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Loss Of Appetite And Small Poo But Wants To Eat?

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pigwigg

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So...

I have a lovely 3 year old boar who has seemingly been on and off ill over the past couple of weeks with 2/3 vet trips. The first time he looked listless, was eating the bare minimum, poo's were normal size but weren't many of them so off we went to the vets. He had a look and said there's a slightly rasp to his breathing and one of his lymph nodes in his neck was slightly enlarged. He sent me away with a course of Baytril and by the next day he seemed back on his feet.

I will add Spike has a lump under his armpit that has been tested with a fine needle aspiration and has come back and benign.
 
@pigwigg The title says loss of appetite but wants to eat. That suggests a mouth problem to me. If a pig wants to eat but is struggling to do so then their mouth/teeth could be causing a problem. There could be ulcers, lumps or overgrown teeth causing the pig pain or making it too difficult to eat.

Was his teeth checked by the vet? The majority of vets can't check back teeth consciously so an xray or sedation would be needed.

Small poos can be a sign of dehydration. If he is not drinking then it's important to give fluids in other ways. Normally we would wet their veg but if he's not eating you will need to syringe it to him.

Using a 1ml syringe give him about 0.3ml maximum per dose. Aim to give a few ml at a time.

How long was the Baytril given for? Its possible that he has a respiratory infection going by the mention of raspy breathing. They can take a while to get rid of completely so he may still have one.

Were probiotics given whilst on the Baytril? Baytril can be an appetite suppressor and some pigs stop eating on it.

Weigh him daily, at the same time and if he is losing weight then you need to handfeed him. There is a guide on the forum on how to do it. You can use specialist food such as Oxbow Critical Care or his food pellets watered down into a paste. You will need some 1ml syringes and carefully cut the tip off so it makes the end wider and easier to get food in.

A pig that is not eating at all for themselves needs around 120ml of handfeed a day. Thankfully a pig who is eating a little needs a lot less.

I would recommend a return to the vet for further checks.
 
Small poos reflect the loss of appetite. Please be aware that the output runs about a day or two behind the food intake.

Please step in with syringe feeding and watering as soon as your boy is going off his food and is losing more than 50g in a very short time. Weigh him daily at the same time to monitor his food intake. around 80% of the food intake is actually hay, which you cannot control, but it is generally the first food group that is dropped, especially if there is a pain issue somewhere.
In an emergency, you can use mushed up pellets as long as you prep the syringe tip as shown in our detailed step by step guide so the fibre comes through.
Your syringe feeding support can make a real difference.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Antibiotics and baytril in particular can be appetite dampeners or killers. you can add a pinch of probiotic either 1 hour before (US recommendation) or 1-2 hours after (UK recommendation) you give the antibiotic to help prop up guts.
 
So...
I have a lovely 3 year old boar who has seemingly been on and off ill over the past couple of weeks with 2/3 vet trips. The first time he looked listless, was eating the bare minimum, poo's were normal size but weren't many of them so off we went to the vets. He had a look and said there's a slightly rasp to his breathing and one of his lymph nodes in his neck was slightly enlarged. He sent me away with a course of Baytril and by the next day he seemed back on his feet.
I will add Spike has a lump under his armpit that has been tested with a fine needle aspiration and has come back and benign. He was attacked 18 months ago by his old cage buddy and the lump appeared at the scar site. The vet said to leave it alone unless it starts to irritate him. In the last 18 months the lump hasn't grown any bigger.
Around 2/3 days ago Spike stopped eating/drinking/pooing so I immediately took him to the vets who took his temp, said he couldn't find a temp to suspect an infection, no swollen glands, checked his teeth and said they were fine, had a listen and feel of his tummy and said no bloat/swelling etc. He did have a raspy breath, however the vet said his chest way clear from infection no rattling/fluid sounds etc.
So I took him home and immediately began syringe feeding him Critical Care and water. I also decided to start him on the Baytril with Pre/probiotics as I was almost sure he had a URI with raspby breathing, sunken eyes, lack of appetite, ruffled fur etc etc. He has slowly (very slowly) began to pick up in himself, he has a slight more energy and pays an interest to veg and grass. However, he won't actually eat them. He bites the pepper and spits in back out. This afternoon I slid some grass into the side of his mouth as he was biting at it and he began to very very slowly chew and grind loudly. However, he didn't go to eat anymore of it :(
Over these past few days his poos have come on from tiny solid little thin tubes to almost normal shaped but very very small and he seems to struggle getting them out as I don't think he is taking enough water in.
I have no idea what is wrong with him, I am now wondering if he has dental issues even though my vet told me they looked fine? Could he have teeth growing into his gum? Abscess?
I am feeding/watering around the clock, his last feed is 11pm and then again between 2:30am/3:30am and then again between 7 and 8am. Throughout the day I am alternating between water and a Critical Care mix which I have to make fairly watery otherwise he spits it out as he has always hated the taste.
He is also having Avipro Plus to try and soothe his little tummy/bowels.
If anybody has any advice/experience of what could be wrong with this little fella.

Also, how much should I be syringing into him and how often?
 
As mentioned in my PM there's not an exact amount of syringefood. You need to weigh him daily and increase the amount that you are giving him if he is losing weight.

If he is trying to eat and is struggling, or is simply not able to then it is a sign of mouth issues.

Dentistry in pigs is something most vets aren't experienced with, so you will need to find a vet with the experience. If you can update your location in your profile we may be able to help. There is a fantastic guinea pig vet in Northampton called Simon Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic. He has tons of experience with piggy teeth.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hello, sorry little Spike is poorly

Really need to find out what is going on here and recommend you find a cavy savy vet to try and get to bottom of issues. Taken a quick look at your IP as I am an admin and these are your closest from what I can tell
  • Alfreton Park Veterinary Hospital
    Ellie Whitehead
    216 King Street
    Alfreton
    , Derbyshire DE55 7DF
    01773 832218

  • Chine House
    Craig Hunt
    Sileby Hall
    Cossington Road
    Sileby, Leicestershire LE12 7RS
    01509812445

  • Chapel House Vets
    Kathryn Reed
    Hady Hill
    Chesterfield, Derbyshire S410DZ
    01246 222232
    It could be teeth, spitting out food and grinding may point to that. However pain can also cause piggies to go off food also, but the fact he tries to eat then can't may point to teeth/jaw issues.
From a vet i'd be wanting a good check up of his mouth, some gut stimulant such as Emeprid (metachlopromide) as he is not eating to help his tummy keep going as you are syringe feeding him and some metacam (painkiller) in case pain is stopping him from eating

Please start weighing him before and after feeds. If he is not liking critical care then use mushed up pellets Have a read of our syringe feeding guide here Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

As Jaycey has said above if you can get to Northampton Simon is an amazing dentist and one of the best piggy vets in the country
 
Merged threads together :) Makes sure you have access to advise in one place
 
It sounds like you're quite close by to me so definitely try to get to Simon if you can.

I know someone who has used Alfreton and they were very happy with them.

I personally wouldn't use Chine House for dentals but if you need an emergency visit if you can't get booked in with Simon then it's worth a visit there.
 
Thankyou so much!
I'll be giving them a call in the morning.
I've blended some carrot, baby corn, cucumber and spinach and popped it into a syringe and he's had a few syringe fulls from me
which is a good sign as he's been turning his nose up at Critical Care.

I've no idea what is wrong, normally I'm pretty good at pinpointing what is wrong but this little fella has me absolutely baffled!
The raspby breathing pointed me towards a URI but would the vet be able to hear this when he listened in to his chest?
 
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