Help with feeding poorly pig I am fostering

[shinydriver]

Hi all,

Sorry for only popping in when I need something :red I just wondered if anyone has advice on feeding a poorly pig.

I have my best friend's 4YO boar for the next 10 days or so as she is away. He has had an op on his back teeth and is generally refusing to eat although I have seen him eat hay since he has been with us and I think he has had a spinach leaf overnight and he was stood over his food bowl (muesli) & I could hear chewing/grinding last night. He has also been eating fresh grass so I need to find a source of that as we don't have any. I have also witnessed him drinking.

Her vet has her (and now me) syringe feeding him veggie baby food jars. My questions are:

Is this the best thing for him? The ones she has sent over are carrot & potato. I know raw potato is not good for them. Is he OK with cooked?

Any other suggestions of things I can try? I am happy to cook for him if needed. I know my friend didn't want him too dependent on the syringe though whereas I am happy to do anything to build him up & keep him healthy whilst she is away)

He has gained weight this last week before I got him and I have weighed him today so I have a record. (964g - he looks quite streamlined bless him)

Would you try our nugget food alongside his muesli? Also he seems quite tidy compared to our girls so I might weigh his food bowl to see if/what he is taking.

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have.

 

[Suzygpr]

You can give nuggets as well - soften them with a little water so they are slighty easier to eat, I find a lot do well on them. To start with I post them in so they have to eat them and once they realise they can, yum!

Suzy x

 

[shinydriver]

Thank you. I will try that. I was surprised how much grinding went on with the baby food Plus a few softened nuggets are easy to count.

He seems happy/nosy/calm enough which is good.

 

[flintstones]

Oxbow Critcal Care is good include everything he needs and better for the digestive system. You can buy it from VetUk.

 

[shinydriver]

Thanks. I'm wondering if he is past that stage? Will decide by the end of today. He is eating hay freely and has just had 3 Excel pellets soaked in water but was chewing/grinding them for ages so I have put him back in his cage to drink and will try him again in a bit. He refused the baby food this time though but I think he was still dealing with the pellets!

I'll try some dandelion & grass later too. I have just read the thread lower down on the piggy recovering from tooth issues and it was very helpful