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'sad' Piggy? Slight Appetite Loss - Unsure Whats Wrong

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rufcjoe87

rufcjoe87

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Strange one this

My piggy, Henry, has not been himself this last few days (as fellow owners I hope you'll understand what I mean - non piggy people dont get it!)

He's been in his bed a lot more than he normally does, he looks 'sad' and he doesn't come out as often. Normally really loud at meal times he hardly comes out when we give him his veg.

Now he IS eating and he does come out to investigate when we give him veg. He will eat from his bowl too but he doesn't eat as much.

I cleaned him out today and he is pooing but they are smaller than normal.

We've had plenty of cuddles and he is vocal when we cuddle him like usual, he doesnt seem to be in pain anywhere that we can tell

It's just like he is sad really. Like i say he will come out and eat but not as often and not as much. He is weeing ok, his breathing is ok.

Any suggestions? I'm reluctant to take him to the vet as u can probably understand but obviously will if i need to. Just wondered if anyone else has had experience with piggies seemingly sad. He also doesnt stay out as long or come out as often, seemingly only because he 'has' to?

Just to be clear he's not totally lost his appetite, hes actually out now, but theres definitely something not right bless him
 
He does need a vet but not as an emergency, you need to go with your gut instinct on this. He may be brewing something that is in the early stages or he may have some pain for whatever reason. The small poos could indicate him not eating as much as normal. I would weigh him daily until you can get him seen.
 
Yeh my gut is saying to get him seen.

Update, he is out now and has been for a little while, there are now some normal size poos and he has eaten and drank some. Hes just laying there now which is fine and mumbling to himself, but he does look uncomforatable. Maybe I'm being paranoid but usually when i get this feeling I'm right lol

He's literally just gone in and ive checked there are 3/4 normal sized healthy looking poos, so his guts are obviously fine. I'm certain hes not 100% right tho. Mybe a trip to the vet but i can't help but think I'll feel a little silly explaining it (tho he is of course worth that!)
 
Hi, has he got a friend? I once had a lone male (unneutered) and I used to spend lots of money on lovely food and toys for him. But I thought well why not get him neutered and get him some girlfriends instead of spending all this money on toys which he wasn't that into. And he certainly has come right out of his shell since having friends! I'm not sure from your post whether yours is a single piggie or not. If not, has his interactions with the other pigs changed?
 
He is a lone piggy, we bought him with a friend but they fell out n used to fight. Now they live in seperate cages on top of eachother. We have them out daily for cuddles (Henry LOVES his cuddles) but he doesnt have a friend or company in his cage.

Daft as it sounds, and I'm not saying its NOT something medical, i wonder if he is just sad and/or lonely? He is such a loud outgoing piggy - which is why I can tell he's not himself. Could that perhaps be it?
 
'Sad' and 'not feeling well' tend to look the same in piggies. I would have him checked by a vet. Sundae behaves similarly when she is uncomfortable (in her case it's generally the start of a UTI flare, but that's her major medical issue anyhow.) Subdued/quiet/'depressed' in my experience with my pigs often turns out to be a low-grade illness.
 
@rufcjoe87 it could be loneliness/sadness and a friend may help. But I think for the moment I'd keep a close watch for anything which points to a illness as like the others are saying, a sad piggie is usually linked to a not feeling well piggie. But as he's still eating then its not urgent. He may get over whatever is making him not feel well and be back to normal if its nothing particularly serious.
 
Yeh this is why I am a tad concerned. Henry did have a bladder stone removed in July and recovered well from that. He doesnt seem to be in distress when he's pooing or weeing. The thing thats making me think hes sad rather than ill is becuse he is eating/drinking/pooping etc. Perhaps he could have a 'cold' but his breathing is fine?
I suppose it can't hurt to get him checked out, even if he's given the all clear at least we know. Like you say, i don't want it to be an illness and we dont get him checked out but eqully if he is sad he wont enjoy a trip to the vet lol!
 
@Hannah Boyd yeh I think while he is eating its not urgent, which is good. If he improves, great, if he gets worse, take him to vet, if he remains the same i guess we'll make a decision. I'm not panicking yet but obviously we'll keep a close eye on him. If no better in a day or so maybe take him to vet and then see about getting a friend :)
 
Hopefully its nothing serious and he gets better on his own with love and close watching, if not we'll take him to the vet. Just hard to work out when a piggy is sad but i know they hide illness well so assuming somethings not right somewhere, just working ouut what!
 
@rufcjoe87 yes I'd do exactly that, it sounds like a responsible plan. I hope all goes well and he starts feeling better soon! Maybe try some of his favourite veggies in a toilet roll tube or a veggie ball to stimulate him a little bit. Or if he likes posh hay then you could try some of that, just to get him going again.
 
