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Help! My little sow has Pyometra

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Guinea pig slave said:
Aw Violet, you must be strong and eat all you can rolleyes
We had to feed Critical Care intensively for 48 hours before Harley's bladder stone op as he was so lethargic and not a good surgery candidate but he did it and is a boisterous and fat piggy again now x)
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That's really good to hear. How much did you feed him and how often? I'm feeding Violet every 2 hours but can only get about 3 ml max down her as she really doesn't want it and she's so tiny. She's not feeding herself now but that may be because I'm filling her up. She was just drinking from their bottle, which is good news, I've added vitamin C to it. I don't feel as if I'm building her up as much as I should be.
 
awwww yes feed as often as you can get her to eat....... even leave some mushed up pellets with a mix of veg or fruit in it to help :)

ALL PAWS CROSSED FOR VIOLET XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 
Hello. I've just brought Violet back from the Vet. All went well with the op, though I think it was a fairly tricky one - in addition to Pyometra she had fairly large ovarian cysts. Poor little thing, she's very groggy but has just managed to chomp 2 ml of Critical Care and is now back in her favourite place on her heat pad (it's an electric one so not too hot!).

I've got to feed her every hour until I go to bed and hopefully she'll be a little brighter in the morning. She goes back to the vet in the morning for a post-op check-up and I've taken the day off work tomorrow to keep an eye on her.

She's very brave and I'm keeping everything crossed that she pulls through.
 
That's good news, whee are keeping all fingers and paws crossed, sending you a hug and piggy kisses to Violet. Come on Violet you can do it. x
 
Hello. Poor little Violet has gone right down hill again. She's sitting hunched and puffed up which I know is a bad sign. She won't eat anything, though she had a really long drink earlier. I gave her some Critical Care and some pureed fruit/veggies today but she really didn't want them. I'll take her back to the vet tomorrow but I'm wondering how long she can go on like this . . .
 
I'm so sorry to hear this, its always such a worry when the girls have gone through this op. We will be thinking of you both. sending much love. x
 
Hi, I'm so sorry to hear that little Violet's not doing too well tonight. It sounds like you're doing the very best you can for her and hopefully the vet will be able to advise further tomorrow. Every minute seems like an hour when you're caring for a sick piggy doesn't it? As long as she is warm and surrounded by her usual comforts, which I'm sure she is, all we can do is wish her a comfortable night and hope she regains some strength. Good luck at the vet's tomorrow and let us know how you get on....
 
I am so sorry to hear that!

Sending vibes to Violet!
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Violet went to the vet this morning and had more injections - she's beginning to think that she's being used as a pin cushion! One for gut, one pain killer, and 10 ml rehydration (split into 5 ml on each side). I left her at the vet to be syringe fed throughout the day as I had to go to work. Apparently she was taking food well and pooing well but I don't see that now she's back home. She's probably exhausted and stressed, poor thing.

Thank you all for your lovely, encouraging comments. I'll keep you posted.
 
Best of luck! Just try to keep her fed as much and as often as you can, even though it is hard work.
 
the gut stimulant they have given her will be Metrocloprimide, this also needs to be given orally too, at a dose of 0.5-1ml three times a day orally.

regarding the syringe feeds she needs to be having at least 30mls every 4 hours to keep her gut moving, 3 ml just isnt enough= i know you are doing your very best for her.

has the vets or anyone shown you how to syringe feed the correct way?

if not you need to hold her mouth from over her head and use a 1ml syringe and push the syringe past her cheeks and push the contents into her mouth, 30ml should take around 15mins to do, you must also give her at least 3ml flush of water after so the food doesnt sit at the back of her mouth.

try rolling bits of cabbage up and pushing it into her mouth past her cheeks.

Its very important she starts to eat or she will end up with dental problems too.

she really could do with some pain meds, if you do have metacam in give her some- every day until she is feeling a little better if you dont she can have 0.2ml of childrens calpol 2 times a day and she can also have childrens nurofen again 0.2ml twice a day both meds are the childrens meds age 3mths plus x


which area are you in??
 
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Thanks Clairelove for your really useful post. She's still hanging on by a thread so it looks like if I can up her feeds she may do a bit better. I'm doing a few syringes of Critical Care, a few of pureed fruit/veggies and some water. Only thing is that half the time she protests madly and it dribbles back out again so I'm not sure how to get 30 ml down her. Would you put a whole 1 ml in at a time? She's only a tiny pig. She's still pooing but mouse sized droppings.

I used to live within an hour's drive of Chris and Titch, two wonderful rodentologists near Hastings, so I know how to syringe feed.

I'm in Gloucestershire. Where can I get oral Metrocloprimide?

To my amazement, Violet has just started rooting around up her mate's backside and has eaten a poo. I know they do this but this is the first thing I've seen her eat for herself in days. Suzy mentioned poo soup - does anyone know how to make it?

Thanks :)
 
In case anyone was wondering . . .

Violet would like you all to know that she is feeling much better and she'd like to thank you for all your best wishes and healing vibes :)

It has been a fraught few weeks with sleepless nights (syringe feeding around the clock) and many trips to the vet. I really thought at times that we should let her go but both the vet and my partner didn't think we should give up and amazingly she started eating for herself. We still had to give her extra feeds to prevent her from losing any more weight (She went from 750g to 625g) she's now up to 645g without additional feeds. She's not out of the woods yet but happily she seems to be back to her normal self.

We're very, very proud of her. Here's a picture of her out in the garden today - her first outing since she was poorly:

http://flic.kr/p/ahuM1P

Thank you all so much for your help and support xxxxx

PS I'll do one final post when she reaches her target weight of 750g
 
So wonderful to hear this!

You can be VERY proud of yourself for pulling Violet through - pyometra is one of the nastier things a piggy can come down with, and many don't make it. Your determined care has made a huge difference for Violet!

She may stay at a lower weight for some time; I made that experience with Hywel after he had a narrow escape earlier in the year, but eventually, she will pull back and pile it on!
 
Woohoo! Go Violet. Brilliant news. Well done you for giving her such dedicated care....looking forward to hearing more about her continued recovery.
 
Yay! What a great success story for Violet! I love reading these kinds of posts- it's amazing what dedicated owners, knowledgeable vets, and plucky little piggies can do! Hope Violet is soon back to her old self!
 
I'm so very pleased to hear the news, Violet is one lucky little pig to have such a dedicated slave.

suzy x
 
Just in case anyone was wondering, poor little Violet lost her brave fight this morning. She never really recovered and despite our very best efforts, she continued to lose weight until she was down to 460g. She was a tiny pig with a huge personality and we'll miss her terribly. :0

I do wonder if we sometimes do too much to keep our piggies alive and whether she'd have been better off if we'd let her slip away 4 months ago . . .

Run free and eat lots, little Violet xx
 
I'm so sorry to hear you've lost your beautiful little Violet. Big hugs from me and all the piggles.

Suzy x
 
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