Does Anyone Know Whats Wrong?

[Piggywiggys]

Sooty recently had bladder stones removed. The vet said he would continue to loose weight for a while but its been over 2 weeks now and hes down to 818g. He wants to eat everything in sight still drinking loads but is poo is clumping up in his bum and is abit watery and I'm still having to clear him out everyday. Does anyone know what could be wrong with him please i need my little man back to normal xx

 

[helen105281]

Is he on any pain relief still after the op? do you know how much weight he has lost in total?

 

[MerryPip]

Is he on any antibiotics? If he is then that would be my first thought as to what is causing him problems. Is he on any pain relief? Although if his appetite is good then he probably isn't in too much pain....

Any bladder problem will have an effect on the guts too as they are in the same region and may even share some nerve supply (if I can remember my anatomy rightly). Surgery will disrupt a lot of this as well and make things a bit unpredictable.

If his poo is clumpy I'd stick to dry food and hay mostly and go with a pro-biotic too so his guts can work the best they can do. I know when my lad had a stone removed it messed around his guts a bit too. It's hard to get things sorted in that area without disrupting bowels a little bit....

Otherwise I'd go back to the vet as I'd be expecting him to start gaining weight by two weeks post surgery or at least not getting any lighter....

 

[Poppy'sMum]

I find anaesthetic affects different pigs in different ways. It might be that his guts are slower since the op, so he might need gut motility from the vets for a few days & also he might need a follow up scan/x ray to make sure all stones have gone. His eating might have slowed enough to affect his guts but you might not actually notice this. Is he still on pain relief? He should probably still be on a low dose. I suggest a follow up to the vets & mention these points when you go x

 

[Piggywiggys]

Is he on any antibiotics? If he is then that would be my first thought as to what is causing him problems. Is he on any pain relief? Although if his appetite is good then he probably isn't in too much pain....

Any bladder problem will have an effect on the guts too as they are in the same region and may even share some nerve supply (if I can remember my anatomy rightly). Surgery will disrupt a lot of this as well and make things a bit unpredictable.

If his poo is clumpy I'd stick to dry food and hay mostly and go with a pro-biotic too so his guts can work the best they can do. I know when my lad had a stone removed it messed around his guts a bit too. It's hard to get things sorted in that area without disrupting bowels a little bit....

Otherwise I'd go back to the vet as I'd be expecting him to start gaining weight by two weeks post surgery or at least not getting any lighter....

He was on antibiotics for about 3 weeks in total 2 weeks before the oparation and a week after. He only had pain relief on the day of his oparation she said he didnt seem to be in any pain and she said he was very active given what he had just been through. Its just so hard not giving him any veg when he wheeks when he hears the fridge go and knowing how much weight he has lost makes it worse ( i dont know how much but he was a little over weight before all this happend ) where can i get pro-biotic from? Think ile give it a try. Thanks for youre advice x

 

[MerryPip]

There's one called Avi-pro and there's another one as well but I can't remember the name... You can get them online or through the vets.

I'd be dubious about not needing pain relief. Piggies hide pain very well but if you imagine having major surgery then only getting pain relief for the first day, you'd be pretty un impressed... This can stop them eating and if they are in constant discomfort it may prohibit them putting on weight.

Weigh him regularly, every day or two, at a similar time of day so you can accurately see what's going on. Veggies aren't bad but fibre is the best thing to keep his poops firm and not so sticky as well as keep his guts moving and teeth in good shape.

Otherwise I really think you need to go back and get him checked to make sure nothing else is going on.... I know they warned us about gut complications but my boy didn't just have straight forward stone removal, he also had two mammary tumours removed so his operation was more extensive.
Sorry I can't be more help!

 

[gizzy]

Hi, its not unusuale for humans to put on, and also gain weight after an operation
He is down to 810 .
What weight was he

 

[helen105281]

I agree with all of the above, I think pain relief is key.

Probiotics at a push can be bought from Pets at Home:

ProC Probiotic 100gm | Pets At Home

Try to tempt him with lots of nice hay too.

A bladder supplement like Cystease, Cystophan or Vegan Glucosamine can also help coat the wall of the bladder and prevent inflammation.

 

[Posyrose]

Why do vets think that piggies don't need pain relief after ops?!

 

[Poppy'sMum]

Why do vets think that piggies don't need pain relief after ops?!

No idea When my Petal had her hysterectomy a year ago she had pain relief for a couple of weeks afterwards. Bear in mind a human female that has one is advised not to even lift a kettle or drive for at least 6 weeks that tells you something lol

 

[gizzy]

Mabe no pain meds were given due to the way that they also upset the tummy?

 

[Posyrose]

My exoctics vet ALWAYS gives pain relief after ops (well the ones my piggies have had, anyway).

 

[MerryPip]

Why do vets think that piggies don't need pain relief after ops?!

They frequently don't get prescribed it because they don't 'show' much evidence of pain but owners will notice the subtle things a vet who doesn't know the animal misses.... Sad but true. Piggies are very good at covering it for survival (not so useful in domestic circumstances where we want to know what's wrong with them!)

 

[Posyrose]

They frequently don't get prescribed it because they don't 'show' much evidence of pain but owners will notice the subtle things a vet who doesn't know the animal misses.... Sad but true. Piggies are very good at covering it for survival (not so useful in domestic circumstances where we want to know what's wrong with them!)

Yes, but what gets me angry is that trained vets should know this! Sorry to rant.

 

[DM030819]

Try to tempt him with lots of hay. Also, if he's losing weight still then he'll probably need hand feeding. Have you got any Critical Care on hand?

I'd also go back to the vet as they can prescribe something to try to stop the loose poops.

I would ask for pain relief as my boy was in a bit of pain after his bladder stone surgery. He spent a day or two trying to chew on anything he could, fleece, puppy pads, his cardboard house (which for him is a sign of pain).

 

[Piggywiggys]

Thanks for everyones comments, i hate to say but sooty passed away yesterday hes had such a good life and we did everything we could for him it breaks my heart hes been in our life for nearly 6 years and life will not be the same without him hearing him sqweek when he hears the door or fridge go when we get back from work. He was one of a kind.. mummy & daddy will miss him dearly x

 

[Deleted member 114675]

Thanks for everyones comments, i hate to say but sooty passed away yesterday hes had such a good life and we did everything we could for him it breaks my heart hes been in our life for nearly 6 years and life will not be the same without him hearing him sqweek when he hears the door or fridge go when we get back from work. He was one of a kind.. mummy & daddy will miss him dearly x

I' m so sorry to hear about your loss

 

[biscandmatt]

sorry for your loss

piggies should always be given something like metacam after an op. not only for the pain relief, but it's essential for any inflammation too, especially after something like a bladder op.

x