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Little unwell, likely dental. Been given fluids.

I really have nothing helpful to add but couldn't read and not post.
I have everything crossed for you and Little.
You are doing such a great job with him and I am sure Simon will get to the bottom of it on Monday.
 
Poor Little I’m sorry I’m of no help as I’ve never had a piggy with a cauliflower penis so not sure if it looks normal! It might be worth mentioning to Simon as a possibility to check for! I would give him a wipe and try to keep him clean like mentioned above and keep changing his pee pad/ whatever he’s lying on regularly to keep him from being uncomfortable but I’m sure you’re already doing that. Is he drinking? Or are you syringing water?
 
Siikibam said:
I’m sorry Little is giving you so much worry. Hopefully he can hold on and you can get him seen as an emergency on Monday.

With regards being wet, perhaps you could give him a wipe? Maybe he’s sitting in his wee. Poor boy. Hugs and everything crossed for you.
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We have done, I think when he sits down he isn’t getting back up until we wake him to give him food. Overall, he smells terrible though, even all his back smells. It must be from the medication they’ve given him, but it really smells horrible!

DougalandDiego said:
Poor Little I’m sorry I’m of no help as I’ve never had a piggy with a cauliflower penis so not sure if it looks normal! It might be worth mentioning to Simon as a possibility to check for! I would give him a wipe and try to keep him clean like mentioned above and keep changing his pee pad/ whatever he’s lying on regularly to keep him from being uncomfortable but I’m sure you’re already doing that. Is he drinking? Or are you syringing water?
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Yes I think we will be mentioning it. He’s been laying on vetbed which we’ve changed twice now just in case. He isn’t drinking for himself no, we’re syringing him water. He hasn’t drank for himself since yesterday in the early afternoon I believe it was.


Thanks everyone for the support, I’ve nothing to do but overthink until he’s able to be seen!
 
Just tried to pop it out again, but it won’t come out :hb: all that happens is small amounts of pee comes out.
If he has a stone, will he be okay until Monday?😔
 
I’m sorry I have no experience so can’t help, but you are doing a great job, we are all rooting for Little x
 
Okay we’ve had a good feel at the other boys bits and Little’s.
I’ll use this picture I attached earlier:
2759922D-A0C4-4A30-830F-290680222D4B.jpeg
51645533-B873-4E7A-ABF0-9B07DE24D0A9.jpeg
I can feel a lump right where I’ve circled. I can see it too on the picture now that I’ve felt it.
What do I do? Is this a stone? Does it look too large to be passed? Do I need to find a vet ASAP? Also is there a chance this is even a swollen part of his penis? I’ve been trying for ages to try and pop his penis out to check nothing is caught but it just won’t co-operate. And every time I mess, bits of wee just comes out.
@Wiebke
 
DougalandDiego said:
Have you given him metacam today? Sorry can’t remember if you said you had or not x
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Yes we gave some this morning. I’m really panicking now that he might not be able to pee. It just seems to be bits coming out when we apply pressure :(
 
Oh it is such a worry isn’t it. I had the same worries with my guinea pig before he was diagnosed with cystitis... things always seem to happen on the weekend. How much metacam did you give him this morning? My guinea pig has it twice daily as they have a fast metabolism. Maybe wait a few minutes and see if someone more experienced comments and then I’d ring the vets if you’re concerned. Better to be on the safe side xx
 
DougalandDiego said:
Oh it is such a worry isn’t it. I had the same worries with my guinea pig before he was diagnosed with cystitis... things always seem to happen on the weekend. How much metacam did you give him this morning? My guinea pig has it twice daily as they have a fast metabolism. Maybe wait a few minutes and see if someone more experienced comments and then I’d ring the vets if you’re concerned. Better to be on the safe side xx
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We gave 0.4ml. The thing is he doesn’t seem to be in pain with it, seems to have an appetite. It’s only when we start touching and pushing that he’s in pain. I’ve never see pee droplets come out before when I apply pressure until yesterday night, thought it was a bit odd then but didn’t think anything of it until today. Think we will call the emergency vets :(
 
Yes I would. I think it’s better to get him checked and sorted and hopefully will make you feel better that he’s seen! X let us know what they say
 
Update:
We just rang the vets, it actually ended up being the vet I spoke to yesterday who answered the phone.
He said if there was a full bladder we’d be able to feel it, he didn’t think the lump was anything to worry about and yesterday on the X-ray he didn’t see anything that would indicate anything urgent. He said the X-ray showed a few crystals, but again nothing urgent and to bring him in the morning if we’re still worried.
Should I take his word for it? Little doesn’t seem to be in pain, just when we start pressing the lump it hurts him.
 
