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Pumpkin

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Phoebe-PP said:
I did consider that, but that idea was quickly forgotten when I realised that would mean weighing out 0.0125 grams :)) I've sort of gone with the idea that I'll give her as much as she'll tolerate, and adjust it depending on how she's doing.

Probiotics/antibiotics seem to be doing their job as she seems a lot more comfortable and less lethargic which is a step in the right direction!
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Thought that would be the case. Like i said, I just make up a small bowl with water and half a scoop and if any
Left over it can just be poured away.
I hope everything goes well for her, my Rosie has just started chorulon injections to see if her hair comes back on her tummy- she is almost bald, so I'm hoping they work for her.
 
klee said:
Thought that would be the case. Like i said, I just make up a small bowl with water and half a scoop and if any
Left over it can just be poured away.
I hope everything goes well for her, my Rosie has just started chorulon injections to see if her hair comes back on her tummy- she is almost bald, so I'm hoping they work for her.
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Poor Rosie, hope she feels better soon! Pumpkin's had several rounds of chorulon, and it's always been fairly effective for her, so I hope it's the same for Rosie :) Luckily this time Pumpkin didn't lose too much hair, but last spring she lost a huge amount on her flanks/belly, and she still has a small bald patch now which apparently can be normal after losing a lot of hair. Luckily with longer haired piggies, you can't really tell.
 
I've noticed over the past few days Pumpkin's hair has been thinning a fair bit, I've also found a little bald patch by her armpit (about the size of a penny coin) I thought I'd post in the same thread because I don't know if the hair loss could be linked the problems she's been having recently. I know that hair thinning is linked to ovarian cysts, but it's pretty much all over her back, belly and shoulders as opposed to just flanks.

This is the shoulder patch (sorry for bad quality, it's not easy one handed with a wriggly pig!)



A bum shot, again not very clear but you can tell the hair is much thinner than normal.


One to show how pear-y she is, it's hard to tell because of the explosion of hair, but her shoulders are quite bony and she's fairly plump around her middle. She weighs in at around 1250g so not a bad weight.


Sorry for the overload, but if anyone had any suggestions as to what could be causing the hair loss, it would be much appreciated. We're going to the vets on Thursday so hopefully get her booked in for the op so I'll ask then as well. x
 
Sorry for the lack of updates, in the end we decided to spay Pumpkin. She went in yesterday and all went well; she came home very listless, not eating or moving etc.. She's been syringe fed every three hours (including over night) and her appetite has slightly picked up, eating a tiny tiny amount of hay but nothing else. She's taking 15-20 mls per feed, and the same amount of water/probiotics but she needs to start eating by herself!

Anyone have any tips on how to get her eating more independently? I thought of leaving her for a longer period of time without syringing, but I don't want to risk bloat..
 
Oh I had no idea she was being spayed. Thank goodness she is doing well after such a huge ordeal. I really hope she can eat herself soon.
 
piggyfan said:
Oh I had no idea she was being spayed. Thank goodness she is doing well after such a huge ordeal. I really hope she can eat herself soon.
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She had been on baytril/metacam for two weeks to see if that would help with the grunting and discomfort but she was just getting worse so spaying was the only option left. She's fine in herself and is getting back to her usual cheeky self, but she just needs to find her appetite!
 
Poor girl, hope she'll feel better soon. I always try reluctant eaters on a handful of fresh grass out of the back garden - it seems hard to resist for piggies. Do you have good pain relief for her post-op?
 
Bless her, hope she recovers soon. Will she eat any critical care out of a bowl if you make it a bit thicker? I grated some carrot in and mixed it in for Gerry and he used to love that.
 
Bless Pumpkin, lots of recovery vibes to her. Does she have any metacam or pain killers for at home? X
 
Poor Pumkin, were the cysts pressing on her other organs which made breathing difficult? I echo what the others have said, what pain relief has she been sent home with?
 
She's got metacam, but doesn't really seem to be in pain. She does seem to be eating very small amounts, but quickly loses her appetite. It's so frustrating because I know she can eat, but for what ever reason she just won't eat enough for me to stop fully syringe feeding her. I've tried giving her posh hay, mixing her veggies (which she's eating in copious amounts!) in with her hay, but nothing seems to be working. When I took her in for her post-op check they were impressed with how bright and cheery she was and I explained my concerns with her lack of eating, she had an appetite stimulant injection so I'm really hoping it works. I'm debating whether or not to put Pickles back in the cage with her, they're next to each other but I wonder if she might start eating more with her buddy.

It's exhausting feeding her every 3-4 hours so for my own sanity any tips would be massively appreciated :)) Anyway, enough of the miserable stuff, here's the cheeky monkey herself!


 
x) bless her, what a sweetie. Hopefully the gut stim will help pick her up along with the metacam.

Keep up with pain relief - as pain can stop them eating and once the gut stim has worn off it may be worth getting some emeprid to give at home.

You are doing a fantastic job, I hope she feels better soon and starts eating more for herself x
 
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Definitely keep up with the pain relief, she may not be showing any physical signs of being in pain such as flinching etc but not eating can be a clear sign that a pig is in pain. I also second Sport Billy's suggestion of getting some Emeprid to give at home.
 
Good news everyone; Pumpkin's been munching on hay all by herself! She was tucking in nicely when I came home today and has produced a lot of nice firm poops (although a little small). I've decided to pop the piglets back together, just need to rebuild the C&C and they can go back together. I'm so happy to see her perking up, although she does sometimes fluctuate between normal temp and quite chilly to the touch? She's got her bed and all wrapped up in blankies but when I get her out she gets cold quickly; not sure what's going on there but hopefully it'll stop as her eating gets back to normal.

Thanks everyone for the support and advice, we're both very appreciative xx
 
Great stuff, so pleased and relieved for you and your beautiful little girl. Always nice to hear good news in Health and Illness section.
Keep it up little Pumpkin! x
 
Good girl Pumpkin. So pleased to hear she's perking up.
Keep munching little one.
Lots of love from your Aunty Kate x
 
I'm very pleased to report that as of yesterday Pumpkin's eating all by herself with no help from the nasty syringe! Her appetite is back on form, I can't keep up with the speed that she's eating :)) She really has made a very speedy recovery, going from completely lifeless on Tuesday/Wednesday, to a naughty greedy monster again :)) And the other very good news is I haven't heard even the slightest grunty snorty noise from her at all which indicates the cysts were the problem. I was so worried that I'd put her through all that and then find out her breathing problems were caused by something different but it seems as though spaying her was the right choice!

Pixie's over the moon to have her sister back, although she's not impressed she's got to share veggies again! Thank you all so much for your support and advice, I definitely think we're in the all clear now, so here's to many healthy and happy years left for little Pumpkin xx
 
Fantastic news. Well done Pumpkin. She's got a lot of munching to make up! Well done to you Phoebe for all your tlc and syringe feeding, she wouldn't of done it without you.
 
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