Weight Loss Strange weight pattern

I remember my vet telling me that in grams, what look a lot is often really a little. Like x amount of grams (I think it was 10?) can just be a full bladder. Don't take my word for that amount, but I know bowel and bladder fullness can contribute to fluctuations.

Yeah, I know a 1 ounce weight fluctuation is pretty normal, but most of the fluctuation he's having is close to 2 ounces, with a couple close to 3 ounces, which is quite a bit of weight loss and abnormal for him. :/

Are you weighing him at the same time of day each time? Preferably before breakfast? A pig can easily eat 40-50 grams of food at a feeding, so if you're not consistent with the times that you weigh, you could just be weighing food. Or not food, if it's a loss.

bpatters said:

Are you weighing him at the same time of day each time? Preferably before breakfast? A pig can easily eat 40-50 grams of food at a feeding, so if you're not consistent with the times that you weigh, you could just be weighing food. Or not food, if it's a loss.

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Yes, he has a feeding schedule and is always weighed at the same time of day every time, before breakfast.

No thoughts on what could be causing this?

Is his drinking consistent? Thinking along human terms, we can have a lot of fluctuation based on water/retention. Do some of his veggies/pellets, contain more moisture than other items? Could that account for it?

While he does have some weight gains, he is trending downwards, which is a concern.
The up and down fluctuations are strange too. I don't know what could cause those.
A 100 gram weight drop is quite significant - definitely enough to be concerned. 20 grams can easily be just daily fluctuations.
Did the vet look at the molars with a speculum?
Did the blood work include thyroid levels? An overactive thyroid can cause weight loss.

Even though he gains sometimes, he's still losing more that he's gaining. What do his poops look like when he starts losing?

Chloe_s_mom said:

Is his drinking consistent? Thinking along human terms, we can have a lot of fluctuation based on water/retention. Do some of his veggies/pellets, contain more moisture than other items? Could that account for it?

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I would say his drinking is pretty consistent. He's had the same diet for quite a while; 1/8th cup KMS pellets, red/green leaf lettuce, radicchio, wheat grass, 1-2 cherry tomatoes, and bell pepper(usually green).
So I'm not sure if his diet would really be the cause for this? :/

CavyHouse said:

While he does have some weight gains, he is trending downwards, which is a concern.
The up and down fluctuations are strange too. I don't know what could cause those.
A 100 gram weight drop is quite significant - definitely enough to be concerned. 20 grams can easily be just daily fluctuations.
Did the vet look at the molars with a speculum?
Did the blood work include thyroid levels? An overactive thyroid can cause weight loss.

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I'm honestly not sure if the blood work included thyroid levels. I'll see what it says on the reciept.
And she might have looked at his molars when she took him back to draw blood, but if she did she didn't mention it.
He eats perfectly fine though and has absolutely no loss of appetite.

foggycreekcavy said:

Even though he gains sometimes, he's still losing more that he's gaining. What do his poops look like when he starts losing?

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His poop always looks pretty normal-- Not super soft, no mucus, normal oval shaped, and brown.

@CavyHouse It says Rabbit/Guinea pig Profile plus CBC#149
I tried looking it up and couldn't find out exactly what it was. Would you happen to know if that test covers thyroid levels?
If not that's fine, I could just call my vet on Monday and ask.

And, sorry to state the obvious, are you certain about your scale and method of weighing him? I discovered that my scale can't weigh a lb of butter consistently (add in my silly brain, which isn't your case, and I freaked myself out when I weighed the younger set of girls).

I can certainly understand why you are worried!

Chloe_s_mom said:

And, sorry to state the obvious, are you certain about your scale and method of weighing him? I discovered that my scale can't weigh a lb of butter consistently (add in my silly brain, which isn't your case, and I freaked myself out when I weighed the younger set of girls).

I can certainly understand why you are worried!

