Lily, the fluffy, fluffy Texel

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Bugs Mom

Post   » Mon Aug 03, 2009 11:59 pm


If you're just a couple of hours off the schedule then go ahead and give the meds. If you're like 6-8 hours off then just skip them. It should be ok as long as it's not a frequent occurence.

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tara8301
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Post   » Tue Aug 04, 2009 12:11 am


If I start tomorrow morning, the doses will be around 6 am and 6 pm. When I get called into work, it's usually for the evening shift, which is 2:30-11. So I guess if I gave her a 6 am dose and got called in for that shift, I should just wait until the next morning for her next dose? It shouldn't be a frequent occurrence and will definitely stop once I start classes on Aug. 24. The only reason I told them they could call me in whenever is because I'm on summer break. After I start back to school I have a normal schedule of 7 am - 3:30 pm on the weekends and class from 8 until 3:30ish.

pinta

Post   » Tue Aug 04, 2009 1:18 am


Fortekor is more benign than Enacard. I suggest asking your vet to switch to Fortekor. Fortekor is a newer version of Enacard.

Also consider Vetmedin.

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tara8301
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Post   » Tue Aug 04, 2009 2:18 pm


Whenever we go back to the vet to get more x-rays I'll ask about the fortekor and vetmedin. Any pertinent info about either I should tell her?

I found those other cages I mentioned. http://www.midwesthomes4pets.com/catego ... &catid=142 Would one of those be sufficient if I needed to take the pigs somewhere with me for a few days or over the weekend? It says they are 8 sq. feet, though I'm sure that includes the little kitchen area. Apparently you can hook two together though, if you've got the room.

I would just consider cable tying some extra grids, but the main place I'd take them (to my fiancee's) has other animals and I'd be afraid to leave the top open. It seems as though the biggest complaint about the Midwest cages is that they can be difficult to clean since the bottom is made of canvas. But I'm thinkin' that if I put newspaper and fleece down like in their C&C it might not be so difficult.

I hope that if I invest in one of these, or some other suitable alternative, that my fiancee will be a less stupid about it.

pinta

Post   » Tue Aug 04, 2009 2:37 pm


You can read up on both meds in the medical guide and search for additional info such as personal experiences.

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tara8301
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Post   » Tue Aug 04, 2009 2:59 pm


Does the dosage seem right? Since no one has said anything specific about the dosage, I'm guessing it's fine but that I should keep an eye out for eating or behavioral changes...?

I gave her the first dose this morning at 6ish. She took the pill readily, but didn't seem to happy about the liquid. The only flavors they had to mix with it were various meat flavors and banana, so we had to go with the banana. However, I think part of the problem was with me and that I need to get used to using the syringe to give her the medicine. I think I may have squirted too much in her mouth at once. She didn't gag or cough, but she definitely looked surprised.

pinta

Post   » Tue Aug 04, 2009 5:53 pm


The dosages should be in the medical guide. The concentration has worn off my bottle so i can't compare.

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tara8301
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Post   » Tue Aug 04, 2009 7:32 pm


Ok, I think I have figured out the dosages from the medical guide.

As long as I did the math correctly, she seems to be getting roughly 3.75 mg/kg of the furosemide in each dose, for a total of 7.5 mg/kg a day. It's 12.5 mg/ml and she's getting 0.3 ml every 12 hrs. So 12.5 x 0.3 = 3.75. The guide says between 5 and 10 mg/kg daily and it's similar to what's in the sticky. Lily is just slightly over 1 kg, so really it's a bit less than 7.5 mg/kg. So that seems to be right.

Then the enacard is 1/4 of a 2.5 mg tablet, so 0.625 mg, every 48 hrs. It seems like the doses for the ACE inhibitors for other pigs were higher. In the sticky, most piggies on enacard had a 0.5 mg once or twice a day dose, I believe. But I suppose that could be due to the kidney problems that I've read about that can be associated w/ enacard. Or maybe the vet just wanted a lower dose initially until we get further x-rays to see how the meds are working.

I gave her the second dose of furosemide and did much better with the syringe. Just takes a little getting used to.

pinta

Post   » Wed Aug 05, 2009 7:02 am


But I suppose that could be due to the kidney problems that I've read about that can be associated w/ enacard

That's why Fortekor is a better choice.

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tara8301
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Post   » Wed Aug 05, 2009 6:17 pm


Is it normal for them to initially lose weight? I would assume so since the lasix is a diuretic and will flush out excess fluids, but I just wanted to make sure. She's lost about 10 grams. Also, I think I've already noticed a difference in her pea eye. She gets a little sulky after I give her the syringe of lasix, but it doesn't last more than a few minutes and I think it's because she's upset about getting a syringe in the mouth. She doesn't seem to be to fond of the banana flavor either. Other than those few minutes, she's still acting totally normal.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Aug 05, 2009 10:36 pm


10 grams is not very significant. Pig's weights vary more than that over a day!

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tara8301
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Post   » Thu Aug 06, 2009 5:01 pm


For some reason I was thinking 10 grams was a huge amount. Probably because I haven't been sleeping well and was insanely tired last evening. I had it in my head that the weight page in the medical guide used grams, but after I looked again I saw it was in ounces. She's down another 10 grams today (a 25 gram decrease from her highest weight), but I would assume it's due to her losing the excess fluid... which is a good thing! I'll continue to weigh her regularly, probably multiple times a week, and keep a close eye on her 'til her weight stabilizes again.

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