[Gpdd] HEALTH Older than we think?

[Penny Charlesworth]

I have been very lucky to have many of my Piggyfriends reach extreme old age. As they are all rescued I never know their true age, unless they arrived in utero, but they have lived with me for enough years for them to counted amongst the really elderly.

I have found that they often lose a lot of weight as they age. Currently my Diamond, fast approaching her sixth birthday, weighs much less than she used to. As she is a Peruvian, this is not noticeable until I pick her up, as all that long hair covers quite a bony piggy underneath. She eats as well as ever and is always on the lookout for more food, sitting up to beg just as she did as a piglet. In April, she started bunny-hopping, a sure sign of arthritis. On the advice of my Rodentologists, I started her on Potter's Tabritis tablets as per Peter Gurney's Old Age page   http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/oldage.htm
With days she was bouncing around her pen. I make no apologies for mentioning this wonderful remedy again. I have posted about it before but there could be new members in the UK with arthritic piggies who could benefit from this. For members in the UK, these tablets are available from Holland and Barrett, who do ship to Europe. I wonder if this is available elsewhere? Diamond loves her Potter's and grabs the syringe to get every last drop. 

Until 2007, I had Ash and her daughter, Sylvie, both of whom lived past their seventh birthday. Their coats were pale grey so it is hard to say whether they lightened with age. They both lost weight in their last months. Elderly piggies often sleep most of the day and consequently eat less so the weight loss is not surprising but they also lose muscle tone as they exercise less too.

Some of the elderly ones have thinner coats and lose the glossy sheen of their youth. My Rowan, in his seventh year, lost weight as he began to have dental problems. As he slept so much more, he ate less hay and his teeth overgrew. I did not have the benefit of my Rodentologists in those days to do the dental work without an anaesthetic and I know that the repeated anaesthesia at the vets took a toll on him and his recovery took longer each time. I remember how his coat, cinnamon agouti, would stand out rather than lay flat and looked dry.

The first two piggies that I ever had, back in the mists of time, both lived to be seven. I wonder if that was normal for those bygone days? Has more and more inbreeding changed their genetic make-up? Are they more susceptible to 21st. century diseases? Something to think about. 

Elderly ones often have runny eyes, which can be helped with Optrex. My old Rolo's eyes ran so much that the tears crystallised beneath his eyes. I dissolved this with cocoa butter cream from Gorgeous Guineas as the crystals can burn the skin. He used to love this being done and I wonder if he enjoyed the pleasant smell of the cream.

Their eyes often look dull too and some lose their eyesight as they age, although this never seems to present them any problems.

If they are unable to get around, I give the aged piggies a square of Vetbed to sit on. This keeps them dry and comfortable and is cosy in our miserable English climate.

The oldest piggy that I ever met was Amazing Maisie, who belonged to my Rodentologists. She lived to celebrate her tenth birthday. She had heart trouble and I doubt that she could have survived that long without instant access to meds but she was a lovely old lady. She had the wildest hair, red and white, and never looked small but underneath all that coat, she became tiny. She hardly moved but enjoyed her food to the last and to a piggy, that is all important.

Our own Sarah cared for her Monty for eight years and might post some more info. I have seen pigtures of him as he aged and he reminds me so much of my Rowan. There is just a look about an elderly piggy. I think of them as wise and thoughtful, remembering their own early years when they watch the young ones cavorting about but content just to sit and munch and put the piggy world to rights with their aged friends.

Remembering all these piggies past has brought a few tears to my eyes. All those lovely piggies, departed but always loved.

Penny and the Piggyfriends.