Guinea Pig Weight Loss/Vet Says nothing wrong?

[Ellsie1]

Hi everyone,
My GP is only four years of age, and I need advice ASAP.
He has lost so much weight, so I took him to the local vet where he weighed 630pounds. People have said it could be due to his age, I don't remember my elder guinea pig weighing like skeletor if he was a guinea pig. So I argued my case with the vet, and said he has been making weird noises lately when I carry him out of his cage, she looks at GP, does and overall body check, listens to his heart, lungs ETC. and says she cant hear/see any problems, just mega weight loss. So why does he weigh so little?
She gave me antibiotics and he's on a five day course, he's eating fine, infact he's always been really greedy and still is, but has lost his personality along with his illness.

How do I make him gain weight?
Does anyone know what may be wrong with him to lose so much weight and have nothing wrong with him?

I feel like the worst owner ever, I have tried to find some signs to whatever is causing this but have concluded to none.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear he is having problems. You are definitely not a bad owner. You sound to be doing all you can to get to the bottom of his issues

i assume you mean 630g rather than lbs - how much weight has he actually lost?
How savvy is your vet?
There are some medical conditions which can cause weight loss despite appearing to eat well - hyperthyroidism for example, but of course we aren’t vets so couldn’t say for sure - you need a good vet to carry out investigations and make a diagnosis.

You can give plain, dry porridge oats as they are calorific and can help hold weight on piggies

 

[Claire W]

Did your vet check his back teeth to make sure they're not overgrown? Are you sure he's eating normally?

Guinea pigs can lose weight as they age, my 6 year boar, Edward used to weigh 1100g in the prime of his life but he now weighs around 900-950g but he has been vet checked including his back teeth and nothing could be found.

How much weight has he lost? 630g is small. I would be pushing for an x ray or scan and if nothing is found, may be a blood test before putting his weight loss down to the aging process

 

[Ellsie1]

Thank you

Hi everyone,
My GP is only four years of age, and I need advice ASAP.
He has lost so much weight, so I took him to the local vet where he weighed 630pounds. People have said it could be due to his age, I don't remember my elder guinea pig weighing like skeletor if he was a guinea pig. So I argued my case with the vet, and said he has been making weird noises lately when I carry him out of his cage, she looks at GP, does and overall body check, listens to his heart, lungs ETC. and says she cant hear/see any problems, just mega weight loss. So why does he weigh so little?
She gave me antibiotics and he's on a five day course, he's eating fine, infact he's always been really greedy and still is, but has lost his personality along with his illness.

How do I make him gain weight?
Does anyone know what may be wrong with him to lose so much weight and have nothing wrong with him?

I feel like the worst owner ever, I have tried to find some signs to whatever is causing this but have concluded to no

I’m sorry to hear he is having problems. You are definitely not a bad owner. You sound to be doing all you can to get to the bottom of his issues

i assume you mean 630g rather than lbs - how much weight has he actually lost?
How savvy is your vet?
There are some medical conditions which can cause weight loss despite appearing to eat well - hyperthyroidism for example, but of course we aren’t vets so couldn’t say for sure - you need a good vet to carry out investigations and make a diagnosis.

You can give plain, dry porridge oats as they are calorific and can help hold weight on piggies

He used to be around 1200g, and used to make my arm ache because he was a big guinea pig.
My vets specialise in every animal, I assume she wasn't savvy since she never checked his back teeth (who doesn't do that). Its such a fuss because due to storm Arwen the main vets near me was closed down as the roof being blown off, so they sent a vet to me.
He eats everything I pop in the cage, I did give him vit C drops at one point but he refused to drink the water if I used them, so I stopped or he dehydrates himself.
Thank you for the advice I really appreciate this, he is literally my furry son lol.

 

[Ellsie1]

Did your vet check his back teeth to make sure they're not overgrown? Are you sure he's eating normally?

Guinea pigs can lose weight as they age, my 6 year boar, Edward used to weigh 1100g in the prime of his life but he now weighs around 900-950g but he has been vet checked including his back teeth and nothing could be found.

How much weight has he lost? 630g is small. I would be pushing for an x ray or scan and if nothing is found, may be a blood test before putting his weight loss down to the aging process

She didnt check the back teeth at all, just a 2 second glance at the front teeth.
He has lost 200-300kg.
I am at a loss...

 

[Claire W]

Can you have him seen by a different vet for a second opinion? That’s a lost of weight to lose

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

Can you please specify over how many days and weeks he has lost weight?

Please have your piggy seen by another vet. Massive mystery weight loss is my least favourite symptom because there can be so much behind it. Mostly, they come down to either a mechanical obstruction somewhere in the digestive tract (from overgrown teeth or a brewing dental abscess to swelling/infection in the throat, bloating in the stomach or a developing blockage in the gut), a pain issue (can be an internal growth which is not necessarily obvious but basically any major pain in the body), an organ closing down or in a few and fairly rare cases an illness but you haven't mentioned any secondary distinctive symptoms for any of the of the last category.
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What you can do right now is stepping in with round the clock feeding support. Please take the time to read up on our detailed practical how-to advice and information below. Please keep in mind that up to 80% of the daily food intake is hay, which you cannot control by eye. Veg and pellets only make about 20-25% of what a piggy eats in a day.

Your piggy's weight is now dangerously low at 600g so they will need your full support if they have a chance to make it. The first link contains advice on how you can improvise with what you have at home to get your piggy through an emergency or crisis until support products arrive. Unfortunately, all you can do in a situation like this is hang in there and try your best because until the cause is found and addressed in time, this is all you can do. It doesn't make you a bad owner when you are up against circumstances in a race against time.

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
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