Recovering From Surgery

[Claire Evans]

Hi guys
I have a little piggy who is recovering from surgery to remove a tumour in her uterus. She's been given the all clear from the vets and we just need to finish her course of antibiotics and pain relief and she should be back to normal however, she doesn't want fresh fruit or veg pretty much at all. She has eaten very small amounts but prefers to chew carpet or cardboard when she's not eating hay or drinking lots of water.

Does anyone have any tips on how encourage pigs to get back to their ordinary diet or particular foods to try? She generally eats lettuce spinach, kale, parsley, grapes and carrots. We've tried loads of other foods in the past but she's a bit picky!

Any help much appreciated

 

[sport_billy]

Hmm, What pain relief is she on and which antibiotics?

 

[Wiebke]

Hi guys
I have a little piggy who is recovering from surgery to remove a tumour in her uterus. She's been given the all clear from the vets and we just need to finish her course of antibiotics and pain relief and she should be back to normal however, she doesn't want fresh fruit or veg pretty much at all. She has eaten very small amounts but prefers to chew carpet or cardboard when she's not eating hay or drinking lots of water.

Does anyone have any tips on how encourage pigs to get back to their ordinary diet or particular foods to try? She generally eats lettuce spinach, kale, parsley, grapes and carrots. We've tried loads of other foods in the past but she's a bit picky!

Any help much appreciated

Hi and welcome!

Are you weighing her daily at the same time and have you been topping her up with syringe feed? Hay is making about 80% of the daily food intake, but it is impossible to control. Veg should only make about 10-15% of the daily food intake, so if she has not been tucking into her veg much, it is most likely that she's not eaten much hay, either. If not, please start now! She is going to feel better with more food in her tummy.

Operation drugs and antibiotic can mess around with the digestive system. That your girl is very keen on very rough fibre means that she is trying to rebalance her guts now that she has started recovering. Poo soup (as discribed in the syringe feeding guide) can also help restock the guts with the "right" stuff. Apart from feeding more fibre via syringe, you can also add a pinch of probiotic to the syringe feed or put her on a course of fibreplex, which is not quite cheap, but can really do the trick in these situations. it can take a while after a major operation for the weight to come back.

If you feel that your girl could still be in pain, please contact the vets.

I would also look at her diet for the longer term - it is rather calcium and fruit heavy.
Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide (with information on suppot products, including probiotics and fibreplex)
Tips For Post-operative Care

 

[Flutterby]

Sending healing vibes to your girl.

 

[piggieminder]

Sending healing vibes to your piggie, hope she feels better soon.

 

[Claire Evans]

she's on metacam, the vet told us to finish the course which I think will be tomorrow.

 

[Claire Evans]

Thanks for all the advice

We'd been syringe feeding since Monday but stopped a few days ago as she's been eating lots of hay and we thought we might be filling her up with the supplement. Maybe we should start it again? Il take a look at the probiotics too.

The vet prodded and poked her yesterday and was happy that her tummy is really comfy

I realised recently that their diet is a bit limited but we find it difficult to get them to eat anything else. I will try though and will read the guide!