Henry's Thread
A few nights ago, I noticed that Henry kicked out some sludge and also something I'm referring to as "stone flakes," because they appear to be made out of the same material as bladderstones and yet they're thin little pieces, not unlike fish food or fish flakes.
In this picture, the magenta arrow is pointing to sludge, and the blue arrows are pointing to some of the stone flakes.
We think this is caused by the actigall, of which he is still taking a maintenance dose. Henry seemed to be fine, since he was acting like this:
He has been eating his hay, drinking, eating pellets, and otherwise acting pretty normal. The only thing off - and we've noticed this will all of our intact boys when they're having bladder issues - is that when he stood on all four feet, he would hold his testicles out behind him a little.
Well, tonight, I went downstairs to check on him, and he ran to the side of the cage, but his front feet on the grids, and wheeked at me. When I went over to the cage, he ran to his pigloo, in and out of it, until I picked it up to see what was going on. Inside, I found a stone, a little smaller than a peppercorn.
I am wondering if the actigall chipped out pieces of the stone until it was small enough for him to pass?
I will mention that all of this time, Henry has continued to gain weight, so this stone hasn't really bothered him very much.
Sorry the pictures are so out of focus.
In this picture, the magenta arrow is pointing to sludge, and the blue arrows are pointing to some of the stone flakes.
We think this is caused by the actigall, of which he is still taking a maintenance dose. Henry seemed to be fine, since he was acting like this:
He has been eating his hay, drinking, eating pellets, and otherwise acting pretty normal. The only thing off - and we've noticed this will all of our intact boys when they're having bladder issues - is that when he stood on all four feet, he would hold his testicles out behind him a little.
Well, tonight, I went downstairs to check on him, and he ran to the side of the cage, but his front feet on the grids, and wheeked at me. When I went over to the cage, he ran to his pigloo, in and out of it, until I picked it up to see what was going on. Inside, I found a stone, a little smaller than a peppercorn.
I am wondering if the actigall chipped out pieces of the stone until it was small enough for him to pass?
I will mention that all of this time, Henry has continued to gain weight, so this stone hasn't really bothered him very much.
Sorry the pictures are so out of focus.
He's definitely feeling better tonight. He's been running victory laps around the cage and making his "birdy" noises. (He has a pretty, musical voice that makes me think of a songbird.)
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- Wheekness for Pigs
I am so glad to hear Henry is doing well. Also glad to hear about the dietary changes that you have made. We have been fortunate not to have a recurrence of a stone (knock on Coroplast!) but I think lessening the limestone is a good idea and I have also switched Evey to KM pellets, which she loves.
It is so helpful to hear about how a long-lived piggy is getting along and the various things that seem to aid in their longevity.
Evey went on some TMS this morning and I am hoping her news is as good as Henry's. Evey sends him a special piggy scruffle.
It is so helpful to hear about how a long-lived piggy is getting along and the various things that seem to aid in their longevity.
Evey went on some TMS this morning and I am hoping her news is as good as Henry's. Evey sends him a special piggy scruffle.