Slight white discharge from nose
- Mum
- I GAVE, dammit!
I'm adding this to your thread, since you mentioned diet earlier in the thread and then posted this elsewhere:
Carrots are very high in sugar and should be limited to no more than one small baby carrot per day per pig. If you read through the diet section you'll find that fruit must also be limited. I do give mine the odd strawberry (which is not bad for them, but it is a fruit).Wondering about carrots? I feed my two pigs - 4 small carrots in AM. They got more when they were young. They are now 4yrs old. Is this not a good thing? They get Oxbow pellets and hay/orchard grass everyday. In evening they are given either: green pepper, parsley, leaf lettuce, limited broccoli, occasional orange wedge. I thought seeded fruits like strawberries were bad. Mine also prefer veggies and don't care for fruits that much. I thought fruits had TOO much sugar - which is why I avoid them. I thought carrots were safer. Your diet area is first I read that carrots should be limited. WHY?
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- You can quote me
Carrots have nearly as much sugar in them as fruits, so they fall into the 'limited' category. Seeded fruits like strawberry are no worse than any other fruits, and they do have a good bit of vitamin C in them, so they're not necessarily bad.
Just like children, some guinea pigs can handle a good bit of sugar, while others can handle very little. Limiting it and keeping a good eye on it is the best way to prevent problems. If your two have no problem with 4 small carrots in the morning, then to me it's not bad. But be advised as they age, they may (or may not) start to have some GI disturbance from them.
Excessive sugars disturb the balance of flora in the GI tract. If your pigs start to get gassy, have smaller or 'pinched'-shape feces, or feces with mucous strings attached, or any other GI imbalance, an excess of sugar is one place to look for the problem.
Just like children, some guinea pigs can handle a good bit of sugar, while others can handle very little. Limiting it and keeping a good eye on it is the best way to prevent problems. If your two have no problem with 4 small carrots in the morning, then to me it's not bad. But be advised as they age, they may (or may not) start to have some GI disturbance from them.
Excessive sugars disturb the balance of flora in the GI tract. If your pigs start to get gassy, have smaller or 'pinched'-shape feces, or feces with mucous strings attached, or any other GI imbalance, an excess of sugar is one place to look for the problem.
Thank you. I am bedding them now on sherpa/fleece and they seem happy although I clean it much more. I will watch the carrots. Both of them are old ladies and seem to be more frail - now that they are older. I need to get a scale as both seem thinner, not drastically, but over the course of a year. I assume it is age, like when we get old. Both have good appetites. I need to buy more hay, but find this time of year Oxbow hay is not their favorite. Anyone buy hay from them lately? Mine love it when it is green!! They get hay every day and seem to enjoy it - although I wish they would eat more of it.
- Mum
- I GAVE, dammit!
You never run out of hay, right? They absolutely have to have a constant supply - critical for keeping their GI tracts running well and to wear down their teeth properly.I need to buy more hay, but find this time of year Oxbow hay is not their favorite.
Also, you must get a scale asap and start weighing them every day. Weightloss is not a normal part of aging - certainly not when it's enough that you can see it (which means it's a large amount).
If they've really lost a lot of weight you need to start investigating why. This is why we recommend people weigh their animals at least weekly: weightloss is often the first sign of illness, but by the time you see it it's a large amount and usually critical.
Kleenmama's hay (www.kmshayloft.com) is always wonderfully green - my pigs love it.
Also, a 4-year old pig isn't particularly old - just middle-aged. They can live many more years with good care.
You really need to address the weightloss.
Thanks, I will check into it. My pet store has KayBee hay (I think). I ALWAYS have hay on hand. I am looking into ordering more (I live in OH). I have about a week's supply left. Where did you get your scale? I am not sure they lost weight but I can weigh them to make sure they don't in future. Their bones seem thinner now, more frail. Last vet said 3-5 years, longer if they don't get cancer. I have read 3-5, 4-6, 7-10 years many various age ranges. I am not sure what to believe. These are my first pigs so I tried/try to do alot of research. Actually they are my daughters (9-now) so you know how that goes.
- Mum
- I GAVE, dammit!
Kaytee hay, perhaps you mean?
It's ok, providing it's not brown.
It's actually much cheaper to order KM's hay, because you're ordering a much larger amount. Or you can sometimes find loose hay from a feedstore.
