Dental Post anaesthetic lethargy and smelly urine

[Fluffpig]

Hello! Thanks for all the great informations I’ve read the poop / urine / surgery / feeding guides and still have a question if anyone can help? Boar, aged 6yo dropped weight end of March, over 50g, seen vet regularly, on meloxaid & gut stimulants. Critical care was 5 x daily and then dropped to 4 times daily. Started eating a bit himself and with the feeds, starting to restore a bit of weight and became more ‘himself’. Had a general anaesthetic yesterday - Friday - as he had long and slanted front teeth - we waited to try and get him in the best shape for the op. Op was successful, teeth trimmed, a small burr on a back molar trimmed and X-rays showed no issues.

He’s been quite lethargic since coming home. Still pooping, checked the poop guide, and he’s sitting in his wee. He does move about a bit and will eat grass. Still on meloxaod and gut meds and critical care feeds. His urine has been quite smelly this afternoon. I contacted the vet who wasn’t concerned and said to monitor food intake, fluid intake and poops. He wee’d on a piece of white kitchen towel and it was a normal slightly darker yellow. He’s previously had a urine sample tested for diabetes and kidney issues and that was fine.

Any ideas? He’s getting 2ml fluid with the oxbow critical care and some apple juice (0.5ml) to mix up his tummy tablets.

I am so worried about this Piggie. He’s eating hay and grass but not pellets and not been drinking from the water bottle. He’s in with his BFF.

Thanks.

 

[Fluffpig]

Hulk is a 6 yo boar, about a month ago we noticed weight loss and began our critical care journey! He was on 5 feeds a day then dropped to 4 feeds daily of oxbow critical care, averaging about 45ml a day, at this point he was also eating pellets, hay and forage as well as some julienned veggies. Medication - cisapride and dog meloxaide twice daily. His weight fluctuated between 980g & 950g being weighed daily. He has a period where he was quite depressed, but picked himself up and gained and maintained around 955g. The cause of weight loss was perceived to be dental as his front teeth were slanted and there was a small burr on a back molar.

Last Friday he had a dental under anaesthetic, which he survived (well done little dude) and ate well that night - critical care and hay but no pellets.

Over the weekend he was lethargic, seemed in pain and had a smelly wee. He also dropped to 905g. Back at the vets Monday he was given baytril (enrocare) and in addition to the meloxaid (dog 0.3ml) and cisapride twice daily we were dived we can give baby calpol at 0.4ml. Suspected post op uti. Mouth was clear.

Monday night he deteriorated, was desperate to eat and wouldn’t, was refusing critical and fighting us every time we went near his mouth. It was the most distressing period for us both.

Tuesday back at the vets, different vet found abscess in jaw. By this point I had guessed mouth infection as he had smelly breath. Vet lanced abscess and pus was drained. Likely the cause of the teeth issue was probably compensating for the abscess as he didn’t think it would have appeared as quickly as it did following surgery. Hulk fighting critical care and all things in his mouth post draining but has started to eat hay. We’ve not managed more than 5ml in a feed.

Back at vets today - Wednesday - saw yet again another vet, he lanced abscess site and nothing came out. Checked dental xray but it didn’t include the area Said to keep on with baytril. Vet said inflammation close to mandible and he could feel a hard lump - asked if he felt it was a tumour; he indicated not, and thought it was still an abscess. His prognosis was let’s give it a few days, keep feeding him the same and hope for the best. He said if the antibiotics don’t work there isn’t much they can do.

We’ve only seen this last vet once and I don’t know if he’s being gently realistic.

Have we missed anything? Is there anything else I can do to help his recovery? I’ve added pro c to fluids for probiotics - he isn’t independently drinking. He’s eating more hay than he was, is more mobile and active, seems really fed up with being fed; hasn’t eaten pellets but by gosh this little dude is trying so hard. I want to try hard for him too.

Thanks for reading!

 

[weepweeps]

Bumping up your post.

 

[Fluffpig]

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it.

In regards to an update as we’re now Wednesday this situation has changed so much!

He was seen by a vet Monday and his weight was 892g and given enrocare, as well as infant calpol alongside the cisapride and meloxaid (dog 0.3ml) he was still not eating very well and overnight Monday into Tuesday he fought really hard to avoid any form of critical care or anything in his mouth. We got a few ml into him. Prior to his op he was taking 45 ml a day and grazing on hay and pellets.

Pre op his weight fluctuated 980g - 950g range, the day of surgery (Friday) he was 955g. We’ve been weighing first thing each day before food.

I was really worried. This was accompanied by a horrible smell emanating from his mouth on Tuesday so I guessed a mouth infection and went back to the vets. There they found an abscess close to his mandible, they lanced it and pus came out. His jaw was inflamed. They think the cause of the slanty teeth was probably the abscess as it was quite large and the vet felt it had been there for some time - longer than the few days between Tuesday and the surgery the previous Friday. They cleaned him up and he came home. He ate more hay and parsley and julienned veggies, and was better with his critical care, taking it more willingly but didn’t want much.

Today he went back for a check up, his weight is 889g. He is trying to eat more hay and eat independently but isn’t eating pellets or drinking independently. He’s still refusing a lot of meds and things in his mouth. Every meal time is an absolute battle. We saw a different vet who went off to lance it but no pus came out. The vet said he hoped the antibiotics would work but wasn’t hopeful and that he will need to be seen again in a few days. I asked what the next steps were and he indicated there probably weren’t any.

This little dude has fought so hard and is trying so damn hard I won’t give up on him. He’s eaten some hay and julienned lettuce and cucumber since coming home from the vet today and some oat hay. He hasn’t been near pellets and it’s almost critical care time.

We have other critical care brands being delivered today to try and tempt him with something different.

If anyone has any tips or advice o would be hugely grateful. I want to save my little guy. He seems so much brighter today.

Thanks.

 

[VickiA]

I’m so sorry that you’ve got a piggy recovering from dental abscess surgery. I’ve no direct experience of that but I do have other relevant experience.
Great that he’s eating veggies in julienne strips. And some hay. His mouth is probably very sore. Is the metacam /meloxaid once it twice daily? It needs to be.
You could try softening his pellets for him - making a mush with boiled water and letting it cool - you can either offer in a saucer, or make it runny enough to offer by syringe. that may be preferable to critical care for him- many of mine have been fussy about their recovery feeds. I’ve not come across a piggy who’s refused Emeraid herbivore (the intensive care one). But there are also other brands.

 

[weepweeps]

Thanks for the update and further information. I actually have experience of tooth root abscesses. My piggy Pepper had one.

A really good antibiotic for abscesses is Zithromax. He had a six week course of it and it cleared up nicely. Unfortunately he didn’t eat anything for himself for about 8 weeks so it was a really stressful and tiring time.

Here is his thread. There is a lot of helpful information in there.

Dental? Pepper is off to the vets tomorrow

How did they lance it? Have they left it stitched open to drain and are you flushing it out a few times a day?

Also he will need a really good dose of pain killers. Feel free to ask any questions. Good luck

 

[Fluffpig]

Hello! Thank you so much for the reply.

Meds wise he is on 0.3ml meloxaid dog 2 x daily; 0.4ml infant calpol 2 x daily. Half a cisapride tablet 2 x daily and 0.4ml baytril daily.

I have emerald arriving by Amazon this afternoon, he’s currently on oxbow critical care and he hated the science selective!

I’ll check out the thread and suggest the other antibiotic too.

The lancing was a tiny hole made in the outside of his throat / underside jaw they haven’t said anything about flushing (I don’t think it’s big enough) I just wipe is with cooled boiled water twice a day.

I’m so grateful for all the advice. Thank you