Going Off Supplements

[Katy Felix]

My boar Cocoa has been poorly, and the vet gave his 2 days of vitamin C supplements and 7 days of Baytril. I'm a little worried because the supplements are done. Will Cocoa go downhill without the supplements? Next week I'm starting him on a slightly different diet with more kale and different pellets for more vitamin C.

 

[rome_italy]

vit C boosts immunitary system, maybe this is the reason of the supplements prescribed. Anyway, here vets often suggest a supplement even when the piggie is healthy and eats regularly. I am giving a supplement, just 2-3 drops of Cebion (by syringe into the mouth; they love it), although my piggies eat huge amount of fresh grass (rich of vit C) and peppers.
I don't feed them with pellets.
I have not understood if you are against supplements (sorry for my poor english); anyway don't worry, because the excess of vit C goes away with the urine. A piggie needs 30-40mg vit C/kg daily if he is healthy. During stress and illness he needs more.

 

[Wiebke]

My boar Cocoa has been poorly, and the vet gave his 2 days of vitamin C supplements and 7 days of Baytril. I'm a little worried because the supplements are done. Will Cocoa go downhill without the supplements? Next week I'm starting him on a slightly different diet with more kale and different pellets for more vitamin C.

Cocoa will not decline!

The vitamin C is there to boost his immune system during an illness; it should only given in short bursts in larger quantities so you don't run into health problems with scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) symptoms later on, which can happen if the vitamin C level drops in a piggy on long term high dosage supplements. Supplements are just that: extras, and they should remain that.
A car lives longer if you give extra gas only when you really need it rather than revving it too high all the time. The same goes for a guinea pig.

Please do not overdo kale! It is a plant of the cabbage family and very high in calcium and oxalic acid, both of which can contribute to the formation of bladder stones if feed too much or too often over a space of time. Feeding a slice of pepper and a sprig of fresh herb every day (two sprigs of cilantro/coriander) for vitamin C but low calcium is much more sustainable, with a bit of kale every now and then.
The same goes for pellets - please check that they are not too high in calcium and protein. And do not overfeed pellets; they should only make about 5% of the daily food intake. Hay is much healthier and important for long term health. It does also contain vitamin C, as does fresh grass. Did you know that? Hay should make up to 80% of the daily food intake. The more a piggy eats hay, the better for its teeth and guts, and through that for overall health and longevity.
Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet

 

[rome_italy]

... and vit B and C are two hydrosoluble vitamins, that means that the body cannot store up them (as it does with vit A and D for example). It is necessary a little constant amount daily and the unused part is simply thrown away. Symptoms are visible only when the disaster has started. Also in humans, a lack of vit C can only reduce the absorbtion of iron, this does not mean you immediately get an anemia; you may live well and have a lower immunitary system and nothing else... but this is dangerous as well for the future. People who start eating a lot of fruit for increasing vit C, end up in boosting also the level of insuline, which make different (and worst) damages. The same is with the piggies; you can give them more kale, parsley and spinach, you piggie will never develop scurvy but will end up with stones...
Grass. If you don't want to use supplements, cut a lot of fresh grass daily and serve them immediately (just after some hours from the harvest the grass and the veg have lost part of vit C). And hay of course... because from the fibres and good bacteria of the gut kept alive with the fibres the piggies are able to produce other vitamins, also the ones written in the label of (useless) pellet food.