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Poorly Older Pig

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MrsART

MrsART

New Born Pup
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We got Pepper from a rescue about 4 years ago, so she is about 5 now. This morning I found her upstairs in the cage lying in her own wee :-( she was quite cold & looked like she may have had a stroke? Not moving well, especially a hind & holding her head a bit crooked. I gave her some cucumber, which she ate and gave her a wash. Noticed her eyes were a bit runny & nose a bit crusty so cleaned that up too. Put her near the aga to dry off & warm up. She seemed to have come round a bit, & has eaten some celery tonight, still not moving well. If she lasts the night I'll get her to the vet tomorrow, (we live in the middle of nowhere) but they are not pig specialists.

Her companion Grace passed away last week, (out of the blue, possibly heart?) so we got a gorgeous new sow from the rescue & all seemed to be going well...
But now Pepper is poorly I'm worried that it may not have just been Gracie pigs heart. I have been using Nedzbed pro as it's what I have for the ponies. Now I know that it wasn't good for pigs when they used eucalyptus oil, but they now use Manuka oil so I emailed the company and asked them if it was ok:

Many thanks for your email.
Firstly, that’s great that you are happy with your swap to Nedz Pro!
We moved away from eucalyptus some years ago as we found from our research that it can indeed have a negative effect on both humans and animals, especially rabbits. As you know we use manuka oil and this has been heavily researched and has been found to have no known side effects, making it very safe. We have lots of customers using the Nedz products for animals other than horses…rabbit breeders recommend it and it is a favourite with poultry keepers…and I do not know of any reason why it is not perfectly safe.
I hope the above answers your question and if you require any further information please don’t hesitate to contact me.

So I've been using it since December, but am now panicking! I have cleaned the cage out and just put them on hay for tonight.

Any tips for tempting her to eat/drink? And Metacam, what is the dose for pigs?

Thanks if you got this far!
 
Sorry I have no experience of that bedding, but it does sound as though your piggie needs urgent veterinary attention tomorrow. Perhaps one of the other members on here will be able to give you some advice as to what to do overnight but keeping her warm and comfortable would seem to be a good and kind thing to do. Wishing you well at this worrying time
 
Hi! I am sorry for your losses and upsets. It sounds like it could be a stroke. Please keep her as quiet and cosy as possible, but don't let her overheat either. Have her checked by a good vet tomorrow.

The stress of losing a companion and getting a new one can impact on underlying problems, especially in older piggies. It is not rare for a companion to die or fall seriously ill shortly after the loss of a friend. :(

We do not recommend to use any essential oils around guinea pigs, as they have a far more sensitive respiratory system.

PS: Would you please add your country to your details? We have members from all over world and "Eden" could be in most of them, unfortunately for you! Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details/location. Thanks!
 
I agree, please get her to the vets as soon as you can to be checked out.
 
Well Pepper has made it through the night, and we have just got back from the vets. Agreed that it looks like a stroke, and vet is optimistic that she will recover! Checked her over & everything else seems to be OK. Pepper still has reflexes in the affected limbs, fore & hind on her right side, and does seem to have made a slight improvement with her movement since yesterday. The vet gave her a steroid injection to help with any swelling on the brain, and some Fibreplex to give her 3 times a day. Bedding her on hay has the advantage that she is nibbling a little where ever she lies down, and she has also had a little water from a syringe to wash the sticky fibreplex paste down. So we shall see what the next few days bring. Fingers crossed.x
 
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