[Gpdd] HEALTH Feeding a piggy with teeth trouble

[Penny Charlesworth]

Hi Pat,

I'm sorry to read that Doris is having trouble with her molars again.

If I have a piggy who is having difficulty eating, I always syringe feed him/her in an attempt to keep up the weight. My piggies eat piles of veggies every day anyway so I would never be worried about them having too many but if Doris is not eating her usual amount of hay, she will need to get her roughage elsewhere. Sometimes a piggy with tooth trouble can manage fine lawn grass but not hay.

My syringe feed is the CCT recommended one of chinchilla grass pellets ( or you could use Doris's usual pellets ) softened with near boiling water and mixed with an equal amount of Smash. Add enough water to make it soft enough to suck up into a 1ml.syringe, from which the end has been removed. If a piggy is not eating much veg I add a small piece broken from a Vit C tablet to the water.

Most piggies enjoy this. I also use Readybrek ( an English instant porridge mix ). I'm sure that you have something similar. Just add water and syringe it in. An assortment of veggie baby foods are also acceptable. Apple and banana seems to be a favourite even for a piggy that would not touch a banana in normal circumstances.

If anypig has a sore mouth I soothe it with Daktarin Oral Gel. It has an orange flavour and it readily licked off my finger. It numbs the soreness and often makes the piggy more willing to eat. A dose of painkiller helps too as taking away the pain makes the piggy happy and a happy piggy eats. I use Children's Liquid Nurofen ( orange flavoured ) - 0.4ml. orally twice a day. I expect that you can buy something similar or your vet might have a substitute.

They also get Metatone tonic but I know that this is not available in the US.

I have also made the mushballs for a piggy that is well enough to take them. I have used the softened pellets added to very finely grated carrot and cucumber, sometimes a very little apple, depending on that piggy's favourites. The juice from the apple helps to bind the ball together.

Good luck at the vets tomorrow.

Paws crossed for Doris.

Penny and the Piggyfriends.