he says as long as he's eating its okay
Click to expand...
And I don't have the money myself to pay for a vet so I can't take him myself as I don't earn enough
 
Jessicaandteddy said:
Okay he is eating hard food grass and veggies and treats okay just not hay but my dad won't take him till the vet he says as long as he's eating its okay
Click to expand...

Hay is often the first food group to be dropped when there is a medical or dental problem. Still eating veg and pellets does not mean there isn’t a problem. They often can still manage to eat veg, pellets and grass for a while while any potential dental problem is starting as they are softer. Plus given veg and pellets are not the main part of their daily food intake, it means food intake may be dramatically reduced.
Unless any potential medical or dental issues are addressed, things will not get better. The less hay a piggy eats, the more teeth overgrow, and then they can stop eating anything altogether. By that point it really is a very serious problem.

I’m afraid, your piggy does need to see a vet to diagnose and treat any problems.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Hay is often the first food group to be dropped when there is a medical or dental problem. Still eating veg and pellets does not mean there isn’t a problem. They often can still manage to eat veg, pellets and grass for a while while any potential dental problem is starting as they are softer. Plus given veg and pellets are not the main part of their daily food intake, it means food intake may be dramatically reduced.
Unless any potential medical or dental issues are addressed, things will not get better. The less hay a piggy eats, the more teeth overgrow, and then they can stop eating anything altogether. By that point it really is a very serious problem.

I’m afraid, your piggy does need to see a vet to diagnose and treat any problems.
Click to expand...
Okay but at least he is still eating and moving his gut but I can't convince my dad to take him my dad is set in his ways so sadly I have nothing else I can do which breaks my heart I can't afford the vet no one else in my house drives so I don't know what other options I have
 
It’s never easy if you arent adult and therefore not responsible for the care but it is the responsibility of your parents to provide the care when it is needed. It’s not negotiable when taking on pets.
If he does have a dental or any medical problem, it will just get worse without treatment.
 
Piggies&buns said:
It’s never easy if you arent adult and therefore not responsible for the care but it is the responsibility of your parents to provide the care when it is needed. It’s not negotiable when taking on pets.
If he does have a dental or any medical problem, it will just get worse without treatment.
Click to expand...
Its sad I know the piggies are mine and in my care but as a teenager my parents make the decision not me so sadly I can't sat anything it's annoying though because if my cats where ill they would take them straight away but not my pigs I will try convince him
 
Jessicaandteddy said:
Thank you I feel like such a terrible piggies mum
Click to expand...

Please start weighing your piggy daily on the kitchen scales at the same time of day (the weight usually swings in 30g band over the course of the day) instead of the life-long weekly weigh in.
Hay is making 75-80% of the daily food intake and the silica in it is what is grinding down the molars and premolars at the back; the fast growth rate of guinea pig teeth has evolved specifically against the silica in grass and hat fibre. The premolars usually grow spurs with either bridge the tongue and eventually make swallowing very difficult to impossible or more rarely burrow themselves in the cheek.

Please read these these guide links here for much needed feeding support in order to prevent your piggy from slowly starving until they can be seen for by then much more expensive badly overgrown teeth.
Weight - Monitoring and Management
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment (includes tips on what you can do in a pinch with easily available stuff until you can see a vet and until your piggy is able to eat).

How are the bottom teeth looking? Have they started pointing inwards?
Parental legal duties (see first chapter): Children And Guinea Pigs - A Guide For Parents

Please remind your dad that the average healthy life span of a guinea pig is 5-7 years - and that in his youth, this was considered a normal life span for dogs. I would also tell him that the longer he waits, the more any dental treatment will cost unless he wants to be responsible for deliberately starving a pet to death in household.
 
Wiebke said:
Please start weighing your piggy daily on the kitchen scales at the same time of day (the weight usually swings in 30g band over the course of the day) instead of the life-long weekly weigh in.
Hay is making 75-80% of the daily food intake and the silica in it is what is grinding down the molars and premolars at the back; the fast growth rate of guinea pig teeth has evolved specifically against the silica in grass and hat fibre. The premolars usually grow spurs with either bridge the tongue and eventually make swallowing very difficult to impossible or more rarely burrow themselves in the cheek.