Little Ones said:
Update:
We just rang the vets, it actually ended up being the vet I spoke to yesterday who answered the phone.
He said if there was a full bladder we’d be able to feel it, he didn’t think the lump was anything to worry about and yesterday on the X-ray he didn’t see anything that would indicate anything urgent. He said the X-ray showed a few crystals, but again nothing urgent and to bring him in the morning if we’re still worried.
Should I take his word for it? Little doesn’t seem to be in pain, just when we start pressing the lump it hurts him.
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If the vet couldn’t see anything on the X-ray and isn’t concerned, I’d hold fire and take him in in the morning x
 
I tend to agree with Clair.
If the vet says it's nothing urgent and Little is still eating and moving around ok, then just continue to support him with pain meds and syringe feeding for now.
If you are concerned about his peeing them pop him in a box/washing basket with a white towel or puppy pad underneath and see what happens. At least this will tell you if he is still passing urine.
When Ruby had a full blockage she wasn't eating or moving, and when the vet gently manipulated 'down there' all that came out was a tiny bit of bloody sludge. The vet (a specialist) said that usually at least a few drops of urine would come out, so it was clearly a full blockage and was an emergency (she was rushed back for surgery immediately). The fact that urine is still coming out seems like a good sigh.
I would stop manipulating the area to prevent swelling and worsening the problem.
The smell could also be linked to a urinary infection, so maybe this is the issue.
Keep doing what you are doing and hopefully he can be seen asap on Monday by Simon.
 
Swissgreys said:
I tend to agree with Clair.
If the vet says it's nothing urgent and Little is still eating and moving around ok, then just continue to support him with pain meds and syringe feeding for now.
If you are concerned about his peeing them pop him in a box/washing basket with a white towel or puppy pad underneath and see what happens. At least this will tell you if he is still passing urine.
When Ruby had a full blockage she wasn't eating or moving, and when the vet gently manipulated 'down there' all that came out was a tiny bit of bloody sludge. The vet (a specialist) said that usually at least a few drops of urine would come out, so it was clearly a full blockage and was an emergency (she was rushed back for surgery immediately). The fact that urine is still coming out seems like a good sigh.
I would stop manipulating the area to prevent swelling and worsening the problem.
The smell could also be linked to a urinary infection, so maybe this is the issue.
Keep doing what you are doing and hopefully he can be seen asap on Monday by Simon.
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Thank you for this. I really appreciate it. As you can tell, I’m so so worried. I know I’ll lose him someday but I don’t think I could ever be ready for it. My heart is breaking with him being so ill out of nowhere.
Right now he’s asleep on a freshly changed vetbed with fresh puppy pads underneath. So I’ll be able to check that for any pee.
 
That’s good news the vet wasn’t too concerned and better if Little is well enough to wait until Monday to see Simon and Kim as you know they’ll be able to work out what’s causing him discomfort. Big hugs, it’s such a worry when our little babies are unwell. Me and my two boys are sending Little healing vibes x
 
I'm so sorry you are having all this woe and I haven't got much helpful to add. When Ivy had her fluid injection she peed like a tap for a few hours but her body processed it pretty quickly and the next day she was peeing 'normally' - although obvs that varies from pig to pig. When mine have been on the syringe they're not usually drinking much and so don't pee as much - so I wouldn't be worried about only seeing small amounts of pee at this point. The stone pigs I've had have always had pain, blood in urine and usually some sort of infection - that's what brings it to my attention. If I've wanted to help keep them clean down below without a bath I've used a little cup of warm water and sort of sat them upright like a baby in a folded towel on my lap and just syringed the warm water over the genitals so it's a very localised wash and the fur doesn't get wet. A quick dab and they're done. If he's feeling a bit rough generally he might not be too happy about having that done tonight so save it for tomorrow! If he's sleeping at least he's comfortable enough to do that which is a blessing. Try and get some sleep yourself ❤
 
I had a moment like this with Steve not too long ago. Was about to rush him down thinking he had a stone when he’d only had an X-ray a few days previous and it was clear! Low and behold he was back to normal the next day and whatever I had felt was gone.
 
Thank you all so much for the advice and support so far. I think I would have driven myself mad by now if I didn’t have this forum.
I know there are lots of you I haven’t personally thanked due to not wanting to clog up an already extremely long thread. I don’t want the updates get lost within them.
I really am so appreciative of every single message, so thank you.

Just checked where Little has been sleeping, there are a couple of droplets of wee it feels like but nothing significant enough to have soaked through to the other side of the vet bed and the puppy pads. We’ve given him his final syringe food for the day and he didn’t really want any of it so didn’t have much. I don’t want to force him. He wanted to get straight in his cage and eat some grass instead. Like yesterday, I have lots of grass ready to provide throughout the night for him.
 
Update: he’s made it through the night. There’s no pee spots in his cage, just a damp tummy which makes me think he’s just having dribbles of wee. He’s had more spots of wee come out when we’ve moved him back into his cage at half 6 after giving him some water. Is it possible he’s very dehydrated and that’s why the pee is coming out like this? He isn’t drinking for himself and isn’t too keen to accept syringe water either but we’ve been trying our best to get it in him. We’re going to give him a lot of cucumber today I think to keep his fluids up as I know he’ll take that.
The emergency vet told us yesterday they are only open until 12pm today. Should I take him today as well as take him to Simon tomorrow if we can get an appointment? Or should I just wait for Simon?
 
