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Münchausen syndrome in owners - perhaps this is me!

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flintstones

flintstones

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I feel so upset as it just seems constant can I not have a healthy pig, why I am always at the vets and no one else is!

I'm having a woe is me day I feel like an idiot, but really all I want is the best for my pigs but it has got to the point I am embarrassed going to the Vet yet another time. How much I have spent on vet bills I have no idea!

It all started with Bette, I have lost count of how many times we seen the vet.
Then Patrick and Pebbles had a check up (My paranoia)
Pebbles hurt her foot, the vet gave advise over the phone, and it thankfully was fine.
Then we have Fred's Teeth He's been twice in the last month once for consultation, 2nd for dental, he's due back on the 26th April.

Now we have Wilma and her pending vet visit.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAF4g8CG-lw[/ame]

Am I making this all up, Surely this can't be me! 8...
 
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I've felt like this aswell :red
Firstly with Shy (garden centre g/p) who went because of her condition, then she went again because of a weird looking toe.
Then Peppa with her bad skin when the vet told me she had a kind of mental health issue I nervously laughed as I didn't think it possible :{ apparently she has issues with other piggies and attacks herself (why no one knows) so I seperated her and her condition got worse....back to the vets, he gave her an injection it seemed to clear it and the she went near another girl and started to pull her fur out again, so back to the vets (again).
She was in the process of being re-inroduced to the crowd but has gone and attacked herself again so i'm thinking maybe another trip as she's starting to look bald in patches.
 
I forgot about Milo's skin problem that we never did find the cause and infact hes still missing fur! mallethead.

I'm glad it's not just me!
 
I seem to have one thing after another as well lately... mallethead
 
I've not had as many vets visits, but having lost three piggies under 18months old in the past few months (Bubble and Squeak who drowned in our flood and poor Dinky recently) I'm feeling a bit cursed 8...
 
I know the feeling, Midge went up at christmas we were told she was too fat and fibre deficient- I would like to know how the vet worked that one out considering they have- hay for bedding, oxbow timothy, excell herbage and a prodct called blueberry warren. A fortnight ago Maisie went with her gut problems (sunday emergency) she also had 2 check-ups the last one on a saturday, on monday following we were back at the vets with Panda, the silly piggy had hay stuck in her molars and was causing her not to eat and ulceration of the gum and cheek. Sometimes I feel as if I should pay rent at the practice I seem to spend so much time there.
 
You can't have Munchausens Joanne because your pigs would be deemed fit & healthy & they weren't they had treatment. :)

Illness does seem to come in bouts, if it makes you feel any better i'm dealing with mites (again) with the rex girls & one has a hay poke injury to her eye. I've lost 2 hamsters in the past fortnight, have another with Cushings. Then there's the mice, they no doubt will be going again soon as Annie's "wart" is growing. :(
 
It seems to go in fits and starts. I had my George who I lost to an abscess and then Piggy Wiggin and Treacle were PTS because of old age. Then Sweetie went into shock and developed both a UTI and bloat. I nursed her around the clock, she was on antibiotics for about two months and I also had her x-rayed for a bladder stone.

Then my rabbit had mil gut motility problems. All of this in about 8 weeks!

Thankfully things have been quieter since July last year. I do think that you notice more when you spend a lot of time observing your animals. It is sometimes difficult to know what is a mild problem which will sort itself out in time and what is potentially life-threatening.
 
Thanks so much everyone for the replies, my problem is when I notice something is wrong I can't leave it. If I did and lost my pig I would be so upset.

Like all good owners, we hate to see our animals in pain. Sometimes, they just seem like a huge burden rather than a joy. It can't be much fun for the pigs either!

I'm glad, this is a mutual feeling not that we all have sick animals thats not such a good thing.

I do find it quite distressing when I'm told how hardy Guinea Pigs are. I think this is a myth or a sick joke to lead people into a false sense of security. xx
 
I know exactly how you feel and agree with with whats been posted.

We feel we have lived at the vets since November first with Pitch's teeth problems and not just one vet either, we had to switch and switch until we found someone who has a knowledge of piggies. Then whilst in the midst of battling to find someone to help Pitch, Putt begins to have Bladder problems - this is still on going with regualar injections. But we knew things weren't right.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that people know their own pigs more than anyone and you wouldn't be taking them to the vet if it wasn't the right thing to do.

The knowledge people have on this forum is amazing and I feel proud to belong to such a supportive community, please never 2nd guess yourself at how you look after your piggies flintsones , they are very lucky to have a mummy as caring as you.
 
I too know that feeling, first it was my dog...last summer with an underactive thyroid, followed a week later by Artie...with first an eye infection then a URI the week after...then everything was okay till Thimble needed the vets...I'm now good friends with the vet! :))
 
** not the only one in and out of vets unfortunatly piglet is a runt of whatever litter he came out of so gets ill all the time
 
I've felt like that lately too lol I was actually just thinking of Münchhausen syndrome last week too, when I first started thinking something was up with my piggie, one minute he seemed fine the next off, then fine again! I started wondering was it me lol And I was embarassed being at the vets everyday last week @)
But that's what we have to do, we couldn't forgive ourselves if anything happened when we could of done something. I start worrying too of all the piggies, and other small animals that are bought to entertain kids or whatever and aren't given the attention that we give ours, I don't mean it offensively, but from what I have read on the internet there are a lot of owners who don't do the research first and we all know ourselves how far things have gone by the time piggies let us know there's something up! So I worry about that too!xox
 
It's better to be a bit anxious and take them to the vets for nothing than miss something serious. I've been a number of times over the years with nothing, but this year I missed it when Amber was unwell and although, i dont think anything could have been done, believe me that's far worse to miss something.
 
