Pot belly pig weight loss

Question
I have a 1 year old female pot belly pig.We watch her food closely as we want to keep her weight healthy.But since the hot summer weather has hit she has gotten thin and isnt gaining weight even though we are feeding her more.Is there something we can do to help her put on some weight.Im worried about her.Or do you think its just the hot weather and when it cools down int he fall she'll start putting the weight back on?

Answer
I am not a veterinarian and can not make a medical diagnosis over the internet.

Your pig is just one year old. In older pigs, unintentional weight loss is often a symptom of cancer, but your pig is so young, I think that is not likely.

Have you weight piggy, or does she just look thinner? At her age, she might be in the middle of a growth spurt. Occasionally, a piglet can look like they've lost weight, but in fact they weigh the same, they've simply grown a bit bigger.

One possibility is that your pig is getting a lot more exercise during the warm summer months. This is pretty common for indoor pigs in climates with cold winters. The pigs practically hibernate all winter, then spend long summer days snurdling around outside. They are exercising a lot more, but getting the same amount of food, sometimes even less. Indoor pigs tend to get a lot of snacks, whenever the humans wander in the kitchen. When the pig is outside, the pig misses out on these extra snacks and the calories do add up!

Another possibility is parasites. Your vet can check a stool sample to determine what kind of parasites, if any, are present and provide you with the best medicine for the parasite.

Still another possibility is a dental problem. Oral abscesses are common in older pigs. They are possible, but seldom seen, in younger ones. Pigs have three sets of teeth in their lives, at age one, your pig should be getting the final set of adult teeth. If these teeth are not coming in, or coming in wrong, it could be hampering her ability to eat and digest her food. Your vet can check her teeth.

Pigs are not adults until they reach age 2, so your pig is technically still a piglet. The rule of thumb for healthy piglets is 1/2 cup of mini pig food per 15 lb of piglet. So if your pig is 30 lb, she should be getting at least 1 full cup of pig food per day plus grazing time or fresh veggies.