Putting weight on 6 year old

[Vetman1]

One of my 6 year old guinea pigs has lost some weight due to a suspected tooth problem. He is eating better and drinking more, but I need some suggestions for high calorie food.

Current foods he will eat free choice.
Bell peppers
Romaine lettuce
Small piece of banana
Little bit of hay

Free choice pellets, Timothy and orchard hay are present continuously.

Syringe feedings with critical care.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Have his dental issues been dealt with?
Is he maintaining his weight at each daily weight check or is he dependent upon the syringe feeding?

Regaining lost weight due to illness can take quite a long time and the best way to regain it is with plenty of hay. However, in an older piggy it’s probable they may never fully regain the weight and will instead find a new normal weight.

If and while he is not eating sufficient hay it could be tricky to put weight back on him. However you can give a small amount of plain dry oats to help give a boost. It won’t help much if he isn’t eating enough hay though.
My two oldest piggies get a tablespoon or so of oats a day to help give them a few extra calories.

Weight - Monitoring and Management

 

[Vetman1]

Thank you for the reply. I do suspect a tooth related problem. I am very hesitant to place this guinea under anesthesia to get a good exam of his teeth as well as radiographs. I am not sure he would live through the anesthesia.

Currently, he is on tramadol, meloxicam and doxycycline. He just finished 7 days of baytril. His attitude has improved and he is eating a little more on his own now.

 

[Bill & Ted]

You can try a bowl of plain dry porridge oats and see he like those

 

[Claire W]

I’m sorry that your piggy has a suspected dental issue and has lost weight You could also try grated sweet potato. My piggies didn’t like it but it was recommended to me when I had a poorly piggy with a damaged incisor who wasn’t eating much on her own and who we wanted to increase her weight after she lost over 200g x

 

[PigglePuggle]

Doxycycline is very harsh for the piggy gut microbiome, perhaps mixing some fibreplex probiotic with some recovery food and feeding 1-2 hours after his antibiotic dose may help boost his gut bacteria and support his digestion.
When our Blodwen had doxycycline prescribed for her chlamydia pneumonia she lost 100g in a week, but the fibreplex probiotic really helped her gain that back and helped her appetite recover too.