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Please help me! I think I have a poorly Piggy!

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Poor yorkie is still not well. He weighs 962g. Although that was this morning, i have weighed him just now and hes 975g, does that mean anything? or is it a case of weight fluctuation from during the day?

he ate some dandilions all on his own! i am really pleased. however, he still makes that painful squeeking noise and moves his bum up in the air. very worried. xx
 
Poor Yorkie is still not well. I gave him his food this morning (syringe science recovery with vit c in and probiotic) but before that, i weighed him, and although it might not mean anything; he was 962g this time yesterday, and is now 985g which although it might not mean anything, i am happy it wasnt a loss. Unfortunately I have work today so it wont be til about 6 til he is fed again with syringe, but I'm trying my best.

However, i did notice in the hutch, they got cleaned out yesterday and there are big patches of wee in there now. I have just gave it a mini clean. I think Yorkie is drinking more water than usual now. But could this be because i mix the science recovery with water? and he's having more water than usual that way?
thanks x
 
I think a difference in weight that small could be down to as much as a full bladder as anything.
Can you pick some grass or dandelion leaves to tempt him?

Have you managed to find another vet for a second opinion?

Good luck with the syringe feeding and big hugs for both of you. x
 
It is a good sign that Yorkie is drinking a lot and weeing well!

Keep going; any day without weight loss is a major win!
 
I'm so sorry Yorkie is not well, it must be so stressful for you.

It sounds like he may have a urinary infection or a bladder stone.

I would try to get him to a different vet if possible. His baytril dosage sounds a bit low. I would give at least 0.25mls twice a day for at least 7 days and try to get some metacam from your vet. It's a painkiller and anti-inflammatory. Give him 0.1 ml and see if that makes a difference.

If there is no improvement within a few days, ask the vet to prescribe septrin.
It usually works well for UTIs but most vets won't give it to you until they have tried baytril first as its not licensed for pigs.

Also, if you can, try and get hold of a probiotic called avipro plus. Mix about 1/2 a scoop with 10mls of water and syringe him 5mls of this an hour or two after his antibiotic. This will keep his gut healthy.

If the antibiotic doesn't improve things then he will need an x-ray to check for stones. If he has a stone then it will need to be surgically removed. Which is scary but can be done successfully so try not to worry. Also get them to check his teeth at the same time because if he's not been eating they may be a bit overgrown.

As others have said, I would separate him for a little while just to make sure he is pooping and peeing normally. Maybe you could keep him in your bedroom and make a little pen for him.

The most important thing is to keep his gut moving. If he is not eating by himself then you must syringe feed him or he will die. The best thing to give him is Oxbow critical care, it is very expensive but is a complete feeding stuff. If you can't get this then science recovery and pellet mush will be fine.
You should try to get about 15mls into him at a time and feed him this about 6 times a day so he gets at least 90mls a day. Be firm with him even if he fights you! Also try to get about 60mls of water into him. It is very time consuming so maybe you could persuade some other family members to help out.

You can give him human cystitis treatment (1/2 a packet to 1/2 a cup of water) and unsweetened cranberry juice this will also help if it is a urinary problem.

Best of luck and I hope he feels better soon.
 
OK so this afternoon Yorkie was 993g. Although this is short term weighing I am so pleased it's not a loss. And that he looks to be gaining weight. He also looked a little happier today, and went in the run with Dave and, although dramatically quieter than his usual self, was nibbling at grass and was moving around a little bit.

He got his routine lot of syringe food (science recovery, vit c, probiotic, water). So put him back in the hutch, and went to chop some veg for Dave.

I opened the hutch to find Yorkie stood quietly in the corner near the front, (when he was his normal self he used to put a foot on the plate and take off the food whilst i was tyring to put it into bowls) he sniffed the plate and he took some spinach off!!! he ate the spinach at normal speed, and i threw a handful his way, he sat and ate about 7 pieces of spinach! all on his own! and i left them then to get on with it as Dave is very scared lol.

I was over the moon. However, to put a dampner on things, he did that thing, twice, where he arks his back and makes a real painful sounding squeek. I also think he has diarrhea ( sp ) now as well.

Come on Yorkie! He's cheered me up slightly, but still keep thinking of the pain noise :(
xx
 
Has compaction been ruled out? If so then it sounds as though it could be bladder stones and if thats the case it means another trip to the vet I'm afraid. One of our piggies has bladder stones but I think this can be more painful in boars then it is sows ( our's is a sow ). So far we're trying to get rid of them without an op so she's on septrin and we have metacam in incase she's in alot of pain. I've also ordered some Hydrangea root tincture as a herbal remedy to see if that helps. If it is bladder stones then it will mean you have to keep a closer eye on what you feed him, the ratewatchers diet is a good diet to follow for them.

