impaction?

[zarapiggie]

poor bilbo has got impaction! i have very limited experience of this! one of my other pigs used to get it sometimes (years ago,rip fudge), bilbos seems more severe. just wanted to make sure I'm doing the right thing. i put him on his back and pulled out the visible hay. i then opened up is sack and scooped out what was there, it reeked! at that point he was protesting, wasnt sure if he was in pain so i stopped. i then gave his nether regions a bit of a wash. looked much better afterwards! ive not checked him this morning I'm gonna go to town and get some wipes and gloves. hes been ignoring me all morning! ive noticed some properly formed poops in his cage today, is this a good sign? should i be feeding him normally? thanks.

 

[Suzygpr]

It sounds as though you are doing everything right, upping the fibre in the diet can help - timothy hay would be my choice. This link gives detailed info and graphic pics.

http://www.guinealynx.info/impaction.html

If you allow him the chance to eat some of the removed clump as it will contain the right bacteria he needs for his gut flora to be balanced. If he won't eat it then a probiotic added to his food will replace it.

HTH

Suzy x

 

[zarapiggie]

It sounds as though you are doing everything right, upping the fibre in the diet can help - timothy hay would be my choice. This link gives detailed info and graphic pics.

http://www.guinealynx.info/impaction.html

If you allow him the chance to eat some of the removed clump as it will contain the right bacteria he needs for his gut flora to be balanced. If he won't eat it then a probiotic added to his food will replace it.

HTH

Suzy x

thanks so much. what/were probiotic can i give him?

 

[zarapiggie]

ps hes still ignoring me, little bugger!

 

[Suzygpr]

I would recommend Avipro as it doesn't contain added calcium, many of the others do and it's not great for older pigs as it can cause problems with bladder stones/crystals. Just a pinch added to their dried food for the day. You can order it online, though some good petshops/equine stores may stock it.

Suzy x

 

[zarapiggie]

would i be able to buy this from a vets?

 

[Suzygpr]

You will have to phone them and ask - they may stock it, though you will be paying their mark up too.

My tip for probiotics is to keep them in the fridge, it will last far longer.

 

[zarapiggie]

mmmm might order it!

 

[lindsay7]

gosh i started writing a reply boss came in minimised it and it logged me out so lost the lot!rolleyes

I am going through this with my Chocs. He has been impacted for a few weeks now, i noticed after his teeth op he had not pooped much.

OH and I have organised a routine for cleaning him out which Chocs is getting used to, even though he still has a little wriggle. I have read its not meant to hurt them it just feel odd.

I agree it does smell foul - bless our poor little boys! I pretend it doesnt smell so i dont upset him LOL x)

I have noticed some poops round and about but they are quite squishy. I got some probiotic so hoping that helps the poops.

Its a battle cos i need him to eat lots of Hay for his poops to get back to normal also to keep his teeth down.

If you ever want a chat about this or just to compare notes just pm me. I have never experienced this before so this is a learning curve for me.

Lindsay x

 

[zarapiggie]

gosh i started writing a reply boss came in minimised it and it logged me out so lost the lot!rolleyes

I am going through this with my Chocs. He has been impacted for a few weeks now, i noticed after his teeth op he had not pooped much.

OH and I have organised a routine for cleaning him out which Chocs is getting used to, even though he still has a little wriggle. I have read its not meant to hurt them it just feel odd.

I agree it does smell foul - bless our poor little boys! I pretend it doesnt smell so i dont upset him LOL x)

I have noticed some poops round and about but they are quite squishy. I got some probiotic so hoping that helps the poops.

Its a battle cos i need him to eat lots of Hay for his poops to get back to normal also to keep his teeth down.

If you ever want a chat about this or just to compare notes just pm me. I have never experienced this before so this is a learning curve for me.

Lindsay x

i know lol i used to work on a farm so I'm good at closing my nostrils!

yea just give us a shout! i might take some piccys later!

hes come out now but only for food!

 

[zarapiggie]

http://www.vets4pets.com/practice_staff.asp?dbid=74&src=

what do we think of this vet? It's not to far from me either.

 

[Niki]

I found with my boys who were impacted that giving probiotic weekly helped. My pigs all love it, choosing a bottle of probiotic over water & so i could make up a bottle & give it that way. If yours don't like it in their water you can try sprinkling it onto wet veg or syringing directly into the mouth.

When i cleaned my boys, i only used a baby wipe & nothing else; no washing bums & no applying of creams.

 

[zarapiggie]

Ive just checked over Bilbo. He's the cutest little thing. Even on his back he still wants chin tickles, the little tart! He looked fine there was a tiny bit of impacted poo, nowere near as much as yesterday. So ive jsut give him a bit of a wipe round. I did get a bit out and did didnt smell nearly as bad as yesterday. I did notice tho little piles in his cage so maybe hes passed some impacted poo in the night/today? i also noticed the news paper in his cage was very wet, his cage was completly stripped on sat. so ive stripped his cage again, hes in there now muching hay with gusto! While he was wondering about my living room he left a little pile of fresh poo pallets! good sign id gather! i gave him fresh pineapple earlier , i read it was good for there instestinal tract? he also ate that with gusto. I'm wondering if the wet cage is due to the fact he was given to me in a far to small cage. I'm eyeing a nice pink one on e bay for him, if i dont get it ill have to go get him a new one friday. cant be nice for him. i do let him out often though. ponder ponder...