Hi!
I never had any health problems or anxieties with the hamsters that I owned years ago, but guinea pigs are a lot different aren't they? (and my guinea pig is actually unwell right now, boo. >_> )

Anyway, just a quick note:
Munchausen Syndrome: pretending to be ill or actively making oneself ill. Mostly for attention and the person knows that he/she actually has no health problems.
(There is also something called Munchausen by Proxy where a person makes someone ELSE appear to be ill. There are documented reports of mothers making their children sick by feeding them unsuitable things, tampering with their children's blood/stool/urine samples when the nurses aren't looking in the hospital as well as teaching their children to pretend to have seizures)

Hypochondria: Anxiety/phobia of health problems. The sufferer fears or genuinely believes that any small symptom is a sign of illness.

Sorry if I'm being a pedant, but just make sure you don't tell people you have Munchausen Syndrome or you may get some funny looks :(|)
 
Pangolin said:
Hi!
I never had any health problems or anxieties with the hamsters that I owned years ago, but guinea pigs are a lot different aren't they? (and my guinea pig is actually unwell right now, boo. >_> )

Anyway, just a quick note:
Munchausen Syndrome: pretending to be ill or actively making oneself ill. Mostly for attention and the person knows that he/she actually has no health problems.
(There is also something called Munchausen by Proxy where a person makes someone ELSE appear to be ill. There are documented reports of mothers making their children sick by feeding them unsuitable things, tampering with their children's blood/stool/urine samples when the nurses aren't looking in the hospital as well as teaching their children to pretend to have seizures)

Hypochondria: Anxiety/phobia of health problems. The sufferer fears or genuinely believes that any small symptom is a sign of illness.

Sorry if I'm being a pedant, but just make sure you don't tell people you have Munchausen Syndrome or you may get some funny looks :(|)
Click to expand...

:(|).... I should perhaps look my words up ;). Well that can't be me as I normally take video's, pictures and weigh reguarly to back up my illnesses as they seem to be that common. Although I always notice a pig is ill before any visible signs which is just odd, I think I must noticing sub consciously that they are acting differently. Goodness I hope that makes sense.
 
Flintstones- it makes perfect sense, the noticing that they are acting different. I dont know about everbody else but I will spend time not interacting with them but just watching and you do tend to notice the tiny differences in their behaviour that can sometimes indicate that they are poorly. That sounds bad but I do interact with them aswell but its just nice to watch them being piggies.
 
Sometimes I also feel like I have Munchausen syndrome by Proxy ....I certainly did with one of my dogs who had umpteen ops on an eye that i said she kept blinking.... in the end at the vet school (after a lot of persuasion and a vet change) they found out she had an ingrowing eyelash ! Funnily enough when she was there she never blinked (terrified I think) but at home she was constantly winking at me..... I totally felt like a timewaster right up till it was found...

Youve been right on every occaison to consult the vet, by phone or in person/pigson and we're always being told if in doubt ask the vet .... so dont feel bad ..... you know how often Ive been to your vet with Toffee ....lol...lets tell the pigs to stop the competition now! lol ... its too expensive and makes us feel like ....bad....

Sorry I never noticed this till now...

xx
 
Midge&Panda said:
Flintstones- it makes perfect sense, the noticing that they are acting different. I dont know about everbody else but I will spend time not interacting with them but just watching and you do tend to notice the tiny differences in their behaviour that can sometimes indicate that they are poorly. That sounds bad but I do interact with them aswell but its just nice to watch them being piggies.
Click to expand...

My OH came down the garden today and caught me just standing.....watching my piggies and rabbits........they looked so contented.......busy.........chilled...........snuggley........ It was sooooooo lovely and relaxing. I felt guilty that he broke the spell for me....:red
 
Midge&Panda said:
Flintstones- it makes perfect sense, the noticing that they are acting different. I dont know about everbody else but I will spend time not interacting with them but just watching and you do tend to notice the tiny differences in their behaviour that can sometimes indicate that they are poorly. That sounds bad but I do interact with them aswell but its just nice to watch them being piggies.
Click to expand...
I worry myself sick somedays, I'm sure I have piggy hypochondria, if they're sleeping lots I worry they're lethargic, if they leave any bits of veggies I worry, I panic about bloat after they've had grass, if they sneeze I'm listening to them breathing..... today Charlie was sort of lying in the hay half asleep but with his eyes still a bit open and he just looked odd, and I had my nose up against the bars staring at him then he suddenly noticed me and jumped up as if to say "what are you staring at you loon"
 
NO darling girl you're a normal loving piggie mum who happens to care so much that you'll do your absolute best! As you can see your the same as so many here :)
The more piggies you have the more 'problems' can happen :...

HUGS for you love xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
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