Fattening food suggestions for a skinny guinea pig

[GuineaDan]

Hello, I have posted in the Health and Illness forum about Mario's condition here. To sum up (since it's been a bit of a rollercoaster!) he has been losing weight very noticeably (both from scales and physical handling) and has suspected kidney issues.
I understand that regaining weight will take some time, however right now I'm just looking to add to his diet to stabilise his weight first.
He has access to hay and water constantly, pellets (though he's been ignoring them), and he gets fresh veg every night (bell pepper, cucumber, leafy greens). He also sometimes gets a small piece of fruit whenever I'm eating some. I've been slowly giving grass as well (he hasn't had it for a while so it's a slow re-introduction). We were told to stop syringe feeding him by the vet, but I'm not sure if the vet that mentioned this even looked at him (we went to a different vet and she spoke to him out of the room). Since you can literally feel most of his bones, it's safe to say I will continue syringe feeding him.
I have seen that porridge oats can help guinea pigs gain weight - how much should be given? (I'm going to be gradually introducing it of course.) I've seen some places say only a few flakes, some people have been giving a little bowl of oats... So very conflicting information.
And would museli be okay to give an underweight guinea pig? Since it's fattening? Perhaps one without sunflower seeds since those seem to pose a splintering issue?
Are there any other foods that can be given to help stabilise his weight/give him extra nutrients and calories? The vet did say he needs fibre and protein, which makes sense.
I hope this is alright to post and doesn't count as a double post - I figure it's better to have a separate thread for food advice haha.

 

[Guineapigfeet]

I have a slender elderly pig who does tend to loose weight due to arthritis in her jaw. She is not a big foodie and if I put ‘too much’ veg, grass, etc in her cage, she just won’t eat it, so it was difficult getting her to put weight on when she needed it as vet recommended giving her (a little) more carrot etc than I normally would. She has all the grass hay she could possibly want (three varieties) and different hay options (alfalfa, oat, readigrass) but the biggest help was softening her pellets, not to mush, but just a bit, to make them a bit easier for her to eat. I know yours is a very different root problem, but it can’t hurt to try? It might encourage him to eat more pellets? (I’ve also tried oats and she isn’t interested!)

 

[GuineaDan]

Thank you for the suggestion! I've always known him to not be too overly keen on pellets, so I'm not too surprised he's not eating them. I did try leaving softened pellets in the cage the other day, and his brother dove straight towards them (and promptly got picked up lol) whilst he just ignored them. I'll also try giving him some different hay options, my sister also suggested readigrass and alfalfa. I'll probably give it to him during lap time or put it outside the cage in their little run - his brother is a lot less likely to leave the cage then he is lol. I wish you the best of luck with your elderly pig, she sounds precious.

 

[Piggies&buns]

How much syringe feed is being given each day?
I would look to increase that before giving anything else.

You can give some oats. A small amount in a bowl is fine.

If you are going to give some alfalfa make sure it isn’t much at all. It isn’t a grass hay and of course is very high in calcium - given he’s had bladder stones, it’s not something I’d personally choose to use.

 

[Viennese Furbabies]

With my oldies loosing weight I usualy try one of these options:
Oats (I always buy the largest variety of flakes on the market, because if they are too small, my piggies won't eat then). I handfeed them outside of the cage. Some piggies love then, some piggies don't. I start with just a few and gradually feed more.

Softened sience selective pellets, also handfed. If I would put those in the cage, I know who would be first to eat them - not the piggy who should get them. And it's a bit of a challenge to find the right amount of softness the individual pigs like. Some think they are disgusting.
If a piggy loves science selective pellets, but hates the mushy version, I usually break the pellets into smaller pieces.

Sunflower seeds without the shell, sometimes I buy them this way, sometimes I peel the shell of right before feeding. Also just one or two at the beginning, then gradually a few more, but not too many. Same as above, some like them, some won't touch them.

Always have a good look at the poops when introducing oats or sunflower seeds to see if the piggy's digestive system tolaretes them. They shouldn't be on a healthy piggy's diet and can cause problems apart from causing over weight.

 

[GuineaDan]

The vet told us to not syringe feed him anymore since he needs fibre and protein from the hay, which feels very conflicting lol. I'd say he's been getting roughly 40-60ml per day of syringe food, about 10ml every few hours. I've been mixing in some pellets as well so he gets the nutrients from those.
Yeah, I'm very wary about the alfalfa. I might give an alfalfa based treat very rarely instead? That would be a lot less calcium than actual alfalfa hay.
Thank you for your advice, it's appreciated. It's just a headache trying to make sure he gets enough fibre, proteins and calories lol.

