Barley - problems with an in-bred piggy
- Jaycey
- Supporter in 2014
Oh no, I'm so sorry webs. Poor little Horlicks :(
Such a terrible shame.
Podrick will be getting an extra big hug tonight.
Really, if there's anything I can do, please don't hesitate to contact me. Despite being so far away, Pod's kids mean a lot to us and I'll definitely help out any way I can.
Hugs to you and Barley x
Such a terrible shame.
Podrick will be getting an extra big hug tonight.
Really, if there's anything I can do, please don't hesitate to contact me. Despite being so far away, Pod's kids mean a lot to us and I'll definitely help out any way I can.
Hugs to you and Barley x
- Webs
- Cavies 'n Cobwebs
Thank you Jaycey, please wave your magic wand for these little furry siblings!
A little more detail on Horlicks. The lump turned out to be a nasty and likely cancerous tumour in his mouth. Parts of it were breaking away when he was eating causing him serious pain. After he was put to sleep, the vet removed the purple lump and behind it was an abscess, possibly in a tooth root. There was also a 'tail' from the tumour which was heading along to a swelling which turned out to be his lymph node.
With his history of heart problems and abscesses in his short life already it was felt he wouldn't survive invasive surgery in his mouth and the kindest thing was to let him go and join his mum.
It's seems the immune system in these little piggies is not strong enough and aggressive tumours may be what my two end up with too. At least I know to be vigilant!
A little more detail on Horlicks. The lump turned out to be a nasty and likely cancerous tumour in his mouth. Parts of it were breaking away when he was eating causing him serious pain. After he was put to sleep, the vet removed the purple lump and behind it was an abscess, possibly in a tooth root. There was also a 'tail' from the tumour which was heading along to a swelling which turned out to be his lymph node.
With his history of heart problems and abscesses in his short life already it was felt he wouldn't survive invasive surgery in his mouth and the kindest thing was to let him go and join his mum.
It's seems the immune system in these little piggies is not strong enough and aggressive tumours may be what my two end up with too. At least I know to be vigilant!
- Webs
- Cavies 'n Cobwebs
One minor update on Barley was in April 2016 he was rushed to the emergency vet about 4am as I was woken by the piggies scrabbling about. Went down to find Barley haring around the cage with blood spatters over the white coroplast. In my half asleep panic, grabbed a hold of him to discover he'd ripped a toenail and it was bleeding profusely. Holding it with tissue didn't seem to stem the flow and then the nail came away in the tissue itself! Not sure if it would stop on its own and worried about his heart we made an expensive trip for Metacam and an AB injection but the blood did stop and his nail eventually grew back.
Apart from that it was a fairly uneventful year for Barley up until December. Coming up to Christmas and the weekend beforehand (always a weekend!) on the Saturday he was breathing more heavily and he didn't cough and clear it like it had before. Over the next few hours I gave him some Frusemide left over from Chilli and then he got his Fortekor early. He seemed to develop blood in his pee so he got a dose of Metacam and Batryil. When that didn't work I phoned the emergency vets for advice and they said to bring him in so he could get on oxygen and injectable Frusemide to work quicker. So early Sunday morning of the 18th December Barley went in and spent a few hours in their care but I think his organs were already failing as it made no difference. I took in Whisky and some of his favourite foods to see if that would perk him up. He wasn't interested in the food and the two piggies snuggled together for a couple of hours before I made the heartbreaking decision to let him go. He had made no improvement, he hadn't peed in many hours and was filling up with fluid. Whisky was taken out and I stayed with Barley throughout the whole end event and he passed peacefully away.
He is now buried near Tiggy and Misty and the other dear departed piggies of mine. Barley was only two and a half but managed to outlive his mum and brother. :-(
Apart from that it was a fairly uneventful year for Barley up until December. Coming up to Christmas and the weekend beforehand (always a weekend!) on the Saturday he was breathing more heavily and he didn't cough and clear it like it had before. Over the next few hours I gave him some Frusemide left over from Chilli and then he got his Fortekor early. He seemed to develop blood in his pee so he got a dose of Metacam and Batryil. When that didn't work I phoned the emergency vets for advice and they said to bring him in so he could get on oxygen and injectable Frusemide to work quicker. So early Sunday morning of the 18th December Barley went in and spent a few hours in their care but I think his organs were already failing as it made no difference. I took in Whisky and some of his favourite foods to see if that would perk him up. He wasn't interested in the food and the two piggies snuggled together for a couple of hours before I made the heartbreaking decision to let him go. He had made no improvement, he hadn't peed in many hours and was filling up with fluid. Whisky was taken out and I stayed with Barley throughout the whole end event and he passed peacefully away.
He is now buried near Tiggy and Misty and the other dear departed piggies of mine. Barley was only two and a half but managed to outlive his mum and brother. :-(