Tallulah's Medical thread

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KrazyKawaii

Post   » Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:13 pm


Thank you Lynx, I'm just glad these people thought of me when they found her.

I put my girls down for floor time and moved Tallulah's cage about a foot away, so they could see each other. It made such a difference to Tallulah! She started eating her pellets, drinking her water and popcorning!

Unfortunately, her fluff gave me a false impression of her size and she wiggled her way through the bars, thankfully she didn't get very far and could not finagle her way into the floor pen, though she did try.

She's a horror to medicate, does anyone have any good tips for the really hard to medicate ones? Tempest and Twister love medicine time, but Tallulah thrashes and squeals and whips her head around and chatters her teeth. I've been managing it, but it gets harder everytime, and we've got 2 times a day for 8 days still to go.

C Cole-Chakotay

Post   » Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:16 pm


If she's not eating, you will probably have to force feed her. You can get Critical Care from the vet and/or make a pellet mash for her.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:09 pm


I remember Nina when she was younger being extremely hard to medicate. I would first try the persistent more gentle approach by putting her on the counter corraled in your arm. Try to get her to take the syringe. There's another method that covers the eyes and holds the jaws that some people use. For Nina, I used a very controlled, careful vice-like grip on her head/jaws (this was a long time ago). They can be so squirmy.

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KrazyKawaii

Post   » Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:30 pm


Lynx, thanks so much! It worked like a charm! She screamed like a stuck pig when I put her on the counter, but once I covered her eyes and put my thumb under her chin she stopped and just sat there. I rushed it a bit and some dribbled out, but most of it got in, and tomorrow will be slower, hopefully this way works longer than the assorted other ways I've been trying.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:25 am


So glad it worked for you! So you used a combination of the two first methods? I was always afraid of doing damage to Nina when I held her so tightly (I tried to use only the amount of effort it took to stabilize her). I think they like having their feet on the ground (feels more secure).

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KrazyKawaii

Post   » Wed Jun 08, 2011 2:16 pm


I placed her on the counter with her back to me and than leaned over her, I placed my thumb over the bridge of her nose lightly so she couldn't see and placed my fingertips gently on her chin. It seemed like once she couldn't see the nasty syringe and dreaded hand she was fine. There wasn't much restraint needed, she was penned in pretty well with my body and hand, so she really had no where to go. She took all of her medicine without any fuss at all! It was wonderful.

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KrazyKawaii

Post   » Wed Jun 08, 2011 5:06 pm


I called the Vet today and explained to him Tallulah's behavior, he said that if I felt comfortable with it and I watched them very, very carefully for any signs of added illness I could house them together since it makes such a difference to Tallulah.

What are everyone's thoughts?

izzywizzywoo513

Post   » Wed Jun 08, 2011 7:54 pm


I am by no means an expert, but whenever I take in a new pig

I ALWAYS observe the 3 week quarantine period - no matter what.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:18 pm


So glad you got her to take the medicine okay! Let me know if the technique continues to work.

Hard to know if it would be better or not to put them together. Companionship is important but you certainly don't want another ill animal. I think being on antibiotics would mean she would be less contagious.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:38 pm


Ditto Lynx.

I'll put it like this ... are you prepared (time, energy, patience, money) to have to treat all three for anything/everything any *one* of them may have (worst case scenario)?

Yes: consider it.
No: listen to Izzywizzy.

Covering their eyes seems to work much like it does with horses. If I have a really squirmy one I'm weighing and don't want him or her all over the bathroom floor, I just cup my hand over his or her eyes. It stills them enough for the scale to settle.

My husband also covers their eyes if we're forcefeeding or medicating.
Last edited by Talishan on Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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KrazyKawaii

Post   » Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:39 pm


I decided to put them together, I thought on the long run it would be healthier for Tallulah, on her own she only eats small amounts and drinks a smidge, but with them she's been eating loads of hay, pellets, and drinking water and actually ate veggies for the first time ever! It's like she has to see them do it so she knows what to do. She's on ABs, so is Twister, and all 3 of them are on Ivermectin. I'll be keeping notes on behaviors and stuff and weighing them daily so hopefully if something is wrong I will catch it quickly.

They all seem much happier. I was nervous because I've heard all these horror stories about intros, but they took to each other right away. Within minutes they were zooming around the pen and popcorning. Now I just have to figure out how to get a bigger cage because the one they have is not nearly big enough. Although, Tallulah has a tendency to get lost in the cage, she forgets how to get out of the kitchen area and she wheeks and cries until one of the others comes to rescue her.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:41 pm


We are all 100% sure they're all female, right?

Watch Tempest closely for anything bacterial in particular.

It's wonderful to hear it has helped Tallulah so. Just be watchful for the possible consequences.

"Although, Tallulah has a tendency to get lost in the cage, she forgets how to get out of the kitchen area and she wheeks and cries until one of the others comes to rescue her."

I do not want to know what kind of conditions she came from. Whoever had her needs to be busted.

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