Breaking the pellets into smaller pieces might be a good idea as well, I'll give that a try. And peeled sunflower seeds sound like a good idea too.
I've been keeping an eye on his poops these past few weeks, no need to worry. He's pooped on me plenty of times to let me see them lol.

 

[Piggies&buns]

The vet told us to not syringe feed him anymore since he needs fibre and protein from the hay, which feels very conflicting lol. I'd say he's been getting roughly 40-60ml per day of syringe food, about 10ml every few hours. I've been mixing in some pellets as well so he gets the nutrients from those.
Yeah, I'm very wary about the alfalfa. I might give an alfalfa based treat very rarely instead? That would be a lot less calcium than actual alfalfa hay.
Thank you for your advice, it's appreciated. It's just a headache trying to make sure he gets enough fibre, proteins and calories lol.

Breaking the pellets into smaller pieces might be a good idea as well, I'll give that a try. And peeled sunflower seeds sound like a good idea too.
I've been keeping an eye on his poops these past few weeks, no need to worry. He's pooped on me plenty of times to let me see them lol.

He does need fibre from hay but if he isn’t eating enough of it and losing weight then the syringe feeding is replacing the reduction. If 40-60ml isn’t maintaining his weight, then you look to syringe feed the amount that is - could be anything to around 100ml.
If he isn’t eating enough and you reduce syringe feeding then I can see why one may think it would encourage them to eat more independently, but if he isn’t feeling well enough to do so, then he will run into further weight loss.
Critical care contains all the nutrients he needs while he is unwell - you don’t need to worry about balancing things, the critical care will do that for you - but adding in pellets can give it a more familiar flavour.

Alfalfa is high in calcium and protein, and not a grass hay, and I would not give it or anything containing alfalfa to a piggy with known bladder issues.
An alfalfa based treat very occasionally isn’t going to do anything for his weight maintenance either so I really wouldn’t bother with that.
Id just concentrate on good fibre intake from grass hay and support feeding, get him stabilised and over his illness and then see what happens. A bowl of oats is fine to give.

 

[GuineaDan]

Thank you for the advice, he's obviously not eating enough by himself so I really don't know why stopping the syringe food was suggested. I'll increase the amount given.
I'm going to concentrate on hay/grass with syringe food (we bought some timorthy readigrass and green oat readigrass, as well as his normal hay) plus small portions of museli and oats throughout the day and night.

 

[Eriathwen]

A decent replacement for alfalfa in older animals is rye hay, it is higher in protein than most other hays but doesn't have the excess of calcium that alfalfa does. Oat hay is higher in calories so worth trying, I personally offer the oat readigrass to my older pigs.

Oats are great, but its best to ensure piggy isn't in gut stasis or bloaty before feeding them as carbs aren't great in a slow GI tract as it takes a while to break down and can lead to further issues. I usually give a big spoonful per pig.
Wheat bran is also a great addition to the diet, lots of fibre. Mine enjoy it dry as well as mixed with grated root veggies, or with pieces of banana mashed up into it.

I also offer dual care pellets, these are high calorie pellets which are designed to be soaked for syringe feeding, but can be fed in outlet form too, which makes them a good addition to a diet when theyre not eating as much hay as they should be.

I've also been trialing barley rings, which are going down well and seem to be aiding weight management.

 

[GuineaDan]

Hi all, Mario has gained 70g~ since last Monday, so I thought I would post an update here detailing on what he was fed in case it helps anyone else out in a similar position.

The (suspected) problem
It seems it is likely dental issues for Mario, given his inability to chew anything particularly big/hard/thick. Protein absorbing issues after surgery and kidney issues are also possibilities, but these haven't been confirmed as of yet. He's going to have his dental one he's strong enough, so we'll take it from there.

Now, onto the food!

Fresh grass
Mario seemed to be completely off of hay, but luckily he still liked fresh grass! (Naturally during the winter months... My hands aren't happy lol) We got him slowly used to eating fresh grass with pinches every few hours, and now he's currently demolishing a bowl of grass every 2-4 hours. If your piggie isn't eating hay, I'd highly suggest seeing if they're interested in grass!

