I adopted Katonia from the Calgary Humane Society when she was about 4
or 5 months old. Someone had found her in Nosehill Park in November
(for those who don't know, Calgary is COLD in November).
That was December 2004.
Katonia is nearly four years old now, which is middle-aged for a
guinea pig. She is white with a beige forehead and black eyes. She's
a long-haired Abysinnian, which is the hair type that sticks out in
all directions.
Last weekend, I realized that she'd been losing weight. Guinea pigs
aren't exactly huge, but they're normally somewhat plump. Katty is no
longer all that plump. In the last few months, she's lost nearly 100
grams of weight. Her appetite has been fine, though, so it's kind of
odd. I decided to have her checked out.
We went to the vet today. The vet did a physical exam. Aside from
the weight loss and pale skin, Katonia was doing just fine: teeth all
where they ought to be; heart sounded okay (even with the slight heart
murmur they found in January); lungs sounded fine.
Because of the pale skin, the vet decided to do some bloodwork. While
we waited, they spun the blood to see if she was anemic. She was, so
they gave her an iron injection.
Tomorrow I will hear about the lab results.
The possibilities I am currently concerned with include:
* heart disease, which is treatable with medication;
* diabetes, which is treatable with diet;
* kidney disease, which I know nothing about in guinea pigs; and
* cancer of blood or bone (no lumps present), which is untreatable
and will result in euthanasia.
I am hoping against hope that my babygirl has either heart disease or
diabetes.
I will keep you posted.
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