Charlie's Medical Thread

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Jun 18, 2013 9:08 am


If it's there, it's subtle. In that second set of videos, he hops into the hay bin without any trouble, but I did see a little bit of a hop when his buddy was getting a little too familiar. Not sure it looked like limping, though, but as Lynx said -- you know your guys best, and if you think something's not right, you should have it checked out.

How much does he weigh?

They're really an adorable group, and I enjoyed watching the videos. :)

emilyam19

Post   » Wed Jun 19, 2013 1:53 am


He is overweight (today he is 1333 grams). I can feel love handles on his sides. I got him when the girls were still young and unfortunately I free fed him pellets for several months.

I've been trying to put the herd on a diet (he's the only one I'd consider overweight but Sonia could stand to lose an ounce or two; the other two pigs are pretty slender). I measure out 1/2 a cup of pellets and 4 cups of veggies. I've drastically cut sugary veggies (ex: carrots, tomatoes) and have only given fruit about 2-3 times in the past few months.

Floor time has been cut back lately until I move out (in a few months I'll have a place where I can make a much bigger cage and give more floor time to help with his weight loss). My parent got two puppies that are fed raw. I used to use the kitchen for floor time but I'm afraid of salmonella even though we do our best to clean. There are a few other places but it takes time to pig proof them so nobody gets hurt.

Do you think it's his weight? I've been watching him closely and he doesn't look in pain. He can still popcorn pretty high over the smallest things.

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Delaine
Supporter in '14

Post   » Thu Jun 20, 2013 12:11 am


Have you tried cutting back on his pellets? I found one of my girls stools are better if I divide her pellets into two servings, 1 level tablespoon in the morning and one in the evening. Also could there be something in the supplements that bother him. I have had success with Kyo-Dophilus probiotic.

Keeping a daily record of his food, changes in his environment and any stresses, etc. and how it affects his health is really beneficial. It will help you see if any patterns are forming.

I also found adding in a courser 1st cut Timothy to their usual 2nd cut helped. 3rd cut hay is leafier with less stem, has more moisture and is richer. A courser hay may add more fiber which could help.

emilyam19

Post   » Fri Jun 21, 2013 9:37 am


Thanks for the helpful tips.

I can try giving him his pellet every other day. It should help with his weight. I still wonder if that could be the cause of his gait.

I believe Kyo-Dophilus probiotic is something I tried in the past (I'd have to check but that sounds incredibly familiar).

His stress levels do seem to be above average. His past owner commented on him being neurotic (ex: he would freak out if anything was rearranged in his cage).

I'll try the 1st cut timothy. Currently they have KMS bluegrass.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri Jun 21, 2013 1:00 pm


Is that 1/2 cup of pellets once a day? Or twice a day? I feed my guys closer to 1/8 cup twice a day...I think my average weight right now is around 1200 grams.

I do think what you're seeing *could* be weight related. He's not enormous, but if you're seeing love handles, he could probably stand to lose a little. Looking at the videos, I wanted to say that I was seeing more of a waddle than a limp. It certainly might be worth cutting back a bit to see if it makes a difference.

He's such is a cutie. All 1333g of him. :)

emilyam19

Post   » Fri Jun 21, 2013 1:16 pm


Once a day for all four pigs (so 1/8 cup pellets per pig daily). I used to free feed when the girls were younger (under a year). Charlie is a couple years older so he was free feeding with them when he really shouldn't have. Can I do 1/8 cup per pig every other day?

I've been trying to find ways to safely encourage weight loss -none have worked so far. His love handles are stubborn. On May 24 (I happened to record this weigh in on my phone so it's handy) he was 1287. I'm guessing it's the lack of floor time lately that's set him back (it can't be excess calories, I've tried my best to cut those out). I'll have to change that.

He is noticeably chubbier compared to the girls (especially the Skinny who is only 770 on a full stomach). The vet also made a comment about noticing the extra fat around his middle during a check up.

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Delaine
Supporter in '14

Post   » Fri Jun 21, 2013 1:22 pm


I used to think my Zoe's bouts of soft misshapen stool was triggered by stress because she quite often had an episode after I made a change to her cage or after company had stayed. I think food, environment, stresses all play a part, but now that her bowels are stable she seems so much more relaxed and copes so much better.

He may be neurotic because of his health issues.

emilyam19

Post   » Fri Jun 21, 2013 1:40 pm


I hope I can figure it out. I also have to imagine having health issues like this isn't much fun for a guinea pig.

He seems very stressed out when he's handled, so I try to respect that and only hold him for boar cleanings or nail trimming. He seems to love it when I clean his cage though.

I don't know much about his history but his previous owner posted in GL that she got him through Craigslist. She said it wasn't a pretty sight but there weren't many details. She found him in a container with another pig without food or water (I don't know for how long). She thought the kids might've handled him rough as well.

Cinnabuns Legacy

Post   » Fri Jun 21, 2013 3:35 pm


In regards to the defecate issue, I imagine probiotics could not hurt. I use benebac for small animals (it has a picture of a guinea pig, gerbil, and rabbit on it I beleive, maybe a hamster too) in the powder form; it can be sprinkled on vegetables that have been wetted down or mixed into a pellet mash.

emilyam19

Post   » Fri Jun 21, 2013 4:13 pm


I think I found it (there's another that looks similar but it's in a gel form), this is the only powder version I could find: http://www.petco.com/product/106421/Pet ... 4Aod5GEA5g

I haven't tried this one before but I'm willing to try anything. I did try Kyo-Dophilus Probiotics Plus Enzymes and a generic acidophilus capsule from CVS. The other option is trying a poop soup (with the amount of poop shoes I've had smeared all over my arms and shirt, making some should be easy).

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Delaine
Supporter in '14

Post   » Sat Jun 22, 2013 2:07 am


He sounds like Charlie might have had a rough past. He is very lucky you found him.

It might be less stressful for Charlie to get fewer pellets everyday rather than skipping them totally for a day. It would help to keep his feeding routine more consistent. If you divide them into two feedings you can spread the pellets over a longer period of time.

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Delaine
Supporter in '14

Post   » Sat Jun 22, 2013 2:15 am


I looked into getting Benebac for small animals but the first ingredient was Dextrose which is basically sugar. I wasn't sure I wanted sugar in my girls' probiotic.

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