Fuzzbutt's Medical

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GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Tue Aug 25, 2015 4:03 am


Thanks, again, Talishan. You do know we'd be pretty lost without you, right? ;o)

Her stinkies are the usual color, just extremely smelly. Usually on the soft side, I think.

Yup, bears. I grew up on a 160 acre homestead in Alaska, wayyyy in the middle of nowhere. We had black and brown bears around all the time. Lots of stories there.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Aug 25, 2015 8:42 am


I kind of wish I didn't have a little movie on my camera of a local bear pushing over my birdfeeder!

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GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Tue Aug 25, 2015 9:23 pm


Back in Juneau, we had bears in our backyard every summer, & I'm talking about a 5 ft chain link fenced space in the middle of the densest residential area in the "city". One bear leaned on a cast iron shepard hook to reach a birdfeeder. That iron hook bent!! I had to make sure we brought THAT conversation piece with us when we moved south. 😀

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LS in AK
Upside-down & Backwards

Post   » Tue Aug 25, 2015 10:09 pm


Only thought I would add about misshapen piggy poops (that are not soft or runny) is to figure out - as you are doing with the food diary - and limit whatever is causing the problem, because that food may be a bloat trigger.

In other words, I've noticed that when piggy poops are teardrop shaped like that, and piggy is eating normally, it may signal some gassiness. A little on occasion is alright. Just be careful not to overdo it.

As for bears... I have some stories, too, but probably nothing like yours, GrannyJu.

The way I see it, this part of the planet is more their home than ours, and we are guests sharing the space. (Good thing there is still a lot of space!)

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Wed Aug 26, 2015 3:21 pm


Ditto the advice you have received. We've had a few pigs that just permanently had the teardrop-shaped, softish droppings no matter what we did. I just finally quit worrying about it -- but ditto LS; any GI abnormality, even if small and even if permanent, is reason to be especially vigilant about any developing stasis or bloat.

Thank you for your kind words, but you would not be lost without me. Over the years GL usually has several med pros active at any one time, and we kinda cycle through. If you lost LS in AK, bpatters, PinkRufus, Hilary Holmes, BamBam, WICharlie, several others and me all at one time, though, it might be a problem.

We are never allowed to be on the same plane at the same time. ;-)

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GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:59 am


Thanks. I'll take that warning to heart and be vigilant. I gave her a small piece of green pepper the other night and we're all paying the price! Only been 3 days but I'm still going to have to change that fleece today.

LS, I have a sister who lives where you do. I spent a year in Delta Junction when I was 15. I won't be doing THAT again, hehehehe. Colder than a ... Though I know it's warmed up a bit over the years since. :o/

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LS in AK
Upside-down & Backwards

Post   » Fri Aug 28, 2015 4:40 am


I've had bad luck with pepper in my pigs, too. One did okay with green but not red, and the other was the opposite... Got to the point that I just eliminated peppers from their diet, to be safe.

(And, yes, my landlady tells me it used to get a lot colder up here, back in the 70's. And Delta gets all that wind on top of the cold. I wouldn't mind living out there, though. Have seen caribou crossing the highway, and there's lots of good hiking down toward the mountains :))

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GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Mon Aug 31, 2015 2:06 pm


I wanted to give the others bell pepper last night, so I pulled Fuzz out of the cage at dinner time and put her in the box with leaf lettuce, baby carrot, and parsley. Carrot & parsley disappeared lickety split, but she refused the lettuce. Totally out of character. I left her there for 10 minutes, but when she hadn't eaten anymore lettuce, I pulled her out and weighed her. 1311 grams = no lost weight, a few grams above last weigh-in. I decided to try to hand feed her the lettuce. After some serious encouragement, it worked; she ate everything but the centers of the lettuce leaf (crunchy part). When I realized she would NOT eat the "stems", I gave in and pulled out another half of a large leaf (soft part only!), wet it, and she ate every bite. Since she ate the carrot, I don't think it's her teeth. Am I dealing with an extremely picky pig suddenly? Could/would she eat all parts of the lettuce if she was with the others? Maybe I better pull the other 2 out tonight and feed them their pepper, one at a time, so Fuzz isn't left alone to eat her food. A little competition is supposed to be good, right?

If I eliminate pepper, what do I replace it with? I know kale and greens are good in moderation! What does "moderation mean? How much, how many times a week? I really hate buying a bundle/head and throwing most of it away (we won't eat that c*** either :o)). I've looked but can't seem to find a decent salad bar for smaller portions, anywhere.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Aug 31, 2015 3:20 pm


I think of moderation as either small amounts or infrequently given (or a combination of the two). Can you get any fresh clean grass?

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Mon Aug 31, 2015 10:23 pm


Ditto Lynx.

Kale is enormously high in calcium and can be a gas producer, although it's loaded with nutrients and vitamin C. Very small amounts only (like about four or five postage stamps), and watch for calcium residue. If she's eating a bit of parsley, her C intake is probably fine (they don't need much, really).

It sounds like she really needs the others' competition to eat her lettuce properly. That's not a bad thing, really.

As far as waste goes -- kale lasts quite a while in the fridge. Otherwise, throw it out with impunity and don't worry about it. I tried a small piece of it once and spit it out. That's one of the nastiest things I've ever tried to eat.

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GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Mon Aug 31, 2015 11:11 pm


Talishan, you had my husband and I both laughing out loud. He would disagree with you though, and so would I. I can't smell cauliflower without feeling sick, and he thinks spinach and avocado are the worst. He calls my guacamole "moldy mayonaise". -_-

Ok, I'll see if I can sneak a tiny piece of kale into my pocket while at the grocery store. KIDDING! I can't do much of my own grocery shopping anymore so please don't turn me in. ;o)

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Mon Aug 31, 2015 11:15 pm


I won't. The grocery store would probably be glad to have you steal some, though.

Your husband is sadly mistaken. Good guacamole is to die for. ;-)

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