buccal pad separator emergency

HollyT
Get on your bike.

Post   » Fri Aug 18, 2006 12:05 pm


I cannot visualize this at all. There are barbs or sharp pieces that pierced like barbs would? I so hope she recovers. I'm sure her mouth is pretty sore.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Aug 18, 2006 12:10 pm


The ends are wire that is curled upon itself. The end of the wire lies within the curl/ring. It must be the end that pierced the flesh inside the mouth, got caught in a flap of skin.

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Mum
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Fri Aug 18, 2006 12:42 pm


I'll take pics of the parts a little later.

Actually, when I think back, the vet thought they might have pierced the skin, but she couldn't really tell, since she had to remove them by cutting up outside the mouth. They were totally trapped in the buccal pads. She said it was just like removing a fish hook - except there were three, not one.

No, I haven't used them before. I read the instructions very carefully, but even so there's no way this should have happened. They literally got trapped the minute they went into the buccal pads. And when I inserted the other separator, just one side, to try and ease the trapped ones out, it was immediately sucked into the same spot. So the poor pig had a whole separator stuck in both sides of her mouth, and one side of one in another side (two in one side, one in the other).

From what I can see, they're not bent at all - just cut into pieces, which had to be done to get them out (there goes $115!).

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Amy0204
We miss our sweet Oreo

Post   » Fri Aug 18, 2006 12:46 pm


I'm sorry you had to experience this. How's the pig?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Aug 18, 2006 12:59 pm


Very distressing. I understand how upset you are. I'm sorry they had to be cut out. If you have any unanswered questions, maybe you can call the vet who removed them and ask precisely what he thinks happened.

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rachelm

Post   » Fri Aug 18, 2006 1:41 pm


Oh my god mum, I'm so sorry. You must have been so distressed! I can't believe this has happened after all the trouble you went to get the damned things.

It will be interesting to see when you post the pics. I hope she makes a full recovery.

rosemary smyth

Post   » Fri Aug 18, 2006 3:11 pm


Something similar happened to me. I put the first separators in okay but when I put the second set in , Midnight's front leg escaped from the towel wrapped round her. She swiped at her mouth , caught the separator and the curly bit went into the side of her mouth like a hook in a fish. She was squealing but I managed to twist it round and pull it out. The dental equipment was put away never to be used again. I felt really awful but thankfully she was okay.

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Mum
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Fri Aug 18, 2006 3:49 pm


Interesting.

I'm convinced that this problem can't be that uncommon. There's not really any way to screw this up, according to the instructions. I'm thinking it's equipment failure.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Aug 18, 2006 4:07 pm


I looked at mine. The metal tip seems to angle in one direction - slightly inward on one side and outward on the other.

klynne

Post   » Fri Aug 18, 2006 6:52 pm


"I didn't even order the separators directly from Vedra - Webs got them for me, so I'm pretty sure there's no recourse at all. "

Regardless of where or from whom you purchased a product, the manufacturer is ultimately the one responsible if it's determined to be unsafe or defective.

Having tried to deal with Vedra myself, though, you may have great difficulties communicating with her. I do think the incident needs to be reported at the least.

I hope like heck the pig recovers okay, what a stressful time that had to have been!

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JHand
For the love of pigs!

Post   » Fri Aug 18, 2006 7:51 pm


I was thinking the same thing, Klynne.

I hope you can get some resolutution to this.

How is your piggy doing?

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Mum
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Fri Aug 18, 2006 8:34 pm


She's hanging in there. Her poop is tiny and dried up, in spite of handfeeding and subcue. Obviously I'm not getting enough Critical Care into her. But I just put some corn silk in, and she's at least nibbling that.

The problem I'm having now is not knowing how much of her condition is due to the cut mouth, and how much is due to the pneumonia, or some other unknown disease.

Once I get the photos off my camera, at least I'll email Vedra. Given our past communication, I would think it's highly unlikely she'll respond at all, but all I can do is try.

Given rosemary smyth's experience, I'm thinking it's either a design flaw, or a quality control issue. Either way, I know I did nothing out of the ordinary; and if it happened to me then think of the other disasters that could happen to people who may not have emergency vets available to them.

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