lu_lu
Junior Guinea Pig
One of my boys has a problem, i have been to see 4 different vets at 2 different practices and have been told conflicting advice, ideally if anyone can recommend a cavy savy vet local to Oldham (can travel if necessary) i would be more than greatful...forgive all the background information but i don't know if any of its relevant...
4 of my piggies live together in a large double layer C&C, 2 girls (Egg and Mo) and 2 boys (Sweep and Silly), the group have lived together as a 4 some for around 2 years (previously the boys lived together as a duo and the girls lived with another male "the original sweep" until he passed away) and apart from the occasional sqwabble by silly, Mo has always been in charge, Once all the piggies were living together i noticed that Mo had bonded very closely with Sweep, Egg curled in with them occassionally in the cuddle sacks or under the log houses but most of the time they were like an old married couple, a few months back i noticed Mo wasn't herself, she was lay in the cuddle sack with Silly grooming her, i automatically new it was serious as Mo and Silly have never had that kind of relationship, i picked her up in the cuddle sack and she wouldn't turn her face to me whatever i did, eventually i had to wrap her in a towel to keep her still, upon looking i noticed her eye was weeping, i didn't see anything stuck near it so guessed maybe she's got a hay "stick-injury", the morning before she's been fine, i called round the vet i usually use but they couldn't fit me in, after trying another local one whos waiting list was longer,i called back to the first and took there appointment for the end of the following day, by the time we got there the vet said Mo's eye had worsened from what i had previously described and they's have to remove it, a phone call later to lend the cash and she was booked in, surgery went well but i was advised to keep her on her own to watch over her, administer anti biotics and pain relief and judge what she was eating/drinking, she was so distressed that after a few days i asked the vet could i bring her mum in to keep her company (Sweep is maybe 5 times the weight of Mo and i was scared he might accidently hurt her), Mo made a full recovery and went back to live in the all together house after 2 weeks, Sweep was so glad to have her back, i had noticed that he had missed her while she wasn't there and thats when his trouble started, firstly it's like his back legs wouldn't work properly, it's as if they were stiff and he's drag them around, he couldn't get in the cuddle cups and would just be stuck with his head and front legs in unable to move, but some days were better than others, we went to the vet who checked him over and he couldn't find anything wrong, i rearrange the space so most things were sweep height, and put it down to old age, then a few weeks after than i noticed a lump one morning near his head where there wasn't one the day before, again i went to the vet who said it might be a sist, keep an eye on it, but don't worry they go up and down and there isn't much you can do, the lump did go up and down and up again, he was eating and drinking as normal and his weight had stayed pretty constant, then he seemed to have a bulge on his right side, it felt as if the rib bone was prized away from his body (sorry i don't know how else to describe it) i was again told by the vet (a different one at the same practice) not to worry piggies have floating ribs...this lasted about 2 weeks then seemed to go down a little so it doesn't look as it did but that side of his body is different looking than the other,
then this morning, he back end is all lumpy, it's so severe than his hair sticks up rather than lying flat, yesterday, after feeding and cleaning before work, i didn't get them out when i returned home (my daughters being bulled at school and yesterday was a bad day for her, no excuse but my head wasn't with it) you can notice it without really looking, the lumps there seems to be 3 very defined but lumpy lumps feel like scaly, almost like lumpy custard gone hard, like theres ridges under the skin (sorry words to describe fail) when the hair is brushed the opposite way there is some flaking of the skin, he's eating and i have been feeding a little cucumber incase he isn't drinking but i am at a loss what to do, we have been to the see a different vet this morning (i reckon i must be paying for his winter break!) and he said keep and eye on it, might be sists, if there not gone in a week bring him back and we will have another look!
melodrama now taking over he could be dead in a week, so does anyone have any ideas? can recommend a vet? i'm i being melodramatic? is it related to him missing Mo? i find now she prefers to be on the upper deck of the C&C (the boys don't go upstairs for some reason)on her own, she doesn't snuggle with anyone now, can piggies get stressed like that? I feel it's all connected and the longer it goes on the worse it is for my boy,
stats
C&C 6x2, fed excel pellets, 3 types of hay (green oat, green timothy and regular hay from the local farm) live on fleece with loads of cuddle cups, tunnels with fleece draped over them etc, veggies given in no particular order red/orange/yellow pepper, cabbage, carrot, cauli, brocolli, celery, pak choi, cucumber (very little), spring greens, sweetcorn, apple/pear (occassionally) also every other day i add a sprinkle of dried dandelion/mixed herbage or plaintain over the dried food, fresh water daily, woven mats and balls to chew on, fleece swept daily changed every other day, kitchen cleaned daily, hay topped up twice a day...
