The Pigs Are Redecorating

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Beans&Toast

Beans&Toast

Adult Guinea Pig
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Bought a new carrot house for the pigs 3 days ago.

Apparently they weren't happy with the look of this new house so they've set to work stripping the wall paper and making an open plan roof..

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Toast inspecting the roof...
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"This roof would definitely look better with a big hole right here."
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"How's the wallpaper looking there, Beans?"
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"Yeah that's really coming along nicely."
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"That's enough for tonight, we'll leave the mess for mummy to clean."
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:luv:
 
I went to clean the cage when I caught Beans doing more work on the roof tonight

"Yeah this hole is really coming along great now"
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"Let me just check over here..."
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I can't believe she's managed to jump up there without a ramp, she must have some muscles in those hind legs! :clap:
 
Aww what funny and cute photos! They certainly know how to re-decorate! The carrot house lasted around 2 days with my herd. They made such a mess with it, but its worth it when you see how pleased they get with destroying it. :))
 
ayemee said:
Aww what funny and cute photos! They certainly know how to re-decorate! The carrot house lasted around 2 days with my herd. They made such a mess with it, but its worth it when you see how pleased they get with destroying it. :))
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They really do seem to take great pride in destroying their home don't they :lol!:
 
Beans&Toast said:
Aww :(
How did you find out you had a diabetic piggy?
And how do you look after them differently?
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Ellen was drinking a lot from the water bottle so I tested her urine which showed high glucose levels so I took her to the vet. There they performed a blood test (pin prick behind the ear) which revealed high glucose in the blood so diabetes was diagnosed.

We feed her a low sugar / carbohydrate diet with limited nuggets and unlimited hay which has thankfully brought her condition under control.

Unfortunately carrot is high in sugar so Ellen can't have it :(
 
Claire W said:
Ellen was drinking a lot from the water bottle so I tested her urine which showed high glucose levels so I took her to the vet. There they performed a blood test (pink prick behind the ear) which revealed high glucose in the blood so diabetes was diagnosed.

We feed her a low sugar / carbohydrate diet with limited nuggets and unlimited hay which has thankfully brought her condition under control.

Unfortunately carrot is high in sugar so Ellen can't have it :(
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Poor wee piggy.
That's good that she's okay now though and it's manageable :nod:
 
Beans&Toast said:
Was she just constantly at the watter bottle? What damage can be done if left untreated? Sorry for all the questions I'm just very interested in piggy health
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Yes she was drinking a lot more than her friends. If left untreated diabetes can cause weight gain, cataracts and kidney problems to name a few. @flintstones can probably advise further as she once had a piggy with diabetes. Thankfully Ellen's is very mild as we caught it in time x
 
I had a piggy many years back that I lost due to untreated diabetes. She was a rescue pig, soon after adopting her I noticed her water intake was huge. She also would urinate frequently.

We unfortunately weren't able to treat her as by this point her kidneys where shutting down. All we could do was help her on her way, I just didn't have the right vet at the time. Fortunately Bette found my new vet, we'd went for a 2nd opinion and it was him that diagnosed her.

Although we couldn't save her, we have extended many other pig's lifes.

Diabetes strains the kidneys, so if not treated they will adventually enter kidney failure. I know diabetes can be controlled by diet as Claire is doing. I guess like humans you probably have 'type 1' and 'type 2'.
 
flintstones said:
I had a piggy many years back that I lost due to untreated diabetes. She was a rescue pig, soon after adopting her I noticed her water intake was huge. She also would urinate frequently.

We unfortunately weren't able to treat her as by this point her kidneys where shutting down. All we could do was help her on her way, I just didn't have the right vet at the time. Fortunately Bette found my new vet, we'd went for a 2nd opinion and it was him that diagnosed her.

Although we couldn't save her, we have extended many other pig's lifes.

Diabetes strains the kidneys, so if not treated they will adventually enter kidney failure. I know diabetes can be controlled by diet as Claire is doing. I guess like humans you probably have 'type 1' and 'type 2'.
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I had Toast at the vets yesterday for unexplained weight gain, and she was doing a lot if sludgy pees.
Toast has always drank a fair bit more than Beans but I've never thought anything of it... would the vet test for everything with a urine sample or just specifically calcium..

I'm not jumping to conclusions, but given Toasts big weight gain (definitely not pregnant) and the fact she drinks a lot more than Bean, would it be worth checking for diabetes?
 
Generally with diabetes they have unexplained weight loss rather than gain. That's certainly my understanding.

Some guinea pig's do drink more than others is this something she has just started doing?
 
To put your mind a little bit more at ease, a Urine test can show glucose. If the glucose reading is raised you would have to follow with a prick test and check the glucose level in the blood to confirm diabetes.
 
I also understand that loss of weight can be a symptom of diabetes however @Midge&Panda had a piggy gain a lot of weight through diabetes although I can't be certain that was the main cause.

As @flintstones has suggested, a urine test to test for high glucose levels would be your first port of call to see if diabetes is a possibility.

Please be aware though that diabetes in Guinea pigs is rare x
 
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Claire W said:
I also understand that loss of weight can be a symptom of diabetes however @Midge&Panda had a piggy gain a lot of weight through diabetes although I can't be certain that was the main cause.

As @flintstones has suggested, a urine test to test for high glucose levels would be your first port of call to see if diabetes is a possibility.

Please be aware though that diabetes in Guinea pigs is rare x
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Thank you @Claire W and @flintstones for all your advice.
Toast has drank more than Beans in the year that I've had them.
I'm not jumping to any conclusions or anything it was just a thought. Plus it's helpful to know any signs/symptoms and it's something to discuss with the vet also. Thank you :)
 
Beans&Toast said:
Thank you @Claire W and @flintstones for all your advice.
Toast has drank more than Beans in the year that I've had them.
I'm not jumping to any conclusions or anything it was just a thought. Plus it's helpful to know any signs/symptoms and it's something to discuss with the vet also. Thank you :)
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All the best and please keep us updated :)
 
Tonight Beans and Toastie decided the best way to remodel their house is just to tip it upside down and really get into it...

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"Beans, try round there, that bit needs looking at.."
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If anyone would like their home remodeled, Beans and Toast are very professional and will take payment in parsley and bell pepper ;)
 
Definitely going to get the babies one of these. Going back to the subject of diabetes Finny came to us as a rescue so we only knew the basics of his past life. He developed cataracts and drank a lot. His urine tested positive for glucose and we tried to control it with diet. Weight gain was a big issue. He finally went onto tablets but we still had a problem with his weight. To cut a long story short the weight gain caused him to have to eat and drink by lifting his head up this in turn caused him to swallow air and swell. There probably were other issues concerning his health but because of the gain tests, investigations and ga's were too risky. We almost lost him during a routine op to remove a fatty lump on his leg.
 
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