Molly fell and are onw dragging both back legs

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1921kathryn

Post   » Fri Mar 20, 2009 9:26 pm


That piggy in space makes me LAUGH AND LAUGH :)

maremma

Post   » Fri Mar 20, 2009 11:53 pm


Hmm my post just dissapeared? LOL Let me try again!

Your baby is so patient being such a good little model! Bless her heart. Make sure you give her extra kisses and a special veggie snack reward for being such a sweety.

I am so glad to see so many poops from your litttle trooper! I would imagine she would gain weight if she is still eating the same as she was before since she isn't running around and active like she was before the accident.

It looks like the proto type will need more work for her head and back legs.

Simba had a small "U" shape cut out of his pillow so his head could go wherever he wanted. (That also made it easier to place his pellets, hay and water bottle all within reach bit still left me room to make him a pillow for his head)

It may be harder for you though because you will also need to make a pillow where she can rest her head when she wants to go to sleep or rest.

I'd well imagine she would get very upset and depressed right quick if her head were imobilized and all she could do was look forward all the time:(

Just exactly how far off the ground will she be? You may have to build something that will be level with her body to hold her things and pillow at the right height for her right in front of her.

The back legs in the picture look like they are sticking out to far?You don't want her legs pushed upwards at all but more like they would be if she were able to stand. The way the picture seems to have the back legs will cause pain and pressure in her hips. She will then hurt herself because she will wind up tensing the muscles in her back trying to relieve the pressure and pain. Perhaps of course it is just the way I am seeing the picture but just in case, I wanted to be sure you were aware.

Tracis
Let Sleeping Pigs Lie

Post   » Sat Mar 21, 2009 2:53 am


Sending good thoughts for lovely Molly, and I hope she continues to do well.

Pippi is so cute. :)

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JaneDoe

Post   » Sat Mar 21, 2009 3:30 am


Yes, she's such a good model!

Good luck to Molly.

Bookfan
For the Love of Pigs

Post   » Sat Mar 21, 2009 2:52 pm


I've been following this thread. Sending good vibes to you and Molly.

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poppypiggy

Post   » Sat Mar 21, 2009 7:21 pm


Thanks again for all your valuable input, good vibes and well wishes! It helps a lot!

Ha-ha, poor Pippi can’t understand why her human is behaving so strange lately, but she don’t complains, because she is bribed with little treats after the photo sessions. Her hope is to be discovered by one of those model scouts, and get a super model contract in Paris soon!

Lynx – I’ll be delighted to contribute the pictures to the thread permanently. Apart form getting valuable input, I post here in the hope that others can benefit from my experiences.

I have been thinking and trying today, and have solved most of the problems, but I don't think I am quite finished yet. One of my main concerns is to figure out how far apart the holes for the back legs should be, and how Molly will react when I put her in the sling, as she is definitely not as patient as Pippi. We have to be two the first time, just in case she panics, I guess.

As you point out, Maremma, we want Molly’s back legs to be in a comfortable position. I might not have made that clear before, but my intention here is to keep Molly in the sling for a very short time, at least in the beginning, My thought is just to be able to give her some physiotherapy as soon as possible, before her spine has grown. Later on I guess we can do that without the sling. Therefore I have not cut out a piece for the head, and it is not so important that she can rest very comfortably when in the sling. The most important thing is that her spine is kept straight, and that her legs are available for some careful manipulation and can move freely.

The solution I found for suspending the sling looks like this:

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It is made of a stool turned up side down, with two cube panels secured to the legs with cable ties.

The sling it self (prototype – I'll use a breathable material later on) looks like this at the moment:

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There are bamboo rods on each side, and the sling itself is as broad as the space between the stool legs, as seen on this picture (without Pippi – unfortunately I forgot to take a pic from this angle when she was in it). Image

Pippi being patient – front view:

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Front view from a lower angle, where you can see all her legs:

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And finally a side view showing how Pippi’s back legs are sticking out:

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Tomorrow I think I will try how the sling fits Molly. She is slightly smaller than Pippi, and less than half as patient. Talking about Molly - she still seems to be doing all right, but today was perhaps not her best day. There were a lot fewer poops in her cage this morning, she was not as eager to eat as the days before, and her weight had gone down a little. But when I write this she is munching away, so I guess it was just something passing very quickly, or just one of those days.

