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Vitamin C Supplement / Probiotics

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Claire K

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Hi, I have seen in many threads that some piggy owners use vitamin c supplements/probiotics etc in their animals water ?

Is it a good idea to start doing this on a regular basis or is this more for when they are poorly / not eating properly.

The reason I ask is that at present, I am not using any but wondered if i should be?

Look forward to hearing from you

Claire x
 
There's no need to give anything, Claire. The basic rule is not to give any supplements unless necessary. If the pig has a varied diet, especially if the pig is served fresh veggies daily, there is just no need to give a supplement; they will get everything they need from their food. Illness of some form is the only reason to give the pig additional Vitamin C.

Probiotics are good to keep the gut flora balanced, mainly in times of illness where antibiotics may be used. Some people find it helps with other digestive or related issues, such as soft faeces (due to too many greens, for example) or impaction.

Neither product should be given in the pigs water bottles. Fresh water must always be offered, and it is really all they need. If the pigs do happen to enjoy drinking water with probiotic in, and you have a good reason to offer the probiotic, then it's best to keep that in a separate, smaller bottle, and be sure to scrub the bottle and spout daily before refilling with a fresh solution.

If a Vitamin C supplement is necessary, it is best to buy a product you can give orally at the correct dose.
 
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Thanks Laura.

I am at present giving fresh veg twice a day along with fresh hay 3 times a day and their dried food gets replaced twice a day. Their water bottle also gets emptied and refilled twice a day!

They currently eat the normal hay that i purchase from PAH but i have seen the Oxbow Health Hay (various ones) around in the shops. Is it a good idea to give them something like the Oxbow Alfaalfa hay as an extra source of goodness or not?

(Piggies are 10 weeks old)
Claire x
 
You have got a great food routine going, lucky piggies!

I feed Oxbow hay, it is great quality. You can feed Oxbow hay exclusively, or you can mix it in with other hays. Mixing different varieties of hay usually encourages them to eat more, which of course is great for digestion and dental wear. I think mixing the alfalfa in with their normal hay will probably go down well!

I didn't feed alfalfa hay to the young piggies I have had, but I did give them a few higher calcium veggies - parsley, dill etc. They've all turned out fine...in fact, I have had one of my neutered boys since he was a six week old, and the only difference between his diet and that of the adult pigs was that he had a couple of sprigs of parsley each day. He turned into a very healthy chunk weighing 3lb 8oz, he was not lacking in anything as a youngster!
 
Thank you Claire, you are very kind to say so. :)

I must say that although I may know a fair bit, I will never know enough!
I do have my weaknesses, there are many areas I remain somewhat novice about.
 
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Claire, whilst guinea pigs need Vitamin C they would have to be on quite a poor diet to show signs of any deficiency. There is no need to give them Vit C unless it is needed. You cannot overdose with Vit C. They best way to give it to them is to buy the effervescent tablets, from a supermarket, and dissolve a quarter tablet in water. Wait until the tablet has completely dissolved and then syringe feed the solution to the pig.
 
Thank you. I suppose my total knowledge after 21 years and a few hundred pigs could be summarised on a sheet of A4 paper! However it is the experience gained and applied that cannot be compressed so easily, but this applies to most things in life. It is one advantage (maybe the only one) of getting old!!
 
I will certainly be back in touch with you as I am sure I will have dozens more questions as time goes on.

21 years and hundreds of piggies - no wonder you know so much.
 
It is the easiest thing in the world to pass on knowledge, and just as easy for you to look up the facts in a text-book, if only it were that easy to gain hands-on experience!
Experience combined with knowledge can give you the confidence as to when to "break the rules" with varying a "standard treatment" for a given illness. Knowledge, training and experience combine to give an overall view enabling you to see the bigger picture and to think outside the box.
 
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