Pudding & Squeak at the vets - the nail-biting wait starts......

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Teejay

Teejay

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Hi all, we took Pud & Squeak for their castration this morning.....gulp......and now the worrying and waiting starts. :(

They had their pre-op check-up last night and all was fine and dandy! Pud weighed in at 1040g and Squeak weighed in at 1020g....which is fantastic considering when he was very sick with his URI a few weeks ago, his weight dropped to about 700g.

I went to the pre-op armed with loads of questions I'd taken from the 'castration' thread (thank you all you clever piggie slaves)....I have to say that I was very much put at ease by the vet.

She told me thay do loads of GP castrations, the vet nurses are specially trained in administering anaesthetic to small animals and the vet herself is a small animal/exotics specialist.

She said all the right things about the pre-op preparation (we should bring their favourite foods and hay with them, and they swab the cheeks just before the op, etc) and she explained lots about the technique they use......instead of cutting into the scrotum (:{) they remove the testicles by way of a small incision on the abdomen (near to the penis). She said that this way presented less of a risk of infection (as the abdomen isn't as close to the ground as the scrotum).

They use dissolvable internal stitches and they glue the wound, and they don't disturb the fat pads at all (I had to admit that I didn't even know what/where the fat pads were! LOL)

So, please tell me I was right to be reassured by her knowledge.........:(

I'm collecting the boys at 4.......can't come soon enough!
 
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oh good luck pudding and squeak, sounds like they are in the best hands possible hun
 
Sending positives vibes your way :) Worrying time for you right now - but how exciting at two new additions in 6wks time x) your boys will think all their birthday's and christmas's have come at once :))

btw - what vets did you use?
 
All fingers and paws crossed her for you!
When Hector was neutered he was absolutely fine, started stuffing his face as soon as he came round. Stripes (RIP) on the other hand when he went in for his bladder operation wouldn't eat at all when he came round, that was until I went there and fed it to him myself, so just a tip if they're hesitant, being fed by mummy can be quite reassuring!
 
Hi Lady Kelly and Sodapops, thanks for the vibes.....I used Manor Vets, the branch on Hagley Road, Edgbaston.

I've actually paid for the operation by way of buying 'neutering vouchers' from Friends of The Animals....so it was £39 each instead of the normal £60-ish each. And the good thing about that was that I could use Manor, which is my normal vet anyway.

Tracey
 
Hi katiepops, thanks for the crossed everything!

I went through the 'not eating' when Squeak had a really bad URI last month.....I spent hours syringing Recovery and water into him, and I waved every possible piggy friendly food under his nose at all hours of the day and night to tempt him to eat....it worked though, he's in fine health now!

Tracey x
 
Hope all goes well! Keep us updated. Could do with any tips as Blacky in Monday :(
 
Fingers firmly crossed for Pudding and Squeak!
 
Hope it goes okay i have my fingers, toes and paws crossed! :) xxxxxx
 
Post-op care.....?

Hiya all, many thanks for the vibes and good wishes. Well, they both came through it fine but, of course, they're both completely shell-shocked. :{

Pudding is bouncing back to normality already......he's hiding away and being very quiet, but he's polished off a pile of grass as big as himself since he got home.

Squeak is a bit more of a worry, he's just sitting huddled up in the corner of the cage. I'm trying to tempt him with all of his favourite foods, but apart from a little nibble, he's pretty much ignoring everything. I'm going to give him a little bit longer to come round a bit, then I'm planning to get him out for a little Critical Care session (luckily, I decided to get a sachet in, 'just in case').

He's such a little poppet, I can't bear to see him unwell.......Do you think it might be a good idea to give Pudding a bit of Critical Care as well, even though he has been eating?

I admit that I'm reluctant to handle them too much straight away, they must be in some pain. We have Metacam pain reliever to give them once a day (tomorrow morning). That surprised me, actually.......the vet said she always gives ongoing pain relief so that any pain won't put the pig off from eating; it made sense to me actually, cos when you're in pain, you really don't feel like eating, do you?

Tracey x
 
Ah bless them. Poor ickle chaps. So glad pudding has bounced back. Hope Squeak perks up too soon. Where did you buy critical care from? Only asking as I might invest! Keep us updated of progress. I would feel same as you about handling especially as they tend to wriggle.
 
Hi CPHill, I got a sachet of Critical Care from VetUK Ltd, via Amazon - that was the cheapest I could find. There are loads of online retailers though.

Squeak seems to have picked up a bit now, bless him. He's had some critical care - not a massive amount though - and some veggies, and he's started half-heartedly nibbling his hay, but he looks a lot better.

He's so sweet....when I took him out to give him his Critical Care, he could only manage a couple of syringes-full at a time, and then he'd just flop down with his legs out on my lap and snooze for 5 mins, then he'd be ready for some more Critical Care. x)

Pudding had some Critical Care as welll, just to be on the safe side, but he wasn't too impressed (he's not as cuddly as Squeak!)

Tracey x
 
aww bless them, we had several syringes of pain relief for Peter but luckily he only had two and the following day was as right as rain so we didn't need the rest. We gave him critical care which he ate from a spoon by himself and it took him a couple of days but then it was like nothing had happened so I hope Squeak goes back to himself shortly
 
Hi all, I'm very pleased to report that both Pudding & Squeak are seemingly back to normal health (and cheekiness in Squeak's case, lol!). I gave them their painkiller this morning, checked their wounds (looking very clean and tidy!), and hand-fed them with a bit of yummy basil and lettuce before spot cleaning the cages and topping up their hay.

They were both very excited by the new hay, they dived in and started munching their little heads off, bless them!

I've had today off work to keep a close eye on them, but they seem absolutely back to normal today.

Tracey x
 
teejay said:
hi katiepops, thanks for the crossed everything!

I went through the 'not eating' when squeak had a really bad uri last month.....i spent hours syringing recovery and water into him, and i waved every possible piggy friendly food under his nose at all hours of the day and night to tempt him to eat....it worked though, he's in fine health now!

Tracey x
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great!
 
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