• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Is My Pig Ill Or Depressed

Status
Not open for further replies.
Beautifulbugsy

Beautifulbugsy

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Feb 10, 2016
Messages
56
Reaction score
31
Points
195
Location
Milton Keynes
I have a sow who seemed unwell last Thursday, her breathing was very heavy so i took her to the vets. The vet said her lungs were clear but because her breathing was heavy she gave her 7-10 days batril. She was eating ok but by sunday she wasn't really interested in food or water(normally she drinks alot) so Tuesday i got her some recovery sachet food. Today she looked so fed up, not eating but I've noticed if she's out with my boar she seems a different pig, she attempts to nibble and drink and potters about so could it be she's depressed? They live separately at the minute as joe is 4 wks post castration.
 
She is obviously craving company but you still need to make sure she is healthy and eating enough. A piggy needs a good amount of food daily and if they aren't getting it then you need to top up with syringe feeding. This can also help stimulate appetite.
Baytril can also affect tummies and appetite so ideally using a probiotic is a good idea to stimulate the gut and keep her eating.

Be wary of letting them have joint floor time as accidental pregnancies have been known up to 5 weeks post neuter....
 
Ok thanks, she's due to see the vet again today so we'll see what they say. Regarding accidental pregnancies i dont think there's any chance because she wont let him anywhere near her before she attacks him :0 thats another issue for me to deal with at the end of this month.
 
Beautifulbugsy said:
I have a sow who seemed unwell last Thursday, her breathing was very heavy so i took her to the vets. The vet said her lungs were clear but because her breathing was heavy she gave her 7-10 days batril. She was eating ok but by sunday she wasn't really interested in food or water(normally she drinks alot) so Tuesday i got her some recovery sachet food. Today she looked so fed up, not eating but I've noticed if she's out with my boar she seems a different pig, she attempts to nibble and drink and potters about so could it be she's depressed? They live separately at the minute as joe is 4 wks post castration.
Click to expand...

Did your vet check the heart? Heavy (diaphragmic) breathing can be the sign of a heart not working properly and fluid building up in the chest cavity, not necessarily just the lungs. Please let her have the company and comfort of her mate.

Continue to syringe feed and water her and talk to your vet re. heart issues. She may need a diuretic like frusemide. Please weigh your girl daily at the same time. if she is putting on weight despite not having much of an appetite, then that is likely an indicator of fluid building up in her body due to the heart not working properly.

Baytril is additionally notorious for being an appetite killer. You may want to bolster the guts somewhat with a pinch of probiotics about 1-2 hours after giving the baytril for best effect.

Please read carefully through our illustrated syringe feeding guide; it has lots of tips and information, including probiotics. Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

@helen105281 @Abi_nurse
 
If your vet is able to do a conscious xray or an ultrasound it would be a good idea. On an xray they can see if the heart is enlarged and on an ultrasound they should be able to see how the heart valves are working I think. Abi knows more about this. Ideally she should not be sedated for an xray if there is a chance she is a heart pig.

I agree with Wiebke's reccomendations regarding a diuretic.

The following can all be symptoms of a heart issue:

Laboured or rapid breathing, and nodding
Blue tinge to nose and lips
Failure to gain weight
Bumblefoot
Random coughing
Hooting followed by a cough
Difficult to rouse from sleep
Repeated respiratory infections
Pea eye
Abdominal bloating
 
Beautifulbugsy said:
I will ask the vet to check her heart today as they didnt before. Thanks for the link about syringe feeding :)
Click to expand...

A conscious x-ray or scan should show up whether there is build-up of fluid in the body, especially the chest cavity. It tends to build up either in the lungs or the chest cavity, but not both if there is heart insufficiency.
There is also the possibility that something is pushing/pressuring the heart, but it may be difficult to diagnose if it is masked by the fluid build-up. Her heart showed up fine in the scan although she ultimately died from heart failure. This was what happened to my Tegyd, but at least the frusol she was put on bought her several more weeks - in effect another year or so in terms of piggy life.
 
Cilla has been back to the vets, nothing found, chest and heart sound fine, shes gained weight even though shes not eating properly and shes hydrated even though shes drinking very little if any. Giving her anything orally is a challenge, she gets so stressed :( she has batril, fibreplex and metacam all to be taken orally plus i need to syringe food and water! I feel she'll have a heart attack. Popped her in the garden today as its quite warm(she has a hot water bottle in bed in case she gets cold) and for the first 10minutes she was spritely nibbling grass but now in bed looking fed up. Vet did say it could be overgrown back teeth but she wouldn't let him check so suggested if shes no better next week to have her put under so they can check but will she make it through? Ive had a sickly pig before who responded so quickly to meds.
 
Please continue to syringe feed and offer water as much as you need to keep her weight up.

If there is a dental problem, please book an appointment at the Cat&Rabbit Care Clinic in Northampton; they are by now the best and most experienceed vets for guinea pig dental issues in the whole country (and they see guinea pigs from all over the country, too!) whereas other vets have generally very little experience. Kim and Simon are on holiday next week, though.
 
Well i have just syringed her food and water without to much resistence so she seems more frail but maybe thats because she liked the food and water, will see how much fight she has when i give her a dose of fibreplex. She has gone for a drink from her bottle which is good.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top