Guinea pigs can live 6-8 years - some even longer (on this site). But they really do need proper care, and it's frequently hard to find a vet who can take care of the small things.
Weighing regularly is a critical part of this! You can get a kitchen scale (digital is best) from Target or Walmart, or a postal scale from an office supply store (that's what I use). Just stick a salad bowl on top and pop the pig in there - and keep a record.
It's ok, providing it's not brown.
It's actually much cheaper to order KM's hay, because you're ordering a much larger amount. Or you can sometimes find loose hay from a feedstore.
Guinea pigs can live 6-8 years - some even longer (on this site). But they really do need proper care, and it's frequently hard to find a vet who can take care of the small things.
Weighing regularly is a critical part of this! You can get a kitchen scale (digital is best) from Target or Walmart, or a postal scale from an office supply store (that's what I use). Just stick a salad bowl on top and pop the pig in there - and keep a record.
- Mum
- I GAVE, dammit!
Here's your post from your other thread:
FInally, after numerous signon attempts. THis is so cumbersome. I don't remember what my thread was in January. Sorry.
Hermione is my guinea. She is now 4 years and about 9 months. We went to vet in beginning of Sept. He basically said she is fine, that unless she is not eating than nothing is wrong. I thought she was breathing funny and maybe thought there was fluid around her heart. He said that SHE IS OLDER and average life span for Guinea is 4-8 years average being 5. Another words why put her through endless testing late in life - what is the purpose? Well now she is not eating. I have a few questions:
How to get Critical care?
Do they have to sedate her for an xray?
Should I give her the little bit of Benibac that I have left from another time?
SHe is showing no outward distress, just sits in her house. Doesn't run to food like she used to, although she did come out for dinner yesterday. The other guinea is same age, now very thin, but active, like a skinney old lady. She eats and is fine. Hermione is actually the fatter pig and still is at this point. No I do not have a scale. She had lost very little (almost same weigh) from when she was there in Jan to early Sept. Vet was not concerned at that time.
FInally, after numerous signon attempts. THis is so cumbersome. I don't remember what my thread was in January. Sorry.
Hermione is my guinea. She is now 4 years and about 9 months. We went to vet in beginning of Sept. He basically said she is fine, that unless she is not eating than nothing is wrong. I thought she was breathing funny and maybe thought there was fluid around her heart. He said that SHE IS OLDER and average life span for Guinea is 4-8 years average being 5. Another words why put her through endless testing late in life - what is the purpose? Well now she is not eating. I have a few questions:
How to get Critical care?
Do they have to sedate her for an xray?
Should I give her the little bit of Benibac that I have left from another time?
SHe is showing no outward distress, just sits in her house. Doesn't run to food like she used to, although she did come out for dinner yesterday. The other guinea is same age, now very thin, but active, like a skinney old lady. She eats and is fine. Hermione is actually the fatter pig and still is at this point. No I do not have a scale. She had lost very little (almost same weigh) from when she was there in Jan to early Sept. Vet was not concerned at that time.
- Mum
- I GAVE, dammit!
Almost every single older pig that has come through my rescue has been a 'heart' pig.I thought she was breathing funny and maybe thought there was fluid around her heart. He said that SHE IS OLDER and average life span for Guinea is 4-8 years average being 5.
An xray, for which she wouldn't have to be sedated, may show fluid in the lungs and/or an enlarged heart. But there's not much point in doing one if your vet isn't experienced/willing to diagnose and treat heart issues.
You can read about heart issues here:
https://www.guinealynx.info/heart.html
It's not hard to manage a heart pig with human lotensin.
You *need* to start weighing her now. You can use a postal scale, a kitchen scale, or any type of scale you want. But weekly weighings are critical - most particularly now.
I have a call into the vet. I actually like him. After checking her vitals on 9/1, she was eating then, he saw no need to do anything further. He thought she was breathing fine and her heart sounded normal. He checked her teeth and she had spunk then, making a mad noise when he examined her. Today, I asked if she needed to be sedated for an xray. I did read a thread on your site where a pig's heart stopped three times during the sedation/xray. Last time, my vet had mentioned that females can get ovarian cancer at her age (she was never spayed). He was just trying to warn me of things to come. My other pig, I believe may be hyperthyroid. SHe is a skinney pig, either that or has lost bone density due to age. SHe is very active though always trying to run when you put her down and eats alot, although is thin. Her weight is stable.