The ideal diet for my poorly pig - getting in a muddle!

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Liane

Liane

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Nelson is a rather poorly pig at the moment, suffering from all kinds of different things, and I'm trying to work out how I can adjust his diet to make it healthier for him and my other seven piggies.

Nelson is five years old and currently suffers from the following:
- Arthritis
- Poor teeth (weak, wobbly, growing funny)
- Very underweight (800g)
- Papery-thin skin and poor coat condition (he used to have such a lovely coat)
- Possible gout
- Recurrant soft poops and occasional diarrhoea
- Weakness in his back legs
- Loss of muscle mass
- Hayfever and respiratory problems
- Vulnerable to infection


I have been looking at various charts, mainly on guinea lynx, to try and determine what the best foods would be, but I'm getting really confused! :{ I am trying to reduce calcium intake as another piggy recently had cystitus and very sludgy wee, but I'd also like to reduce phosphorus and oxalic (?) acid as Nelson possibly has gout.


Nelson's diet so far this week:
Monday: nuggets, hay, grass, 0.1ml metacam, red&orange bell pepper
Tuesday: nuggets, hay, grass, 0.1ml metacam, baby sweetcorn
Wednesday: nuggets, hay, oats, grass, 0.1ml metacam, one and a bit strawberries, brocolli, critical care
Thursday: nuggets, hay, oats, grass, 0.2ml metacam, half a strawberry, carrot chunks
Friday: nuggets, oats, grass, 0.1ml metacam

He hasn't been wanting to eat a great deal lately, which is possibly due to dental problems that were discovered yesterday.

Any suggestions as to what I could give him regularly/what I could be doing wrong?
 
Poor boy!

You may need to top him up with hand feed, either mushed up pellets or a recovery food formula. Cut off the thin tip off a 1ml syringe; that gives you the best control so you can give him as little and as slowly as he can swallow. You may also want to syringe extra vitamin C (try oxbow via the internet). Dental piggies struggle with chewing, especially after treatment, too.
http://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html

Have you considered feeding a sprig of fresh coriander each day? That is the mildest herb; it can be fed daily.

Weigh him daily to control his food intake. Older piggies struggle to maintain their weight or regain it after an illness, so don't be dismayed if it doesn't go up again despite your best efforts.
 
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Thank you!

I have started to try and handfeed him Critical Care, but he is not particularly keen (I don't blame him - it looks and smells awful!). I managed to syringe a measley 4ml, and then he refused his medicine for a bit because he thought it would be more icky stuff. I then tried a 'cucumber bowl' but he just ate around it and made a right old mess! So then I made some critical care 'dough balls' and he refused those outright so I put some in the nugget bowl...all gone, but not sure if it was him or the girls!

I will try the coriander :)

My Dad and the vet have said that he'll probably never reach anywhere near his former weight due to the loss in muscle mass, but he just looks so tiny and frail and it makes me sad :(
 
Aw, poor boy :(
I find Recovery food better for poorly piggies, CC is a rather strong smelling food and sometimes, a little mashed banana may help mixed in :)
I have spent hours syringing a piggy and find they prefer to eat it from my finger or a small dish and it won't harm any other piggies but try to monitor Nelsons intake if he's sharing dishes in the pen.
Try grating veggies if possible, maybe easier for him to eat if he has dental issues...
Keep us posted please and sending hugs x
 
It's just been reported this week that brocolli helps people with arthritis. No harm in adding a little more to his diet, maybe finely chopped. Also Porridge Oats & Sweet Corn which is plentiful at present are good for adding weight.
 
mallethead I should have probably researched the food better, first! I always thought Critical Care was the best food for poorly piggies, but I'll try mixing it with food.

Nelson likes to eat porridge from my fingers, but I just have to be careful as his eyesight isn't great anymore and he tries to eat my fingers! And yes, I try and feed Nelson separately while he has a cuddle to ensure he is actually eating something...I suspect Nellie has been tucking into the oats I put in their bowl as she's a bit of a podger these days!

Thanks for your tips! :)
 
Ooh, interesting! He does like his brocolli, which is why I was surprised he didn't eat much of it the other night - hopefully now his teeth have been fixed a bit he can eat more :)
 
Liane said:
Ooh, interesting! He does like his brocolli, which is why I was surprised he didn't eat much of it the other night - hopefully now his teeth have been fixed a bit he can eat more :)
Click to expand...

We made veggie 'smoothies' when Harley was recovering from surgery - all his fave stuff whisked in the blender (it did look awful) but he loved it :)
He had to have his veggie intake and was the only way we could do it and it worked :<>
 
I'm syringe feeding one of mine at the moment. I use Science Selective in a small (ramekin size) dish, poor boiling water on the pellets and mash with a spoon to get a nice consistency that the syringe will suck up. I then add small amount of Ready Brek (Asda's own). The thicker the better as long as it goes up the syringe (cut the end off the syringe). Sometimes I try mashed banana, powdered potato or Complan instead of porridge, but it's usually the porridge or banana. Sometimes a piggy will take it of it's own accord, but other times they need 'more encouragement'. I may do 6 x 1ml feed, then when he's really had enough, I try again in a few hours.
 
I'm sorry to here about Nelson hope things improve for him. Interesting to see people mentioning oats/ready brek, are these just for poorly piggies or can they be part of the normal diet for a healthy piggie too?
 
you can feed those to a healthy pig but in moderation as they will add bulk. My guys love oats from time to time
 
Nelson still has sore teeth and we're getting a bit worried now :( He's taking the syringe feed better now, though, which is good. He has been having a combination of mashed banana, porridge/dry oats and critical care. He's still reasonably chirpy, but I think not being able to eat his favourite foods is getting him down :(
 
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