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Penny has another head tilt :/

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missbrittany

missbrittany

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I don't know if any of you remember all the issues I had with Penny and her head tilt a few months ago, the vets couldn't figure out what was causing the head tilt and after a couple of rounds of antibiotics she stopped eating and lost quite a bit of weight. Well tonight during floor time while I was cleaning the cage I noticed Penny sitting in the corner with her head tilt back (except now its on the other side). Unfortunately the vet was closed by the time I noticed it so I won't be able to bring her in until tomorrow morning. I cleaned her ear out with some herbal ear cleaning solution the vets gave me last time and she squeaked when I massaged it in. I just worry so much about the pigs and I'm so afraid she'll stop eating again like she did last time :(
 
I'm really sorry to hear that Penny has got head tilt again, I know just how you're feeling as my Minky has just got a head tilt last night. Luckily the vets stayed open a little longer to let me take her in. She was given antibiotic & anti-inflammatory injections. I dropped her back in this morning for an x-ray & just waiting to hear if she can be picked up. I've not had experience with head tilt before so is there anything you have done for Penny which I may be able to do with Minky.
 
Stewybus said:
I'm really sorry to hear that Penny has got head tilt again, I know just how you're feeling as my Minky has just got a head tilt last night. Luckily the vets stayed open a little longer to let me take her in. She was given antibiotic & anti-inflammatory injections. I dropped her back in this morning for an x-ray & just waiting to hear if she can be picked up. I've not had experience with head tilt before so is there anything you have done for Penny which I may be able to do with Minky.
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Last time my Penny had her head tilt she was still her normal self, still ate fine and everything. It was only until the antibiotics kicked in that she started going off her food so I had to feed her critical care for a couple of weeks off and on to keep her guts moving and gave her a probiotic. I also had some ear cleaning solution and I would clean her ear about once a day to reduce earwax build up since the vet couldn't figure out what exactly was causing the head tilt. I hope your Minky recovers soon! Last time I didn't get an x-ray because Penny started feeling better just as the were going to order one but this time we may do it straight away since this is the second head tilt she's had this year. I have a vet appointment in an hour so I'll let you guys know how it goes! She's eating her veg right now but I can tell her ear is still bothering her.
 
Hope all goes well, healing vibes to penny
 
missbrittany said:
Last time my Penny had her head tilt she was still her normal self, still ate fine and everything. It was only until the antibiotics kicked in that she started going off her food so I had to feed her critical care for a couple of weeks off and on to keep her guts moving and gave her a probiotic. I also had some ear cleaning solution and I would clean her ear about once a day to reduce earwax build up since the vet couldn't figure out what exactly was causing the head tilt. I hope your Minky recovers soon! Last time I didn't get an x-ray because Penny started feeling better just as the were going to order one but this time we may do it straight away since this is the second head tilt she's had this year. I have a vet appointment in an hour so I'll let you guys know how it goes! She's eating her veg right now but I can tell her ear is still bothering her.
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Thanks, I've just collected Minky from the vets & the x-ray showed up a small white mass which is the cause of the tilt. The vet is certain it's not mites & has prescribed Baytril 0.5ml twice a day + Loxicom 0.17ml once a day. She's still got a bad head tilt but is learning to eat with her head on it's side. Thank god she's still got her appetite. We're just going to feed her some food while she's sat on our knees & put the rest on a saucer close by her in her cage. She has a mound of hay which she burrows under. We have everything we need in the way of supplements in our piggies first aid box, inc. Fibreplex, Bio-Lapis, Critical Care & Recovery Plus. The vet told me it could take a while & wants to see her again next Friday. Hopefully we may see an improvement by then,but it could be a long haul.
 
Stewybus said:
Thanks, I've just collected Minky from the vets & the x-ray showed up a small white mass which is the cause of the tilt. The vet is certain it's not mites & has prescribed Baytril 0.5ml twice a day + Loxicom 0.17ml once a day. She's still got a bad head tilt but is learning to eat with her head on it's side. Thank god she's still got her appetite. We're just going to feed her some food while she's sat on our knees & put the rest on a saucer close by her in her cage. She has a mound of hay which she burrows under. We have everything we need in the way of supplements in our piggies first aid box, inc. Fibreplex, Bio-Lapis, Critical Care & Recovery Plus. The vet told me it could take a while & wants to see her again next Friday. Hopefully we may see an improvement by then,but it could be a long haul.
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Aw bless Minky. Hope she heals up soon x
 
Stewybus said:
Thanks, I've just collected Minky from the vets & the x-ray showed up a small white mass which is the cause of the tilt. The vet is certain it's not mites & has prescribed Baytril 0.5ml twice a day + Loxicom 0.17ml once a day. She's still got a bad head tilt but is learning to eat with her head on it's side. Thank god she's still got her appetite. We're just going to feed her some food while she's sat on our knees & put the rest on a saucer close by her in her cage. She has a mound of hay which she burrows under. We have everything we need in the way of supplements in our piggies first aid box, inc. Fibreplex, Bio-Lapis, Critical Care & Recovery Plus. The vet told me it could take a while & wants to see her again next Friday. Hopefully we may see an improvement by then,but it could be a long haul.
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Hope Minky recovers soon! Having her appetite still is a good sign!
 
So the vet thinks Penny may be having a pressure problem inside her ears, because she certainly doesn't have an infection or any ear wax build up. She's on some antibiotics just in case (chloramphenicol) and an anti-inflammatory (meloxicam) and some probiotic again. The vet thinks she'll bounce back from this quickly so we're keeping all our fingers crossed over here. She seems well right now, just munching on some hay with Sophie.
 
Just wanted to let everyone know that Penny is doing much better. The head tilt disappeared after a couple of days on the antibiotics and anti-inflammatory (knock on wood). She lost a little weight in the beginning but nothing like last time and I'm sure she'll put it all back on in the next week or so if she continues to improve :)
 
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