How Do I 'beef Up' My Piggy After Illness?

[Jessmacg]

One of my pigs has been really ill recently and lost a lot of weight. Luckily we have a good vet and she has bounced back practically a new pig!

However, she is still very skinny, does anyone have any suggestions on how to get her to put some weight on? She eating normally but is there anything extra I can give her?

 

[helen105281]

I have found this with a few of mine after illness and they never fully regained the weight they had lost. For weight gain I give them critical care. Not by syringe but in a bowl if they like it. My Emma is having it at the moment as she has lost weight as she has aged and so I am giving it to her to give her a bit of a boost.

It's great that she is all better now.

 

[Tiamolly123]

Maybe increase the veg & nuggets. You should stay away from sweetcorn, that will bulk her up, but nutritional it's not good. Why not feed her 3 times a day or syringe her some food in between. Hope she puts on weight soon, & gets back to herself. As she feels better she may increase the weight herself.

 

[Claire W]

My Ellen recently lost nearly 100g as she was poorly with a uti. A few weeks after the acute stage, she has regained almost all the weight she's lost.

I'd try offering her critical care as advised above and see if she manages to regain the weight herself

 

[MintyAndGarry (TEAS)]

Porridge oats are good to get some weight on a thin piggy. Our dental guys quite like them!

 

[Wiebke]

One of my pigs has been really ill recently and lost a lot of weight. Luckily we have a good vet and she has bounced back practically a new pig!

However, she is still very skinny, does anyone have any suggestions on how to get her to put some weight on? She eating normally but is there anything extra I can give her?

I would recommend to resist the temptation to fill your piggy with empty calories that come off as quickly as they come on. Concentrate on a hay based good quality diet; good health is more important than a high weight from fatty and sugary filler foods.
It can take weeks or even months after a major illness or operation for the weight to come back; in older piggies it won't. That doesn't mean that they have a shorter life expectancy as many people seem to think. If it has been mostly overweight that has come off, then they may never regain that if you switch to a better diet - but your piggy will be healthier and have actually a better life expectancy that with too much fat around its inner organs.
The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diet

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Porridge oats, corn on the cob, flaked peas, carrot are all good foods for getting weight back onto a piggy who has been poorly. Our vet, Simon, recommends porridge oats rather than feeding nuggets, particularly for those piggies who have bladder issues.

 

[RosieMaia]

Porridge oats, corn on the cob, flaked peas, carrot are all good foods for getting weight back onto a piggy who has been poorly. Our vet, Simon, recommends porridge oats rather than feeding nuggets, particularly for those piggies who have bladder issues.

I'd be very interested to know why. Do you know by any chance his rationale? Just curious

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Often people worry about the calcium content of the veg, but Simon says it is the nuggets that are the big problem. He says feeding a hay, grass, veg and porridge oats diet reduces the chance of the piggy getting bladder stones. I have never had a pig with a bladder issue or bladder stone and I feed a mainly hay and grass diet, with a bit of veg and a few nuggets and porridge oats.

 

[Eriathwen]

A bowl of critical care mixed with rolled oats and/or bran always goes down well with any recovering/recovered piggy here, or just plain oats.

 

[RosieMaia]

Thank you @furryfriends (TEAS), that's good to know.

 

[Jessmacg]

Thanks for all your help everyone.

With the oats do you soak them in water or give them to them just as they are?

Wiebke.
She's coming up to 4 and always been on the petite side anyway. I'll bear this in mind if she doesn't quite manage to reach the weight she was before. She has definitely gotten a lot more cheekier since she has been ill

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Thanks for all your help everyone.

With the oats do you soak them in water or give them to them just as they are?

Wiebke.
She's coming up to 4 and always been on the petite side anyway. I'll bear this in mind if she doesn't quite manage to reach the weight she was before. She has definitely gotten a lot more cheekier since she has been ill

I just feed the dry oats x

 

[Janey]

I would recommend to resist the temptation to fill your piggy with empty calories that come off as quickly as they come on.

What foods would you avoid feeding Wiebke?

 

[Wiebke]

What foods would you avoid feeding Wiebke?

Giving lots of pellets, especially alfalfa based ones, sugary shop treats and overloading the diet with sugary veg; a little sweet corn and carrot are fine as long as you do not overdo it and serve them as part of your normal mix.
The same goes for readigrass - in moderation (i.e. spoonfuls or pinches rather than bowl fulls), it can help getting the weight up; too much is not good as is it too rich.
@furryfriends (TEAS) , who is looking after very frail and ill piggies in her sanctuary, has had very good experiences with rolled oats in the last year or two.

 

[Janice C]

Porridge oats, corn on the cob, flaked peas, carrot are all good foods for getting weight back onto a piggy who has been poorly. Our vet, Simon, recommends porridge oats rather than feeding nuggets, particularly for those piggies who have bladder issues.

Good to know can give porage oats as I like to give my older Suzie them occasionally as she is lively but has lost weight gradually, just to old age according to Vet. Also gets mashed pellets with Critical Care or Vit c and laps the mix up!

 

[Maddykins]

Our boy is like this, we are syringe feeding him some Supreme Science Recovery once or twice a day on top of his usual pellets & veggies & hay and he is slowly putting back some weight on. Will probably continue for the next week or so as vet said it won't do any harm but then stop. Plus I say 'syringe feeding' but it's actually more like feeding a lamb from a bottle, he bloody loves it now!