On Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:34:23 -0700 (PDT), Janna & the piglets wrote:
> 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.
I am sorry to hear that. I am also facing a tough decision with my 4 year
old who had to be spayed to remove tumors in her uterus and around her
bladder. The vet could not remove all of the tumors without damaging her
plumbing, so some remain. She is now on pain management since she is still
very active and eating well. She is starting to bleed again because of the
tumor, so it won't be long before I will have to judge when the quality of
her life is no longer good for her.
--
See my piggies live: http://piggiecam.webhop.net
RocinanteREMOVETHIS@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
3:38:46 PM
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