Henry - crusty eyes, lethargic

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mkkayla
Supporter in '14

Post   » Wed May 02, 2007 2:12 pm


My pet illnesses come in clumps, too. Right now, Cookie has ovarian cysts (being treated with Hcg), Hershey was just diagnosed with IBD and my dog has end stage cancer. I left the vet's office Monday without my bill-I don't want to know how much I owe.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Wed May 02, 2007 7:11 pm


Somechick, it's not you. It is the luck of the draw. Although usually folks with the bigger herds will have more multiple Big Issue pigs, the 'statistics' aren't always consistent, and genetics plays a big role with some disorders.

You pay attention, treat to the best of your ability, and ask thoughtful, intelligent, well-researched questions. That's why your vet says he hasn't seen that many pigs with disorders. The others didn't get the care they needed.

MK, best to you and your group, too. I'm sorry to hear about your dog.

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somechick

Post   » Wed May 02, 2007 8:58 pm


Definitely best to you mkkayla. What a nightmare. :(

Today at the vet: they sent the urine out for culture and switched us from Bactrim to Cipro. She felt that if there were some sort of bug, the Bactrim wasn't catching it due to the bleeding after the fact. Results in on Monday. They also took an x-ray. No stones, but she saw something funny. It's hard to tell, but there's something going on with either the bladder or uterus. Once we get the results back from the culture, I think that's going to confirm our next step.

I have a feeling it's not the bladder. It's too coincidental to have a bladder infection AND this mammary tumor at the same time. I have a feeling we might need to go ahead with the spay. She said we might, but she hopes we don't. Now we wait.

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somechick

Post   » Thu May 03, 2007 5:54 pm


And on the Cipro, I'm already noticing a decrease in appetite. No poops this afternoon and only 3g missing from her pellet bowl all day. Still eats veggies though.

My vet isn't in today. I'll call tomorrow, but in the mean time: do I take her off it? If so, switch back to Bactrim or just leave her off anything for now.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Thu May 03, 2007 6:30 pm


If it were me: I'd take her off it, switch her back to Bactrim for tonight and tomorrow morning, and see tomorrow if the vet will give you Doxy.

If she does, check Mum's dosing instructions. Many vets underdose Doxy.

Is she eating her hay?

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somechick

Post   » Thu May 03, 2007 7:32 pm


Yeah I already decided to stop the Cipro. I still have the Bactrim here. She's picking at her hay. Definitely not eating it with the gusto she normally does. Right now she's laying in her hayloft facing outwards (not towards the hay, but towards the walls) which she doesn't ever do. I just gave her 12ccs of critical care with some Sanford poops mixed in.

I can't go through this again. If nothing else, she needs to start eating more on her own. Handfeeding is so hard.

Brandilynn
Who's your Branni?

Post   » Thu May 03, 2007 7:38 pm


Sorry girlie. Come on, eat you rotten piggie!

dragnsl

Post   » Thu May 03, 2007 10:02 pm


somechick, you are not alone with big medical issues... I have had a whole slew of "train wreck" pigs and none of mine happen to be related since they are all rescues from who knows where.

I wonder a lot of the time too why I have such a line of bad luck, but then there will be a stretch where everyone is doing great. It is a little different here since my guinea pig population changes on a weekly basis, but I definitely feel your pain!!

My Flynn when he wasn't feeling well would always face the wall too. He would always eat better for me when I held him. So I would hold him and his food dish or veggies or a pile of hay whatever it took, and he would munch, with less gusto, but would at least eat.

I also add orchard grass hay when my pigs are not eating much since it is sweeter supposedly and softer and oftentimes more appealing than plain ol' timothy.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Thu May 03, 2007 10:18 pm


If she's not prone to stones or sludge, you could even offer her a little bit of alfalfa hay, if you have it or could find it. Some places have a 10-oz. (or similar, small) bag of "Alfalfa Nibbles"-type stuff. That may very well stimulate her appetite and desire to eat.

Like this
Don't know if any of these are close or not

Oxbow

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somechick

Post   » Fri May 04, 2007 8:01 am


I just -- I should have known when the vet gave me Cipro to say no. Piggie and Sanford both didn't tolerate Baytril. But since Henry was never on it, I thought *maybe*. From now on, I will NEVER accept one of those drugs. It's just too much of a nightmare.

No poops this morning and she wasn't eating her hay (which is orchard grass already by the way) so we're handfeeding. The act of handfeeding in itself isn't fun, but it's just so hard to do schedule wise. I can't bring the pigs to work and I can't just take off indefinitely until she starts up again.

I've been down this path before with PC, so I'm fearing the worst. We'll know Monday if the surgery on Tuesday is going to be a simple tumor removal or a full on spay. Which, if it is a spay, I am not thrilled about.

I'll look for those alfalfa nibbles. I know when I had a baby pig, all the adults seemed to eat the Oxbow baby food and not the adult food. Maybe it tastes better.

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somechick

Post   » Fri May 04, 2007 1:59 pm


Urinalysis says there are teeny crystals in her urine, but it's nothing. She also said there was a small amount of blood in the urine. So I started thinking "ok UTI". But she said that blood in the urine can actually come from the bladder OR the reproductive parts. She said that if the culture doesn't come back with anything, we're probably looking at a spay.

I'm going to talk to her more on Monday, but I'm confused. When 'Ferd had blood in her urine, it was diagnosed as a UTI. We gave her Bactrim, the blood was gone, and that was it. Why is it NOT the same case this time? I wonder what would happen if we waited a week, and checked the pee again. If the blood was gone, does that mean it *was* just a UTI? I'd hate to spay unnecessarily. She's not a fan of spaying either, so it's not like she's pushing it just for the sake of pushing it like I know some do.

I wonder if she thinks this is reproductive because 1) she got worse after I put her on Bactrim instead of better, or 2) it's related to the mammary tumor which would = reproductive.

No poops or food eaten when I went home for lunch. Looking for the alfalfa tonight after work.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Fri May 04, 2007 5:54 pm


Alfalfa hay tastes much better. It is a legume hay, not a grass hay, so it's high in calcium and protein. Think double-destroyer pizza with extra extra cheese and all of your favorite toppings. That's not bad for you if you need the nutrition, and it tastes great, but it's rich.

"Why is it NOT the same case this time? I wonder what would happen if we waited a week, and checked the pee again. If the blood was gone, does that mean it *was* just a UTI? I'd hate to spay unnecessarily. She's not a fan of spaying either, so it's not like she's pushing it just for the sake of pushing it like I know some do.

I wonder if she thinks this is reproductive because 1) she got worse after I put her on Bactrim instead of better, or 2) it's related to the mammary tumor which would = reproductive."

I think your assessment is exactly correct. Ask her on Monday about continuing Bactrim for at least a week and then retesting her urine. Shoot, just read her your post and see what she says. I won't be surprised if she says "that's exactly what I'm thinking."

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