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My guinea pig has hair loss and is losing weight, but she is always eating an drinking.
Optional Information: Age: 4; Female; Breed: guinea pig Already Tried: just added a little vitamin C to her water.
Hello, Some additional information will help me to answer your question. Does your guinea pig seem to itch - does she scratch or chew at herself a lot? What does her skin look like - red and irritated, normal, dry and flaky, sores, etc.? Are there any bits of undigested food in her droppings? Is the area around her mouth and under her chin wet or does it look like saliva has dried on it? Thank you. Anna
She does not itch or scratch or chew at herself. There is no undigested food in her droppings. And it is damp around her chin and neck area. But she continually eats and drinks fluid, like she has never eaten before.
Thank you for getting back to me. Weight loss and wet face/chin/neck area are signs that most commonly accompany dental problems. Dental problems are very common in guinea pigs. Left untreated, they can eventually result in death from malnutrition. The best thing to do is have your guinea pig seen by an experienced guinea pig/rabbit vet. This link will take you to a directory of guinea pig/rabbit vets: http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html The following links will give you details on guinea pig teeth and what can go wrong. http://www.guinealynx.info/teeth.html http://www.guinealynx.info/malocclusion.html The fur loss can be caused by many different things. Parasites and skin infections usually, but not always, cause itching. There are endocrine disorders that also cause fur loss without itching. since your guinea pig will need to see a vet for the weight loss, be sure to have the vet also examine the skin and fur. As long as your guinea pig is able to eat, this isn't an emergency, but I recommend setting up an appointment for her early next week. If you have more questions about this, just let me know by clicking on REPLY. Anna
Experience: 40 yrs.: herps, pocket pets, rabbits, poultry, dogs, horses. Biology degree. Vet assistant.