Pig has given up eating veggies or hay only pellets

[Alex Maghie]

Hi there, My 3.5yr old little boy stopped eating a few weeks ago. The vet filed his teeth down & mentioned slight arthritis in his back leg but he seemed OK. However, he's still not eating hay (of any variety - I've tried 6) & he won't eat his veggies. He used to ADORE spinach & kale. Now he won't touch it (or anything else I try). He will toy w/ the pulp of a cucumber (he used to prefer the skin) & he is just existing on pellets , which the vet says isn't very good for him - and Critical Care (when I'm able to get it into him). He's just not on good form & sleeps most of the time. He's going back to the vets tomorrow but each visit is stressful (to him & me!). His buddy also had his teeth filed & he's bounced back, greedy as ever. Has anyone else experienced the same? There haven't been any changes to his lifestyle. Thanks.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum.

He stopped eating prompting you to take him to a vet, and the vet said there were problems with the teeth but he still hasn’t eaten since his teeth were done? What else did the vet check for?

Is your vet an exotic specialist? I only ask as piggy dentals are quite a specialist area. Where are you located? The best piggy dental vet is Simon at cat & rabbit clinic in Northampton as he specialises in doing this type of work. People travel from all over the uk to see him for piggy dentals.

Not eating hay will result in his teeth not wearing down properly, so they can quickly overgrow again.

As an important side note, spinach and kale are too high in calcium to be fed regularly. They should be strictly limited to once a week only (and in piggies prone to bladder problems, not really fed at all)

 

[pig in the city]

Hi there, My 3.5yr old little boy stopped eating a few weeks ago. The vet filed his teeth down & mentioned slight arthritis in his back leg but he seemed OK. However, he's still not eating hay (of any variety - I've tried 6) & he won't eat his veggies. He used to ADORE spinach & kale. Now he won't touch it (or anything else I try). He will toy w/ the pulp of a cucumber (he used to prefer the skin) & he is just existing on pellets , which the vet says isn't very good for him - and Critical Care (when I'm able to get it into him). He's just not on good form & sleeps most of the time. He's going back to the vets tomorrow but each visit is stressful (to him & me!). His buddy also had his teeth filed & he's bounced back, greedy as ever. Has anyone else experienced the same? There haven't been any changes to his lifestyle. Thanks.

He probably has a significant dental problem or possibly a jaw abscess brewing. If you can get to the cat and rabbit clinic they really are the experts. Just try and keep his weight up with additional syringe feeds, add extra vitamin C to his feeds. Maybe try syringe feeding him veggie baby food or giving him some in a bowl?
He may well be in pain so get your vet to give him some decent pain relief. This alone may start him eating again

 

[Alex Maghie]

Thanks for your response.

Yes, I took him to the vets as he wasn't eating. She x-rayed him (hence she found the arthritis) & she's an exotic pets vet (i've followed her from my old surgery as she seems to know her stuff & has several pigs herself). I'm based in Hertfordshire so too far from Simon in Northampton (too stressful for the pigs to travel that far).

I'm taking him back tomorrow as I'm aware he needs to be eating hay. Spinach & kale are fed to them occasionally but he's not even interested in that.

 

[pig in the city]

Thanks for your response.

Yes, I took him to the vets as he wasn't eating. She x-rayed him (hence she found the arthritis) & she's an exotic pets vet (i've followed her from my old surgery as she seems to know her stuff & has several pigs herself). I'm based in Hertfordshire so too far from Simon in Northampton (too stressful for the pigs to travel that far).

I'm taking him back tomorrow as I'm aware he needs to be eating hay. Spinach & kale are fed to them occasionally but he's not even interested in that.

Let us know how it goes

 

[Alex Maghie]

Vet has given me Metacam (fairly high dosage) to see how he gets on. It makes sense it’s not his teeth that hurt or he wouldn’t eat pellets. He’s gained 20g in past fortnight which is good. Maybe something else hurting him.
If he doesn’t get better i guess it’s Northampton for me!

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

I run as sanctuary for guinea pigs with dental disease and they can often eat nuggets, even if teeth are pretty awful, as they just dissolve in their mouth and don't need to be chewed, so don't completely rule out a dental problem.

 

[Alex Maghie]

I run as sanctuary for guinea pigs with dental disease and they can often eat nuggets, even if teeth are pretty awful, as they just dissolve in their mouth and don't need to be chewed, so don't completely rule out a dental problem.

Thanks. Interesting. I’ll see how we get on for a week on the meds & will then venture further afield for a second opinion.