What happened:
One of my piggy, Doodle, a four years old female, got sick in early August. She had Giardia and possible URI, and was put on Baytril and Flagly.
Stopped the medication around late August and been giving her a little bit of BeneBac gel after that. (No BeneBac everyday, but maybe 3 or 4 times a week, around 1gram or so)
Weight:
Doodle's peak weight during the first vet visit was about ~925g, I honestly don't know if that's right after she ate and got a full belly or what, and I didn't start weighing her regularly after the vet visit in August. (Now I weighs her every day to monitor her weight)
She have lost some weight since the first vet visit, and was around ~865g when I stopped the medication in late August, which is about a 2oz weight lost.
Now that she's been off the medication, and with all the BeneBac, her weight's been fluctuating between ~870g to 895g, dipped below 870g once or twice, and went a little over 900g maybe two or three times.
Diet:
When she was on Baytril and Flagyl she was barely eating, and I was giving her some Oxbow CC along with extra veggies and fruits to help her maintain her weight. After she's been off the medication I have decreased the amount of veggies and fruits back to a normal level.
She used to eat Oxbow pellets and timothy hays, but after all the illness and medication her taste have changed. Now she likes the more flavorful foods, like some other brand pellets(I forgot what brand it is, doesn't look as good as Oxbow pellets, but she's eating this off brand pellets better), timothy seed heads, fruit and veggies, and Alfalfa hay/cubes. She eats a little bit of Oxbow pellets but no match for how much she eats before.
While she's not as interested in Oxbow pellets and timothy hays, she's responding very positively when given the other brand pellets, timothy seed heads, and veggies such as red leaf lettuce. She would eat as much as she can when it comes to the foods I just mentioned, but not much of her traditional favorite. She's also not liking the KMS Bluegrass, which my other piggy loves. I just ordered some KMS 2nd cut Timothy and hopefully she will like it when it comes.
Also, since she was not eating much during her illness, I'm suspecting that she might have a Vitamin C deficiency, and giving her some liquid Vitamin C every other day.
Behavior:
Doodle was not a particularly active piggy to begin with, and no noticeable change in her behavior since her last vet visit about a month ago, which the vet said she's alert, bright, and responsive.
Questions:
I have never dealt with guinea pig illness before, and have no clue what's going on with Doodle right now.
Do you think that she's still recovery from the illness and medication?
Maybe just a change in taste after everything and something I can correct with some more time?
Maybe Doodle's having a Vitamin C deficiency right now?
Any other illness/conditions that may be preventing Doodle from gaining weight?
One of my piggy, Doodle, a four years old female, got sick in early August. She had Giardia and possible URI, and was put on Baytril and Flagly.
Stopped the medication around late August and been giving her a little bit of BeneBac gel after that. (No BeneBac everyday, but maybe 3 or 4 times a week, around 1gram or so)
Weight:
Doodle's peak weight during the first vet visit was about ~925g, I honestly don't know if that's right after she ate and got a full belly or what, and I didn't start weighing her regularly after the vet visit in August. (Now I weighs her every day to monitor her weight)
She have lost some weight since the first vet visit, and was around ~865g when I stopped the medication in late August, which is about a 2oz weight lost.
Now that she's been off the medication, and with all the BeneBac, her weight's been fluctuating between ~870g to 895g, dipped below 870g once or twice, and went a little over 900g maybe two or three times.
Diet:
When she was on Baytril and Flagyl she was barely eating, and I was giving her some Oxbow CC along with extra veggies and fruits to help her maintain her weight. After she's been off the medication I have decreased the amount of veggies and fruits back to a normal level.
She used to eat Oxbow pellets and timothy hays, but after all the illness and medication her taste have changed. Now she likes the more flavorful foods, like some other brand pellets(I forgot what brand it is, doesn't look as good as Oxbow pellets, but she's eating this off brand pellets better), timothy seed heads, fruit and veggies, and Alfalfa hay/cubes. She eats a little bit of Oxbow pellets but no match for how much she eats before.
While she's not as interested in Oxbow pellets and timothy hays, she's responding very positively when given the other brand pellets, timothy seed heads, and veggies such as red leaf lettuce. She would eat as much as she can when it comes to the foods I just mentioned, but not much of her traditional favorite. She's also not liking the KMS Bluegrass, which my other piggy loves. I just ordered some KMS 2nd cut Timothy and hopefully she will like it when it comes.
Also, since she was not eating much during her illness, I'm suspecting that she might have a Vitamin C deficiency, and giving her some liquid Vitamin C every other day.
Behavior:
Doodle was not a particularly active piggy to begin with, and no noticeable change in her behavior since her last vet visit about a month ago, which the vet said she's alert, bright, and responsive.
Questions:
I have never dealt with guinea pig illness before, and have no clue what's going on with Doodle right now.
Do you think that she's still recovery from the illness and medication?
Maybe just a change in taste after everything and something I can correct with some more time?
Maybe Doodle's having a Vitamin C deficiency right now?
Any other illness/conditions that may be preventing Doodle from gaining weight?