Dilly's Piggies
Teenage Guinea Pig
I know this is a long post and I apologise, but please read the whole thing before responding.
I have two almost 4 year old spayed sheltie sows, they're both sisters and both of them had ovarian cysts at only 1 year old so of course were spayed as a result of that. I'm thankful that there were no complications with either of them with surgery and they've done great since. However there is one problem that has been going on since the symptoms of ovarian cysts first came up, they're both way too thin for my liking. They both eat, poop and act like normal piggies but can't seem to gain weight at all no matter how many calories I feed them, it just goes straight through... Actually they are both more active and hyper compared to my other girls.
They've both been to the vet numerous times about this, they've had just about every test possible including dental exams, full body xrays, ultrasounds, urine and faecal tests and blood work, they're both medically healthy but my vet agrees they are both underweight, we just don't know why, the only connection between them both and difference to my 6 other sows is that they're spayed. Harriet weighs 900g and Lottie weighs 925g, Harriet is not as bad as Lottie because she is a more petite built pig, Lottie is a big boned longer pig so just feels terrible, she's skin and bones despite 925g still being within the 'normal' range of weight. I do not base my 'ideals' on what the scales say, I go by how the piggy feels and looks (condition), and both of them especially Lottie are very skinny.
Before they got ovarian cysts they were normal chunky piggies, they started losing weight when they got it and have never recovered the weight loss. Harriet is around 100g underweight and Lottie is around 200g underweight, it has been this way for 3 years now and I've tried absolutely everything to get their weight back up with things like syringe feed (normal and weight gain formula), every brand of pellet you can think of, every type of hay you can think of, feeding higher calorie fruits and vegetables, giving treats, porridge oats, vitamins, minerals, multi-vitamins, probiotics etc, absolutely everything!
Even though they're both clinically healthy, I still am not comfortable with them being underweight, they're only 3 years old so not even seniors yet, I'm very worried that as they get older it will become increasingly problematic to maintain them. Piggies should not be fat in my opinion but they should be curvy with a good amount of fat on them so if they get sick there's a little extra on them, Lottie and Harriet cannot afford to lose any weight at all and I'm obviously very worried about them.
I have a theory that their issue is a combination of genetics (their mother was also always thin and got ovarian cysts, she died during the spay surgery sadly) and the fact they got ovarian cysts along with hormonal issues at such a young age or it's connected to being spayed, but I also notice that both of them are very hyperactive, perhaps there is an issue with their metabolism or digestion so they can't absorb nutrients from food correctly or they burn it off too quickly. I don't know if there are other tests available I can do to see if there is an issue like this since they are both full blood sisters with the same issue and maybe there is treatment for it.
Another unusual thing about Lottie is that whenever I handle her, she will poop like crazy, within 10 seconds she can poop around 15 times, her poops are properly formed and healthy. None of my other piggies have ever done this. Lottie is my favourite piggy, I have a very close bond to her and she loves me too, she's extremely sweet natured but she isn't a fan of being handled because she just wants to go and explore, she's a free spirit that cannot be contained lol! I think the pooping is a sign of frustration of being held but I have other stressy pigs and they don't do this poop thing, Lottie also did it at the vet and the vet thought it was interesting too. It seems impossible that a piggy can poop so much so quickly. Also given how thin she is, it's obvious she is eating lots.
I probably sound silly for worrying so much but I adore my piggies and I have that Mum feeling that something isn't right and I will do anything I can to help, I'm just that kind of pet owner. Plus I can't be the only person out there struggling with piggies like Lottie and Harriet, perhaps I can contribute to research and figure out what's going on so they can live a better life and also any other piggies out there with the same thing.
The photos I've provided are comparisons, Lottie is the white, red and chocolate sheltie and Paisley is the black, white and cream sheltie. Paisley (almost 5 years old and not spayed) is a whole year older than Lottie and clearly has a much more normal, better body condition compared to Lottie. I'm sure you guys believe me anyway but I thought the photos will help explain my concerns.
So my questions are, does anyone have any idea what could be causing this, are there any conditions I should get my vet to test for? Have you ever been in a situation like this? Do you have spayed sows, if so are they a healthy weight? What else can I try to get weight on them?
