feeding a diabetic (possibly) guinea pig

[Sarah B.]

I took the pig to see the vet last week b/c I noticed some twitching when he was resting/sleeping. He said more than likely it was a reaction to high blood sugar because i'd told him he was drinking more water than usual and we always fed hom fruits and veggies. All week I havent given him any fruits or veggies (vets orders) and only 1/4 of the pellets as usual (abuot a quarter fill of a regular sized cat dish to supply for 3-4 days)- plus all the timothy hay he wants. he'd been doing great- no twitcing & drinking less - until one night i felt bad for him and gave him a treat. just one little treat. well two hours later i checked on him, he was half asleep and twitching again. I know not to do that again. But I neglected to ask the vet in exact measurements how much pellet food he should be eating. ?? also wondering if there is ANY treat other than hay, and he doesnt like flavored blocks, that i can give

[kathrynj]

The vet needs to do some testing to confirm or deny diabetes, and a treatment plan put into place if it is.

[PhoenixFeather]

There are lots of veggies that are very low in sugar that would probably make a fine treat for a diabetic piggy. But you need to consult with your vet on that. My guess would be that things like certain lettuces, cilantro, endive which are quite low in sugar will be fine for your piggy, in moderation. But I am not an expert on diabetic pigs, so please don't feed your piggy anything else without checking with the vet. I'm just writing to reassure you that your piggy will almost certainly not be relegated to pellets and hay only. Hang in there, but don't give "treats" without knowing what you're doing.

[PhoenixFeather]

You might want to check out this page I found via GuineaLynx which shares one person's experience with diabetic pigs. What she said about feeding was:

Diet Changes:

Most will recommend eliminating sweets such as fruit and sweetened treats from your diabetic piggies diet. Equally important is to eliminate fats - corn and seeds are very high in fat and should be avoided. There was some research done at CCT [Cavy Cambridge Trust in the UK] that suggests food dyes can "cause" diabetes also, so make sure that your piggies food contains no artificial colours. But the most important dietary consideration is promoting consumption of lots of high-fiber hay. I had to reduce the amount of green food I was offering and instead "fluff up" their hay pile when the girls wheeked, and this has had the strongest effect in helping to regulate their glucose levels.

[Ly&Pigs]

Unless the vet has done specific tests for diabetes, then you can't know for sure. There are many conditions that have those signs. If you want to be sure, have your vet run blood glucose tests and not guess.

I wouldn't stop feeding veggies altogether because you may end up with a pig with scurvy.

[Sarah B.]

Originally Posted by PhoenixFeather

There are lots of veggies that are very low in sugar that would probably make a fine treat for a diabetic piggy. But you need to consult with your vet on that. My guess would be that things like certain lettuces, cilantro, endive which are quite low in sugar will be fine for your piggy, in moderation. But I am not an expert on diabetic pigs, so please don't feed your piggy anything else without checking with the vet. I'm just writing to reassure you that your piggy will almost certainly not be relegated to pellets and hay only. Hang in there, but don't give "treats" without knowing what you're doing.

there is also the worry of water retention. guinea pigs (just like humans) with diabetes retain a lot of water and that could have been the cause of the twitching and discomfort.

[Sarah B.]

Originally Posted by Ly&Pigs

Unless the vet has done specific tests for diabetes, then you can't know for sure. There are many conditions that have those signs. If you want to be sure, have your vet run blood glucose tests and not guess.

I wouldn't stop feeding veggies altogether because you may end up with a pig with scurvy.

I do give himthe liquid vitamins.....im not sure exactly how effective that is but he gets a constant supply. what other conditions have the signs i mentioned??

as far as testing him, i dont know about the blood glucose test but the vet did attempt to extract a urine sample....he was too squirmy, though...

[Sarah B.]

Originally Posted by PhoenixFeather

You might want to check out this page I found via GuineaLynx which shares one person's experience with diabetic pigs. What she said about feeding was:

Diet Changes:

Most will recommend eliminating sweets such as fruit and sweetened treats from your diabetic piggies diet. Equally important is to eliminate fats - corn and seeds are very high in fat and should be avoided. There was some research done at CCT [Cavy Cambridge Trust in the UK] that suggests food dyes can "cause" diabetes also, so make sure that your piggies food contains no artificial colours. But the most important dietary consideration is promoting consumption of lots of high-fiber hay. I had to reduce the amount of green food I was offering and instead "fluff up" their hay pile when the girls wheeked, and this has had the strongest effect in helping to regulate their glucose levels.

thank you phoenix....very helpful.....for now that is what i am doing....and maybe some lettuce every other day...

[Ly&Pigs]

I do give himthe liquid vitamins

What kind of liquid vitamins? The kind that you put in their water?

Go do some reading on guinealynx.