Large boar needs to lose weight

[annachristina_piggies]

Hi piggie friends,

I have a rare instance where my lovely boar Percy actually needs to lose some weight. He’s developed a tiny 1mm bladder stone and if he isn’t able to pass this himself, he would need surgery. Unfortunately at the moment the vet said it would be too high risk given his weight, she showed me the fat visible on the X-ray. He has a strict diet anyway (teaspoon of grain free pellets, low calcium veg, lots of hay), however in the last week we have completely cut out all pellets and treats but he has still managed to somehow gain weight! They get low calcium veg twice a day (cucumber, peppers, celery and red cos lettuce). I am baffled at what else to do. He has a good size indoor enclosure, with free roam of the living room most of the day. He loves food, and I see him eating hay all day long.

Any experience or thoughts appreciated

21/07/2022 - 1697g
01/09/2022 - 1742g
27/09/2022 - 1738g
19/10/2022 - 1656g
26/10/2022 - 1718g

 

[VickiA]

I’ve really no helpful ideas. He has plenty of space and the opportunity to move around freely. I guess all you could do would be to perhaps encourage a bit more moment at free roaming time with the use of some mini treats like a pinch of forage or a herb leaf at further distances apart but really that’s about it. Anything that involves more than gentle encouragement could stress him out and have the opposite effect. Good luck to Percy x

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

best of luck! Hope he doesn't have to have surgery for the stone

 

[alpacasqueak]

Wish I could be more help but I struggled to get my big boy Luigi’s weight down at all until he lost it starving himself after his big abscess op in May I found it so difficult to get him to rid a few grams, and I did the same obviously with no pellets, oats or treats and lots of hay and veg, and he’s in a big old cage with a ramp, nothing! So totally get what a pain it is.
Hiding food for him to find, or scattering it around his floortime area to get him moving more could be a bit of help. But it is hard so really hope you can get some ideas.
So sorry poor gorgeous Percy has a stone, my RB Rupert had 2 over a few years, the first needed an emergency op as stuck and the second was so tiny he could pass it himself, but incredibly stressful for us both so sending you both massive hugs And some love and healing vibes for beautiful Percy x

Just an afterthought, is he on any cystease? My Lolo is currently on it for her bladder issues, and I’ve used it with Rupert and my RB cat Rosie, great stuff for temperamental bladders!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi piggie friends,

I have a rare instance where my lovely boar Percy actually needs to lose some weight. He’s developed a tiny 1mm bladder stone and if he isn’t able to pass this himself, he would need surgery. Unfortunately at the moment the vet said it would be too high risk given his weight, she showed me the fat visible on the X-ray. He has a strict diet anyway (teaspoon of grain free pellets, low calcium veg, lots of hay), however in the last week we have completely cut out all pellets and treats but he has still managed to somehow gain weight! They get low calcium veg twice a day (cucumber, peppers, celery and red cos lettuce). I am baffled at what else to do. He has a good size indoor enclosure, with free roam of the living room most of the day. He loves food, and I see him eating hay all day long.

Any experience or thoughts appreciated

21/07/2022 - 1697g
01/09/2022 - 1742g
27/09/2022 - 1738g
19/10/2022 - 1656g
26/10/2022 - 1718g

Also have you checked for any possible mild bloating and are you always weighing at the same time/place in the feeding cycle in the day? Try first thing in the morning when the weight is lowest and makes for a better comparison.
Piggies have a 30-40g weight swing over the course of a day. The difference between a full and empty bladder is 10g and before and after dinner is 30-40g.

A 1mm stone is thankfully still very small and should be able to pass through the urethra. What meds has your vet prescribed?
You could try to feed all the watery veg in one meal to make for several strong bladder flushing pees.

Adult piggies in their prime are not good at losing weight; you are really fighting biology there.
We have some practical tips in our weighing guide: Weight - Monitoring and Management

 

[annachristina_piggies]

Also have you checked for any possible mild bloating and are you always weighing at the same time/place in the feeding cycle in the day? Try first thing in the morning when the weight is lowest and makes for a better comparison.
Piggies have a 30-40g weight swing over the course of a day. The difference between a full and empty bladder is 10g and before and after dinner is 30-40g.

