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Regaining Weight

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GP103

Pepper (shown in the pic) had his teeth filed down this morning under an anaesthetic (gas) as over the past month or so, he has been losing weight. He has now become very thin and needs to fatten up or else he may have to be put down :'(. He will eat grass, dandelions, and fennel (slowly) and will take water from a syringe. Does anyone know anything that has a high energy content that won't be too difficult for him to eat? I've tried grated carrot and apple with no success and I am putting a probiotic powder on his grass and fennel.
Also - I don't know whether to keep him in at night or not. He likes the comfort of his outdoor hutch far more than a box, but I don't know whether he will use a lot of energy to keep himself warm. Any suggestions? (The temperature is only going down to 6° celcius at night).

Thanks.
 
try whizzing up some fruit & veg, or give him some of that smoothie that you get in cartons. our pig became pregnant in a petshop ( :tickedoff:)and when she had them she had them she was very thin. she adores being syringe fed now. ;D
 
To be honest I would have him in full time until he was 100%. The temperature is varying hugely - by as much as 10C in only a few hours. With him having lost weight he will be compromised immune wise - they can cope with low temperatures but not temperature changes.

If he is not eating properly you need to start handfeeding urgently. If he doesn't get enough fibre his digestive system may shut down and he will stop eating completely. You need something like Oxbow's Critical Care. You can buy this online from www.thistlecaviesrescue.com or www.sphsupplies.co.uk.
 
I agree, bring him in, when my Lottie lost weight i brought her inside, the vet said this was the best thing to do as she didn't have enough body fat to keep herself warm eventho' she had 2 hutch mates, the hutch is in a shed with woollen curtains wrapped round it :(
 
Recovery food or fruit smoothie is very good.

He does not have to be destroyed.
 
Oh yes he should be an indoor piggie till 100% again :)
Please perservere, our little boy has had toofie probs for more than 6 months and i'm syringe feeding him 3-4 times a day plus he gets his veggies chopped up small. It is worth it they do respond, please let him have a go :-* :-*
 
I have discovered that the probiotic I am using (Vetark Pro-C Probiotic) actually contains glucose. He loves the sweet taste of it in his water and I can syringe far more water into him than without it. It also contains 'soluble fibre' which should help with his digestion.
 
The pro C is good for maintaining digestive health but it is NOT a substitute for handfeeding, even if it has soluble fibre. Piggies need 6g of food per 100g of body weight per day.
 
What type of food do you mean? He is also taking about eight 2ml syringes of carrot & apple smoothie and some fennel and dandelions along with some other things. I am worried that he might get bored of these though.
 
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