Henry's Thread

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TwoWhitePiggies

Post   » Sun Jan 18, 2009 12:50 am


We did buy a glass bottle but we haven't installed it yet.

capybara
Supporter in '13

Post   » Tue Jan 20, 2009 7:50 pm


Poor Henry. I hope his fungus can be treated easily. I wonder if senior pigs have more trouble fending off skin problems? Momiji has been struggling with a bacterial skin problem on her back for a while that causes crusty skin and fur that pulls out in little tufts.

TwoWhitePiggies

Post   » Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:00 pm


Henry was in top form at the vet's office and was flirty with the vet techs and the vet. I actually overheard one of the vet techs telling another in an excited voice that Henry let her pet him.

Our vet doesn't think it's fungus...at this point, she thinks it's some sort of low-grade bacterial infection caused by the goop that comes out of his eye not being cleaned away well. So she wants us to try eye antibiotic ointment for a week and see if that does it.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed Jan 21, 2009 12:25 pm


I'm probably grasping at straws, but I've always used plastic bottles, and wondered if there might be some correlation there (thinking some funky bacterial thing?). Although, it seems like an issue with bacteria in the water bottles would present more as a gastrointestinal issue than urinary tract, but I'm running out of ideas here.

I just ordered 4 of the 8 oz. glass Lixit bottles from Rabbistop.com today to try out...

Good luck with the eye ointment. I hope it helps.

TwoWhitePiggies

Post   » Fri Jan 30, 2009 1:06 am


Henry isn't really eating his pellets much right now, but he's still eating hay and veggies. We noticed he was down a couple of ounces so I made him so Critical Care, which he snarfed down. I'm not sure what to guess...issues with teeth? another stone? Or maybe the CC will get his gut back to normal and he'll be fine?

Tracis
Let Sleeping Pigs Lie

Post   » Fri Jan 30, 2009 1:11 am


Henry is such a wonderful guy. :)

Not sure if this is helpful; just thought I'd mention it:

Some of the members with senior pigs have reported that sometimes pellets can be too hard to chew. Softening them with water, or another liquid, seems to make it a little easier.

TwoWhitePiggies

Post   » Fri Jan 30, 2009 1:44 am


Ah. So this really could just be old agedness, instead of a serious problem?

Tracis
Let Sleeping Pigs Lie

Post   » Fri Jan 30, 2009 1:52 am


I don't know. I am hoping it is a senior thing, rather than something more serious.

The way you wrote about Henry eagerly eating the CC caused me to wonder if he was avoiding the pellets because he could not chew as well. (Which, of course, could be dental as well.)

Other people will have more input for you and Henry, I hope! :)

TwoWhitePiggies

Post   » Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:15 am


I agree; he did eat the Critical Care so voraciously that I felt like I've been starving him.

He didn't seem to have this issue with the previous bag of KM's pellets; he's only been avoiding them since the new bag arrived, though they don't smell any different.

Sometimes he stops eating if his intestines aren't 100%. We'll see what happens over the next few days. I'll give him CC and perhaps he'll get back to normal.

capybara
Supporter in '13

Post   » Fri Jan 30, 2009 3:16 am


I hope Henry is feeling ok. Maybe he's just nuts about Critical Care? A few of our pigs are crazy about it and will eat it anytime. I understand where you're coming from with poor Henry and his tummy troubles. Momiji is a senior pig, too (not quite as amazingly old as Super Henry!) and she has battled gas problems for quite some time.

Katdralion

Post   » Fri Jan 30, 2009 6:01 am


Oh gosh, I always worry when I see this thread pop up. I hope the handsome Henry is ok. Sending lots of good thoughts.

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TWP_2

Post   » Sat Feb 14, 2009 2:42 am


Henry continues to be his active, sweet little self. Pretty good, considering we are near his tenth birthday and third anniversary with us. However, we've been watching his weight, and it has dipped down below two pounds.

For the first couple of years with us (ages 7-8), he hovered around 2 lb 6 oz pretty consistently, occasionally gaining to as much as 2 lb 8 to 2 lb 10 oz, but returning to around 2 lb 6 oz.

In August, he was at just under 2 lb 6 oz. Eight days post-surgery (on 10/26), he was at 1 lb 15 7/8 oz. Four days later, he was back to 2 lbs, and has been around 2 lb 1 oz to 2 lb 2 oz for most of the time since then.

On 1/29, he was 1 lb 15 3/4 oz, and today (2/14) he is at 1 lb 14 1/4 oz.

He does not appear to have any discomfort--he runs around just fine, we have (thank God) not heard any squeaking while peeing, and his poops are usually pretty decent. He has not been enthusiastic about pellets, but eats hay, lettuce, and the other normal foods just fine. His cagemate, Frost, also has not been enthusiastic about the pellets. We've given him a small amount of critical care for the past few days, hoping to boost his appetite for pellets or at least put a little weight on him.

Our thoughts are that it could be:

1. Age-related weight loss.
2. Effects of his daily Actigall or Vetprofen meds.
3. Possible recurring stone (though no evidence for this has yet presented itself).
4. Unrelated medical issue.
5. Non-specific, non-medical weight loss.

Should we be worried? Should we be checking anything else?

We're considering consulting with our vet to reduce the actigall dose to see if his weight rebounds. I am hesitant to do anything that could promote the recurrance of a stone, though.

Thoughts?

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