misty is quieter than usual...

[XbeccaX]

a few of you may remember i told you about minnie, who sadly died of pneumonia in may. the first sign that she was ill was that she was quieter than usual, and didnt purr when we stroked her. for the past few days, i've noticed misty just tends to sit in the bedroom in the hutch, or in the pigloo in the run. she still purrs and coms out for tea, but i'm a little worried she could be heading the same way as minnie. we didnt take minnie to the vets until she stopped eating, as my mum thought she was just missing my sister (who's piggie she was, and who was away at the time). we said afterwards "if only we'd taken her sooner", and promised not to make the same mistake again.
should i ask mum to take misty to the vets, or am i being completely paranoid? :{ (i have had an extreme paranoier [sorry can't spell!] over misty and millie since minnie died, i have to check the hutch doors are locked 3 times before i leave anywhere! :{)

 

[Wiebke]

Can you hold you ear to Minnie's chest and nose area to check for rough/rattling/crackling breathing? Do that twice daily if you suspect URI. Check your other healthy piggy so you can hear any difference.

Also weigh her daily on the kitchen scales - a variance of 30g is normal (difference between a full/empty bladder/tummy), but a steady down trend should be checked by a vet! I do that with any guinea pig I suspect is not well, otherwise I check every two weeks.

Have you checked Minnie's belly - it is tight or is it soft?
How are her poos? Is there any change to her peeing?
Are her sides heaving more than normal?
Can you feel any lumps anywhere?

It is not easy to find a cause when you can't put your finger on anything yet, but you FEEL that your piggy is not right.

We have a thread about first signs of illness in our reference section, btw.

 

[XbeccaX]

thanks wiebke btw it is misty i am worried about, minnie is the piggie who died, but don't worry becasue my friends get them confused with their names being so similar!
misty has started being a bit more perky and she still comes out for food, however she does make a rattling noise every so often, but she hasn't done it for about a month.
i'm not going to do anything yet but if her behaviour changes at all i will take her to the vet
thanks again, and about what you said about being able to 'feel' something is not right, i felt that with minnie a few days before her diagnosis of pneumonia