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Underweight piggy

Percypatch

Percypatch

New Born Pup
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Hello everyone, it’s my first time posting a thread on here so please bare with me.

My 4 year old male piggy, Percy, has recently lost some weight to the point where I am able to feel almost every bone in his body when I pick him up. Percy was just in at the vets a few weeks ago for a serious case of bloat, thankfully all is well now apart from his weight. Percy weights just over 1kg. The vet had asked us to feed him critical care which we did with great difficulty. He absolutely hated it and would spit it out in small balls. He is eating well now and always makes sure to tell us with a lot of loud wheeking if he is hungry. Percy hasn’t had any changes to his personality at all. He is still his bright bubbly self and is still very awake and attentive. I’m not sure how to help him gain weight however so any tips and tricks are hugely welcomed.

thanks in advance!
 
Welcome to our friendly forum.

Some tips for next time you syringe feed. Mix some mashed banana and a few oats in to the CC he will probably lap it up then.

Are you weighing Percy every day atm to make sure he maintains his low body weight? Has he got access to hay 24/7?
 
Aw hello and welcome
Could you try Percy with some porridge oats they are good for fattening up piggies x
 
Grated sweet potato and with a bit of grated apple always go down well and are good for putting weight on too.
 
Betsy said:
Welcome to our friendly forum.

Some tips for next time you syringe feed. Mix some mashed banana and a few oats in to the CC he will probably lap it up then.

Are you weighing Percy every day atm to make sure he maintains his low body weight? Has he got access to hay 24/7?
Click to expand...


Thank you for that, I will try that. Also I do weight him everyday to make sure there is no significant weight loss. And he always has access to great amounts of hay which he constantly munches on.
 
Sorry to hear about your piggy not being very well. I’m not as experienced as some but I’ve also heard people mix organic baby food in with their cc - I live in England and people have recommended ellas kitchen carrot baby food as it has nothing extra added in it! I haven’t tried but might be worth a go too! :) hope he gets better!
 
Bill & Ted said:
Aw hello and welcome
Could you try Percy with some porridge oats they are good for fattening up piggies x
Click to expand...

Thanks. How would I give them to him? Should I mix them in to his pellets and how much should I give him?
 
DougalandDiego said:
Sorry to hear about your piggy not being very well. I’m not as experienced as some but I’ve also heard people mix organic baby food in with their cc - I live in England and people have recommended ellas kitchen carrot baby food as it has nothing extra added in it! I haven’t tried but might be worth a go too! :) hope he gets better!
Click to expand...

Thank you! I will try that
 
Percypatch said:
Thanks. How would I give them to him? Should I mix them in to his pellets and how much should I give him?
Click to expand...
You can put a few in with his pellets or just give some scattered in his cage. He will hoover them up whatever. A small handful will be enough.
 
Percypatch said:
Hello everyone, it’s my first time posting a thread on here so please bare with me.

My 4 year old male piggy, Percy, has recently lost some weight to the point where I am able to feel almost every bone in his body when I pick him up. Percy was just in at the vets a few weeks ago for a serious case of bloat, thankfully all is well now apart from his weight. Percy weights just over 1kg. The vet had asked us to feed him critical care which we did with great difficulty. He absolutely hated it and would spit it out in small balls. He is eating well now and always makes sure to tell us with a lot of loud wheeking if he is hungry. Percy hasn’t had any changes to his personality at all. He is still his bright bubbly self and is still very awake and attentive. I’m not sure how to help him gain weight however so any tips and tricks are hugely welcomed.

thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

Hi!

In older piggies it can sometimes take a quite a while for weight to come back, especially after a serious illness.
You can find some tips in this guide here, which also deals with underweight. If your boy doesn't like critical care; try a mix with mushed up pellets and critical care when syringe feeding.
Weight - Monitoring and Management

Please be aware that any empty filler calories from sugary veg etc. will usually come off as quickly as they have gone on.
 
Betsy said:
You can put a few in with his pellets or just give some scattered in his cage. He will hoover them up whatever. A small handful will be enough.
Click to expand...

thank you so much. I will update and tell you how I get on 😆
 
Wiebke said:
Hi!

In older piggies it can sometimes take a quite a while for weight to come back, especially after a serious illness.
You can find some tips in this guide here, which also deals with underweight. If your boy doesn't like critical care; try a mix with mushed up pellets and critical care when syringe feeding.
Weight - Monitoring and Management

Please be aware that any empty filler calories from sugary veg etc. will usually come off as quickly as they have gone on.
Click to expand...

thank you!
 
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