Weight Watching

Pinni eating hay... but not nearly enough

We are still battling Pinniped's bladder issues.  She gets better for a day or two, then gets worse.  Pinni visited the vet again last week.  The vet expressed as much sludge as possible, modified Pinni's medications and added subcues to the daily regime.  I believe Dr. Holmes is more frustrated by Pinniped's lack of progress than I am.

Pinni's attitude had been improving all week.  I had seen her eating and she begged for treats.  If I hadn't been weighing her every day (actually, three times a day), I wouldn't have realized she had been getting worse.  Guinea pigs are amazingly adept at hiding their illnesses.

Pinni had dropped only a ounce or so with the onset of the bladder issues in early March.  That's a fairly normal fluctuation, so it wasn't alarming on it's own.  (A drop in weight of 3 oz or more indicates something is seriously wrong.)  However, combined with her other symptoms and that she hadn't gained all of her weight back after passing the stone, I knew something wasn't right.

Once the vet identified the problem, the scale has been an invaluable tool to monitor Pinni and ensure she gets better.  Pinni may try to fool me by eating and acting frisky when I see her, but the weight loss and periodic crying confirms there's still work to do.  The scale never lies.  The same can't be said of guinea pigs.

Pinni takes subcues like a champ.  She cries, but lets me work on her.  She doesn't struggle and carry on as Bertie did.  What a relief.  Pinni is tired of the medications and has become an expert at spitting out pills.  But even with all of the manhandling she gets, she has not tried to bite the vet, any techs or me.  What a good pig.

I've seen a lot more sludgy deposits in the last few days.  Once she clears the sludge, the crying should stop.  That day can't come soon enough!