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Roo3

Roo3

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I've just got home from work and my boyfriend has told me that Fifi, one of our girls, hasn't been out all day. She didn't squeak as normal for her veggies and doesn't seem to want to eat anything. I've tried her on Brocolli, Carrots and Kale and she's had a little nibble on the brocolli but shows no interest in anything else.
We've had a feel of her tummy and it may be a bit bloated but hard to tell for sure.
We've weighed her and she is 20 grams heavier than she was on Sunday. She was eating fine last night.
Should we get her to an emergency vets tonight, or wait to see how she is in the morning? She's quite lively when I've tried to catch her.
 
Hi Roo, what a worrying thing to come home to. The fact she's not eating is a concern, if it is unusual for her to ignore her veg. Can you tell if she's eating hay or dried food? Drinking any water? Is she puffed up or just mostly inactive?

Bloat sounds possible, does she react when you feel her abdomen? Does it feel taut and 'springy', or look distended/swollen? Can you tell if she's pooping at all?

So many questions, I know!
 
She normally comes out and squeaks for her greens but tonight not a peep. She shares a cage with Pepper and she was out as usual but no Fifi. Her stomach feels a little destended although she doesnt appear to be in any real discomfort when you touch it. Shes quite a puffy sort of pig anyway as she has so much hair. My boyfriend does think shes a bit more puffed out than usual though.
I cant tell if she has pooped at all as Pepper is in with her and fifi is now just sitting in the house.
 
Sounds like something's up; occasionally this kind of thing passes without explanation but you should still try to figure out what's up with her as, at this stage, there's no way to tell if it is something mild or not.

Does she lives indoors? Could you try offering her some Critical Care, see if she'll take some of that on her own? Sometimes finding something that will spark an interest in food can help perk them up.

Oh, another question..how old is she?
 
Shes an indoor piggy, shes the long haired white one in my avatar. We have tried her on all her favourites but other than a couple of tiny nibbles at a piece of broccoli shes not at all interested. We have some critical care which i will give her asap. I'm puzzled by her weight gain considering she hasnt been eaten. A 20 gram increase for that time of night ie before greens is very unusual.
 
We think she is around a year old, we cant be precise on that though as she was an abondoned piggy.
 
It could be that she's slightly bloated, in which case one Buscopan tablet should help ease things. However I'm not confident enough to say whether it's probable that her symptoms are caused by bloat, so it's really down to you and deciding just how 'off' she seems. I would be tempted to seek the advice of a vet/rodentologist sooner rather than later, even if just for peace of mind and to get her diagnosed and treated or problems ruled out.
 
We've given her some critical care which she took well and since we put her back she's eaten a bit of brocolli and we've seen her eating hay. We'll see how she is in the morning and if needs be take her to the vets first thing.
She doesn't look ill, her eyes are bright and she's still got her fighting spirit. To look at her you wouldn't know there is anything wrong with her. I've had another feel of her tummy and she doesn't seem to be in any discomfort. She doesn't like her sides being touched normally and she hasn't kicked or squealed more than usual when we've been feeling her this evening.
 
Even if the bloat diagnosis is wrong Buscopan and/or Dentinox colic drops will do no harm. 20gm, which is just over half an ounce, is a relatively small amount to be of concern, you must allow for variations in weighing technique. It is the trend in weight gain/loss which gives a better indication of any problem.
 
I've checked on her this morning as usual, and she was still under her cover so I lifted her out and weighed her. She had lost again, but not again this is not unusual for first thing in the morning. All my pigs lose weight in the morning. I have seen her eating hay and is currently fighting with Peppa over her dried food. She's been eating for about 10mins solid.
Unfortunately both me and my boyfriend have got to go out today for a kind of memorial service for my Mum who died about 3 months ago so we cannot monitor her during the day, but I am quite happy that she doesn't look or act as though she is any pain or discomfort and am even happier now I have seen her eat something fairly substantial. We'll check on her when we get home and if needs be we'll take her to the vets tonight.
 
Stating the obvious, a definite illness is easier to treat than one where the pig "doesn't look normal" but has no specific symptoms.
All you can do is watch and wait and make sure she is not in pain, painkillers as necessary.
 
We've been home for about an hour and am pleased to say that when we walked through the door, Fifi was sat out. I had to go back out again soon after getting home, but my boyfriend watched her eat more dried food, then some hay and have a drink. We gave her some veggies at 5, for which she was climbing the sides of the cage when she heard the bags russling! She then sat and ate all of it. Think she must have just been off colour yesterday, but we'll be keeping a close eye on her over the next few days.
 
Great to hear she is doing well. Those "off" times can be very confusing and worrying!
 
Good news. I wonder if these little animals ever realise just what concerns they can give their owners!
 
I am glad that Fifi was just feeling a bit under the weather! That must have been such a relief to you!
 
It couldn't have been worse timing really if she had been poorly. I was stressed and anxious enough about Mum's memorial thingy, my boyfriend has just had an operation on his shoulder and is in a sling so can't drive anywhere so I've been doing all the running around, plus working full time in a fairly stressful job. I've certainly had better weeks but the main thing is that she's ok and is currently eating a bit of carrot without a care in the world. Thank you to everyone for their messages.
 
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