Guinea pig lost weight has little cough and temperament change

[Jenbirdee]

My daughter has three guinea pigs. They’re about two and a half years old. One of them got really thin.
I wonder what we could do to help her.
So far We gave her extra vitamin C.
She got sooo thin can feel her spine.
She might have a Little cough , can’t tell which one was coughing .
Also, her temperament changed she got friendlier and sweeter. Poor thing.
Her eyes look normal.
Her poop looks normal
her teeth look good.

My first thought was maybe we should use a dewormer because that’s what I do if a duck is thinner than it used to be so far it has worked for ducks.
Safeguard ok?
GP dosage?
What about ivermectin?

Any other ideas?
Vet is not an option

 

[CherishedFowlGuardian]

I am so sorry I never had Guinea Pigs.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

How old is the guinea pig? Besides getting thin, is there anything else wrong with it? How well does it eat? What do you feed it? Where is it in the pecking order? Guinea pigs can be tricky, and unfortunately I don't know enough about them to know what to do here, but I did technically have six at one time. Like you though, vet wasn't an option for me, so I did have to figure their issues out on my own, but then again, I never had this specific issue. Closest to this issue I had was from a rescue that was neglected, which I'm sure isn't the case here. (If it was, they'd all be skinny and you probably won't be searching for help.)

 

[Jenbirdee]

How old is the guinea pig? Besides getting thin, is there anything else wrong with it? How well does it eat? What do you feed it? Where is it in the pecking order? Guinea pigs can be tricky, and unfortunately I don't know enough about them to know what to do here, but I did technically have six at one time. Like you though, vet wasn't an option for me, so I did have to figure their issues out on my own, but then again, I never had this specific issue. Closest to this issue I had was from a rescue that was neglected, which I'm sure isn't the case here. (If it was, they'd all be skinny and you probably won't be searching for help.)

She’s 2 1/2 years old she was always the top of the pecking order. The other two piggies are also females, and they are not thin at all.
My daughter is at work now. I will ask her what kind of guinea pig pellets she gets but I know she feeds pellets and Timothy grass and some fresh fruits and vegetables and vitamin C drops.
She said that Pigette still eats and comes over for a treat . Her teeth look fine and no diarrhea.
Also, she heard a tiny cough coming from the cage, but doesn’t know which one it was

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

She’s 2 1/2 years old she was always the top of the pecking order. The other two piggies are also females, and they are not thin at all.
My daughter is at work now. I will ask her what kind of guinea pig pellets she gets but I know she feeds pellets and Timothy grass and some fresh fruits and vegetables and vitamin C drops.
She said that Pigette still eats and comes over for a treat . Her teeth look fine and no diarrhea.
Also, she heard a tiny cough coming from the cage, but doesn’t know which one it was

Ok. Something I forgot to ask, is what is the bedding like? (Fleece, shavings, straw, etc.) And how often is it changed? How fresh is the hay? Is it from Walmart, a pet store, or from a farm? I've gotten hay from my local feed store and I quickly had issues. Then I started getting it from a local farmer who I believed hayed themselves and had no issues. If getting bales, how is it stored?
If she's still coming over for a treat, that is sounding good. Some of mine when they weren't feeling well wouldn't come for anything.
Also, is it a long haired or short haired guinea pig? Is it itching at all or has mites? I'm not thinking this is the issue but am ruling it out.

(Because I don't know enough about guinea pigs, I'm asking all these questions hoping to pinpoint the issue. I most likely don't know the answer to this but I'm still trying to help.)

 

[Jenbirdee]

Ok. Something I forgot to ask, is what is the bedding like? (Fleece, shavings, straw, etc.) And how often is it changed? How fresh is the hay? Is it from Walmart, a pet store, or from a farm? I've gotten hay from my local feed store and I quickly had issues. Then I started getting it from a local farmer who I believed hayed themselves and had no issues. If getting bales, how is it stored?
If she's still coming over for a treat, that is sounding good. Some of mine when they weren't feeling well wouldn't come for anything.
Also, is it a long haired or short haired guinea pig? Is it itching at all or has mites? I'm not thinking this is the issue but am ruling it out.

(Because I don't know enough about guinea pigs, I'm asking all these questions hoping to pinpoint the issue. I most likely don't know the answer to this but I'm still trying to help.)

Those are good questions/
Bedding is carefresh natural paper
When is changed out - weekly
And the Timothy is from pet store like Petco or tractor supply sometimes.

 

[Jenbirdee]

I just got some more Panacur horse paste (fenbendazole )
I read you can use it for rabbits and guinea pigs too
For deworming
However
I also read it is rare for a guinea pig to need it
And these guinea pigs have never spent time outside so how could she even get worms?
I also read it could be a tumor
And I’m thinking if so, then the fenben could also possibly help with that
I’ve heard of lots of people taking it to shrink cancer tumors