Stubborn Pot-Belly Pig

Question
I have a 3 yr old male. He's very big around 200lbs.  He recently has has been refusing to eat his normal food (sow pellets).  He doesn't act sick or anything; he is still drinking water, and roams the yard to root and such.  I'm wondering if he's just being stubborn because we have been guilty of giving him left over veggies and such from dinner along with his pig food, oh and he loves milk bones too.  My husband told me to start feeding him only his pig feed, but he will not eat it!  I'm afraid I might be starving him?!?

Answer
It's difficult to accurately judge the weight of a pig just by looking. Pigs have very dense bodies. If you have a pig and dog the same size, the pig can weigh twice as much as the dog. This formula http://www.pigpalssanctuary.com/health/size_weight.htm calculates a pigs weight by measurements. At age three your pig is pretty close to his final, adult size.

The best rule of thumb for determining a pigs weight is how the pig looks. Pigs that have lots of fat pads in the face need to be thinner, because the fat pads can cause fat blindness and in severe cases, fat deafness.

Is piggy eating other stuff, does he accept treats? Or is he rejecting all food? If he is not eating anything, that's a serious symptom. He will need to see a vet.

Can you check his mouth? He may be rejecting the pellets because it hurts to bite them. He may have a loose tooth or something stuck in his mouth. If you find lumps or swelling or signs of infection, he'll need to see a vet.

Another possibility is the food itself. Did this rejection start with a new bag?

Is piggy getting food in the yard, like roots or vegetables or grass? Is he getting other food? If he is getting lots of other healthy food (grass, roots, etc) he may not need a lot of pellets to maintain his weight. On the other hand, if he's getting lots of fatty foods (milk bones, people food) then the best solution is to cut back on the unhealthy food. Make his pellets a little more tempting by moistening them with a little fruit juice diluted with plain water.