First of all welcome to the forum, and to the world of piggies, I hope they bring you lots of joy. Sounds like your doing great job with them.
First of all, in experience, piggies arent particulary prone to stokes. Its more often than not an inner ear infection which causes signs similiar to a stoke, mainly head tilting.
As for common medical problems I would say the following (but I'm sure other people will come up with more/better ways of saying it)
Skin Problems:
Most commonly of all piggies can get skin conditions, these are usually caused by fungal infections or parasites. The best way to help with this is to keep them clean and feed them good quality hay. Most parasites/fungal infections come from the envirnment, hay/veggies, even when washed, contaminated/unclean water and grass etc in the garden. There is little you can do about things like this apart from take your piggies to the vets whenever you see signs of problems so that mite/fungal treatments can be given in good time.
Diahorrea:
This can commonly happen when a piggie has too many greens/veggies, and if they havent been wormed as they can be infected with internal parasites/systemic fungal infections. Keep an eye out for sticky/cow pat like poos and ensure that your piggie stays hydrated and eats. A trip to the vets may also be necessary.
Cystitis:
Because of the alkaline properties of a piggies urine they can easily get bladder infections. Also things such as E colourants in food can cause glucose to unaturally be excreted in the urine, causing cystitis to be more likely. Your should steer clear of any foods like this (usually colourful). Signs of this is usually pink/red urine and squeaking when weeing. Your piggie may also go off there food. A trip to the vets and a course of antibiotics and other medications can help the piggie on the road to recovery.
Bladder stones:
No so common but keep an eye out for grainy/white/cloudy urine. Although urine usually should be a cloudy like substance. Piggies will usually be uncomfortable, go off there food and find it difficult to wee. A vet should be seen asap as stones will need to be removed surgically
Respiratory infections:
Obvious signs are usually discharge from the nose and difficulty breathing in general. A vet should be seen asap, and a dose of duretic and a course of antibiotic should be given. Piggies should be kept in the warm as the cold and damp can cause them to worsen. A dap of vicks vapour rub on the nose can help clear sinuses.
Bloat:
Due to piggies needing to eat constantly, if they stop eating (for one reason or another) the guts can slow down and cause gas to build up in the stomach and intestines. If a piggies abdomen swells and they become quiet/lethargic, they need to see a vet immediatly. Its an emergency and a life threatening condition which will need treating right away. Mild colic can be treated at home but if in any doubt see a vet straight away.
Ovarian cysts:
Common in female (entire) adult piggies which have not had a litter. They normally present with little symptoms but most commonly thinning of the hair on the flanks and weight loss. A vet can usually feel cysts on the ovaries (often mistaken for enlarged kidneys). An experienced vet should be able to drain these and hormone treatment can be given. Surgery is usually not specifically necessary.
Dental problems:
Due to piggies teeth constantly growing, teeth need to be checked regurarly. A well behaved pig will usually let you examine there front incisors. If piggies are dropped/fall they can commonly break these front teeth. Any piggie drooling from the mouth will usually have dental problems. Back teeth can overgrow at wrong angles and cause probelems eating. See an experienced piggie vet about this, they can usually sort there teeth out with little need for aneasthetic.
Lumps/bumps:
Unfortunatly piggies can sometimes be prone to this. get a vet to check out any found, an experienced hand can usually tell if the lump is a fatty one, something nasty or an abcess
Fly strike:
Be careful to watch out for this in the summer. This is where flies are attracted to open wounds or smelly bums. They lay their eggs and hatch, causing the poor piggie to be infested with maggots which will feed off the skin. It can be lifethreatening so seek vet treatment immediatly. To help prevent this happening, keep there cage clean and poo free as much as possible. Ensure long haired piggies arent getting soiled with poo. And check your piggies daily for wounds and poo around the bum which will attract flies. Boys are more common to get things like impaction where poo builds up in the folds around their anus.
Sorry theres so much. I could go on, but I think thats most of the common bits. I'm sure Ive miss things out.
x
