katiepops
Adult Guinea Pig
I'm afraid I've not been on her much over the last couple of weeks, I've been a bit down about all things piggy.
I'm hopeful we've turned a corner today, it's a long story so pop the kettle on, go on treat yourself, have a biscuit!
A week last wednesday I was busy cleaning the piggies out ready for my friend Debbie to come over and pig sit while I went the the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for a long weekend til the sunday for work and a little holiday with my friend Emma. Well I put all the piggies back in their houses after weighing them, picked up Hector to do my checks and found a huge, and I mean huge lump all across his tummy. I phoned the vet straight away and they got me an appointment in 20 minutes so I popped him in his carry box, jumped in the shower as I was stinky from cleaning them out and dashed to the vets. I went to the ones a couple of minutes up the road as it was nearly 5.30pm and my usual one 30 minutes away closes at 6.00pm so I didn't want to risk not getting there in time.
He did an ultrasound and found it was a huge abscess, the odd thing was there was no bite wound and it wasn't in the right place to be a very long (4 months) post neutering problem so we don't know what caused it. The only thing I could think of was an insect bite as he'd been on the grass a couple of days before.
So the vet drained it out, I held him while the did the ultrasound and draining which was interesting to see if a little stinky! So much pus came out it was horrible and he was so well behaved. I like to think it helped that I was with him because the vet commented on how good he was. He put him on 0.4ml of Baytril a day and gave me a 5ml! syringe and said to flush it out with salt water three times a day and come back if it comes up again.
Obviously not easy to do from Edinburgh! So I got home and picked up Debbie and told her what was happening, my neighbour Natalie came popped round and got the full story as well and said she would help Debbie do his meds and cleaning and check on him while Debbie was at work. I was feeling reasured but obviously not wanting to leave him. So they said to decide in the morning. I slept on it and had decided he would be fine and in good hands, Natalie has had rescue Bunnies and dealt with this kind of thing before and I know she can handle piggies as she holds them for me when I cut their nails. So I had a shower, came downstairs and Debbie was watching Hector and Matilda as they were chattering teeth at each other, lots of bum wiggling, shreaking from Matilda, basically not good! They're usually so loved up so this was a major fall out for them and completely unexpected.
By this time I'm beside myself, I'm meant to be leaving to get a train in half an hour so I dashed round with Debbie's help and set up another pen to split them up as they were getting really nasty with each other. Any way I missed my train and was so upset I just couldn't get myself together to think about going away. What a disaster!
Later on when they were settled I tried to see if it was possible to rearrange my train ticket but it was going to cost £83! it was only £100 for the return! so that wasn't an option. So I looked to see if I could drive to my parents in Coventry and get a train to Derby then catch up with my last train from Derby to Edinburgh as there was mean to be over an hour wait in Derby. Worked it all out and discovered I needed to of left 5 minutes before! At that point Debbie said there are too many signs telling me not to go so I gave in and didn't go. I did have a good weekend with Debbie who stayed anyway which was nice but it was meant to be my first time away for two years. I've not even had a single night away from home!
It's just as well I didn't go, it swelled up again and I took him to my usual vet that afternoon, and the following day, and on the monday and am going back again tomorrow.
Hector has most definately spent all my spending money for the weekend, £160 in fact in less than a week! My vet let me off one consultancy fee when I told her bless her.
So I'm still at home and don't think I'll ever try and book anything ever again! Last time I just tried to go to London for the day I had a migraine so couldn't go. I'm not destined to leave Newbury!
I rang Anna at Wheek and Squeak who I adopted them from for advice and set up the pens next to each other so they could still see each other. Yesterday I set up another temporary pen (number 6 in my lounge!) gave them both a bath and reunited them. They were absolutely fine for the first 5 minutes, just like they'd never been apart. Then the teeth chattering started and my heart sank. They were on and off for a couple of hours, not going for each other just all noise. They finally settled until I took Hector out that evening for his meds and they started off again when I put him back in, just as I was about to go to bed! They did settle down again so I left them together over night. Well this morning I've but them back into their original house and Hector started popcorning, there was a mad charging round from both of them, clearly happy to be home, they had breakfast together and have settled down to sleep.
Fingers crossed it stays that way.
So that was the week that was.
Thanks for listening (if you're still with me and my dramas!)