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That's what my boyfriend said at the beginning of all of this, actually. lol
But I don't think it's because of my scale. I always test it before weighing them-- I weigh a nickel first to make sure my scale is on point and it always weighs properly (5 grams).

spy9doc said:

In referencing lab work for humans, a CBC is a complete blood count and does not include checking thyroid levels. That would be an add-on test. However, the vet may be using a lab where their designation (broken link removed) could be a CBC plus other tests.

As an FYI, my Chester's weight goes up and down like a yo-yo. When his weight starts dropping, I feed him extra food separately, and give him Critical Care a couple times a day until his weight stabilizes and starts moving in a positive direction again. It becomes a balancing act because Maya tends to grain weight and I actually have to restrict her food. Chester is like his Mom.......I tend to eat only when I'm hungry, and often get busy and simply don't eat, so my weight fluctuates daily.

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I'll definitely call the vet and ask about it just to be sure!
It would suck if it didn't include thyroid levels though. The test was $160, so I can only imagine what it would cost with thyroid levels included (if that one didn't include them).
But whatever the cost he's worth it. <3

His weight seems to have stabilized for now. For the past couple of days he's been in the 1230 gram range, with today being at 1235.
Do you think it would be worth it to get some critical care and feed it to him or give him extra food, even though he eats a lot already?
He actually eats more than Rigby does, yet Rigby weighs more (although Rigby used to be the "skinnier" one until recently).

spy9doc said:

Just out of curiosity, what breed is George and how old is he? Just wanted to compare to Chester although Chester weighs quite a bit less and is apparently on the small side. It's not unusual for an Aby to be more muscular and leaner than some others.

I keep Critical Care on hand and when Chester's weight starts trending downward, I give him a couple of feedings a day for 3-4 days which seems to reverse the pattern. Fortunately, he really likes the CC and thinks it a treat, especially the apple/banana.

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George is about 2 1/2 years old and he's a Teddy/American shorthair mix.

I think I'll look into getting some CC. Even if it's just to have on hand in case of an emergency.
George and Rigby both love taking medicine when they have to, so I'm sure he would be kind of like your Chester and see it as a treat. lol

Sorry it's taken me so long to update this, it's been a crazy week.

The vet office said that the blood work did NOT include testing thyroid levels, but they also said that it generally isn't a problem with guinea pigs.
Opinions?

ETA: His weight is still staying in the 1230's gram range for now.
Today he weighed 1231 grams.

Looks like he's stabilized for the moment, which would imply that it's not a hyperthyroid problem. If he keeps on at the same weight, I'd just weigh him daily for a while. If he has a cagemate, feed George a little extra while you've got him out to weigh him.

Just thought I'd give an update.

George's weight had started fluctuating again. It started to settle down and then he started gaining weight back without any major losses.
Today he weighed in at 1,325 grams. I still don't understand it, but I'll take the weight gain as a good sign even though he's still not back to how much he weighed before.
Here's to hoping it stabilizes again, at a weight that's normal for him.

Did they test his urine? My guinea pigs that had stones had weight loss before they starting showing symptoms. My guinea pigs with stones were teddies.

pinky said:

Did they test his urine? My guinea pigs that had stones had weight loss before they starting showing symptoms. My guinea pigs with stones were teddies.

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No, they didn't.
How long did it take her to start showing symptoms? He's been having weight issues for a little over 2 months and doesn't seem to be acting any differently.
Do you think I should have them test his urine?

Aleks said:

No, they didn't.
How long did it take her to start showing symptoms? He's been having weight issues for a little over 2 months and doesn't seem to be acting any differently.
Do you think I should have them test his urine?

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My male passed about 10 years ago so I don't remember the timeline. I took him in when he was hunching and crying when he'd pee. At that time, I wasn't familiar with the behavior they display when they have a UTI or stones. I adopted my female off of craigslist. One of my fleece pads has white in it and I saw blood on it so I took her in to the vet. She had an xray but it didn't show anything. Lab tests showed she had crystals in her urine so she was treated for a UTI. She seemed to improve but the blood showed up again so I took her back in and had her xrayed again. That time, the xray showed a stone. If he continues to lose weight, cries when he pees or seems to strain when he poops or pees, I'd have him xrayed.