Reba: Satin w/arthritis, bone loss, & teeth issues

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mammabear66
With a Touch of Insanity

Post   » Thu Sep 22, 2005 5:43 pm


She has an appointment on Saturday to get xrayed. I tried bumping it up but couldn't.

I have been giving her about 50mg calcium daily. I had a hard time finding an actual dosage on here and finally just went with a dosage someone else listed for a pig that was close in size.

What IS the best dosage? And what is the best and worst types of calcium?

pinta

Post   » Fri Sep 23, 2005 12:12 am


Calcium lactate is the best. I dose I gave Shiraz is listed in the reference thread on bone density. Can't remember offhand. 75mg/kg twice a day maybe?

mammabear66
With a Touch of Insanity

Post   » Fri Sep 23, 2005 2:37 am


Duh, I never remember to go look at the reference thread. I always search for the Hollister pig thread thinking that is the main one.

Anything specific, besides xrays, that I should ask for? Like specific bloodwork?

Any suggestions on getting her weight up. The CC just isn't doing much.

mammabear66
With a Touch of Insanity

Post   » Sat Sep 24, 2005 10:47 pm


OK...

The vet was an experience! Hercules, my boy kitty, is now mostly bald, thanks to the vet's awesome clippers and my being tired of trying to pin him down to get the matts off him - very interesting lion cut! Momma piggy got an "A" and is continuing on the same dose of Enacard. Radar is still filling up with gunk (but not as much) and is going to go off ABs for a few days before his next appointment so we can culture it again. Xena, my seizure kitty, threw her normal witchy fit and managed to bite the vet, so they made her go nitey-nite long enough to draw her blood. From now on, that will be the automatic protocol. As for Reba...

Her bottom front teeth were a little long. Vet was initially concerned about possible molar problems but I have not witnessed any difficulty eating really, just lack of appetite for the most part. I was still more concerned about the hopping, especially due to her being a satin.

Xrays revealed no signs of calcium deficiency at this time (YAY!), but she does have arthritis in her back hips and knees. We are putting her on a daily dose of Metacam.

The vet figures the arthritis is what has had her not wanting to eat. However, if her weight doesn't start coming back up now then she will go back in on a day that they can put her under and really check out the molars.

What other therapies can I use, in combination with the Metacam, to help her out? I personally know how bad arthritis can hurt. My two older dogs have been on Glucosamine with great success - can piggies take it too? What about heat therapy or water therapy?

Any ideas would be MUCH appreciated! She is only 1 1/2 years old! I am in shock at this diagnosis at such a young age, even tho I know critterluv rescued her from a really crappy situation.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Sep 24, 2005 10:53 pm


I remember Pinta talking about her physiotherapist using a laser light on the joints. Some of your ideas sound good to me -- I would think they'd help. Maybe you can do some experimentation and let us know what works best for her?

mammabear66
With a Touch of Insanity

Post   » Sun Sep 25, 2005 12:04 am


After you mention it, I remember reading about that Lynx! I have one of the little keychain lasers with a max output of <5mW. I wonder if that would be enough for a piggy?

I really want to find other treatments that I can add to the Metacam. I know that it really won't do much but help the pain. I would like to work at giving her more freedom of movement. Especially considering her age - I don't want the arthritis crippling her before she even hits middle-age for a piggy. I would really like to stall its progression and not just mask the symptoms.

pinta

Post   » Sun Sep 25, 2005 3:06 am


Try and find an animal physiotherapist. Mostly they work with horses and dogs but I've found 2 that will apply their knowledge to pigs.

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cavyhaven13

Post   » Sun Sep 25, 2005 9:47 am


Ask your vet about using Omega 3 fatty acid supplement. Dr. Kathy is supposed to send me more info on this soon. Since Smokie's heart problems popped up and she's lost a little weight, she suggested using Omega3 to help with her cardiac function and to help her put some weight back on. I guess it's used frequently in dogs, cats and even birds to help with cardiac patients. She consulted the leading veterinary cardiologist in the country recently and this treatment came up. She gave me some to try for a few weeks and I read the ingredients. There's nothing that will harm the pigs in it and the manufacturer is in Canada.

I will be getting more info on this soon and I will be using this on my heart pigs to see if it helps.

mammabear66
With a Touch of Insanity

Post   » Sun Sep 25, 2005 8:59 pm


I wonder if that would be useful for Momma - except that she definitely does NOT need to gain weight!

Any info on Glucosamine/Chondroitin with pigs? I have some liquid supplements and am interested in trying her on it if it is deemed safe. It has helped my 2 dogs tremendously. All I have found so far concerning the dose is pinta's comment "and a pinch of vet grade glucosamine". How much is a pinch?!

I am thinking maybe 50mg Glocosamine since for up to a 10 pound dog is 94mg on the bottle I have. Or shoule I try 25mg?

Also, pinta, what is Cartrophen?

pinta

Post   » Mon Sep 26, 2005 1:45 am


Also, pinta, what is Cartrophen?

It's an arthritis drug that is injected monthly by the vet. Commonly used for dogs, I think. We've had success with it but do have a caution. Two heart pigs had an adverse reaction. One after she had gotten several injections with no incident. We pulled them both out with oxygen and basic heart triaging but it was enough to make my vet think twice about continuing treatments. But if I had a pig severely crippled by arthritis, I would use it in a heartbeat.

The odd thing is there is no reason why this drug should have any effect on the heart. Certainly doesn't in other animals. I forget what's in it but it's apparently pretty much natural stuff.

Fortunately I don't have any severe arthritis pigs right now so it isn't a consideration.

A pinch is however much I can hold between my forefinger and thumb. Not exact but close enough. I didn't find glucosamine that useful. It was good at the beginning but the pigs appeared to become immune to it in time and I stopped using it when there were no noticeable results.

My best results for arthritis pigs have come from light laser treatments devised by an animal physio therapist and from ultrasound treatments. Rimadyl was also a Godsend.

mammabear66
With a Touch of Insanity

Post   » Mon Sep 26, 2005 2:57 am


I think I will skip the Cartrophen for now then. She is definitely not severely crippled yet. Good to know for future reference tho.

Do the little laser lights work, or do I need a special one?

Reba is still having difficulty maintaining her weight but she is better at it than she was. She is down to needing about 30ml CC per day. Hopefullu her appetite will come up as the ABs get further out of her system and the Metacam gets further into her.

pinta

Post   » Mon Sep 26, 2005 5:07 pm


YOU NEED A ANIMAL PHYSIO THERAPIST TO SHOW YOU WHERE TO APPLY THE LASER BEAMS caps lock, They look at the xrays and determine the best way to treat. If you search you'll find info on the laser beam used.

You can actually necrotize the tissue if you do it wrong.

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