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Violet: vet and bum baths

My Piggies

My Piggies

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hi everyone,

My old girl Violet (almost 8) has arthritis (as well as kidney failure and bone cancer) and often sits in her own wee, causing a wet belly and bum. She has hair loss on her belly, which I'm thinking may be due to her constantly weeing on herself. Should I give her bum baths? And if so, how often? I don't want to cause her added stress as she is very old and quite frail.

I'm taking Violet to the vet on Thursday evening for a check up and to investigate some things I have found. She has a very small lump on her side (which I've been keeping an eye on and hasn't grown at all), hair loss on her belly (as mentioned above - doesn't seem to bother her) and weight loss, which I'm most concerned about. Since her last vet check up in April, she has lost over 200g. She was 950g, but is now 750g. In her prime, Violet averaged around 1050-1100g. The reason I'm not treating this as an emergency is because she is still eating, drinking and pooping normally, and gets excited over veggies. The last time we took her to the vet (in April), we were told that she would last a couple of weeks, then take a steady turn for the worst, and we would have to bring her in to be pts. She seems to be greatly exceeding expectations.

Any advice would be much appreciated.
 
I would give her a bum bath. Though I’m not sure how often you should do it. Has she ever been investigated for ovarian cysts - the hair loss on her belly? And are you topping her up? If she’s losing weight she’s not eating enough. I know sometimes the older piggies don’t maintain their weight as well, but I would top up as much as she will accept.
 
Siikibam said:
I would give her a bum bath. Though I’m not sure how often you should do it. Has she ever been investigated for ovarian cysts - the hair loss on her belly? And are you topping her up? If she’s losing weight she’s not eating enough. I know sometimes the older piggies don’t maintain their weight as well, but I would top up as much as she will accept.
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She has been investigated for ovarian cysts - the vet said she had small ones. I could discuss getting them drained if they've gotten much bigger since her last appointment as she wouldn't survive a surgery. I can take Violet out and hand feed her some extra pellets - how much extra should I give her?
 
Sorry to hear of Violet's troubles. What a fantastic age she is though.
We can't offer much advice, but wanted to send our love. You are doing an amazing job
 
There’s probably no harm in giving her a bum bath or even just a gentle wipe over with a warm clean flannel daily to keep her from getting urine scalding.
Could you also invest in a piece of vet bed? You don’t need a huge piece - just enough to cut into a few squares to place where she sleeps. I’ve found for elderly and arthritic piggies vet bed drains all liquid away from the skin, helping to keep them drier and more comfy.
It’s a good idea to weigh daily and also to supplement with some recovery food (eg Emeraid or Critical Care) to help her maintain her weight. Otherwise, dried oats are popular with piggies who need to gain a bit of weight.
 
VickiA said:
There’s probably no harm in giving her a bum bath or even just a gentle wipe over with a warm clean flannel daily to keep her from getting urine scalding.
Could you also invest in a piece of vet bed? You don’t need a huge piece - just enough to cut into a few squares to place where she sleeps. I’ve found for elderly and arthritic piggies vet bed drains all liquid away from the skin, helping to keep them drier and more comfy.
It’s a good idea to weigh daily and also to supplement with some recovery food (eg Emeraid or Critical Care) to help her maintain her weight. Otherwise, dried oats are popular with piggies who need to gain a bit of weight.
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Thank you! I'll have a look at where I can get some vet bed.
 
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