Lainier - as far as I know Molly and Pippi are not related – Molly is the only one born in my care; Poppy was pregnant when I bought her in a pet store (before I found GuineaLynx, and before I knew that it’s possible to adopt piggies), and had one pup - Molly.

I have to go to bed now, as it is past midnight, but I will be back tomorrow to tell how it worked out with Molly in the sling - if I don't get too scared to try!

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JaneDoe

Post   » Sat Mar 21, 2009 8:15 pm


Poor Pippi!

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Bugs Mom

Post   » Sat Mar 21, 2009 8:52 pm


I hope it goes well with Molly tomorrow. You've put a lot of time and effort into the sling. I certainly hope it does the trick!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Mar 21, 2009 10:05 pm


I trust her feet will be on solid ground so she will feel more comfortable. Thanks for the pics. I will try to remember to add them tomorrow (I am tired and not feeling all that well today).

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poppypiggy

Post   » Sun Mar 22, 2009 1:24 pm


I have not tried the sling on Molly yet - wanted to see if there were more suggestions on this thread first.

Jane - Pippi is not pitying herself very much as long as she gets bribes. She is a happy, good tempered, chatty little piggie!
I trust her feet will be on solid ground so she will feel more comfortable.
Lynx, do you think it is bad to let Molly's feet hang down when she is in the sling (for like 5 minutes in the beginning)? I was thinking that as long as her spine was kept stright, and her "torso" was sufficiently supported, it would be OK to let her legs stick out and down, and thus allowing me to manipulate the back legs carefully. Now I am a bit reluctant. Any comments?

Hope you are feeling better today, Lynx!

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poppypiggy

Post   » Sun Mar 22, 2009 6:08 pm


We finally gave Molly a try with the sling, and she was just a trooper! I held her carefully while my husband lifted the sling around her, because I was afraid she would freak out and try to escape, with the danger of her hurting herself. But she was just sooo patient! When she was in the sling and suspended in the stool she just laid there and looked rather relaxed. What a relief!

Molly in the sling:

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I massaged her back feet and talked to her at the same time. She just looked at me and seemed relatively content:

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I managed to wash her a bit, and to cut the dirty hair around her bum, so hopefully she feels better already. I am a bit worried about her feet, though, as the seem to be a bit swollen, as you can see here:

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The right (black) foot seems to be more swollen than the left one:

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(The stain on the washcloth under her is from her pee - she will get a new cloth tonight!)

The swollenness worries me a bit, but I guess it should be expected, as most of the time she keeps her back legs more or less stretched out behind her, and that limits the circulation in them, I suppose. Hopefully the gentle massaging and careful pedaling helps a bit. Has anybody any experience here?

I only had Molly in the sling for about 5 minutes today, because I don’t want to over do it the first time. My plan is to put her in there at least once a day, perhaps more. Today there was no “resistance” (for a better word) in any of her legs, but there still might have been “something” in the left leg, though. I am really curious about how long it will take before I can feel any difference.

Another question: I have been giving Molly Metacam since Wednesday, and have 3 doses left. Would that be long enough? Should I ask the vet for more at once, or wait and see how she reacts when she is taken off the medicine?

lainier

Post   » Sun Mar 22, 2009 6:54 pm


Hi there,
You have done a really great job at creating the sling. What good girls Molly and Pippi are!
With regards to Molly's swollen legs: Dudley had swollen back feet as well. His left back leg was significantly more swollen than his left. He also had less movement in his left leg. The swelling lasted for a few months, actually until he was mobile again.
Dudley was on meloxicam for about 3 months, so I would say that you need to get some more from your vet for Molly. For the first couple of months he was on about 3-4 drops a day. I started to taper his dose down. So for a a week or so he was on 3 drops, then for week or so he was on 2 drops and so on. I think the meloxicam really helped with his recovery and think Molly should be on something (as long as she is not having a bad reaction to it) for a while to keep the inflammation down. We had to disguise the medication in little pieces of celery leaves wrapped in baby greens. He really didn't enjoy the taste of it.
I would recommend going very slowly with the physiotherapy this early on.
We massaged Dudley's legs as well, in fact that is how I started out. I did this for about a week before doing any physio, I thought that it would keep the blood moving and keep sensation in his feet.
Keep up the good work.

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