[Gpdd] HEALTH: Update on a skinny pig

[robyn ferguson]

Hi pigs and peoples,

I posted recently asking for advice as my pig lucy had lost some weight 
(Thanks to Joanne for answering me personally, it's always heartwarming when 
someone worries about a pig they've never even met) anyway, on Saturday 
morning I got her out of the hutch and was shocked at how skinny she was.
After her bath I weighed her and found she had dropped another 80grams (from 
780 to 700). I don't know how to convert this to pounds and ounces, but as a 
comparison, she weighs about half what my other pig weighs! They live 
together, same food etc.
I put them out in the run together and Lucy would pick up food and move it 
around in her mouth but not really eat anything.
At this point I really started to freak out as I lost my pig Aoife (Lucy's 
sister) about a year ago to an infection that she picked up as a 
complication to surgery for maloccluded teeth. The first symptoms were 
weight loss and lack of interest in food.
So I scooped up the piglet and went straight to the vet (mental note - 
should not drive while trying not to cry. Makes it hard to watch the road). 
The vet checked her out and pronounced her teeth were fine, but he had a 
feel around her body and discovered a mass about the size of a grape in her 
stomach.
Apparently guinea pigs are prone to these, they are called fecoliths (i 
don't know if I've spelled that right) and are similar to hairballs in cats, 
being made up of hair, fibres and vegetable matter. No wonder little Lucy 
wasn't hungry - she thought her stomach was full!
We are treating this with liquid paraffin and pineapple juice (if anyone 
wants full details of treatment regime, reasons etc, feel free to email me) 
in the hope we can break it up and move it through without having to resort 
to surgery.
I have also been feeding Lucy baby food (she likes the pea, broccoli and 
potato best - I mix in pellet dust for extra oomph) from a spoon, hovering 
around like the neurotic piglet mother I am, trying to get her to eat as 
much as possible (Mom! Stop shoving a spoon in my face all the time) and we 
are putting probiotics in her water.

Anyway this morning she ate more than she has the whole weekend put 
together, her weight loss has stabilised and she is perky and active so I 
have high hopes that surgery will not be necessary.
Thanks, everyone for letting me vent and for providing a forum where I know 
no-one is thinking "all this trouble for a $5 pet". The GPDD is so great and 
I have learnt so much from you guys (even if I am mostly a lurker).

Robyn (neurotic piglet mother of two)
Lucy (pampered invalid and babyfood connoisseur)
Lexie (providing moral support and sneaking as much of the babyfood as she 
can get her nose into)

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