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Elderly pig weight loss

Reggie&Chunk

Junior Guinea Pig
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Just want to start off by saying, I am getting him booked in for another check up with Kim at the Cat and Rabbit clinic when Kim is back off holiday next week :)

So for a bit of background, Chunk lost his buddy Reggie on 18th June. Chunk is a bossy pig so I contacted a local rescue and we decided to pair him up with a baby pig to try and avoid conflict. Chunk stayed at home on his own whilst we waited for the babies to arrive but after a few weeks he was starting to look lonely and withdrawn. So I boarded him at the rescue until the babies were ready so he had some piggy company.
Chunk is around 5 years old and does have arthritis in his hind legs which he has metacam for. He was also treated with antibiotics for a suspected middle ear infection.
When he came home with his new buddy Monty, he had dropped some weight. To be expected with disruption, antibiotics and new friend meaning he moves around a lot more than ever before.
In himself, he is very happy, cheeky, eating, drinking etc. He is very fussy with his veggies at the best of times so I just try and find something he likes. He is fine with his hay/grass/pellets. But he is averaging around 930g on his daily morning weigh-ins, whereas he averaged around 1030g before he went on holiday/got his friend.
He is currently having his metacam twice a day, Fibreplex twice a day and two feeds of mushed pellets which totals around 30ml a day (I really struggle to get him to eat Critical Care/Recovery foods).

Aside from all this and having him checked over again, is there anything else I can do to encourage weight gain?

Apologies for the waffle! If you have got this far, you deserve a cookie :D
 
Adding some oats and grated carrot or sweet potato or a bit of banana can encourage them to eat up their critical care 🙂
 
Adding some oats and grated carrot or sweet potato or a bit of banana can encourage them to eat up their critical care 🙂
I have tried adding things to his CC but I still really have to force feed it whereas with the mushed pellets, he happily snatches the syringe from me! I have also tried mixing CC/Select Science Recovery to the mushed pellets but he knows its there and fights it! I might just have to be cruel to be kind and persevere with the CC.
 
Gaining back lost weight can take some time. It isn’t something you can force but if his body is able to gain weight back then it will happen. It may be that he has found his new normal weight but I would focus on ensuring weight isn’t being lost rather than trying to find ways to gain it back in anything other than what his body will allow, if you see what I mean. . He may not go back to being over 1kg, or even if he does, it could take quite some time, particularly for an older piggy.
 
I think also when they get around 5 years old they start to loose a little weight and condition and become a bit boney. Once they have lost some weight it’s really hard to get it back on when they are older My Ted is around 970 gms and we have struggled to get him back over 1kg. Simon Maddocks said it was unlikely he’ll go over a kilo now, but he is a dental piggie, so that doesn’t help.
Sweet corn, sweet potato, beetroot and porridge oats are good fillers and have plenty of calories
 
Just want to start off by saying, I am getting him booked in for another check up with Kim at the Cat and Rabbit clinic when Kim is back off holiday next week :)

So for a bit of background, Chunk lost his buddy Reggie on 18th June. Chunk is a bossy pig so I contacted a local rescue and we decided to pair him up with a baby pig to try and avoid conflict. Chunk stayed at home on his own whilst we waited for the babies to arrive but after a few weeks he was starting to look lonely and withdrawn. So I boarded him at the rescue until the babies were ready so he had some piggy company.
Chunk is around 5 years old and does have arthritis in his hind legs which he has metacam for. He was also treated with antibiotics for a suspected middle ear infection.
When he came home with his new buddy Monty, he had dropped some weight. To be expected with disruption, antibiotics and new friend meaning he moves around a lot more than ever before.
In himself, he is very happy, cheeky, eating, drinking etc. He is very fussy with his veggies at the best of times so I just try and find something he likes. He is fine with his hay/grass/pellets. But he is averaging around 930g on his daily morning weigh-ins, whereas he averaged around 1030g before he went on holiday/got his friend.
He is currently having his metacam twice a day, Fibreplex twice a day and two feeds of mushed pellets which totals around 30ml a day (I really struggle to get him to eat Critical Care/Recovery foods).

Aside from all this and having him checked over again, is there anything else I can do to encourage weight gain?

Apologies for the waffle! If you have got this far, you deserve a cookie :D

Older guinea pigs are much slower in regaining weight and may never fully recover it after an illness or operation because the metabolism is gradually slowing down. As long as your boy is well in himself, I would not worry at his age. He is still a decent overall weight.

I would recommend to have him vet checked as there could be an underlying issue re his fussiness with eating.
 
Thank you everyone, I’ve been worrying myself no end since he has been home, obsessing over his weight. I’m pleased that he is happy in himself though and seems to be getting on ok with Monty. I’ll see what Kim thinks next week, she has been so good and helps stop me panicking. Thanks again, I will try and breathe and monitor him :)
 
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