Should I be worried about my piggies weight loss?

[LondonLady]

Apologies for the long post. I'm feeling very stressed (not just about the piggies but about other stuff going on) and I can't seem to think straight.

I've attached weight charts - one for this year and the other one for the past week when I started weighing them daily. If anybody has time I would really appreciate it if you could have a look and tell me what you think.

Background:
I've had Biscuit and Toffee for exactly 3yrs. Biscuit is now 5.5yrs and Toffee is 4.
They've never had any health problems other than Toffee getting some hay in his eye a year and a half ago and Biscuit having hay mites - both treated and quickly resolved.
Biscuit's weight has been dropping very slowly for a year or more - in 2022 she was averaging around 960-980. The loss was so slow that I didn't really register it at first and since then I've assumed that it's because of her age. She last saw a vet last March (when she was treated for mites) and the vet confirmed she was otherwise healthy. The vet checked Toffee over at the same time and said he seemed to be in excellent health.
I've never had cause to worry about Toffee's weight until now - but then suddenly he dropped below 1000g for the first time ever and that panicked me - and then he suddenly dropped another 40g at which point I started weighing them daily.

Other than the weight loss they are acting completely normally. Always eager for their veggies, pooping normally and so on.

I'm wondering if this could be all to do with stress? First there was the recent hot weather. I couldn't keep their room as cool as I would have liked but they seemed to manage ok. I also had to take them to piggy boarding for a week while my flat was being rewired - perhaps all the travelling upset them? (And I've go9t to take them again in a couple of weeks when I'm having more work done - this isn't negotiable) In addition to this and quite unconnected there is now a huge building site practically next door and the noise at times is really awful. could that be having an effect on them?

As I said I am really stressed at the moment, and i don't know if I'm worrying about nothing, if I need to take them to the vet straight away or if it's ok to just keep an eye on them and see how things are going. Really grateful for any advice. (need to go out and won't be back until this evening but will pick up on any replies then.)

Oh, I should also say that when i weighed them this morning they have gained 15g Biscuit and 16g Toffee from the last weight below - which has made me a little bit hopeful that I don't need to panic yet.

Thank you so much.

 

[Claire W]

Firstly, I would stop weighing them daily for now. I did this with my piggies and the worry made me ill. They do fluctuate in weight from day to day. We say that a loss of 50g or a continuous downward trend should warrant a vet visit. As it is both of them, it could be down to the hot weather. their environment, not eating so much or stress.

I wound start weighing them weekly and keep an eye on them and if they do continue to drop, then I would see a vet x

 

[Wiebke]

Apologies for the long post. I'm feeling very stressed (not just about the piggies but about other stuff going on) and I can't seem to think straight.

I've attached weight charts - one for this year and the other one for the past week when I started weighing them daily. If anybody has time I would really appreciate it if you could have a look and tell me what you think.

Background:
I've had Biscuit and Toffee for exactly 3yrs. Biscuit is now 5.5yrs and Toffee is 4.
They've never had any health problems other than Toffee getting some hay in his eye a year and a half ago and Biscuit having hay mites - both treated and quickly resolved.
Biscuit's weight has been dropping very slowly for a year or more - in 2022 she was averaging around 960-980. The loss was so slow that I didn't really register it at first and since then I've assumed that it's because of her age. She last saw a vet last March (when she was treated for mites) and the vet confirmed she was otherwise healthy. The vet checked Toffee over at the same time and said he seemed to be in excellent health.
I've never had cause to worry about Toffee's weight until now - but then suddenly he dropped below 1000g for the first time ever and that panicked me - and then he suddenly dropped another 40g at which point I started weighing them daily.

Other than the weight loss they are acting completely normally. Always eager for their veggies, pooping normally and so on.

I'm wondering if this could be all to do with stress? First there was the recent hot weather. I couldn't keep their room as cool as I would have liked but they seemed to manage ok. I also had to take them to piggy boarding for a week while my flat was being rewired - perhaps all the travelling upset them? (And I've go9t to take them again in a couple of weeks when I'm having more work done - this isn't negotiable) In addition to this and quite unconnected there is now a huge building site practically next door and the noise at times is really awful. could that be having an effect on them?

As I said I am really stressed at the moment, and i don't know if I'm worrying about nothing, if I need to take them to the vet straight away or if it's ok to just keep an eye on them and see how things are going. Really grateful for any advice. (need to go out and won't be back until this evening but will pick up on any replies then.)

Oh, I should also say that when i weighed them this morning they have gained 15g Biscuit and 16g Toffee from the last weight below - which has made me a little bit hopeful that I don't need to panic yetView attachment 232554View attachment 232555.

Thank you so much.

Hi

Please stop weighing daily. The more often you weigh, the more the weight will jump around.

Please accept that the difference between a full and empty tummy is about 30-40g and the difference between an empty and a full bladder about 10g. That is why the natural weight of a piggy swings naturally around 30-40g over the course of 24 hours. They do not weigh the same at all hours.

That is the reason why we speak of weight loss only once you have crossed 50g. You are still only in the range of what amounts to being basically one dinner short and still in the range where you should not weigh more than once weekly. We do not recommend to switch to weighing daily first thing in the morning for most reliable day to day comparison (eliminating the daily weight swing) before a weight loss of 50g.

Please take the time to read these very helpful links here:
Weight - Monitoring and Management

Pet Owners Anxiety - Practical Tips For Sufferers and For Supporters

Please take a deep breath and look after yourself. We have just come out of some very hot weather into much cooler autumnal temperatures. That can cause little weight bumps but there is nothing wrong with your boys right now. If both piggies show the same pattern without any further symptoms, then the cause is environmental and not illness. Most often it is a more significant weather change/temperature jump of which we are bound to see more of as a result of climate change. The bodies will adapt again.

 

[LondonLady]

Thank you both for your replies @Claire W and @Wiebke . Ok, I'll go back to weighing them weekly. I just got into a bit of a panic and started imagining all sorts of things. Now I'm a bit calmer it makes sense that it is probably environmental factors, the recent heat and so on that's caused this weight loss, not actual illness.

Thank you for the links, I'm going to read the anxiety one right now (I don't think I've read it before) and try not to worry so much.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you both for your replies @Claire W and @Wiebke . Ok, I'll go back to weighing them weekly. I just got into a bit of a panic and started imagining all sorts of things. Now I'm a bit calmer it makes sense that it is probably environmental factors, the recent heat and so on that's caused this weight loss, not actual illness.

Thank you for the links, I'm going to read the anxiety one right now (I don't think I've read it before) and try not to worry so much.

I hope that you'll find the article very helpful. I have tried to keep it practical - both for yourself and those that support you.

When you feel yourself starting to panic, it helps to put your problem into perspective and leave the panic for when it is really warranted.