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Need advise on blood test - Poor piggy

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Jacques

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Hi,

Can anyone tell me if a piggy has to be put under to have blood taken? I have a poorly pig who has lost half his weight over a few months. Is still eating and drinking. Vet has given antibotic injection and put a springe of fluids in as well. She has taken me home with baytril 0.2ml twice a day. He has no temperature and no lumps and his teeth are fine. poo is fine. he is only 2 years old. any advise?
michele
 
When Holly's eye was really bad they were going to put her under to take blood then removed the serum from it and use it as eye drops but I'm not sure if they were only going to put her under because they were going to remove stuff from the blood or if it was because she was getting blood taken. Hope he feels better soon.
 
As far as I am aware, it is pretty uncommon to take a blood sample from a guinea pig, usually a stool test is performed but if it is needed, can't they cut into a couple of the quicks of the nails and get a sample that way?

Have they considered worming with pancur? as he otherwise seems ok, this would be worth doing? is he drinking a lot more or any other changes you have noticed?
 
nope no dont drink that much never has. stolls fine just weight was 1200 now 655g she thinks it could be a tumour. will see how he is over the next 5 days. got to keep weighing hm and have separated him from wenger too. sad i think its a tumour but cant face losing a thrid piggy in 4 months.
 
There would likely be other symptoms if it were a tumour. Unexplained weight loss, if not caused by teeth, can be caused by internal parasites - the treatment of which is to worm the pig, and routinely worm them every three months to prevent a recurrance. Worming is done with two medicines:

Ivomec - 2 drops, undiluted, orally
Panacur (or Valbazen) - 0.4ml, undiluted, orally

If this doesn't give any improvement, then consider the possiblity of an internal fungal issue - this can prevent the absorption of nutrients into the system, so if the pig is eating well and still losing weight, a course of Intrafungol may be recommended.

I don't think my pig was sedated when she had her blood test to check for thyroid issues. She had a sample taken from her front leg, but a toenail overclip can also be a good way to get a sample of blood.
 
ok where do i get the medicine for worming. never womred my piggys before. my oldest ones that have just passed were over 6yrs and never were wormed.

if i worm one shall i do the other at same time.
 
If you plan to worm them all routinely, then yes, you may as well do them all. Once every three months can prevent some cases of unexplained weight loss. It is not deemed essential by many, but a lot of people do worm their piggies. I don't have Ivomec myself just yet, but I was worried about the unexplained weight loss of one of my sows, and after worming all my pigs just with Panacur, she really picked up her appetite and weight and is much improved.

You can buy the medicines online - search Google for "Panacur 2.5% sheep worming suspension". I can link you to where I bought it, it was the cheapest at around £15 for 250ml. Valbazen was far more expensive.

I did have a link for the Ivomec but have lost it now. If my memory serves me correctly, the Ivomec is also the sheep or cattle injection fluid.
 
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ivomec i used to get from a guy fro mites but he no longer does it. do * know anyone else apart from vets.

where i get panacur pet shop? isnt that the same stuff * give cats?
 
The Panacur and Ivomec are for sheep and cattle. The Panacur is the 2.5% worming suspension.

We are posting at the same time! Yes, this can be given alongside Baytril. I checked at the start of the year with Vedra, as I had a pig with respiratory issues who was on Baytril at the same time she started an intensive course of wormer, and was told it is safe.
 
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thank you so much for thehelp. and what about the ivomec? now the doses youhave said is that once a day or just once every 3 months? sorry for all the questions?
 
Don't worry about all the questions, it is very important that you know exactly what you are doing so the more questions you ask, the more you will know about what you are doing.

The dose is given once every three months.
I wormed my eight pigs on 5 March so the next worming dates will be 5 June, 5 September, 5 December etc. As long as the pigs are over 12 weeks old, it is safe to worm them.

Panacur can be given daily at certain doses as a course of treatment, to treat possible internal fungal issues for unexplained weight loss, but the best treatment plan for your piggie is probably to worm him the once, give it a few days, if no improvement then consider a course of Intrafungol, which you need to get from your vet/the CCT.
 
thank you. ok so just do the panacur first not with ivocmec. to be honest i may have some ivomec but passed its sell by date will i still be able to use it?
 
Best not to. Once it has expired (use by date) the active ingredient is not as effective and could *potentially* be harmful. Be sure the Ivomec is the sheep and cattle injection fluid. I will find a link for you in the morning when I have more time and some recommendations from others.

You can give Panacur and Ivomec at the same time, and normally would when worming, but if you only have one to hand then it is better than nothing if you are hoping to aid an immediate ailment.
 
call thank you i have just ordered the panacur and a new bottle of metatone too as ran out. will start giving that once all treatment done done want to over load him as he is so thin.....
 
Hi, I have 3 girls (live inside) but in the summer they go out in their run to enjoy the grass & sun. I have never wormed them, I guess I should. Do you need to give them both the ivomec & panacur on a 3 monthly basis or is it one of them that is needed?

thanks
 
Especially with pigs who do go out on the grass I do advise worming routinely. Giving both Panacur and Ivomec completes the parasitic spectrum and will cover all types of internal parasites. Giving just one won't deal with them as effectively.
 
I've only been online for a short while, having big problems with my hands today so typing very painfully and slowly. I did forget the Ivomec link though so I will get onto that as soon as I can.
 
thank you. He's put 10 grams on today. I'm assuming good for one day? got to weigh him daily. as long as he gains and doesnt lose anymore.
 
taking henry back up to vets i do think its his teeth. there was food all over the hutch. i have had a good look in his mouth just now and i do think its that. vet said it was no problem but hes not making the side to side motion when knawing. and i can see his back teeth too which with my othe boar i cant. been comparing the two. so frustrating....
 
they have kept him in. they need to do xrays they think he may have root disease or something. goona seee how serious it is and they will let me know the outcome. they said we may have to put him to sleep if its severe. never going to the other vet she was useless. this other one was better and listened to me. he said henry definitely isnt making the proper side to side motion. hope hes ok............
 
Be very wary of the diagnosis, root disease, care-plan, put him down......!?
Take further advice from CCT for the sake of the pig.
I will pm you, if need be, when you have further information.
Some forms of dental problems can take weeks/months to cure or bring under control, even if the pig needs to be syringe/hand fed whilst having a normal quality of life. I have to say, again, that many vets see no treatment as a failure for themselves, however there is always the ultimate form of treatment sold to the owner as being prevention of suffering, all too many owners fall for this line when treatment is available from other sources.
I am now waiting for responses saying that I shouldn't have said that!
 
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