My guinea pig is old and a mess but she acts completely fine. Do I put her down still?

[guineapig22397393]

My guinea, Riley (7), has had a tumor for quite some time. We went to the vet, gave her some medicine but it kept coming back. She acts like there's nothing wrong. A few weeks ago she started losing patches of hair. Today I noticed little white stuff at the roots of her hair (attached photo) all by her scalp. They're stuck in her hair and don't move (maybe eggs?). My parents won't take her to the vet for this because she is acting normal, with a few exceptions. The first being that she has lost quite a bit of weight (even though she eats as much as she used to). The second is that she has stopped grooming her front paws; I'm always having to get dried poo off of them. Despite all of this she acts perfect and I'm at a loss for whether to put her down considering how lively she is.

 

[Claire W]

If she is acting normal, please don't have her pts but please do try and convince your parents to take her to the vets. The bald patches and flakes suggests that she could have a fungal infection or mites, both easily treated with a prescription strength product prescribed by a vet.

The weight loss could be due to a number of reasons but only a vet can diagnose a potential problem but it doesn't sound like she is ready to go to the rainbow bridge just yet

 

[Piggies&buns]

If she still has a zest for life and her issues can be treated, then PTS may not need to be considered.

Older piggies can find it harder to maintain their weight, but how much weight has she lost?
Are you supplementing her feeding to make up for her reduced hay intake? If is important to do so to stabilise her weight. If she is willingly eating then this doesn’t need to be via syringe feeding and may be able to be done through a bowl of critical care in her cage

She does need to see a vet though to check her health and the skin condition.

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Weight - Monitoring and Management

 

[Wiebke]

My guinea, Riley (7), has had a tumor for quite some time. We went to the vet, gave her some medicine but it kept coming back. She acts like there's nothing wrong. A few weeks ago she started losing patches of hair. Today I noticed little white stuff at the roots of her hair (attached photo) all by her scalp. They're stuck in her hair and don't move (maybe eggs?). My parents won't take her to the vet for this because she is acting normal, with a few exceptions. The first being that she has lost quite a bit of weight (even though she eats as much as she used to). The second is that she has stopped grooming her front paws; I'm always having to get dried poo off of them. Despite all of this she acts perfect and I'm at a loss for whether to put her down considering how lively she is.

View attachment 198404

Hi

Without a hands-on diagnosis, we cannot tell you whether you girl has skin parasites or a fungal skin infection (which need different treatment).
Please have a look at this link here and show it to your parents. The correct vet strength treatment doesn't cost the world and will make her feel a lot more comfortable in herself. It is definitely not time to put her to sleep over an easily sortable issue!
New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites

Here is our practical support care link for looking after old guinea pigs: Caring for Older Piggies and Facing the End - A practical and supportive information collection

 

[guineapig22397393]

Hi, thank you to everyone who helped. I was able to get her in with a vet! She has mites, which is the reason she was losing hair. I was able to get her some medicine to take within the next few weeks. Thank you so so much

 

[AbraCassandra]

My girl is 8 1/2 and also has a huge tumor. She's still eating and right now she's fighting off a uti. She doesn't clearn herself anymore so I clean her every other day.

My husband and I decided when she loses her appetite and it's not something fixable then she's ready to go.

100% if you CAN help her live, do it. Don't give up on her til she decides it's time : ) that's our job and our honor for our babies.