Ralph's weight loss

[Ellen Cookie]

One of my boars Ralph has gone from being 1175g at the start of April (and consistently around that for ages) to 1030g. I took him to the vet on Monday and he had a good look at his teeth and gave him a general check up but couldn't see anything amiss. He offered to put Ralph under and give his mouth a more thorough check on Wednesday but as he seemed perkier on Tuesday and eating hay and forage, I said I'd just monitor him at home.

Ralph is drinking and pooping but isn't interested in his nuggets, which he usually eats. He is eating veg (lettuce, cucumber and pepper). He is aged between five and six (I adopted him from the Pets at Home adoption section in November 2018 and they said he was four then).

What should I do for him? Take him back to the vets? Feeling guilty as peraps I should've let him have the exam yesterday

 

[Piggies&buns]

It is hay intake which will enable them to maintain their weight (it’s 80% of their daily food intake and nibbling at it’s of it is deceptive and won’t be enough to sustain), if he isn’t eating enough hay, then that will cause his weight to drop (a bit of veg will not be enough to keep him well).
Please step in and syringe feed him either critical care or mushed up pellets if his weight is dropping, weigh him daily, and have a vet carry out further checks.

I’ll add in some guides below

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Could you also add your location to your profile as it will help us tailor our advice

 

[Ellen Cookie]

He is still interested in hay, eating it and burrowing in it. Been trying a couple of different varieties of hay recently and have more of his favourite arriving today or tomorrow (will not bother changing brand in future but stick to what I know they love). I'm in Devon, I've updated my profile now to show that. Thanks for the links.

 

[Bill & Ted]

One of my boars Ralph has gone from being 1175g at the start of April (and consistently around that for ages) to 1030g. I took him to the vet on Monday and he had a good look at his teeth and gave him a general check up but couldn't see anything amiss. He offered to put Ralph under and give his mouth a more thorough check on Wednesday but as he seemed perkier on Tuesday and eating hay and forage, I said I'd just monitor him at home.

Ralph is drinking and pooping but isn't interested in his nuggets, which he usually eats. He is eating veg (lettuce, cucumber and pepper). He is aged between five and six (I adopted him from the Pets at Home adoption section in November 2018 and they said he was four then).

What should I do for him? Take him back to the vets? Feeling guilty as peraps I should've let him have the exam yesterday

There is an excellent vet in Devon called Jess at Dart Vale vet in Brixham, she has all the proper tools to inspect the back out the mouth and can do Conscious dental so piggies won’t need to be put under anaesthetic with all those related problems. It’s a central phone line so insist on an Appointment with her only. She works part time, I don’t know any other of the vets So can’t recommend them.

• Jess Myers-Allen BVSc BSc MRCVS

Practice address
13/15 Penn Meadow
Brixham
Devon
TQ5 9PW

Telephone: 01803 854051

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’s great that he is still eating hay, but consistent weight loss would suggest he isn’t eating enough but that could be for many reasons. I definitely think seeing the vet that has been recommended would be the best thing to check for a dental issue and then take it from there
Let us know how you get on