Free Ranger
Forum Donator 2023/24
So I know dehydration is a risk for elderly people because our sense of thirst becomes dulled and we can get a bit, you know, confused. Google reckons that the same risk applies to older dogs and cats for very similar reasons. And I wondered if it applies to piggies too.
We have plenty of water bottles dotted about and my pigs were generally hearty guzzlers, especially at pellet time. More recently George (veteran of that giant stone) hasn't been seen on the bottles quite so much and one evening in particular when he was unbunged I noticed very white pee. He had been hiding away a bit again too - but of course you think you're imagining it. But on the back of his boulder I decided maybe I would offer a little water in a syringe (only a slow-dripping 1ml because I worry) while he was eating his evening pellets. It took him about a minute to realise what was going on and he seemed delighted. I sat there with the full syringe proffered as he chomped a pellet or two and then he actually turned and chugged on the syringe like a bottle spout. For every few pellets he took a mighty swig, hanging on to the syringe with his teeth, and looking really relaxed. He actually took about 15 syringes in total though by the end he was tugging the syringe but just letting the water drip out of the sides of his mouth! I went to bed and worried all night that he was about to pop and it would be my fault, but the next day he was much more cheerful and active and the wet patches had no grit or anything. So I had 'dinner' with him another couple of nights and a similar thing happened - about 10ml each time. Two bottles right next to the pellet bowl - but he goes for the syringe. I saw him back on the bottles more in the daytime and decided to leave it a few days, thinking maybe it was just the aftermath from the stone. I mean, water is everywhere (six bottles now) and it's not like he has anything else to do...
It's been nearly a week, and the last couple of days he's been hiding more again so I offered the water syringe at lunch and he gulped down 5 ml in passing but tonight with the pellets he took another 15. And he looked really happy: I just sit there talking to them with my hand resting on the edge of the cage and when he's ready he turns and grabs it. Maybe it's arthritis in the neck - I don't know - he didn't seem to want to go into the bowl but when I put a pinch on the fleece in front of him he fell on it. I will say your dinner does go cold while you're in slave mode so if this is going to be a regular evening event there will have to be some planning. The girls can't understand it! They keep coming over to get a taste and just backing off when they realise it's the same boring old water as in the bottles.
So maybe he's just not realising he's thirsty, or maybe he's sliding gently into dementia, or maybe it's still the stony aftermath (he was treated for UTI afterwards as a precautionary measure after some very dodgy coloured wees) but does anyone have any insight into older piggies maybe forgetting to drink?
We have plenty of water bottles dotted about and my pigs were generally hearty guzzlers, especially at pellet time. More recently George (veteran of that giant stone) hasn't been seen on the bottles quite so much and one evening in particular when he was unbunged I noticed very white pee. He had been hiding away a bit again too - but of course you think you're imagining it. But on the back of his boulder I decided maybe I would offer a little water in a syringe (only a slow-dripping 1ml because I worry) while he was eating his evening pellets. It took him about a minute to realise what was going on and he seemed delighted. I sat there with the full syringe proffered as he chomped a pellet or two and then he actually turned and chugged on the syringe like a bottle spout. For every few pellets he took a mighty swig, hanging on to the syringe with his teeth, and looking really relaxed. He actually took about 15 syringes in total though by the end he was tugging the syringe but just letting the water drip out of the sides of his mouth! I went to bed and worried all night that he was about to pop and it would be my fault, but the next day he was much more cheerful and active and the wet patches had no grit or anything. So I had 'dinner' with him another couple of nights and a similar thing happened - about 10ml each time. Two bottles right next to the pellet bowl - but he goes for the syringe. I saw him back on the bottles more in the daytime and decided to leave it a few days, thinking maybe it was just the aftermath from the stone. I mean, water is everywhere (six bottles now) and it's not like he has anything else to do...
It's been nearly a week, and the last couple of days he's been hiding more again so I offered the water syringe at lunch and he gulped down 5 ml in passing but tonight with the pellets he took another 15. And he looked really happy: I just sit there talking to them with my hand resting on the edge of the cage and when he's ready he turns and grabs it. Maybe it's arthritis in the neck - I don't know - he didn't seem to want to go into the bowl but when I put a pinch on the fleece in front of him he fell on it. I will say your dinner does go cold while you're in slave mode so if this is going to be a regular evening event there will have to be some planning. The girls can't understand it! They keep coming over to get a taste and just backing off when they realise it's the same boring old water as in the bottles.
So maybe he's just not realising he's thirsty, or maybe he's sliding gently into dementia, or maybe it's still the stony aftermath (he was treated for UTI afterwards as a precautionary measure after some very dodgy coloured wees) but does anyone have any insight into older piggies maybe forgetting to drink?
