Round belly

[Josie_lg]

Hiya, after reading something that has worried me I wanted to come on here and see what other people’s experiances are regarding this. One of my girls (all are one year old) has a rounder belly than the others, now this is something she has always had. She’s always had a slightly rounder belly and as she’s grown from a baby her tummy has obviously grown with her. She’s top of the group but only second heaviest. It’s not hard or uncomfortable. She just looks kind of pregnant from certain angles. She has always squeaked when being picked up since she was about 12 weeks old. You can’t really touch anywhere other than her head without being drop kicked aha. However she is happy to be petted on her terms when out for a cuddle.
this occurred after a vet mishandled her (held her upside down and didn’t support her body at all, she was crying and I grabbed her from him because I was incredibly distressed and In shock that he would hold her like that!) ever since that vet visit she has had been vocal when being picked up out of the hutch. (This again was when she was a baby) it has got better with age, but she still gives me a good warning squeak when I pick her up, but once stable on my chest is nice and settled.
so my question is whether some piggies do have much larger bellies than others. Most of her body is white which makes all her features stand out more. If this had all occurred recently I would be straight to the vets. But it seems that she has always been like this.
x

 

[Claire W]

If she has always had a round belly and if it isn’t hard or swollen, I wouldn’t worry. Like people, piggies come in all different shapes and sizes x

 

[Wiebke]

Hiya, after reading something that has worried me I wanted to come on here and see what other people’s experiances are regarding this. One of my girls (all are one year old) has a rounder belly than the others, now this is something she has always had. She’s always had a slightly rounder belly and as she’s grown from a baby her tummy has obviously grown with her. She’s top of the group but only second heaviest. It’s not hard or uncomfortable. She just looks kind of pregnant from certain angles. She has always squeaked when being picked up since she was about 12 weeks old. You can’t really touch anywhere other than her head without being drop kicked aha. However she is happy to be petted on her terms when out for a cuddle.
this occurred after a vet mishandled her (held her upside down and didn’t support her body at all, she was crying and I grabbed her from him because I was incredibly distressed and In shock that he would hold her like that!) ever since that vet visit she has had been vocal when being picked up out of the hutch. (This again was when she was a baby) it has got better with age, but she still gives me a good warning squeak when I pick her up, but once stable on my chest is nice and settled.
so my question is whether some piggies do have much larger bellies than others. Most of her body is white which makes all her features stand out more. If this had all occurred recently I would be straight to the vets. But it seems that she has always been like this.
x

Hi!

Piggies come in all shapes and forms; especially sows. Some shapes are breed specific (abys have a wedge shaped body form while teddies can have a compact body shape with round back end, for instance) while there is also a big individual variation - like with humans, too. Higher ranked sows tend to weigh a bit more than lower ranked ones.

As long as there is no indication for bloating/gassing (drum-hard blown up belly or for ovarian cysts), then I would not worry.
We do recommend a yearly vet check to make sure that your piggies are ok.
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

 

[Josie_lg]

Hi!

Piggies come in all shapes and forms; especially sows. Some shapes are breed specific (abys have a wedge shaped body form while teddies can have a compact body shape with round back end, for instance) while there is also a big individual variation - like with humans, too. Higher ranked sows tend to weigh a bit more than lower ranked ones.

As long as there is no indication for bloating/gassing (drum-hard blown up belly or for ovarian cysts), then I would not worry.
We do recommend a yearly vet check to make sure that your piggies are ok.
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

Thank you. She almost looks slightly pregnant. It feels squishy. But I am hoping to take them all to see a great exotic vet in the next few weeks (if covid allows it) because it’s rare to get a very good exotic vet around here and I’m keen for one to see my girls. How would I know the belly feels ok? You mentioned ovarian cysts and bloat? Xx

 

[Josie_lg]

If she has always had a round belly and if it isn’t hard or swollen, I wouldn’t worry. Like people, piggies come in all different shapes and sizes x

Thank you so much. I am far too paranoid with my piggies. I feel like I know too much so I do panic about everything aha. Glad to have this platform. x

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you. She almost looks slightly pregnant. It feels squishy. But I am hoping to take them all to see a great exotic vet in the next few weeks (if covid allows it) because it’s rare to get a very good exotic vet around here and I’m keen for one to see my girls. How would I know the belly feels ok? You mentioned ovarian cysts and bloat? Xx

Large ovarian cysts can be picked up by an experienced by feel; they are balls that can feel like an embryo; a scan can also pick up the smaller ones. Please take the time to read the green link in my previous post.

The hard, blown up belly is a sign of severe bloating. However, if your sow was suffering from bloating/gassing issues, you would know. large ovarian cysts can cause some low level secondary gassing when they start to really push on the gut.

Unfortunately, without hands-on access to your piggy and not having the qualification to replace a vet, we can only show you likely avenues to pursue with your vet. If there are distinct body changes, my money would be more on fluid-filled non-hormonal cysts, which are not uncommon at all, especially in older sows.

Here is our information guide on digestive problems: Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating