Care Of A Senior Pig

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hannah8t9

hannah8t9

Junior Guinea Pig
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Just wondered if anyone had any advice or tips on giving the best care for a senior pig?
I have my gorgeous girl Penny who we believe is about 5 years old (she was a rescue) about 2 years ago she suffered from a parasite that attacked her nervous system which she did recover well from but does suffer from some slight permanent neurological damage where she has slight problems walking, she can't walk up a ramp and is just not that agile or coordinated.
Her weight had remained pretty much stable although she never regained all the weight she lost when she was ill.
Just wanted some advice and tip on giving the best care I can for my girl now she is getting older, any supplements? Certain foods? Tips on keeping her as comfortable as possible? Things to look out for? Any advice would be greatly appreciated :D
 
There are members who give their older piggies glucosamine to help with joints. I recently lost my oldest lady. She had started to be "wet" at times. An X-Ray showed she had very arthritic knees and was seeing where she sat. A low dose of metacam really helped her to become more mobile and she dried up. She never lost her appetite or her rather portly shape but I know some older piggies are fed oats to help keep their weight stable. Penny is lucky to have you to care for her in her old age.
 
i think for older piggies - a home all on one level is important so they don't put too much pressure on their joints. sounds like you have that covered already though. they seem to appreciate softer bedding and cosy places to sleep. i would also have her checked over for any movement issues every so often. arthritis or stiffness is common in older piggies. vet may beable to give metacam if needed. generally i think they like to be cosy and warm. diet wise i think their needs are the same really. if you feel they might need it, then something like a small amount of warm pellet mash, or a small amount of something like critical care is usually appreciated. obviously you don't want to go adding lots more for the tummy to cope with though, but keep a close eye, and closer eye on their weight as always. sounds like you're doing everything right :)
 
I agree with having only one level. I have two elderly girls, Lulu is 5.5 years and Walnut is 5 years. Lulu stopped going up the ramp recently as she just doesn't have the strength anymore. And Walnut was starting to hesitate as well and really had to take a running start to get up it! They are much happier living on one level. :)
 
I think keeping them on fleece or vetbed is so much softer & comfy than using loose bedding. Especially when you have an older piggy with any stiffness. I have my 4 boys on vetbed in the cage & fleece in their floor time runs & they love it. I initially used pelleted bedding not realising about fabric.. My first piggy Hazelnut actually rarely ventured out of his hidey because he didn't like the bedding & I didn't know. Now hat he has fabric he is very happy & forever wandering about. Also it is so much softer on their feet, keeps their bottoms truly dry & is dust free.. I did find initial costs to get the fabric to be high but as I never need to replace it, it is now only laundry costs which has turned out to be much cheaper than constantly buying replacement loose bedding.
 
I have 2 senior piggies; Treacle is coming on 7 years old with an inoperable mammary tumour, and Junior will be 6 soon. Treacle's movement is extremely limited because of Lumpy so, as she loves fleecy things, I have invested in low entrance fleecy items so she can still have a snuggle without having to climb too high up. They also love to sleep in a big pile of hay (as all piggies do!) so making sure that they have a nice clean pile every day (preferably near a water bottle so they don't have to go too far to drink!) is a must for me. Good luck with your wiggie, she sounds adorable :)
 
I have an eight year old piggy that likes laying down...make sure Penny is warm and has somewhere to snuggle up. Mine also needs her nails clipping quite often now.
Hope this helps!
 
my lovely Honey likes to sleep in lots of hay and sometimes to uses a fleece bed. She can't handle much veg any more and now only gets pepper and cucumber with a handful of grass. She has been clear of urinal infections for two months now touch wood.

She still pootles about ok, always lived on one level. She was 6 in May. I love her to bits.
 
Thank you all for your advice lovely people! I've got some fleece coziness but think going to try fleece liners again to make things a bit easier to get around for Pen and also just extra cozy!
@LizGuineaGurl ive definitely noticed that her nails need clipping more frequently actually! Strange!
Worse thing about having these beautiful beings in our lives is them getting older and knowing that they have to leave us one day:no:
 
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