![20200115_093738[1].webp](https://data.theguineapigforum.co.uk/attachments/128/128052-31ba1a6311fb958349f3f26acf240a4a.jpg?hash=zMv9IpzV5o "20200115_093738[1].webp")
![20200115_094106[1].webp](https://data.theguineapigforum.co.uk/attachments/128/128054-f64bbbc287573f4dcfb601ebdc0cea3f.jpg?hash=uLjbMO1ryn "20200115_094106[1].webp")
![20200115_093707[1].webp](https://data.theguineapigforum.co.uk/attachments/128/128053-18cce35155209b6ff9301151a49d94f9.jpg?hash=d56-BSaO-8 "20200115_093707[1].webp")
![20200115_094045[1].webp](https://data.theguineapigforum.co.uk/attachments/128/128055-89e9971ab0b056fb577aefaf3318ab7a.jpg?hash=1WZnZ56yF1 "20200115_094045[1].webp")
I have two almost 4 year old spayed sheltie sows, they're both sisters and both of them had ovarian cysts at only 1 year old so of course were spayed as a result of that. I'm thankful that there were no complications with either of them with surgery and they've done great since. However there is one problem that has been going on since the symptoms of ovarian cysts first came up, they're both way too thin for my liking. They both eat, poop and act like normal piggies but can't seem to gain weight at all no matter how many calories I feed them, it just goes straight through... Actually they are both more active and hyper compared to my other girls.
They've both been to the vet numerous times about this, they've had just about every test possible including dental exams, full body xrays, ultrasounds, urine and faecal tests and blood work, they're both medically healthy but my vet agrees they are both underweight, we just don't know why, the only connection between them both and difference to my 6 other sows is that they're spayed. Harriet weighs 900g and Lottie weighs 925g, Harriet is not as bad as Lottie because she is a more petite built pig, Lottie is a big boned longer pig so just feels terrible, she's skin and bones despite 925g still being within the 'normal' range of weight. I do not base my 'ideals' on what the scales say, I go by how the piggy feels and looks (condition), and both of them especially Lottie are very skinny.
Before they got ovarian cysts they were normal chunky piggies, they started losing weight when they got it and have never recovered the weight loss. Harriet is around 100g underweight and Lottie is around 200g underweight, it has been this way for 3 years now and I've tried absolutely everything to get their weight back up with things like syringe feed (normal and weight gain formula), every brand of pellet you can think of, every type of hay you can think of, feeding higher calorie fruits and vegetables, giving treats, porridge oats, vitamins, minerals, multi-vitamins, probiotics etc, absolutely everything!
Even though they're both clinically healthy, I still am not comfortable with them being underweight, they're only 3 years old so not even seniors yet, I'm very worried that as they get older it will become increasingly problematic to maintain them. Piggies should not be fat in my opinion but they should be curvy with a good amount of fat on them so if they get sick there's a little extra on them, Lottie and Harriet cannot afford to lose any weight at all and I'm obviously very worried about them.
I have a theory that their issue is a combination of genetics (their mother was also always thin and got ovarian cysts, she died during the spay surgery sadly) and the fact they got ovarian cysts along with hormonal issues at such a young age or it's connected to being spayed, but I also notice that both of them are very hyperactive, perhaps there is an issue with their metabolism or digestion so they can't absorb nutrients from food correctly or they burn it off too quickly. I don't know if there are other tests available I can do to see if there is an issue like this since they are both full blood sisters with the same issue and maybe there is treatment for it.
Another unusual thing about Lottie is that whenever I handle her, she will poop like crazy, within 10 seconds she can poop around 15 times, her poops are properly formed and healthy. None of my other piggies have ever done this. Lottie is my favourite piggy, I have a very close bond to her and she loves me too, she's extremely sweet natured but she isn't a fan of being handled because she just wants to go and explore, she's a free spirit that cannot be contained lol! I think the pooping is a sign of frustration of being held but I have other stressy pigs and they don't do this poop thing, Lottie also did it at the vet and the vet thought it was interesting too. It seems impossible that a piggy can poop so much so quickly. Also given how thin she is, it's obvious she is eating lots.
I probably sound silly for worrying so much but I adore my piggies and I have that Mum feeling that something isn't right and I will do anything I can to help, I'm just that kind of pet owner. Plus I can't be the only person out there struggling with piggies like Lottie and Harriet, perhaps I can contribute to research and figure out what's going on so they can live a better life and also any other piggies out there with the same thing.
The photos I've provided are comparisons, Lottie is the white, red and chocolate sheltie and Paisley is the black, white and cream sheltie. Paisley (almost 5 years old and not spayed) is a whole year older than Lottie and clearly has a much more normal, better body condition compared to Lottie. I'm sure you guys believe me anyway but I thought the photos will help explain my concerns.
So my questions are, does anyone have any idea what could be causing this, are there any conditions I should get my vet to test for? Have you ever been in a situation like this? Do you have spayed sows, if so are they a healthy weight? What else can I try to get weight on them?
