[Gpdd] Skinny pigs

[robyn ferguson]

Hi Vanessa!

Sorry to hear your pig isn't well. I'm not sure if the treatment I used for 
Lucy would be suitable for your little fellow, as this was done to treat an 
stomach blockage similar to a hairball, which was stopping her from eating 
properly. However I can give you some tips on building up a pig that has 
lost weight. Lucy lost a LOT of weight because she was on soft foods for so 
long that her teeth overgrew and so she had to stay on soft foods even 
longer, and then she got used to the soft food and wouldn't eat anything 
else .... AARGH! The good news is she has rediscovered real food recently 
and is putting on weight like a little champion. Which brings me to tips for 
you...

Banana is a very sugary, starchy food with lots of energy. It's also very 
easy to eat, being soft. Some pigs don't like banana, but keep offering it 
as he may give it a try and change his mind.

Corn. My vet suggested corn, in the form of corn on the cob, defrosted corn 
niblets etc as another starchy, high energy food to aid weight gain. I 
didn't see Lucy taking to corn on the cob as her teeth were still a little 
dodgy at the time, so I bought some baby corn spears (like for stir fries). 
You can get them in the fresh produce section (the fresh ones, not the 
tinned ones) and she loved them.

Sunflower seeds are quite good too, being fatty. Just be sure to get the 
ones that have the black husk taken off as the husks can be a choking 
hazard.

Apart from these, make sure he has lots of hay, to keep him interested. I 
know lucerne (alfalfa) has a higher calcium content and has been linked to 
an increased risk of bladder stones, but my vet is a big fan of it for 
recovering pigs, just for a little while and accompanied by lots of grass 
hay, like timothy.

Another thing, everybody avoids the seed/pellet mixes. Why? Cause they're 
high in fat and protein. Perfect for a skinny piggie!

Hope all this helps. Feel free to email me off list anytime if you want 
anymore info!

Robyn

_________________________________________________________________
What's your house worth? Click here to find out:  
http://www.ninemsn.realestate.com.au