Weight Gain after Illness

[KayBalor]

Hey guys, I have lurked in these forums for many weeks and found all the threads and experiences invaluable when my piggy Harry was poorly.

Harry had gone to a mainstream vet who did his dental work, after visiting that vet everyday for a week after the op, Harry was not getting any better, still not eating by himself, and had lost around 300g since this all started. This vet said there was nothing else they could see that was wrong with him and I should consider having him PTS.
Thanks to this forum I found a pig savvy vet and lo and behold, after he did the dental op again Harry was eating by himself within hours!

Now my question is Harry has been eating like a trooper and has gained 225g in 4 weeks. I'm delighted obviously, but I'm a worrier and have read that it can takes ages to regain weight, so is his gain to much to fast? I'm not syringe feeding him and this gain is all his own doing, I'm just worried its to much in a relatively short space to time!
Opinions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Swissgreys]

Welcome to the Forum


Thanks for coming up to say hello.

It sounds like you have done a great job getting Harry back on track - the difference between a regular vet and a guinea pig savvy one is amazing isn't it?

To be honest I wouldn't worry about the weight gain if it is all his own doing.
As long as he isisn't being fed too many pellets and has unlimited access to hay then it sounds like he is thriving.

We would love to see a picture if you have one too.

 

[Deleted member 131797]

Welcome and well done!

I wouldn’t worry about the weight gain as long as 80% of his diet is hay and not all junk food like carrots and fruit and pellets.

It helps to weigh at the same time too, eg before breakfast. Weight can fluctuate 40gram or so depending on full stomach and bladder

 

[PigglePuggle]

Welcome! We rescued a piggy with dental issues from a weird breeder situation, she weighed 790g and was tiny and needed syringe feeding everyday... since her dental surgery she has just piled on the weight and grown huge with no syringe feeds, 4 months later she weighs 1100g... so if all the weight gain is from hay and a healthy balance of veggies and a small amount of pellets I'd say well done to you and your good vet, and your piggy for bouncing back so well!
Please let us see some pigtures, we love pictures of piggies

 

[KayBalor]

Thank you for your replies. I'll admit he wasn't on the healthiest of diet the first week or so, I was just so happy he was eating by himself again! But now he is definately back to the recommended 80% hay I'll upload a photo of him to my avatar x

 

[DM030819]

@KayBalor Ditto to the above. I wouldn't worry about it. Just keep on monitoring his weight and if he starts to weight more than his usual weight then it would be worth a vet visit to see if it's anything to do with fluid retention.

 

[Bill & Ted]

I have a dental piggie and it’s so important to get them eating independently again. Well done you and Harry x