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Skinny Pig Health

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Bethanie97

Bethanie97

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I have a skinny pig called misty she is 11 months old, I got her about 4 weeks ago from "rough,dirty conditions. When I got her I noticed she had months of poo build up on her feet and that her poo was loose. She has been at the vets quite a lot since due to the loose poo as its getting no better and she was struggling to maintain her weight. She has already had an X-ray (it came back clear) blood test (check for liver/kidney issues or diabetes, it came back clear ) been on antibiotic for any urine issues, been on panacur in case of worms, faecal test. She is currently been given pro biotic and fibreplex daily but it's getting no better, I'm now clueless to what to do from here, any ideas of what's wrong? I've already spent about £200 and I'm struggling as I'm only a student as I feel like I'm still no further forward.
 
@Stewybus may have been In
Touch with you's as he has been caring for her while I was on holiday. It was looking good yesterday when they harden up but they are sloppy again. I'm ringing the vets tomorrow but just don't know what else they can do. Thanks everyone
 
I've had a piggy that had loose stools for 8 weeks post op & I think you should consider the following : Getting a full fecal analysis done by getting your vet to send a sample in a sterile container to Mary at Chester Zoo; they will do more than a fecal float, a full analysis & culture for growths will be done. All my pigs have Saccharomyces which on occasion shows as slightly soft poops despite no change in diet so I have to either withdraw veggies or cut them back until they are normal. It could be your pig has an internal fungal problem, so may need anti-fungal treatment or she might need a course of Flagyl antibiotic which helped my post-op piggy as we suspected she might have Giardia as that doesn't always show up in tests as it comes down the gut in "Showers" so can easily be missed. Lots of things for you to consider :) I am guessing you have stopped all veg for now? I wouldn't give any veg for a week, but syringe feed some probotic in water throughout the day, just a little at a time. The other thing I use is from Galen's Garden called ASAP powder, I'm using that with one of mine at the moment as she has softer poops & it's already helped :) All these ideas should be discussed with your vet of course :)
 
She has already had a faecal exam done, it's a guinea pig vet I see and I think she's lost now she tested her poop at the vets I go to. I stopped her veg for about 2 weeks and it got no better so we decided the veg wasn't the contributor and just to let her have it again so she has been on it in small amounts.
 
Ok if the test was done at the vets then it was probably just a fecal float :( That really won't reveal much. I would try Flagyl (Metronidazole) antibiotic first if cost is an issue as the full fecal diagnosis isn't cheap, but would probably give you the answer you are looking for. It is best done once they have been off antibiotics for a week though, to get a proper result.
 
Thanks I'm ringing them tomorrow so il discuss it with them , I just want her to be happy, I'm just not sure if it's a medical condition or how she's is meant to be.
 
From the pics I've seen on here as far as I'm aware skinny pigs poop the same as normal ones :) If she's been kept in unhygenic conditions then I think she probably has picked up some sort of tummy bug.
 
I don't understand how people can mistreat animals, her cage was minging, we have totally disinfected it and she was in a filthy condition as soon as I got her home she went straight for a bath as she had poo all over her belly and months worth on her feet. She is a lovely little piggie with such a cheeky personality. This is a photo of misty

image.webp
 
Not sure if it was an exam or a float but they broke it up etc and looked at it under a microscope.
 
Bethanie97 said:
Not sure if it was an exam or a float but they broke it up etc and looked at it under a microscope.
Click to expand...
Gosh I hope they didn't charge you for that then, or at least not much! Chester Zoo will grow cultures from the sample, so if it's a fungal problem you will be able to treat with the appropriate medication etc :)
 
I think I have been helping you on Facebook via Stewart's rescue page. It does sound like it could be a bug and so I second getting a sample tested so definitely speak to your vet about it. Am I correct in thinking she has been wormed recently with Panacur? I think you confirmed that she has never had a fungal infection?
 
Sorry just seen you have already mentioned Panacur above. I would check exactly what tests the vet has done and go from there.
 
Thanks I'm going to ring the vets tomorrow and discuss doing a faecal float or full faecal test and see what else can be done.
 
Faecal float won't give you the answer I'm afraid :( You need to get a sterile container get a faecal sample & get it sent off to Mary at Chester Zoo Exotics lab. If your vet is willing to do this I can pass her phone number onto you to give your vet so they can give her a ring to discuss the type of tests she will carry out, which are far more comprehensive than faecal floats .
 
