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Probiotics For A Healthy Pig?

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Beans&Toast

Beans&Toast

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Firstly, sorry if this seems like a stupid question...

but I was thinking about probiotics and if it's possible to give this to a healthy piggy?
Would it make sense to give them this regularly to help their immune system stay strong and ward off any infection or illness that may be lurking in the background? I was thinking it may be similar to us taking a daily vitamin, or does it not work like that? :hmm:
 
It wouldn't harm them to give it and may help keep the digestive system in check but I don't think it would ward off any illnesses sadly. I take them daily myself and I still get ill.
 
Thank you. I have a couple unopened packets of Bio Lapis left over from when Toast was ill and I thought it may be beneficial to sprinkle it over their food from time to time
 
It wouldn't hurt and if you need to use it up before it goes off then sprinkle away. If not you could keep it in for an emergency, if it has a long best before date.
 
Beans&Toast said:
Firstly, sorry if this seems like a stupid question...

but I was thinking about probiotics and if it's possible to give this to a healthy piggy?
Would it make sense to give them this regularly to help their immune system stay strong and ward off any infection or illness that may be lurking in the background? I was thinking it may be similar to us taking a daily vitamin, or does it not work like that? :hmm:
Click to expand...

The effectiveness of probiotics is rather disputed by vets, to be honest. When it comes down to it, it is just added fibre. In the case of an acute illness/antibiotics, "poo soup", i.e. re-stocking the guts with bacteria from healthy piggies is more to the point in my own exerience.
I know that some pellet brands etc. contain probiotics, so if you feel that you want to give them regularly, you can give them safely.

When adding vitamin C, please take into account the vitamin C that is already preset in re-inforced pellets and that you feed in the form of veg, so you need to adjust any vitamin C that you want to give long term with that in mind; you can't just go up to the full required daily amount.
Overdosing long term can lead to health problems, especially when continuously putting guinea pigs oon a high dose from a young age, as experiences especially in the US have shown. Ironically, overdosed piggies can develop scurvy symptoms when the vitamin C level drops suddenly to more normal levels through illness or a change in diet.
There is no harm in upping the vitamin C significantly for the short term in the case of an acute illness or a pregnancy.
 
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