Has anyone ever experienced pigs falling out when one's not well?
I'm hopeful we've turned a corner today, it's a long story so pop the kettle on, go on treat yourself, have a biscuit!
A week last wednesday I was busy cleaning the piggies out ready for my friend Debbie to come over and pig sit while I went the the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for a long weekend til the sunday for work and a little holiday with my friend Emma. Well I put all the piggies back in their houses after weighing them, picked up Hector to do my checks and found a huge, and I mean huge lump all across his tummy. I phoned the vet straight away and they got me an appointment in 20 minutes so I popped him in his carry box, jumped in the shower as I was stinky from cleaning them out and dashed to the vets. I went to the ones a couple of minutes up the road as it was nearly 5.30pm and my usual one 30 minutes away closes at 6.00pm so I didn't want to risk not getting there in time.
He did an ultrasound and found it was a huge abscess, the odd thing was there was no bite wound and it wasn't in the right place to be a very long (4 months) post neutering problem so we don't know what caused it. The only thing I could think of was an insect bite as he'd been on the grass a couple of days before.
So the vet drained it out, I held him while the did the ultrasound and draining which was interesting to see if a little stinky! So much pus came out it was horrible and he was so well behaved. I like to think it helped that I was with him because the vet commented on how good he was. He put him on 0.4ml of Baytril a day and gave me a 5ml! syringe and said to flush it out with salt water three times a day and come back if it comes up again.
Obviously not easy to do from Edinburgh! So I got home and picked up Debbie and told her what was happening, my neighbour Natalie came popped round and got the full story as well and said she would help Debbie do his meds and cleaning and check on him while Debbie was at work. I was feeling reasured but obviously not wanting to leave him. So they said to decide in the morning. I slept on it and had decided he would be fine and in good hands, Natalie has had rescue Bunnies and dealt with this kind of thing before and I know she can handle piggies as she holds them for me when I cut their nails. So I had a shower, came downstairs and Debbie was watching Hector and Matilda as they were chattering teeth at each other, lots of bum wiggling, shreaking from Matilda, basically not good! They're usually so loved up so this was a major fall out for them and completely unexpected.
By this time I'm beside myself, I'm meant to be leaving to get a train in half an hour so I dashed round with Debbie's help and set up another pen to split them up as they were getting really nasty with each other. Any way I missed my train and was so upset I just couldn't get myself together to think about going away. What a disaster!
Later on when they were settled I tried to see if it was possible to rearrange my train ticket but it was going to cost £83! it was only £100 for the return! so that wasn't an option. So I looked to see if I could drive to my parents in Coventry and get a train to Derby then catch up with my last train from Derby to Edinburgh as there was mean to be over an hour wait in Derby. Worked it all out and discovered I needed to of left 5 minutes before! At that point Debbie said there are too many signs telling me not to go so I gave in and didn't go. I did have a good weekend with Debbie who stayed anyway which was nice but it was meant to be my first time away for two years. I've not even had a single night away from home!
It's just as well I didn't go, it swelled up again and I took him to my usual vet that afternoon, and the following day, and on the monday and am going back again tomorrow.
Hector has most definately spent all my spending money for the weekend, £160 in fact in less than a week! My vet let me off one consultancy fee when I told her bless her.
So I'm still at home and don't think I'll ever try and book anything ever again! Last time I just tried to go to London for the day I had a migraine so couldn't go. I'm not destined to leave Newbury!
I rang Anna at Wheek and Squeak who I adopted them from for advice and set up the pens next to each other so they could still see each other. Yesterday I set up another temporary pen (number 6 in my lounge!) gave them both a bath and reunited them. They were absolutely fine for the first 5 minutes, just like they'd never been apart. Then the teeth chattering started and my heart sank. They were on and off for a couple of hours, not going for each other just all noise. They finally settled until I took Hector out that evening for his meds and they started off again when I put him back in, just as I was about to go to bed! They did settle down again so I left them together over night. Well this morning I've but them back into their original house and Hector started popcorning, there was a mad charging round from both of them, clearly happy to be home, they had breakfast together and have settled down to sleep.
Fingers crossed it stays that way.
So that was the week that was.
Thanks for listening (if you're still with me and my dramas!)
Has anyone ever experienced pigs falling out when one's not well?
