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Losing weight

luckyandsammy

luckyandsammy

Teenage Guinea Pig
Joined
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Hi,
I’m looking for some advice.
My guinea pig Kiwi has started losing a lot of weight a few weeks ago.
He used to be about 1200g but he went down to about 1020g. I took him to the vets for a check up but the vet didn’t find anything wrong. He checked his teeth and checked for masses in his belly. I did move house recently and the guinea pigs were hiding a lot because they were not used to being in a new place so the vet thought it might be stress related, and advised me to use Pet Remedy spray and monitor Kiwi’s food intake.
Kiwi is not hiding away anymore and he is eating a lot, always demanding food at meal times etc. he seems to be acting normal. But his weight is now down to 999g.
I booked him in for an appointment tomorrow but I’m not sure what could be wrong with him? I read that kidney issues could cause weight loss, is it worth asking for blood tests?

Last time the vet said if he doesn’t improve then putting him under anaesthetic to check teeth properly + do X-rays of his belly could be the next step but I really don’t think it’s his teeth as he has no issues eating and he didn’t feel any masses.

I’m really not sure what to do but I’d like to find the problem as quickly as possible!
 
Good luck. Unexplained weight loss is always a bit of a challenge. You & your vets have to rule out (or in) certain conditions before reaching a diagnosis. With healthy appetite one of the things my vets usually check for is infection screen, kidney and thyroid function. I hope that your visit sheds some enlightenment.
 
I’m sorry to hear that.

How old is he?
If he is older, have things such as arthritis been ruled out?
 
VickiA said:
Good luck. Unexplained weight loss is always a bit of a challenge. You & your vets have to rule out (or in) certain conditions before reaching a diagnosis. With healthy appetite one of the things my vets usually check for is infection screen, kidney and thyroid function. I hope that your visit sheds some enlightenment.
Click to expand...
Would this be checked by doing blood tests, or urine samples? My appointment is at 4pm but I know some vets like to do stuff like that in the morning so if that’s what necessary I might try to reschedule the visit for an earlier time to avoid extra trips.
 
luckyandsammy said:
Would this be checked by doing blood tests, or urine samples? My appointment is at 4pm but I know some vets like to do stuff like that in the morning so if that’s what necessary I might try to reschedule the visit for an earlier time to avoid extra trips.
Click to expand...
Those tests are done by taking blood
 
It could still be a mass.
My guinea pig was diagnosed a mass in her digestive system a year ago, but my vet didn't feel it when she touched her (she also has ovarian cysts that can be felt with touch) and they were found thanks to an ultrasound.
 
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