Hyperthyroidism

[Wetherill]

I’ve been posting a few times over the last few months or so about my boy Lionel (5), who was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism about a week or so ago. He has started on pills, but as much as he eats, the weight is still falling off of him. He had been eating critical care from a spoon for a few weeks, but has recently decided he no longer likes it very much. He will have a few bites throughout the day, but that’s all. I’ve tried sitting down to syringe feed him— have tried every way of holding him, different syringe sizes, etc, but he is never ever having any of it. Squirms, yells, throws his head around, if i hold him by his jaw any tighter than I have been I risk hurting him, which I don’t want to do. So lately i’ve been upping his veg intake, and giving him some extra veg snacks throughout the day. Is this an ok thing to do..? I know hyperthyroidism isn’t terribly common for pigs, but I have never had a big so reluctant to take a syringe. His heart rate goes up and I worry so much about stressing him too much during the process. He has another appointment on friday to discuss more options, but I’m so so worried for him. Any other suggestions on things he can eat to gain weight, or other ways to give critical care? I have tried mixing it with his favorite fruits, but he still lacks interest.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I don’t have personal experience of hyperthyroidism but I believe it’s a case of finding the right dosage of medication before things will settle.
In the meantime, you need to get as much fibre into him as possible - ie hay/recovery feed. If he has got fed up of critical care, then it would be worth trying a different type of recovery feed.
Upping veg won’t necessarily help because it isn’t fibre and doing so can upset the gut balance and cause digestive problems. You have to be very careful here.
You can give a small amount of oats or sweet potato as that can help piggies gain weight.

As your country isn’t on your profile, I dont know what products you will have access to but this guide lists some other recovery feeds
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links