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Guinea pig with URI losing weight

MildredMaudeandEnid

MildredMaudeandEnid

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Hello

I adopted 4 rescue guinea pigs recently and one arrived with a URI and chronic respiratory disease. The URI initially cleared with 3 weeks of baytril but unfortunately came back last week.

Enid weighed 650g when I got her and went down to 630g last week with the return of her infection. I've been weighing her every day and her weight had crept up slowly to 639g but this morning the scale is showing 606g. It has only been a day since her last weigh in so I'm very concerned.

She is definitely eating hay and veg and I've been making a mush out of her pellets which I'm feeding her throughout the day. I've tried Critical Care but she won't entertain it.

Can anyone suggest anything else I can try? I don't understand why her weight has suddenly dropped so dramatically.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum
So sorry to hear that one of your piggies is poorly. Although Enid to small piggies weight can vary quite normally around 30 gms at any one time due to full tummy, or full bladder so her weight is fairly stable as she is not loosing lots of weight.
My piggies have always preferred Emeraid which does seem popular with the piggies and a little cheaper too.
Hope Enid gets better soon x
 
Piggies&buns said:
I’m sorry to hear she is unwell. Is she back on medication now it has come back?
How much pellet mush are you getting into her in a 24 hour period? Your daily weight checks are the gauge of how much feed is needed - if she isn’t maintaining her weight overnight, then she likely needs to be fed more. What time is her last feed at night?

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
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She's on nebulised baytril for 20 minutes twice a day. I'm aiming for 30g of pellets as that is what she would normally have per day. I'm giving it in 3 sittings with the last around 8.00pm. I've been adding a drop of apple juice to it as that seems to interest her.

Unfortunately there are no exotics vets in my area but the vet I'm seeing is doing as much research as she can. She recommended the nebuliser.

The infection is definitely clearing. Enid's breathing is better and she's much brighter. I'm just concerned about her weight. She's a small piggy to start with and doesn't have anything to lose.
 
Bill & Ted said:
Hello and welcome to the forum
So sorry to hear that one of your piggies is poorly. Although Enid to small piggies weight can vary quite normally around 30 gms at any one time due to full tummy, or full bladder so her weight is fairly stable as she is not loosing lots of weight.
My piggies have always preferred Emeraid which does seem popular with the piggies and a little cheaper too.
Hope Enid gets better soon x
Click to expand...

She seems happier with her mush mixture than the critical care. I'll keep weighing her daily and see if it goes back up.
 
So, when syringe feeding is needed, you don’t stick to the amount of pellets they would normally have and instead you feed as much is necessary to keep their weight up. Significant weight loss due to being unwell is directly linked to lack of hay intake. The syringe feeding entirely replaces the hay the piggy is not eating for themselves (although as you say in your case she is eating some hay) and therefore it should never be kept limited as you would normally feed pellets (as an aside, 30g of pellets per day is likely far too much - the recommended amount of pellets per day is one tablespoon which is more like 6-10g per day. You don’t go by the pellet packaging as they usually are considerably overdoing it by saying approx 30g per day). You use their daily weight checks as the gauge of how much syringe feed to give - where a total lack of appetite and hay intake then you aim for at least 60ml of syringe feed in a 24 hour period - going up or down with that depending on how much hay they are eating and therefore what their weight is doing. With a total lack of appetite, you may need to feed every 2-3 hours per day. Many of us will feed up until around 10/11pm at night with the first feed around 6/7am and then feeding 2-3 hourly during the day.
However, from the weight loss you mention, you are not at this stage. Bill&Ted is right, your piggy isn’t losing huge amounts of weight at this point but given she is unwell it is definitely wise to keep a close eye on her weight.
 
Piggies&buns said:
So, when syringe feeding is needed, you don’t stick to the amount of pellets they would normally have and instead you feed as much is necessary to keep their weight up. Significant weight loss due to being unwell is directly linked to lack of hay intake. The syringe feeding entirely replaces the hay the piggy is not eating for themselves (although as you say in your case she is eating some hay) and therefore it should never be kept limited as you would normally feed pellets (as an aside, 30g of pellets per day is likely far too much - the recommended amount of pellets per day is one tablespoon which is more like 6-10g per day. You don’t go by the pellet packaging as they usually are considerably overdoing it by saying approx 30g per day). You use their daily weight checks as the gauge of how much syringe feed to give - where a total lack of appetite and hay intake then you aim for at least 60ml of syringe feed in a 24 hour period - going up or down with that depending on how much hay they are eating and therefore what their weight is doing. With a total lack of appetite, you may need to feed every 2-3 hours per day. Many of us will feed up until around 10/11pm at night with the first feed around 6/7am and then feeding 2-3 hourly during the day.
However, from the weight loss you mention, you are not at this stage. Bill&Ted is right, your piggy isn’t losing huge amounts of weight at this point but given she is unwell it is definitely wise to keep a close eye on her weight.
Click to expand...

It's hard to judge how much hay she's eating. She seemed to be eating constantly yesterday yet her weight has gone down. I haven't seen her leave her hidey so much today though so have been trying to encourage her a bit more.

I'm not having to use a syringe as she seems happy eating from a bowl. I'll try to step up her mush tomorrow.
 
You’re right that you can’t judge the hay intake by eye. Hence weighing. Are you weighing her at the same time every day? Preferably morning before feeding.

Please have a look at the vet locator for future reference. You may have to travel to reach an experienced vet. I hope she starts improving soon.

Recommended Guinea Pig Vets
 
Siikibam said:
You’re right that you can’t judge the hay intake by eye. Hence weighing. Are you weighing her at the same time every day? Preferably morning before feeding.

Please have a look at the vet locator for future reference. You may have to travel to reach an experienced vet. I hope she starts improving soon.

Recommended Guinea Pig Vets
Click to expand...

Yes, weighing her first thing in the morning before her meds. I may have sussed the problem though. I ran out of her favourite hay yesterday and had to buy an alternative while I was waiting for the delivery. The alternative hay is not as nice and has a musty smell. I've just put a pile of her favourite next to her and she's digging in.
 
643g today! She's definitely getting her appetite back. I bought her favourite pellets too as she hasn't been keen on the burgess ones. Come on, Enid!
 
Remember that hay is what will affect her weight, rather than pellets. But I’m glad to hear she’s not losing 👍🏾
 
Siikibam said:
Remember that hay is what will affect her weight, rather than pellets. But I’m glad to hear she’s not losing 👍🏾
Click to expand...

Yes, I know. She's got plenty of her favourite hay too. Just trying to make sure she stays interested in her food. It'll all help.
 
Enid is maintaining her weight and her breathing seems much better than it was but she seems depressed. She sits in the same spot all day long and won't come out. She'll eat the food I put next to her but won't seek it out. Does anyone have any advice? I've tried floor time and enrichment games but nothing seems to interest her.

My vet is referring me to a small animal specialist but it will probably be next week before I get an appointment.
 
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