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Skinny pig showing spine & hips

H

harrylizzle

New Born Pup
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Hi guys, I'm looking for some advice on my story with my skinny pig. Ive been a little worried because he was on antibiotics for 2 weeks for early symptoms of a URI. I had a Guinea Pig recently pass from a URI so I knew to get him checked and luckily I caught it early. During these 2 weeks on AB, his appetite decreased so I took him off baytril (he was one baytril & deoxycline) his appetite got better only because I was feeding him veggies more because it was the only thing he ate. This last Wednesday I took him to the vet to get a check up after being on AB for 2 weeks and he was fine to come off the meds but now he is acting a little strange. He's lost weight around his body to the point of showing his spine, hips, annd in certain positions his shoulder blades. (mind you the vet saw him like this and said it wasn't too concerning to just have him eat more hay) Ive bought a new hay which he continues to just pick at, sometimes eats pellets but he is wheezing 24/7. He wheeks all day throughout the day, weeks hours throughout the night and of course he has his constant hay, pellets, and veggies twice a day. But hes still always crying to food. the vet said she was concerned about his weight because there was food inn his mouth, he was eating, and his belly seemed like it had food inn it. But now I'm home and hes constantly wheeling for food, I'm not sure if maybe hes being picky and only wants veggies or if somethings wrong. the vet also said his teeth looked fine. if I ignore his wheeking he stops for a bit annd will just eat some hay but will continue again. Now I'm wondering if maybe hes just lonely so I'm going to get him a new friend tomorrow but I really need some advice. I dont wanna to wake up one morning with him gone. please help.
 
I'm starting to think he lost weight from a lack of hay intake. Ive been feeding him critical care when he cries for food. he still eats some hay but probably not as much as he should be so now I just need advice on how to get him back to eating more hay. I cant critical feed this guy forever.
 
Hi,
Sorry to hear your boy is having trouble. If you aren't already, I'd weigh him daily. If he loses more than 50g or you notice a downward trend, it may be worth another vet trip. I can't offer much advice but will tag some people who may be able to help @Wiebke @Piggies&buns (don't know many others, sorry). Fingers crossed he gets better 🤞💕
 
Antibiotics affect their appetite, so while on antibiotics you need to switch to weighing your piggy every day and syringe feeding critical care. You can also give a probiotic to help settle the tummy. This can help replace the gut bacteria which has been killed by the meds.

You give as much critical care as is necessary to stop the weight loss and replace the hay piggy is not eating for themselves and you use your weight checks as the guide. In a piggy who is not eating any hay for themselves, then you could need to give in excess of 60ml, perhaps closer to 90ml of critical care in a 24 hour period. This means you need to given as much syringe feed as he will take at each sitting and then syringe feeding syringe every couple of hours.

Do be aware that eating veg voluntarily is not enough - it isn’t the fibre that they need to keep their gut functioning and keep weight on. Fibre/hay needs to make up 80% of their daily food intake whereas veg is merely a snack. Continue to syringe feed him until he starts to eat more hay for himself.

You say you took him off the antibiotics? Was that with a vets permission? Has the illness been cured? If not, then he needs to be on antibiotics to make him better.

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Weight - Monitoring and Management
 
Piggies&buns said:
Antibiotics affect their appetite, so while on antibiotics you need to switch to weighing your piggy every day and syringe feeding critical care. You can also give a probiotic to help settle the tummy. This can help replace the gut bacteria which has been killed by the meds.

You give as much critical care as is necessary to stop the weight loss and replace the hay piggy is not eating for themselves and you use your weight checks as the guide. In a piggy who is not eating any hay for themselves, then you could need to give in excess of 60ml, perhaps closer to 90ml of critical care in a 24 hour period. This means you need to given as much syringe feed as he will take at each sitting and then syringe feeding syringe every couple of hours.

Do be aware that eating veg voluntarily is not enough - it isn’t the fibre that they need to keep their gut functioning and keep weight on. Fibre/hay needs to make up 80% of their daily food intake whereas veg is merely a snack. Continue to syringe feed him until he starts to eat more hay for himself.

