Piggy grazing too much?

Question
Hi, we have a 5 month old Vietnamese PBP, Betty, who is very cute but seems to have an overactive appetite. We feed her 1 cup of low protein horse food (in South Africa that is the best we can find) an apple in the morning, plus popcorn for treats.

I read that if you look from the top at the belly it shouldn't look like she swallowed a soccer ball, which has been fine so far. But now that it's spring, she loves eating all the new grass and it looks like she is almost 'blowing up', like a cow! She has a pen but I don't want to put her in it too much to limit grazing, because she is so happy walking around in the garden, but there is just too much to eat! What do I do, should I be concerned?

Thanks for the help!

Answer
Pigs love to graze on fresh spring grass. The biggest concern is chemicals - pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and residue from de-icing. Pesticides and herbicides are poisons, they are designed to kill. Fertilizers and de-icing residue can be high in salt and other toxins.

Clean fresh grass is great for pigs. It's low in calories but high in fiber. Best of all it makes them feel full! The fiber turns to gas as it digests, and makes them blow up like little piggy balloons.

By the next morning, her belly should be back to normal or very close to it. After a few days of no grazing her belly should be normal. If she stays very swollen, or acts like her belly hurts, those are danger signs.

Other wise, the only other potential problem is gas. Some pigs will pass a lot of smelly gas after grazing in the spring (or after eating dropped apples and acorns in the fall), and that can be a problem for people (the pigs never seem to mind). If that's the case, it's OK to limit her grazing for your comfort.

The horse feed is a good choice. Many rescues and sanctuaries here in the US use the same thing. Piggies should also get some fresh or cooked fruits or veggies every day. When she's out grazing, the grass can substitute for the fresh stuff. But don't cut back on the pelleted feed unless she's obviously getting fat, because grass doesn't have much nutrition.