Please read these these guide links here for much needed feeding support in order to prevent your piggy from slowly starving until they can be seen for by then much more expensive badly overgrown teeth.
Weight - Monitoring and Management
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment (includes tips on what you can do in a pinch with easily available stuff until you can see a vet and until your piggy is able to eat).

How are the bottom teeth looking? Have they started pointing inwards?
Parental legal duties (see first chapter): Children And Guinea Pigs - A Guide For Parents

Please remind your dad that the average healthy life span of a guinea pig is 5-7 years - and that in his youth, this was considered a normal life span for dogs. I would also tell him that the longer he waits, the more any dental treatment will cost unless he wants to be responsible for deliberately starving a pet to death in household.
Click to expand...
Hiya thank you his bottom teeth look absolutely fine and healthy not to long or anything it's just the top tooth is growing

I will start weighing him daily don't worry

I don't know how to make him eat hay it's annoying and my dad won't take him to the vets and I can't afford it myself no matter what I say he won't take him I don't want him to die but there's nothing I can do it's out of my hands. He isn't starving as he is still eating his pellets,veggies and treats
 
Jessicaandteddy said:
Hiya thank you his bottom teeth look absolutely fine and healthy not to long or anything it's just the top tooth is growing

I will start weighing him daily don't worry

I don't know how to make him eat hay it's annoying and my dad won't take him to the vets and I can't afford it myself no matter what I say he won't take him I don't want him to die but there's nothing I can do it's out of my hands. He isn't starving as he is still eating his pellets,veggies and treats
Click to expand...

Hi pellets, veggies and treats make about one quarter of the daily food intake. They are all soft and won't help to grind down the back teeth.

You can support feed with mushed up pellets in a pinch. PLEASE take the time to read the links in my last post. They contain all the practical how-to tips how you can support a piggy that is not fully eating at home.
 
Jessicaandteddy said:
Hiya thank you his bottom teeth look absolutely fine and healthy not to long or anything it's just the top tooth is growing

I will start weighing him daily don't worry

I don't know how to make him eat hay it's annoying and my dad won't take him to the vets and I can't afford it myself no matter what I say he won't take him I don't want him to die but there's nothing I can do it's out of my hands. He isn't starving as he is still eating his pellets,veggies and treats
Click to expand...

As I said, it’s difficult when it is not your decision but it is your dads responsibility to provide vet care right now.

Unfortunately, eating veg, pellets and treats is nowhere near enough - it means he is only getting about 20% of what he needs to eat in a day, meaning he has lost up to 80% of his daily food intake due to not eating hay - this is a serious problem and why syringe feeding critical care is now so important.

You can’t make him eat hay if there is a medical or dental problem, it won’t get better its own. Overgrowing teeth can be painful and stop them being able to chew (pellets simply go soft with saliva so he doesn’t need to chew them, hence they can favour them which in turn makes problems worse) . All you can do is get him to a vet to diagnose and treat any problems and syringe feed in the meantime. Without eating hay, if there are dental problems, then it will get worse and potentially stop him from being able to eat anything at all.
 
Piggies&buns said:
As I said, it’s difficult when it is not your decision but it is your dads responsibility to provide vet care right now.

Unfortunately, eating veg, pellets and treats is nowhere near enough - it means he is only getting about 20% of what he needs to eat in a day, meaning he has lost up to 80% of his daily food intake due to not eating hay - this is a serious problem and why syringe feeding critical care is now so important.

You can’t make him eat hay if there is a medical or dental problem, it won’t get better its own. Overgrowing teeth can be painful and stop them being able to chew (pellets simply go soft with saliva so he doesn’t need to chew them, hence they can favour them which in turn makes problems worse) . All you can do is get him to a vet to diagnose and treat any problems and syringe feed in the meantime. Without eating hay, if there are dental problems, then it will get worse and potentially stop him from being able to eat anything at all.
Click to expand...
Hiya
Just to let you know he started to run down really quickly within 30 minutes struggling to breath and he's been rushed to the vets and will probably get put down as they will see if they can do anything if not they will put him down

Thanks for you advice
Bye
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top