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Dennis has lost weight

Betsy

Betsy

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Over the last few weeks Dennis has been steadlily losing weight. He is a dinky boy and can't afford to lose much more. He's still happy in himself and doing bimbly piggy stuff but just seems to be a bit withdrawn from the other 4. He backs away from Christian when ever he comes near (which he never used to do) and I'm just concerned that Christian has been bullying him a bit. I know I have been lucky in that all 5 live together and there has been no fights between Christian and Dennis so I am reluctant to split the 5 of them up. I would put Betsy with Dennis and Velvet and Meg with Christian if I did have to split the herd. Poor Betsy is now almost blind with her cataracts and very much relies on the help of all 4 piggies so I don't really want to separate her. Meg would be lost without Velvet so I don't want to separate her either. Velvet knows who is who and where they stand in the hierarchy and if I split them up she would find it very stressful.

I have a vet appointment for Dennis next Wednesday morning just so he can have a thorough health check to make sure that there is no underlying problem. Since December Dennis has lost around 70g. It may not sound much but as I said earlier he is a very small boar. He weighed in at 927g this afternoon.
 
I read back through your post, what i said i didnt get it right, best wishes to Dennis👍
 
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Healing wheeks for Dennis! Vet check and porridge oats definitely needed. Does he eat grated sweet potato? My lot won't eat chopped sweet potato pieces but they love it grated mixed with porridge oats, that's how we super-sized Blod and have kept Tallulah gaining weight through her abscess issues. There's a lot of healthy calories in sweet potato!
 
I've not tried any of them on sweet potato. Will get some Monday when I go shopping and mix them with porridge oats and give them to him only.
SkyPipDotBernie said:
Yea that isnt much, is he just small framed? If hes old he may have lost some muscle mass. But if hes withdrawn a bit, good on you for getting a check up.

I see it like this, if a big boar loses 70g its no different to a small boar losing 70g. If we are going on frame size and not just an overweight pig that is.
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Dennis has always been a itty bitty boy as he was the runt of the litter. Unfortunately I lost the book with all their baby weights in and up to 2 years old. I have only got records for a year. When I got Velvet she was already pregnant I did not breed her.
 
I do hope Dennis is ok. Sending healing vibes for the little fella. 💕
 
Aah hope he's ok, my Rupert's only a small lad too so weight loss always worrying. Hope the vet trip goes well.
 
Thanks I hope he's OK too. I can't get to the vets before Wednesday and I got the first appointment that they had.
 
Same with Dot, she is a small pig, weight loss on her i notice straight away around the hips, shes up and down like a yo yo dieter, because of her urterine troubles, she eats less when in pain, but eats enough to keep her out of trouble
 
My piggies send lots of piggy kisses and they would send a sweet potato if they hadnt helped me eat it yesterday! We've all become a bit obsessed with grated sweet potato, I've been having it in stir fries and curries a lot since I became vegan-by-default due to food intolerances and allergies... and I've definitely not lost any weight, my 33 week pregnant daughter just helped herself to my normal clothes for final-weeks maternity wear :)
 
Sending hugs to Dennis. Hoping he is okay and good luck with the vet visit. Having sick piggies always take a toll in us. 😔
 
Sending healing vibes to Denis and hugs to you. These little furries are such a worry at times. Xx
 
Sorry to hear about Dennis. Hopefully the vet will be able to put your mind at rest on Wednesday, whether that's with a diagnosis or not! It's so worrying though when they are dropping weight and you can't find anything wrong with them. 2 of mine are going to the vets next week too - they must like keeping their hoomans on their toes.
 
Aw, poor little Dennis, hope he’s ok and not being bullied x come on Dennis get that weight on lovely x
 
Sorry to hear about Dennis. Hope he feels better.

How old is little Dennis?
 
Poor little Dennis :( healing vibes for him! I hope he's back up to his normal weight soon
 
Janey said:
Sorry to hear about Dennis. Hopefully the vet will be able to put your mind at rest on Wednesday, whether that's with a diagnosis or not! It's so worrying though when they are dropping weight and you can't find anything wrong with them. 2 of mine are going to the vets next week too - they must like keeping their hoomans on their toes.
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Hope your 2 get on OK at the vets @Janey.
Seven7 said:
How old is little Dennis?
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Cutey Pie Dennis is 3 on 5 May.
Dennis in Snuggle sack 3.webp
 
Thanks Heather! It's always more of a worry when Dennis loses weight as he is such a small boy anyway. If any of the others lost 70g or so I wouldn't worry so much but Dennis hasn't really got a lot of weight to lose!
 
Hope you and Dennis get on well at the vets, thought of you earlier but forgot to post as I'm a dozy mare! :)
 
Hope all goes well at the vets today for Dennis x What a gorgeous photo of him and Betsy ❤️. Do you think there might be a bit of bullying with Christian?
 
Thinking of you and Dennis today and hoping the vet has some nice simple answers for you both.
He and Betsy are adorable together. :love:
 
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