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Concerned piggy slave - Oedema

Thanks everyone for the kind comments me and Toby appreciate it.

Toby is looking alot better he was up when I got home from work looking for his vegetables and I watched him munching some hay.

Turns out last week Toby was in heart failure, fluid retention is one of the last stages and it can be very hard to reverse. I can't believe how lucky we've been.
A great way to start the New Year - Happy New Year everyone! 😊
 
Toby has got the use of his front incisors back, last week he had his incisors trimmed we don't normally do this but it was necessary due to how his teeth had grown. Toby tends to nip and this is something he has struggled with over the last week, but today the nips where back which is great news as he can obviously let his frustration be known - and his teeth are now back to the right length.

His fluid is all gone and his pellets are super healthy! He's maintaining his own weight on his own. His walking has also improved a little to, he'on pain medicine (metacam) as he has bad arthritis.

We couldn't ask for a better result he'll continue on his heart medicine (nelio and fursol)

I love a happy ending 😍


Breakfast this morning.
 
@GPTV
I know your girl was previously on heart medicine how did you know when to tweak it? Toby is still doing well but I think he has a slight build up of fluid again.

He's still on diurectics 0.16 X3 and Heart medicine (Nelio). X1
 
Sounds like Toby is still doing quite well :)
Ellie unfortunately didn't have many tweaks as she was diagnosed very late in life (8yrs) when her condition had been deteriorating for a while - but my usual vet refused to trial heart meds, (not accepting that it could be her heart either as I has suggested) . A chance appointment with a different vet at the same practice discovered her heart murmur & was keen to trial the Nelio I think it was too.
It was 3 or 4yrs ago now, I'll see if I can find the actual dosage info later.

When it was humid she clogged up with fluid & coughed/rattled so I gave her more furosimide then. (under veterinary instructions).
If Toby is stable I think I'd try & keep him as he is. But if he seems to be deteriorating & filling with fluid more on a daily basis, I would ask the vet if you could increase the Nelio by their recommended smallest amount.

@Adelle & @helen105281 have far more experience of heart piggies & tweaking meds more than me though, maybe they can offer more detailed advice?

I'm not sure of the ratio of diuretic / ACE inhibitor changes or which change would be most beneficial first?
Increasing the diuretic too much can lead to dehydration, so I would assume the ACE inhibitor would be increased first-but please discuss this with your vet for advice.
Ps what gorgeous piggies you have :nod: :wub: :drool: xx
 
Thanks @GPTV I'm going to see how he is today, he's had his heart medicine & diurectics this morning.

If I'm honest I'm not 100% sure it is fluid as he has been eating more to, there is definite weight gain. I keep feeling him second guessing myself as usual. I'm going to weigh him twice a day see how substantial the weight gain is so I can make a more informed decision.

Toby has never really rattled as such. Toby was fortunate enough that his heart murmur was evident on two different examinations although on X-ray his heart was in good condition it wasn't enlarged.
 
Am a bit out of practice with heart meds but what mg is the Nelio? is he having it once or twice a day? we used to dose twice a day. Also what dose in mg is the diuretic?
 
The Nelio is 2.5mg diluted with 2ml's of water, he gets 0.4ml once a day I don't know what mg that works out at. I will let you know the fursol mg later when I can check the medicine model.
 
I think (though I could be wrong) that works out as 0.5mg of the Nelio once a day which is fairly low. So there is scope to increase if Glenn is happy with that. The most ours were on was 1.5mg so 0.75mg twice a day, though for many of them it was 1.25. You could see about giving 0.4ml twice a day maybe which would be 1mg? I think it is trial and error with each pig though with heart meds and what worked for mine may not work Toby. If the ACE inhibitor dose is not right though there is more chance of fluid developing.

Am not sure what the Frusol dose is in mg but with the tablets we used to give 5mg (sometimes 10) as a starting dose and 2.5mg as a maintenance one when they had fluid. Twice a day.
 
Thanks Helen for the advice I took Toby back to the vets last week, we're still monitoring him but he definitely has good days and bad days.

I'm currently house sitting and Toby is in the living room with me, he's eating plenty of hay which is great to see. It's amazing how he's never phased by anything such a huge character!
 
Time is running out I fear, Toby has gained 50grams which is basically fluid could be 75grams, 100 grams theres no way to really know. What I do know is it's not good news.

We went back to the vets today and my little man has been given another two medicines.

He's on diurectics, nelio, and the 2 we added today. If he wasn't keen on his vegetables and actively coming to see me the decision would have made this morning but I feel well he is still being a piggy that I have to try. We have another check up on Friday, sometimes I wish they could just talk and tell me what they want.
 
Oh Jo. It's so hard when they can't tell us what's wrong.
 
helen105281 said:
Oh Jo. It's so hard when they can't tell us what's wrong.
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Thoughout Toby's on-going saga he has never been that little miserable pig that sits staring he's always up the minute you go over to him. He's even started 'wheeking' it's more a hoarse sound but he's trying. I've got him out for veggies now, which he's finished and actively looking more obviously 🙄. I just don't get it he's a balloon but yet unaffected!
 
Toby is a balloon of fluid, it can't be pleasant. He continues to mooch for veggies, eat hay and 'waddle'. Poor little guy was in eating pepper and the twins tried to steal it knocked him over and my little man ended up on his back(imagine a turtle stuck on it's back). I was there and picked him up, the most amazing thing was he still had his pepper despite the ambush and proceeded to munch it after he was rescued.

I know, no one can make this decision for me but how can I decide he's no quality of life when he continues to act like a piggy.
 
flintstones said:
Toby is a balloon of fluid, it can't be pleasant. He continues to mooch for veggies, eat hay and 'waddle'. Poor little guy was in eating pepper and the twins tried to steal it knocked him over and my little man ended up on his back(imagine a turtle stuck on it's back). I was there and picked him up, the most amazing thing was he still had his pepper despite the ambush and proceeded to munch it after he was rescued.

I know, no one can make this decision for me but how can I decide he's no quality of life when he continues to act like a piggy.
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How much frusol is he on per day?
 
Rest in peace little man - I helped Toby over the bridge this morning.

Thanks everyone for your well wishes! X
 
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