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hard keeper?

T

Teacake

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i have a 4 year old boar who just wont keep any weight on.. any tips would be appreciated

he gets unlimited oats, sweet potato every few days, unlimited sweet, green hay and the normal portion of veg. occasionally i feed pellets.

he isn’t loosing weight, but he is v underweight and not gaining it back.. hes a rescue so may be older than 4 but my old sow whos 6 is on the same diet and at a normal weight. he has been checked over a few times and has no obvious issues, teeth are fine. he seems happy enough thankfully but of course i want him to be at a healthy weight

edit: i rescued him 3 years ago and he was at a good weight for a while, just become gradually skinny over the past 6 months or so
 
So, if he isn’t losing weight, then that is great. It means he is eating enough.
Has a vet diagnosed him as being under weight?
Are you just using the number on the scales to tell you he is underweight, or is it his heft (ie you can feel his ribs are protruding and he has no fat layer)?

There is no such thing as a normal/healthy weight - the range is huge and even something outside of that range can still be healthy for the individual provided their heft is right.
It is their heft which is the vital factor in telling you whether they are under or over weight.
 
Piggies&buns said:
So, if he isn’t losing weight, then that is great. It means he is eating enough.
Has a vet diagnosed him as being under weight?
Are you just using the number on the scales to tell you he is underweight, or is it his heft (ie you can feel his ribs are protruding and he has no fat layer)?

There is no such thing as a normal/healthy weight - the range is huge and even something outside of that range can still be healthy for the individual provided their heft is right.
It is their heft which is the vital factor in telling you whether they are under or over weight.
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his hips poke out and i can feel his spine. he weighs around 300g less than he should
 
Teacake said:
his hips poke out and i can feel his spine. he weighs around 300g less than he should
Click to expand...

Have you checked around his ribs ie his heft?
Weighing 300g less isn’t necessary a problem - as I say, there is no amount they ‘should’ weigh - unless he does not have a fat layer around his ribs at all. One of my boys was consistently 300g less than his cage mate in his prime. They are both nearly 5 now and are losing tone, hip bones are slightly more prominent than they used to be, in their older age but their weight is consistent albeit very slightly lower than in their prime, their heft is fine.

Has he been seen by a vet?
 
Is this the piggy who has recently gotten over a jaw abscess? My Pepper hasn’t regained the weight he lost with his abscess. This could be his new weight? If you are worried I’d get him checked over again.
 
weepweeps said:
Is this the piggy who has recently gotten over a jaw abscess? My Pepper hasn’t regained the weight he lost with his abscess. This could be his new weight? If you are worried I’d get him checked over again.
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no this is a different one
 
Piggies&buns said:
Have you checked around his ribs ie his heft?
Weighing 300g less isn’t necessary a problem - as I say, there is no amount they ‘should’ weigh - unless he does not have a fat layer around his ribs at all. One of my boys was consistently 300g less than his cage mate in his prime. They are both nearly 5 now and are losing tone, hip bones are slightly more prominent than they used to be, in their older age but their weight is consistent albeit very slightly lower than in their prime, their heft is fine.

Has he been seen by a vet?
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yes been seen by a vet but no obvious issues besides being underweight. he really is under, i’m not sure how to convince you 😅
I'm just looking for tips to help him gain it back x
 
You don’t need to convince me, we just need background information on what you have checked, what a vet has said etc.

Its important for us to clarify background when a member thinks a piggy should be x number of grams heavier perhaps because they’ve read charts which says a piggy should weigh x amount or they’re comparing a piggy to another. Such charts or comparisons are not helpful and actually irrelevant given a piggy can weigh from 600g to 1800g and still be perfectly healthy.

What does he weigh?
Are his ribs prominent?

Older piggies do lose tone, become bonier, can weigh less. He may never be able to be 300g heavier. If a vet has ruled him healthy, all you can do is ensure his weight is stable (which means he is eating enough) and that he is eating a good amount of hay. Supporting feeding if he loses weight.
 
Piggies&buns said:
You don’t need to convince me, we just need background information on what you have checked, what a vet has said etc.

Its important for us to clarify background when a member thinks a piggy should be x number of grams heavier perhaps because they’ve read charts which says a piggy should weigh x amount or they’re comparing a piggy to another. Such charts or comparisons are not helpful and actually irrelevant given a piggy can weigh from 600g to 1800g and still be perfectly healthy.

What does he weigh?
Are his ribs prominent?

Older piggies do lose tone, become bonier, can weigh less. He may never be able to be 300g heavier. If a vet has ruled him healthy, all you can do is ensure his weight is stable (which means he is eating enough) and that he is eating a good amount of hay. Supporting feeding if he loses weight.
Click to expand...
he weighs around 750, his ideal weight was 1100. yes his ribs i can feel but not see, are there no other foods i could give him to encourage weight gain? of course i want his diet to be balanced too
 
For my ribby older pigs, or emaciated rescues, I find probiotics really helpful. They can eat all the food in the world but if they can't efficiently break it down and utilise the nutrition it's just passing through :)

Oat hay also helps, and rye hay has a decent amount of protein in to help build muscle.

Ultimately though, I've had to just accept some of my older pigs will just be boney as nothing works, losing muscle tone in old age is normal, it's just hard to adjust to for us!
 
Teacake said:
he weighs around 750, his ideal weight was 1100. yes his ribs i can feel but not see, are there no other foods i could give him to encourage weight gain? of course i want his diet to be balanced too
Click to expand...

Is there any thin fat layer over his ribs or are you directly on his ribs?

Did he used to weigh 1100g then?
Sre you saying he has lost weigh from 1100 down to 750g? (I see you edited your original post and now mention a change over the last six months).

The best way to maintain weight is through a good hay intake. At his age, he is past his prime, and gaining weight may never happen now. You are looking for consistency in his weight.

My older boys weigh less than they used to, but are consistent now
 
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