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Health issues in older piggies

mypiggypotato

mypiggypotato

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Hi! I’m new to the forum. I’ve had my Guinea pig since I was in sixth grade, he is now four years old and I am anticipating his death. I know that sounds bad but I have never owned a piggy before so I am completely new to how the age process works. I’ve seen Guinea pigs that have lived to 6+ but I just don’t want to get my hopes up, anyways! My lovely potato has mad me concerned with a few things
1.his right eye is looking cloudier than the left, and often keeps it closed when resting.
2. Whenever I find him resting he is often spikey, like his fur is on its ends, and I don’t know if that’s bad, I googled it and it told me he might have a health problem?
3. his ears have gotten very dry
If anyone has any answers I am desperate to know, I live in the country and the nearest vet is long away, I’m hoping this is the kind of thing I can treat at home.
Potato eats a died of pellets and hay, with the occasional veggie.
Please let me know if anything’s wrong, thank you so much
 
I don't know what could be the problem with your potatoes heath problems but guinea pigs should have a diet with more veggies each day because fresh veggies contain vitamin C and perhaps that may help with his dry ears.
 
Welcome to the forum

At 4 years old, he is getting towards the lower end of a typical life span but he is not particularly old and could have several more years.

A cloudy eye signifies that he may have an ulcerating injury likely from haypoke. This does need a vet to check it. Eye injuries are considered urgent and deteriorate very quickly if not treated promptly.

Spiking his hair can signify discomfort. A vet would need to look at him to determine what is going on and whether he has a health issue.

You can’t treat anything at home as you simply don’t know what is wrong nor what the right treatment is.

Regarding his diet, it doesn’t sound like he is getting exactly what he needs. The diet needs to be hay in unlimited amounts as it makes up three quarters of what they need to eat in a day. They need vegetables every day for the nutrients and vitamin c. Pellets are the least important part of the diet and should never be fed many at all - just one tablespoon per pig per day. Most commercial pellets are not particularly healthy for them so you never want them having many at all.

Make sure you are weighing them every week as part of routine care. This is the only way to know that a piggy is eating enough hay (hay intake cannot be gauged by eye). When they become well they can often stop eating enough hay and consequently lose weight and you then need to step in with syringe feeding.

Wiebke

Thread 'Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets'

1 The recommended ratio of food groups
2 Hay and fresh grass
3 Vegetables, fresh herbs and fruit with an illustrated balanced sample diet
4 Special dietary needs
- Urinary tract infections, bladder stones and sterile IC (non-bacterial interstitial cystitis)
- Diabetes and long term digestive problems
- Impaction in boars
- Pregnancy and nursing dietary tweaks (only visible to registered members who have accepted our no intentional breeding policy)...
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Hi and welcome

We have other Canadian members and are well aware that vet access in Canada is often not easy - the distances outside urban centres are large; there are much less vet clinics around compared to other countries. The ratio between vet cost and salaries is one of the highest in the Western world.

However, a closed and cloudy eye could unfortunately indicate an ulcerating/infected eye injury where the infection on the surface has healed but not yet deeper inside. A cataract could be another possibility but in this case the cloudiness inside the eye is not painful and won't lead to a closed eye, so it is a likely option.

A closed eye is a clear sign of pain, as is any hair standing on end. The latter usually signifies a source of pain somewhere deeper inside the body or head where your piggy cannot get at it but it is generally too vague to show the presence of a source of pain but not where it is actually located. Again, it is not something you can treat at home as it may need a scan and a thorough examination for any possible internal growths etc.

Here is our pain guide, which you may find helpful:
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...
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Here are our tips on what you can do in an emergency until you can see a vet and during a crisis in addition of the appropriate diagnosis and medication. We can unfortunately not replace any hands-on vet diagnoses, nor are we - since this forum is UK based - legally allowed to; we can only help with practical questions and care tips to optimise your care support at home in addition to what your vet has prescribed.
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...
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Hello and welcome to the forum. I hope you can get him seen by a vet and it’s something easily treated.
 
It’s ok. He’s not going to die. Years ago the advice was pellets and a little hay which I fed to my piggies and they were all fine. Now the evidence points to hay being the main source of food with a small amount of pellets. Just cut down the pellets and make sure there is a lot of hay at all times.
 
Just get him checked over by a vet, and try and give him access to a better diet, lots of nice hay and some veggies, there are lots of links above to posts to help
As you are Stateside we would suggest joining up at guinea lynx Guinea Lynx Forums - Forum Home a stateside based forum, they have lots of members in Canada also.
Try not to worry, you have had him for four years so any health problems are not caused by you. Sometimes piggies get poorly.
 
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