My Penfold was still eating but not as active as usual. I'll weighed him and found he'd lost a huge amount of weight. Turns out he had am under lying illness. I wouldn't have spotted it, if it wasn't for weighing him.
 
Appreciate all your feedback! I put some veg in a toilet roll tube and he came out and played with it n ate it and hes been asleep for a while now. If no better tomorrow i may take him to vets just to be sure :)
 
rufcjoe87 said:
Strange one this

My piggy, Henry, has not been himself this last few days (as fellow owners I hope you'll understand what I mean - non piggy people dont get it!)

He's been in his bed a lot more than he normally does, he looks 'sad' and he doesn't come out as often. Normally really loud at meal times he hardly comes out when we give him his veg.

Now he IS eating and he does come out to investigate when we give him veg. He will eat from his bowl too but he doesn't eat as much.

I cleaned him out today and he is pooing but they are smaller than normal.

We've had plenty of cuddles and he is vocal when we cuddle him like usual, he doesnt seem to be in pain anywhere that we can tell

It's just like he is sad really. Like i say he will come out and eat but not as often and not as much. He is weeing ok, his breathing is ok.

Any suggestions? I'm reluctant to take him to the vet as you can probably understand but obviously will if i need to. Just wondered if anyone else has had experience with piggies seemingly sad. He also doesnt stay out as long or come out as often, seemingly only because he 'has' to?

Just to be clear he's not totally lost his appetite, hes actually out now, but theres definitely something not right bless him
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Smaller poos are generally a sign that he is not eating as much as normal; it is most likely due to him eating less hay. Please switch to weighing daily at the same time, either before or after dinner, so you have got a clear comparison. See your vet if there is a problem. You are an observant owner, so you are likely catching something rather early when there are not yet any clear signs.
 
Thank you. Just had him for a long cuddle and he does seem much brighter and went back and started eating and is currently lying outside. His poos have now got bigger and he is munching his hay. Maybe this one is paranoia?! I'm still going to weigh him daily and keep a close eye on till I'm happy he's 100%.

Appreciate the help and advice guys, this forum is brilliant :)
 
rufcjoe87 said:
Thank you. Just had him for a long cuddle and he does seem much brighter and went back and started eating and is currently lying outside. His poos have now got bigger and he is munching his hay. Maybe this one is paranoia?! I'm still going to weigh him daily and keep a close eye on till I'm happy he's 100%.

Appreciate the help and advice guys, this forum is brilliant :)
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Just keep an eye on it; it may have just been a little one-off episode or it may come back; in whixh case I'd recommend to see a vet.

Our fur-balls can certainly put us through the ringer, can't they?
 
Update:

His poos are normal size again this morning. He didn't squeak for his breakfast or anything but he did come out an eat it etc. So no real change either wya

BUT one thing I did notice - when he does a poo/wee he lifts his bum right in the air. He seems to stop what hes doing, lft his bum high, do his business and carry on. Now when he had his bladder stone he did this but he also squeaked in pain, which he isnt doing at the minute. Any ideas?

We are going to vets for anti biotics today (theory being that if it is UTI or infection they will clear it, if not, its likely bladder stone - which I hope it isn't as will mean another op bless him)

They certainly can put us through the ringer @Wiebke ! but of course they are totally worht it! :)
 
not yet - weighed him about 5pm yesterday so will do the same time today so its accurate

vets is very busy no available appointments so left a brief message with reception (they know us) and asked if we cna have antibitoics or if he wants to see Henry. It's this bum raising thing makes me think he's uncomfortable about something
 
rufcjoe87 said:
not yet - weighed him about 5pm yesterday so will do the same time today so its accurate

vets is very busy no available appointments so left a brief message with reception (they know us) and asked if we cna have antibitoics or if he wants to see Henry. It's this bum raising thing makes me think he's uncomfortable about something
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It can be an early sign of bladder discomfort. Things like this are always worrying with the holidays coming up and you are not sure yet whether they will amount to something or not. I have been there myself, so I know how you feel!
 
Wiebke said:
It can be an early sign of bladder discomfort. Things like this are always worrying with the holidays coming up and you are not sure yet whether they will amount to something or not. I have been there myself, so I know how you feel!
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That's the thing, with the vets being closed over xmas its a race against time to see whether he will get better/worse in that time. Hopefully we can get the anti bitotics and try that. From watching him closely last night/this morning I am starting to think it's his bladder. Hopefully UTI (as potentially easier to treat!)
Main thing is he is still eating etc. Will keep an eye on him n keep weighing him.

They don't half pick their times to get ill lol!
 
Update

Spoke to vet over phone. Vet says to try painkillers for a few days and see how he goes. His concern is antibiotics could cause loss of appetite etc and while the symptoms currently don't appear too bad and he is eating etc he wants to try some painkillers and see how he goes. If no improvements then we'll see about the next step...

Last time, when he had a stone, painkillers didn't work, but hopefully they will this time...
 
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