[Gpdd] HEALTH: Isis needs to gain some weight!

Cazza177 cazza177 at ntlworld.com
Fri Oct 2 10:07:45 EDT 2009


Dear Angela
>
> I am sorry Isis is not completely herself at the moment.  I know you have 
> the cysts issue, but what she has could be completely unrelated, so 
> perhaps think about if anything has been different with her lately in 
> terms of what you feed her or even a change of hay etc..  If you feel her 
> thirst is increased, I wonder if it may be adviseable to have her urine 
> tested.  That would indicate if she has diabetes, an infection and also 
> tell you if her kidneys are functioning ok.
>
> I don't know how guinea pig-savvy you regard your vet as being, but Vedra 
> from the Cambridge Cavy Trust told me that with a gp's urine, all the 
> readings are the opposite of what you would expect to see in a cat or dog. 
> The pH balance should be around 8 to 8.5 and Specific Gravitiy should be 
> mid-scale, all other readings should be negative.
>
> Please also be careful of how the urine sample is taken (if your vet does 
> it), as I have read of some horrendous stories on the Digest of how this 
> has been done with unknowledgeable vets.  If you have a clean sheet of 
> glass (be careful of the edges) or sheet of plastic, your Isis can urinate 
> on that and then it can be put into a sample container. That's perhaps the 
> least stressful and least invasive way. You might want to syringe Isis 
> some water first to help her to want to go.
>
> Also, if Isis hasn't been wormed for a while (3 months or more), you might 
> want to ask your vet to do that too, as worms can be a reason for a keen 
> appetitie but continued weight loss.
>
> Kind regards
>
> Carole 





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