sorry for such a long post as i said i don't know how much of it might be relevant
cheers
4 of my piggies live together in a large double layer C&C, 2 girls (Egg and Mo) and 2 boys (Sweep and Silly), the group have lived together as a 4 some for around 2 years (previously the boys lived together as a duo and the girls lived with another male "the original sweep" until he passed away) and apart from the occasional sqwabble by silly, Mo has always been in charge, Once all the piggies were living together i noticed that Mo had bonded very closely with Sweep, Egg curled in with them occassionally in the cuddle sacks or under the log houses but most of the time they were like an old married couple, a few months back i noticed Mo wasn't herself, she was lay in the cuddle sack with Silly grooming her, i automatically new it was serious as Mo and Silly have never had that kind of relationship, i picked her up in the cuddle sack and she wouldn't turn her face to me whatever i did, eventually i had to wrap her in a towel to keep her still, upon looking i noticed her eye was weeping, i didn't see anything stuck near it so guessed maybe she's got a hay "stick-injury", the morning before she's been fine, i called round the vet i usually use but they couldn't fit me in, after trying another local one whos waiting list was longer,i called back to the first and took there appointment for the end of the following day, by the time we got there the vet said Mo's eye had worsened from what i had previously described and they's have to remove it, a phone call later to lend the cash and she was booked in, surgery went well but i was advised to keep her on her own to watch over her, administer anti biotics and pain relief and judge what she was eating/drinking, she was so distressed that after a few days i asked the vet could i bring her mum in to keep her company (Sweep is maybe 5 times the weight of Mo and i was scared he might accidently hurt her), Mo made a full recovery and went back to live in the all together house after 2 weeks, Sweep was so glad to have her back, i had noticed that he had missed her while she wasn't there and thats when his trouble started, firstly it's like his back legs wouldn't work properly, it's as if they were stiff and he's drag them around, he couldn't get in the cuddle cups and would just be stuck with his head and front legs in unable to move, but some days were better than others, we went to the vet who checked him over and he couldn't find anything wrong, i rearrange the space so most things were sweep height, and put it down to old age, then a few weeks after than i noticed a lump one morning near his head where there wasn't one the day before, again i went to the vet who said it might be a sist, keep an eye on it, but don't worry they go up and down and there isn't much you can do, the lump did go up and down and up again, he was eating and drinking as normal and his weight had stayed pretty constant, then he seemed to have a bulge on his right side, it felt as if the rib bone was prized away from his body (sorry i don't know how else to describe it) i was again told by the vet (a different one at the same practice) not to worry piggies have floating ribs...this lasted about 2 weeks then seemed to go down a little so it doesn't look as it did but that side of his body is different looking than the other,
then this morning, he back end is all lumpy, it's so severe than his hair sticks up rather than lying flat, yesterday, after feeding and cleaning before work, i didn't get them out when i returned home (my daughters being bulled at school and yesterday was a bad day for her, no excuse but my head wasn't with it) you can notice it without really looking, the lumps there seems to be 3 very defined but lumpy lumps feel like scaly, almost like lumpy custard gone hard, like theres ridges under the skin (sorry words to describe fail) when the hair is brushed the opposite way there is some flaking of the skin, he's eating and i have been feeding a little cucumber incase he isn't drinking but i am at a loss what to do, we have been to the see a different vet this morning (i reckon i must be paying for his winter break!) and he said keep and eye on it, might be sists, if there not gone in a week bring him back and we will have another look!
melodrama now taking over he could be dead in a week, so does anyone have any ideas? can recommend a vet? i'm i being melodramatic? is it related to him missing Mo? i find now she prefers to be on the upper deck of the C&C (the boys don't go upstairs for some reason)on her own, she doesn't snuggle with anyone now, can piggies get stressed like that? I feel it's all connected and the longer it goes on the worse it is for my boy,
stats
C&C 6x2, fed excel pellets, 3 types of hay (green oat, green timothy and regular hay from the local farm) live on fleece with loads of cuddle cups, tunnels with fleece draped over them etc, veggies given in no particular order red/orange/yellow pepper, cabbage, carrot, cauli, brocolli, celery, pak choi, cucumber (very little), spring greens, sweetcorn, apple/pear (occassionally) also every other day i add a sprinkle of dried dandelion/mixed herbage or plaintain over the dried food, fresh water daily, woven mats and balls to chew on, fleece swept daily changed every other day, kitchen cleaned daily, hay topped up twice a day...
sorry for such a long post as i said i don't know how much of it might be relevant
cheers