Muesli
We bought some P@H muesli to try to encourage him to eat. Muesli isn't typically recommended due to selective feeding, so it's mainly been given with his grass or when I'm able to watch the two of them (wouldn't be surprised if Luigi stole some!). He seemed to be most keen on the pea and maize flakes, as well as some thin/longer pellets, which fits with the fact that he wasn't able to chew on anything particularly hard/big (though he did try!). He seems to get bored of his grass halfway - 3/4ths through, but happily goes back to it after some muesli snacks.

Probiotics
We were given Pro-C Professional by the vets and were recommended to do 1 scoop per 100ml of water, and to add it to his drinking water. I wouldn't recommend this normally as it can put piggies off of their water, but both Mario and Luigi don't seem to mind too much, and it's important that Mario can access it at anytime to help him.

EmerAid
This seems to be the thing that has helped Mario the most! He was given EmerAid intensive care by the vets (I believe you can only get this from the vets). It's stronger than normal critical care, and more easily digestible/absorbable. This seems to have given Mario a protein boost that he sorely needed - he's now rebuilding up his muscle mass. His muscles had virtually wasted away and he was stumbling from time to time and struggled to fully pass poops by himself - but now he's a lot stronger!
Do make sure if you do give this to your piggie that you do so slowly. We made the mistake of giving him a lot on his first day and he got diarrhea in response, but it did clear up fairly quickly. He's been getting roughly 5-8ml every 2-4 hours. Also on their website I read that its recommended to give some water afterwards to help reduce the food solidifying in their bodies.

Extra treats (fruit, veg, herbs, etc)
Mario's veg intake hasn't really changed too much (bell pepper, leafy greens and cucumber). We did discover that grating carrot is very good for a piggie with dental issues though! He has been given slightly more fruit than usual (not massive amounts of course! Just slightly more). They've also been getting a small bowl of dried herb mix every few days (dried herbs are high in calcium if I recall correctly, so please do make sure to not give a lot!).

Heat
Not food related, but due to losing so much weight, he didn't have any fat on him to help insulate him - so even if he was intaking anything, a lot of that energy would just be used to keep him warm rather than anything else! Poor thing has been having a low body temperature. We have been keeping the heating consistently on, covering the (inside) cage with a blanket over the hidey area (the pain of drafty windows), covering the bottom and side of the window with a blanket, and stuffing the hidey with a lot of hay. Sometimes a hot water bottle has been placed on the outside of their cage, too. And when we feed him, we put him in a little soft bed with a blanket over and under him.

Of course, Mario has also been given unlimited access to hay (which I think he is starting to eat!) and a small amount of nuggets. We tried readigrass but he hasn't shown any interest so far - once he gets his dental done we'll see if he's interested in some.

These things are not likely to work with all piggies with weight loss problems, but it's what has been helping us so far! Just remember to introduce anything gradually, and to reduce it gradually too when you're going back to more normal food!
Syringe feeding critical care is one of the most important things, in my opinion. If no amount of normal critical care seems to be helping, then asking your vet about EmerAid (or similar stronger critical care) may be a good idea.

Wishing you all and your piggies a nice, relaxing end of the year!

 

[Free Ranger]

I can verify here too that in our experience giving syringe food doesn't put a piggy off eating hay. George is currently being 'topped up': he has a tea-time syringe of 10-15ml together with side salad refills until he refuses to eat anything else. But he'll be nibbling at hay with the girls within minutes of being put back in his cage. Flora and Louise, have been eating hay competitively round the clock trying to be the biggest pig since George became unwell, but they still manage to find a space for any syringe food that has dripped onto the fleeces and they will also beg shamelessly for George's leftovers. Louise stands staring at you, trying to work out how to grab the syringe for herself, but Flora now puts her little front feet up onto your knee and squeaks right in your face!

 

[Betsy]

Louise stands staring at you, trying to work out how to grab the syringe for herself, but Flora now puts her little front feet up onto your knee and squeaks right in your face!

Talk about heavy hinting! All my piggies who didn't have syringe food were the clean up crew for those that did. If there was some left over in the dish then that was a prize worth having!

Here are Rainbow Piggies The Ever Beautiful Betsy, Pretty Patsy and Shy Little Meg scoffing syringe food. The bowl is completely hidden by their heads as they all wanted some.

 

[Free Ranger]

That's like us with the Quality Street at Christmas!