You say you took him off the antibiotics? Was that with a vets permission? Has the illness been cured? If not, then he needs to be on antibiotics to make him better.

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Click to expand...
yeah he went through 2 weeks of AB already so the vet said he was okay to stop them. they said his weight loss didnt look concerning (even tho his spine is showing) and that his appetite should improve being off of the AB. I think its slowly improving but I don't understand why he's wheeking so much throughout the day. I will continue critical care as much as he allows me hopefully every couple hours. good ting e is stilll eating some hay just not as much as I think he should be.
 
How much weight has he lost? Anything over 50g is concerning.
Doxycycline is known for killing the appetite more than the baytril is. It will take time for his gut to settle, please do give him a probiotic to help and continue to syringe feed until he eats enough hay for himself. Weigh him every day so you can know how much to syringe feed him. Once he starts eating hay for himself again, then you can ease back on the syringe feeds to see if he is maintaining his weight enough through independent hay intake
The guides I linked in explain everything regarding weight checks and syringe feeding.
It takes a lot longer to regain lost weight than it does to lose it. Plus as skinny pigs tend to need to eat more than haired piggies, then the amount of hay or syringe feed he needs could be more to keep him satisfied. @PigglePuggle is also one of our H&I advisors but has a skinny pig so may be able to help more specifically here

I also see you are going to get him a friend. That’s great, piggies should always be kept in pairs.
However, if you are just going to go out and buy a piggy from a pet shop to be his friend, then do be aware that any successful bond comes down to character compatibility. Just buying a piggy does run the risk that the two of them will not be compatible and will not bond - if a bonding fails, they will need to live in separate but side by side cages. The best way to find a friend is via dating at A rescue centre, if possible.
If you do buy a pet shop piggy , ensure you’ve checked the sex of the new piggy yourself so you can be sure it is definitely a boy.
Two boars together require a large space, a cage of 180x60cm is recommended as two boars need a lot of territory each. Lack of space between boars can cause problems.

The guides below explain further.
The first guide explains how to carry out a bonding. It is a specific process and must be done on neutral territory.

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)
 
Last edited:
I just relied to your post on another thread but will delete it as you’ve been given extensive advice above.
 
Piggies&buns said:
How much weight has he lost? Anything over 50g is concerning.
Doxycycline is known for killing the appetite more than the baytril is. It will take time for his gut to settle, please do give him a probiotic to help and continue to syringe feed until he eats enough hay for himself. Weigh him every day so you can know how much to syringe feed him. Once he starts eating hay for himself again, then you can ease back on the syringe feeds to see if he is maintaining his weight enough through independent hay intake
The guides I linked in explain everything regarding weight checks and syringe feeding.
It takes a lot longer to regain lost weight than it does to lose it. Plus as skinny pigs tend to need to eat more than haired piggies, then the amount of hay or syringe feed he needs could be more to keep him satisfied. @PigglePuggle is also one of our H&I advisors but has a skinny pig so may be able to help more specifically here

I also see you are going to get him a friend. That’s great, piggies should always be kept in pairs.
However, if you are just going to go out and buy a piggy from a pet shop to be his friend, then do be aware that any successful bond comes down to character compatibility. Just buying a piggy does run the risk that the two of them will not be compatible and will not bond - if a bonding fails, they will need to live in separate but side by side cages. The best way to find a friend is via dating at A rescue centre, if possible.
If you do buy a pet shop piggy , ensure you’ve checked the sex of the new piggy yourself so you can be sure it is definitely a boy.
Two boars together require a large space, a cage of 180x60cm is recommended as two boars need a lot of territory each. Lack of space between boars can cause problems.

The guides below explain further.
The first guide explains how to carry out a bonding. It is a specific process and must be done on neutral territory.

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)
Click to expand...
thank you for your help. I will continue critical care and track his weight. Ive noticed it may be a gut imbalance because now his poops are starting to smell like diarrhea even though they are coming out perfectly shaped and not mushy or watery anything. I will be getting a pig from a rescue today although I'm worried on whether I should because of his situation right now. Having to syringe feed him and stuff I dont know if it cn become too stressful for him being around someone new and possibly not feeling well. should I postpone?
 
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