A 1mm stone is thankfully still very small and should be able to pass through the urethra. What meds has your vet prescribed?
You could try to feed all the watery veg in one meal to make for several strong bladder flushing pees.

Adult piggies in their prime are not good at losing weight; you are really fighting biology there.
We have some practical tips in our weighing guide: Weight - Monitoring and Management

I haven’t been making an effort to weigh at the same time each day so I will definitely start doing this.

The vet has been put him on 0.5ml loxicom and 0.08ml potassium citrate twice daily. I haven’t heard any pain noises since he’s been on this so he seems very comfortable and totally himself otherwise.

 

[annachristina_piggies]

Wish I could be more help but I struggled to get my big boy Luigi’s weight down at all until he lost it starving himself after his big abscess op in May I found it so difficult to get him to rid a few grams, and I did the same obviously with no pellets, oats or treats and lots of hay and veg, and he’s in a big old cage with a ramp, nothing! So totally get what a pain it is.
Hiding food for him to find, or scattering it around his floortime area to get him moving more could be a bit of help. But it is hard so really hope you can get some ideas.
So sorry poor gorgeous Percy has a stone, my RB Rupert had 2 over a few years, the first needed an emergency op as stuck and the second was so tiny he could pass it himself, but incredibly stressful for us both so sending you both massive hugs And some love and healing vibes for beautiful Percy x

Just an afterthought, is he on any cystease? My Lolo is currently on it for her bladder issues, and I’ve used it with Rupert and my RB cat Rosie, great stuff for temperamental bladders!

I will encourage scatter feeding for veggies going forwards!
His cage mate Piglet is on cystease for interstitial cystitis, if the stone gets bigger I could definitely also start Percy on this.

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

Hi. It is good he enjoys his hay and eats plenty of it. The hay in the photo looks lovely and lush and green. What hay is it? Nutricional values of hay can vary a lot, with leafier hay generally being more calorific than stalky hay and as it is softer can be chewed up faster, meaning more can be consumed in any given amount of time. Perhaps mixing his usual hay with other less rich hay will encourage weight. loss.

 

[Free Ranger]

When George was started on glucosamine for his arthritis (oxbow joint support lozenges) he lost about 100g over the first month or so and then stabilised, which worried me at first but then I realised he was actually moving about more because his knees weren't so stiff! At the time he wasn't very old so it had surprised me that he had arthritis at all but there you go. George had lots of room to free roam but wasn't able to make the most of it until his knees improved. Any chance this might be an issue for your big boy?

 

[Wiebke]

I haven’t been making an effort to weigh at the same time each day so I will definitely start doing this.

The vet has been put him on 0.5ml loxicom and 0.08ml potassium citrate twice daily. I haven’t heard any pain noises since he’s been on this so he seems very comfortable and totally himself otherwise.

I wouldn't weigh daily unless you have a really ill piggy; the more often you weigh, the more the weight will jump around. Still, weighing at the same time in the feeding cycle will make for better comparison.

 

[annachristina_piggies]

Hi. It is good he enjoys his hay and eats plenty of it. The hay in the photo looks lovely and lush and green. What hay is it? Nutricional values of hay can vary a lot, with leafier hay generally being more calorific than stalky hay and as it is softer can be chewed up faster, meaning more can be consumed in any given amount of time. Perhaps mixing his usual hay with other less rich hay will encourage weight. loss.

That’s interesting! They get Timothy blend from haybox, very green… the problem is as my other pig struggles to keep weight on with interstitial cystitis I’d rather avoid giving them a hay they don’t like as much

 

[annachristina_piggies]

When George was started on glucosamine for his arthritis (oxbow joint support lozenges) he lost about 100g over the first month or so and then stabilised, which worried me at first but then I realised he was actually moving about more because his knees weren't so stiff! At the time he wasn't very old so it had surprised me that he had arthritis at all but there you go. George had lots of room to free roam but wasn't able to make the most of it until his knees improved. Any chance this might be an issue for your big boy?

Potentially! They get the oxbox urinary support tabs but I could swap him to the joint support ones to see if that helps at all. He’s only 2 bless him

 

[Free Ranger]

George was 3 1/2 as far as we know... and if Percy's already on some glucosamine perhaps he's just a big hungry boy. A really big hungry boy! At least the stone isn't affecting his appetite at the minute. How did they find it - does he have other symptoms?