Tricky. If you might not be able to get Simon tomorrow I would be looking at your nearby vet to check his bladder situation and that lump near his penis if you think he might be blocked. If you think that lump is just a lump and not blocking anything - will you be gaining anything? If the vet has a bit of a poke around and says bladder is not full so no blockage it's one less thing to worry about but one more bill to pay. I don't know what a full bladder feels like unfortunately so I'm no help there. You mentioned he had an unpleasant smell... so I guess that would be something else to check with the vet. When George got his UTI he had a damp tummy all the time because the pee just dribbles out. Either they hold it in because it stings to pee, or they just can't hold it in. I can't remember a bad smell that time but George is quite ripe normally! Is he on antibiotics anyway because of his suspected jaw abscess?
 
I’ve also been reading about cystitis, how the piggy can get a wet tummy by having dribbles of smelly pee which Little has. But I’m surprised he wasn’t given any treatment as online it says either Septrin or baytril will be prescribed along with metacam.
I know I’m probably being annoying, lol. But there just feels like there’s a lot going on. So if he does have cystitis, then what does this hard lump I can feel mean? And then surely the cystitis can’t be why he isn’t drinking and isn’t eating much? I’ve noticed last night he’s had a bit of hay but I can’t tell if it’s selective. It’s just weird to me, Little still has an appetite as he goes nuts over grass and is happy to have his syringe food if he wants it. I know I’m definitely taking him to Simon to figure out what’s even going on and get some peace of mind. My mum doesn’t think I should bother with the vets today as she isn’t confident in their abilities and thinks it will be a waste or they might insist on giving Little more of that opioid pain killer.
 
Free Ranger said:
Tricky. If you might not be able to get Simon tomorrow I would be looking at your nearby vet to check his bladder situation and that lump near his penis if you think he might be blocked. If you think that lump is just a lump and not blocking anything - will you be gaining anything? If the vet has a bit of a poke around and says bladder is not full so no blockage it's one less thing to worry about but one more bill to pay. I don't know what a full bladder feels like unfortunately so I'm no help there. You mentioned he had an unpleasant smell... so I guess that would be something else to check with the vet. When George got his UTI he had a damp tummy all the time because the pee just dribbles out. Either they hold it in because it stings to pee, or they just can't hold it in. I can't remember a bad smell that time but George is quite ripe normally! Is he on antibiotics anyway because of his suspected jaw abscess?
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No, funnily enough the vet didn’t even feel Little’s jaw at all even though I said that was what I suspected was going on. Literally, he didn’t even feel it and I’d told him he’d had 2 of the jaw/dental root abscesses in the past. Little isn’t on any antibiotic but we’re giving him the metacam that we have in.
If I can’t get him to Simon tomorrow, then I would get him to the vet to check things out as it might be then that we’ll have to wait until our Thursday appointment with Simon. But it’s just tough whether to decide to go today or not, it’s just hard when you don’t fully trust any of the vets that are easily accessible to you. My main concern with the lump was that it was restricting pee flow, but just read that it dribbles out with cystitis and UTIs so maybe that’s what is happening. It’s just that I can’t find any noticeable signs that he’s peeing aside from dribbling. And then there’s the concern of him not eating or drinking much for himself but is happy to take the syringe from us, surely if it were to do with a bladder issue he’d either still be eating, or he’d refuse everything?
 
When I had a piggy with these symptoms, it was caused by his penis getting somewhat blocked by dried semen! As he’s eating and doesn’t seem generally unwell, I’d be inclined to wait until you can hopefully get an appointment with Simon or Kim.
 
George didn't lose appetite with his UTI - he just got more 'hidey'. When the girls had UTIs it didn't really affect their behaviours or appetites and Ivy had hers for over a week until I realised that dirty wet bottom wasn't just because she like lying in the soil under the raspberries (she did - and a white guinea-pig shows all the muck!) it was because she was leaking blood-tinted pee. They were younger I know, but the wetting didn't stop until we got antibiotics - although they can take a day or two to kick in. If he's hungry enough to take a syringe of mush but isn't eating much in the way of solids on his own I would be thinking that chewing is causing pain rather than bladder issues putting him off and this is his primary problem. Poor lad might have two different things wrong with him. George's UTI came from stress-related impaction when Ivy got ill - it all seems to come at once doesn't it.

If you want to just refuse the opioid they won't do it. If you want him to have antibiotics and more metacam today take him in and press for them - if it's the wrong thing for Little the vet should have to tell you why. But if you're happy to wait another day, you have metacam and Little is eating enough to keep him going I see your mum's point of view because it's quite possible that Simon will say to put him of a different AB targeting the potential abscess and it will all be a strain on the old boy.

You'll have to unpick the difference between 'Important' and 'Urgent'. A blocked bladder which is overfilling is 'urgent' but the beginnings of a UTI or a jaw abscess are 'important', absolutely, but not so 'urgent' they can't wait 24 hours. Unfortunately anxiety makes everything seem terribly urgent so it can be hard to step back and get a clear view of the situation. If you don't think his bladder is blocked save your pennies for the vet you are confident in.

@furryfriends (TEAS) that's a good point... I'm starting to think my house must dampen the ardour of boars as we've never had any 'male' problems so to speak!
 
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