Definitely positive about the weight and the fact he's willing to eat a little on his own though
 
I have been thinking he could have compaction now as he is gaining weight. How would I find out now if he has that? When he went on wednesday and friday last week they said he didnt have it but i know that now its a possibility.
He also ate some parsley on his own tonight and some spinach and is now 1021g.
xx
 
Aww thats definitely a good sign that he's eating and gaining weight!

I've no personal experience of impaction ( called it the wrong thing earlier! ) But I've read through this in the past just incase we ever have to deal with it http://www.guinealynx.info/impaction.html

It's pretty graphic but if he does have it then it's definitely worth a read
 
I have just found out that Yorkie's poops are very dry, they are like half the usual size and look very dry and a lighter brown/ greyey colour. I have also figured out that he is making his noise when pooping. Arching his back and making a rather painful sounding squeeking noise.

Does anyone happen to know what this could be?
Thanks x
 
Small poops are a sign that he is dehyrdated - are you syringing fluids into him? He'll need water as well as the critical care / science recovery (especially as it's been so warm). Antibiotics can also affect their poop.

I really really think he needs to see a guinea savvy vet if he's still making the 'in pain' noise as it could be a urinary tract infection / bladder stones, and if it is he will be in considerable discomfort :(

Hope he's ok

Sophie
x
 
Yes I'm syringing water into him. And he is drinking lots of water on his own (more than usual). He's also seen 2 vets now, both of whom do not know what is wrong. He looks perkier. Would the baytril get rid of a urinary tract infection? And is it septrin/operation that gets rid of bladder stones?
Amy x
 
Yes Amy.

Baytril would clear a UTI and bladder stones would need to be operated on. Boars have narrower urether's than sows and they cannot pass stones on their own whereas sows sometimes can.

Glad to hear that he is looking brighter.
 
Well I got up today, went to pop some dry food in for Dave whilst I take Yorkie for syringing! And i put the food in, Yorkie went to it and started sniffing it, then he ate some! I waited for a while, then took him out and he didnt have much cause he was pretty annoyed about the syringe food. But he had some of that anyway (he had no choice) but he ate lots of spinach and corriander as well. (he also had his antibiotics and his metatone.)
He seems a lot happier :)) , more energy (he was fighting the syringe off). And i went to put him back in the cage and he just sat there, his back lifted up and he made a little squeek, and some poop came out. It was a little larger than yesterday but still not normal size and very very dry looking. But then he jumped on top of the box i put in there for them, and starting biting on it and pulling it apart!
He really does seem a lot happier, i just wonder what this pain is or discomfort is when hes pooping.
He also weighs 1016 which is same as yesterday morning so I'm pleased that he is eating, pooping and hasnt lost anything. Anythings better than a loss, right?

Well anyway, i just wanted to update. (Dave wasnt happy pow-pow , he was biting his cage to get out when he could see Yorkie having spinach!)
Amy xx
 
Amy now he's getting more interested in food in might be worthwhile trying your piggies on the ratewatchers diet. If it turns out he has bladder stones then this can be down to too much or sometimes even too little calcium in his diet so you'll have to watch his calcium intake. Spinach for example is very high in calcium and should only be given once or twice a week. If your introducing new foods do it gradually though as it can cause tummy upsets.

You could take him back to the vets and say you suspect he might have bladder stones and just ask them to do an xray to check. Did they take a urine sample at all to check for crystals/phosphates?
 
Thanks Gems, where can i get the ratewatchers diet from? And this diet - what's it for? to monitor calcium intake?

They said they weren't going to do xrays/urine samples etc because the vet said it wont change the outcome.

Also... this arching of back and pain noise is getting more frequent now, ive noticed hes doing it when pooping and weeing. And his wee is an orange colour. I'm not sure if this could be from the metatone though (thats very red).
What do people think?
 
Here's a link for the ratewatchers diet http://www.store2go.net/shop/planetguinea/ratewatchersrainbowdiet.pdf
It's basically to make sure they're getting the right balance of calcium to phosphorus to keep their bladders healthy.

I'm a little surprised the vet said it wouldn't change the outcome as there is alot that can be done for bladder stones and you really need to find the reason why he's poorly and in pain. I would strongly recommend trying a different vet, I mentioned the vet in harrogate previously that my vet recommended, is that close enough for you to travel to?

Orange coloured wee doesn't necessarily mean there's anything wrong as it can be down to diet. You can sometimes see if they have crystals in their wee if they wee on a hard surface ( if you have laminate flooring/tiles for example ) you can sometimes see what looks like little bits of grit in it which is indicative of bladder stones.
 
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