Persistent Hiccups?

[tax622]

Hi all

So I am a bit concerned about one of my boars Buzz (4 years old in May) - for a few days now he has been intermittently doing what I can only describe as hiccupping. I've managed to catch it on a few videos:

He doesn't do this at all when he is being held, he only does it when he's in his cage. He is eating, drinking and running around as normal - he is entirely himself except for when he stops and does this.


We took him to the vets on Friday (and again he didn't make the sound for the entire time he was away from home but did as soon as we put him back!) but I don't think she really knew what was wrong with him. She said he had a bit of a 'liquidy' belly but didn't seem concerned about it. When she looked in his mouth she said he had a lot of food in there which was actually preventing her from seeing his teeth at all - we gave him some parsley before we left home to soothe him, and he was visibly petrified in the vets, so we think it could have been that which stopped him eating it properly. Anyway her theory was that he may have teeth issues which was stopping him chewing the food properly and causing the hiccups. She gave him some pain killers (Metacam, 0.3ml twice a day) and said if he stopped the hiccups with it she would like to put him under anaesthetic and flush out his mouth to see his teeth properly. If it doesn't stop she would have to look for another cause. She asked us to come back to the vets on tuesday evening.

So I have been given Buzz the medicine, but he is still hiccuping. In fact, when I put him back in his cage after tonight's lot he's had/having his worst bought of hiccupping yet .

Has anybody seen this before, or can share any advice about what it might be and what we can do?

Thanks in advance

Tanya

 

[piggyfan]

Bump!

 

[Wiebke]

Please ask your vet to check whether something is stuck in the airways.
http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/heavinghiccups.htm

 

[gizzy]

Hi there, I am 99.9% sure your pig has more than likely got A mineral deposits problem, could be gravel/sludge call it what you may, could even be a small stone stuck in the urethra. Or it could possibly be a bacterial urinary tract infection

I would get into the vets as soon as possible, for a scan, at the moment he seems to be just in pain when he's trying Wee, and if it is mineral related, it could end up blocking the urethra (Wee out tube)

 

[gizzy]

Hi then again, I had to rush off before !

The straining Buzz is doing at the moment (it is much more likely to be pain and not hickups ) and is classic behaviour for urinary type problems and is usually telling you that you pig is having problems passing Wee!

it is quite possible he has a small stone lodged in the urethra(wee out tube) , in some cases they are able to expel these themselves, but it is exception rather than the rule, and is more common with sows. (much wider urethra )


might be a good idea to put Buzz on fleece with some kitchen towel underneath it, this way you'll be able to see that he is weeing properly, if as I say it is a mineral related bladder problem, you will need to be sure that he is weeing,

it could well go on like this for a while but then again it could always cause a blockage, and then you only have approx 24 hours before irreversible damage is done to the kidneys.

Other possibilities a bacterial UTI (cystitis type problem) it would be advisable to put Buzz on a flat a clean piece of plastic, 2 to 3 hours before you go and see the vet, this way you can collect a wee sample to hand to the vet,
much kinder than a cystocentesis, (a procedure where a needle is placed into the bladder to draw out wee)

a simple centrifugal spin will identify if there is crystals, and a urinanalysis test will tell the vet if there is any bacterial infection.

Here are two photos of one of my a boar's that passed a stone recently, note well! This was purely chance happening , and is exception rather than the rule, and waiting around for this to happen would not be wise,

 

[madguinealady]

Poo that looks sore, making me cringe and I have 5 kids

 

[tax622]

Hi everyone

Thanks so much for your replies, thought I'd give you an update on how Buzz is getting on.

We have been to the vets again with him today, a different one this time though as I managed to find a recommendation online for someone a bit more piggy savvy (Karen at Stanley House Vets in Colne, for anyone in the area who may find in useful). She was brilliant, clearly used to dealing with and handling guineas, made me feel as though he was in safe hands.

As Gizzy suggested she has diagnosed a bladder-related problem - she said his bladder feels tender, and as Buzz kindly did a wee dribble on the table she managed to get a urine sample which she said indicates a problem, possibly and infection. He is going back tomorrow so that she can scan him to check if there is anything else lurking in there. In the meantime he has had an antibiotic injection, and some more metacam when he got home. He seems a bit happier tonight now thankfully, he was doing a lot of straining the past two nights.

Feeling a little bit relieved now we know more about what we are dealing with . Although the pictures of the stones did make me wince a lot!

 

[piggyfan]

I hope he gets better soon.