[Gpdd] (HEALTH) Tips for recovering Piggies and their slaves

[Sandra Oliver-Poore]

First of all, let me say to George, Joseph , Carol, and Angel that the Penny
Giggles and I have every hope for a speedy recovery for George, and we wish
you all health and happiness, you are in our thoughts and prayers. I know
Joseph and Carol are great GP parents, and Angel a devoted wife, but if
there is a nugget here I am thrilled to help.

Although we only have a few Penny Giggles living with us today, about 50
have passed thru our Penny Giggle Farm over the years. I wanted to give a
couple of tips I have learned, sometimes the hard way, about sick piggy
care.

1. Many times a Piggie seems to sail through an initial trauma, surgery, or
illness and then die unexpectedly 2 weeks to month later.  For this reason I
recommend that post op and post illness care continue intensively for a
month. at least.  This means supplemental feedings every 2 to 4 hours around
the clock, and extra diligence toward cleanliness and proper heating etc.
Taper down this extra service very slower over the month so that by months
end they are still getting more intensive care than normal

2. I used to just pick out one or two foods for supplemental feedings but I
have discovered that the variety you offer at each seating, the more your
piggie will eat, whether you are syringe or spoon feeding, or feeding a
smorgasbord on a plate, it works.  This is especially true for senior
piggies who have started to fade away.  When Gooters had faded to half his
size, he just couldn't seem to summon up the energy to eat until I started
this Piggy Buffet routine.  The more variety, the more he was motivated to
make the effort, and the stronger he got. He went several more months of
happy life with just 2-3 buffets a day.  When he finally went to the Bridge,
he had seemed happy and well except the last 24 hours I new he wasn't
feeling well.  On a buffet for a sick piggie I used those little 2 oz clear
glass bowls that TV cooks use to assemble their ingredients.  I make a
serving of yogurt and one of orange or cranberry juice. The plate has small
amounts of different foods like all the regular GP treats plus some foods I
wouldn't serve a healthy pig like baked or boiled sweet potato, brown rice,
cooked or raw oatmeal, tiny bits of toast, baby foods, etc.  I dress
unfamiliar foods with dressings of foods they know and like tomato or orange
juice. Watch out for V8 as it is so salty, and in a case of piggie with
heart failure or diabetes restrict salt completely.  Still don't feed meats
or fats except for incidental amounts of butter on the toast scrap etc.  I
do offer tiny bits of egg or milk. Try craisins and raisins banana or
zucchini bread, use your imagination.Naturally you would offer their normal
treats on the buffet as well.  I could put together a mean piggie plate in
under 5 min once I got used to doing it.

3. Teach you piggies to eat from syringes and spoons before they are sick.
Teach then to eat foods by demonstrating to them by eating the food yourself
so they see you eat (make a little plate for yourself) This is how piggies
learn what's   good to eat from their mommies.  Teach them to eat and like
Critical Care and teach them to eat pills by starting them on chewable vit
C. The Penny Giggles got so good at this just had to hold the open jar down
in their cages and they would each and take just one pill (except for Jetma
who would try to cram as many as possible into her little mouth.  Jet was a
fading senior pig with a metabolic/ hormone imbalance so she was desperate
to eat and drink enough.  She was so anxious for her feedings and medicines
that I just held syringe in the cage and she would run up and suck it dry.
She even would fight me for the syringe and when she would run away with it
trying all the while to maneuver the business end into her mouth.  My
practice is start out the day with a breakfast piggy (one I would invite to
eat with me at their own place at the table.  I ended up eating much more
healthy than before cause they want to eat every thing they see me eat. And
of course we would read the paper together, I mean I would read the news out
loud and Piggy would eat the paper, lol.

So the idea is to train piggies in advance so they know how to be sick and
that they have extremely positive experiences being a breakfast piggie, and
so are willing to eat more when they might otherwise prefer to sleep in.

I will write more latter as I remember stuff. In the meantime happy wheeks
and parsley to all
Sandy and the Penny Giggles ( Wild Wooly Willy, the Grand Pooh Bah of the
Penny Giggles has read and approved this message, he also says, "mommy
slave, bathe me now"
I am a good slave so bye bye all!