Misty was me for just over a week. She's supposed to be 11 months old but is the same weight as 6 week old babies I recently rehomed from my rescue. She came here on 7th Aug
7/8/15 0.539
8/8/15 0.579
9/8/15 0.570
10/8/15 0.550
11/8/15 0.599
12/8/15 0.593
13/8/15 0.597
14/8/15 0.602
She was treated with Panacur from Monday 10th to Friday 14th being given 0.11ml based on her weight last Monday. Her weight went up by a big margin by the Tuesday & was pretty stable after that though Bethanie tells me that she has dropped to 0.573 today. Her poops are perfectly formed but soft. On the 2nd & 3rd day she ws just passing a mass of poop but I put it down to the Panacur messing with her tummy. It's really a mystery. One of my fosterers has been doing some research & has come up with skinnies needing more fibre & less sugar in their diet. This could be true as Misty's sugar levels were above normal but not up to diabetes levels. Her liver enzymes were also borderline high.

I would probably pass on the info given by Poppy'sMum to the vet because that sounds like a possibility.

If anyone else can add to it I would really appreciate it as Bethanie just wants to get Misty well again. Sorry if I've duplicated some of the info x
 
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For her age she isn't that small for a skinny. My youngest skinny Thumbelina is about 900g now but is about 8 or 9 months old. I think but when we got her at about 12 weeks old she was about 700 or 750gg. Katie is about 700g at the moment but is older and has a heart issue. My girls have a lot of fibre but no more than the hairy pigs. What pellets is she on? she seems young to be having issues from her diet though. Though saying that, a friend has just taken in a pig with similar poo issues and that is due to his previous poor diet, he is about 9 months old I think.
 
She's gorgeous :drool: I wish people would stop posting pic of skinny's! It makes me want to go and get a couple rofl.. I don't have the space! hehe. Skinny piggies :drool:

I hope she's ok :hug:
 
I think Stewart got a bit mixed up she's 11 months old. She has been on harrintons pellets but Stewart advised me to mix in a bit of muesli.
 
Misty is 11 months old and weights 587g. Holly (short haired) is 10 months and weights 943g. Luna (long haired) is 9 month and weights 811g.
 
Bethanie97 said:
I think Stewart got a bit mixed up she's 11 months old. She has been on harrintons pellets but Stewart advised me to mix in a bit of muesli.
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Yes I did Bethanie, I meant to say 11 months old. Could an admin member @sport_billy maybe edit that so anyone new looking will get the correct details :) x
 
Bethanie97 said:
I don't understand how people can mistreat animals, her cage was minging, we have totally disinfected it and she was in a filthy condition as soon as I got her home she went straight for a bath as she had poo all over her belly and months worth on her feet. She is a lovely little piggie with such a cheeky personality. This is a photo of misty

View attachment 34392
Click to expand...

What an adorable little thing. It's a shame people actually do that
 
I'M no good with medical stuff really it looks like you're getting enough good trusted advice as it is.

My boys weight fluctuates but they are chunky as they eat me out of house and home.

When our little skinny bundles of joy become ill however they do drop weight fast as they have a more demanding metabolism due to the natural instinct to keep the body temp up etc.

She is absolutely adorable and I do hope she gets better soon. Healing vibes to Misty and sorry I can't be of more help.

When my boys have had issues @helen105281 is the person who I turn to whilst waiting for the vet appointment as she has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to our naked friends. :)
 
Poppy'sMum said:
I've had a piggy that had loose stools for 8 weeks post op & I think you should consider the following : Getting a full fecal analysis done by getting your vet to send a sample in a sterile container to Mary at Chester Zoo; they will do more than a fecal float, a full analysis & culture for growths will be done. All my pigs have Saccharomyces which on occasion shows as slightly soft poops despite no change in diet so I have to either withdraw veggies or cut them back until they are normal. It could be your pig has an internal fungal problem, so may need anti-fungal treatment or she might need a course of Flagyl antibiotic which helped my post-op piggy as we suspected she might have Giardia as that doesn't always show up in tests as it comes down the gut in "Showers" so can easily be missed. Lots of things for you to consider :) I am guessing you have stopped all veg for now? I wouldn't give any veg for a week, but syringe feed some probotic in water throughout the day, just a little at a time. The other thing I use is from Galen's Garden called ASAP powder, I'm using that with one of mine at the moment as she has softer poops & it's already helped :) All these ideas should be discussed with your vet of course :)
Click to expand...
Asap powder. I'm going to purchase this. Thanks for the heads up
 
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