Blind, deaf, and toothless baby Einstein-piggy

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salana
GL is Just Peachy

Post   » Sat Aug 16, 2003 1:46 pm


I got a female pig, Suzi, as a companion to my neutered male, Doom; however, she was already pregnant and delivered two male piglets two weeks ago.

One of them, Einstein (white with red eyes, part Abyssinian and part crested) seems to be blind and deaf. He gets lost in the cage (a 2 by 4 grid cubes and coroplast cage) and wheeps pitifully for someone to find him, but doesn't respond to any of the other pigs unless they come within a couple inches of him. He doesn't react to things like bright lights or annoying cell-phones, and actually sat in my hand and kept burbling to himself when my phone rang practically in his ear. The other day I noticed he weighs less than his brother (6oz as opposed to 8oz), and then yesterday I looked in his mouth and saw no incisors. He eats, though, and will sit in the pellet bowl munching pellets until one of his parents pushes him out so they can eat. He hasn't eaten most vegetables that I've tried giving him, but I'm thinking he simply can't get them into his back teeth. He nurses like crazy and frequently chases his mother around to get a hold of her and have some drink.

He seems perfectly happy (except when he's lost, when he cries pitifully) and is as sweet as a bowl of sugar, and loves to be cuddled.

So, what do you guys think happened? Is this a genetic defect? Should I get him some special food as a supplement, maybe some baby vegetables? (Would they have any Vitamin C?) He's not in pain, he's just not thriving like his brother, who is perfectly healthy and cuter than possible.

I just moved to upstate NY and haven't found a guinea pig vet yet; does anyone have any suggestions for the Ithaca area, preferably ones I can get to without a car?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Aug 16, 2003 1:55 pm


Some problems like this are genetic. You may have what is called a "lethal white". If you do a search on the term "lethal" you will find more information. It is a cross between two roan/dals. Sometimes one or more teeth may grow in. Weigh your pig regularly and handfeed if you feel there he is not getting enough nourishment.

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pigluvver

Post   » Sat Aug 16, 2003 2:01 pm


Is his mum a roan or a dalmation pig?
I have an awful feeling you have what is known as a "lethal" pig which comes from breeding the wrong pig - dal to dal or roan to roan.

I have no experience with lethals, so until someone who does comes along, you could do a search for the word "Goobber". He was a lethal piggie and there's lots of information about how his owner helped him cope.

https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... ht=goobber

There's one thread.
I am not in the US so can't help with vet recommendations either, but until someone comes along who can, here's a link that may help you find one.

http://www.aracnet.com/cgi-usr/seagull/vetfinder.cgi

In the meantime, he needs handfeeding - so this link may help.
https://www.guinealynx.info/emergencymed ... andfeeding

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salana
GL is Just Peachy

Post   » Sat Aug 16, 2003 2:21 pm


Some pictures:
Suzi, when I first got her
Suzi and Einstein, a few hours after delivery
Suzi, Einstein, and Jackie, a few hours after delivery

So, no, she's not roan or dalmatian, which is why it so surprised me that Einstein has all these problems.

Thanks for the vetfinder link; I'll call a couple vets on Monday. Maybe they can help me work out a diet for him. He's enthusiastic and works very hard at eating, but I guess he just can't do it efficiently. I'll try a pellet mash and see if he wants to slurp it up on his own...I might have feeding syringes around here somewhere, I just haven't finished unpacking. I gave him some strips of fresh spinach and once he got those into his molars (which I assume he has, because he DOES eat) he ate them just fine.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Aug 16, 2003 2:25 pm


The mom:
Image
Yes, I see what you mean. She does not appear to be a roan or dal. Perhaps KM can comment. I imagine genetic problems can occur with any litter but are more likely to happen with a roan/dal cross.

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swannie
For the love of pigs!

Post   » Sat Aug 16, 2003 2:26 pm


Your pigs are bedded on Carefresh and hay, right? That's not cedar bedding, is it? Some browned bits of hay in the pics look vaguely cedar-ish, but I'm guessing they're not.

They are very cute pigs. Definitely try the pellet mash. Does he manage to get any hay down on his own?

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salana
GL is Just Peachy

Post   » Sat Aug 16, 2003 2:40 pm


Definitely not cedar. I'm dreadfully allergic to the stuff, and even to pine. Plus the Carefresh is better.

I put down a layer of newspaper, then the Carefresh, then give them hay (in the haybasket in their old cage--I don't have a basket here yet, so I just plop them down a haystack in a clear area). They eat what they like and scatter the brown bits all over the cage.

Einstein does eat hay, or at least he tries to, but I bet his daily hay consumption is about 3 pieces. He does better with long and skinny foods than anything else, and right now he's in my lap working very hard on a piece of hay that I poked into the back of his mouth for him.

I also made a pellet mush a few minutes ago, and held out a teaspoonful in front of him. He worked very hard and ate maybe 1/4 teaspoon, very daintily, and then looked like he was thirsty so I put him back in the cage. He's great with the water bottles, and like I said, can even eat pellets on his own (though slowly). And he's working very hard on this piece of hay, although it's kind of sad, since his mom and "dad" and brother are in the cage running through the haystack and stuffing themselves and popcorning like crazy pigs.

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Cara

Post   » Sat Aug 16, 2003 5:25 pm


Just be careful about pking hay into his mouth. Sometimes sharp pieces of hay and actually break through the skin and cause an abcess. Try a syrgine to feed him. A 1 cc syrgine with the tip cut off. You can put into his mouth near his back teeth and I bet he'd have a much easier time eating. Ask your vet about Critical Care. I am currently feeding one of my pigs only Critical Care, hay and pellets. She is having a hard time with veggies causing too much gas in her G.I. tract. You can only get Critical Care through your vet. You mix with water and syringe it to them. Zipper loves it. Others of my herd have hated it. If he's hungry I bet he'll eat it and probably like it.

keepawayfromhershey

Post   » Sat Aug 16, 2003 6:00 pm


Good luck with him. A piggy with problems takes a lot of time and patience.

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lisam

Post   » Sat Aug 16, 2003 6:38 pm


I have an adult pig who has no incisors, and I cut up all her veggies and fruit. I roll and cut up lettuce and greens, too. Grass and hay have to be cut, too, so she can get them back to her molars.

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salana
GL is Just Peachy

Post   » Sat Aug 16, 2003 6:42 pm


I got some baby food to mix in, because he takes pellet mash quite well until he decides that it's "yucky", and perhaps some different flavors would help. Also, it has vitamin C (although I'm going to crush up some of my vit C tabs and dissolve it in the water before putting the pellets in).

If he doesn't take much of that, then I'll go to the mall and look for syringes. I looked for them at the grocery store, but they didn't have any. Also, I need to feed myself or I'll be in no condition to go anywhere.

Right now he's eating his poop, so his digestion is working; it just doesn't seem like it's running at high capacity.

One of the nice things about Einstein is that he doesn't complain about all my music, like his mother, or certain artists, like his stepfather does. He just sits there and tastes my cell phone and eats his poop. Well, I better go and start dinner for me and Einstein.

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Cara

Post   » Sat Aug 16, 2003 6:45 pm


Drug store will have syringes. Just tell then what you need them for and they usually give them to you. At least my drug store does! If they charge it's minimal. If he's not able to eat much of course his digestion isn't running at high capacity! Look into Critical Care. Good luck!

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