• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Ugent Advice Please, Vets At 10:10

Status
Not open for further replies.
MerryPip said:
I am a firm believer that pigs know well before we do when it's the end and I've often seen them ignore a poorly, dying piggy as they've already said their goodbyes so whatever you choose be sure your girls knew he wasn't well and they will grieve in their own way.

I hope it all goes as well as these things can.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. Just before I took my Benny to the vets to be pts, I put him back in his cage with Jerry (he had been temporarily staying in a separate cage so that I could keep a closer eye on him), but Jerry wouldn't go near him. They had previously been close, but I think Jerry knew that Benny was very ill before I separated them and so knew that he wouldn't be getting better.

@Toffeewoffee Huge hugs xx
 
Morning all, Just thought i would update you all, i hope you agree with my decision.

Lily seems a little brighter this morning, he is more alert and is still interested in food, he is in his own cage now which has a covered hot water bottle at one end and a big pile of hay at the other. He is still not right and his breathing is still rapid, but while he is showing slight chances of improvement and willingness to eat and being inquisitive i am not giving up on him. I dont believe he is suffering or in any real pain, and while this is the case i am going to persevere, i have been in this situation with him before and nearly had him PTS, (2 years ago exactly co-insidently, not sure what it is about January that he doesn't like, perhaps the new year blues?)

I hope you will all support me in this decision, but please know that if at any point i believe he is seriously suffering, I will do what i need to do. x
 
Chloe this is great news! There is every chance he can pull through. I really hope he makes it. Come on lily.
 
Just keep doing what you're doing. If he's happy and not in distress then there is nothing wrong with keeping caring for him at home. That way he can be happy and comfortable.

He'll let you know when he's had enough. Hugs to you and him. x
 
I think everyone on this forum knows you wouldn't let any of your pigs suffer - I'm so pleased to hear he's looking a bit better and that you're giving him a fighting chance! Fingers crossed for him!
 
Well yesterday i had made the decision to have him PTS, and everyone agreed it sounded like the right thing to do, so i didn't want anyone to think i was being selfish. x
 
Toffeewoffee said:
Well yesterday i had made the decision to have him PTS, and everyone agreed it sounded like the right thing to do, so i didn't want anyone to think i was being selfish. x
Click to expand...

Chloe, you are his mum and you know your boy. No one on this forum would allow an animal to suffer, but while there is still hope, and even a slight chance that he may recover, then you should give him the opportunity to fight back. He will tell you when it's his time to go xx
 
Toffeewoffee said:
Well yesterday i had made the decision to have him PTS, and everyone agreed it sounded like the right thing to do, so i didn't want anyone to think i was being selfish. x
Click to expand...

It's hard not to be sometimes and we wouldn't think any less of you, we all just want that precious extra time with our little ones but we know you wouldn't be letting him suffer for it.

Chin up and enjoy time with him. It's so very special.
 
Thank you all, I am overwhelmed by all of the love & support. He was one of my first piggies, I still have his daughter Minnie (who turned 5 this week) and he is my only boar, so gentle and loving he has a special space in my heart. Xx
 
Toffeewoffee said:
Well yesterday i had made the decision to have him PTS, and everyone agreed it sounded like the right thing to do, so i didn't want anyone to think i was being selfish. x
Click to expand...
You know him better than anyone, and i'm sure when the time is right you will make the decision.
When we went to the vets with Rosie, i was expecting them to give me to option to pts based on her symptoms (a massive weight gain 140g over 4 days). This didn't happen and we took her home and nursed her for the 4 days before she passed- she continued eating right up until the end and would eat her pellet mush off a spoon- no fighting. At any point had she stopped eating completely we would have taken her in, we made the most of her final days by having her here and ensuring she was comfortable.
I hope he will continue to improve x
 
We have this anytime we have a piggy ill and we always look at their eyes. Everytime they have had a sparkle in them even though they have been ill they have pulled through. With Sunshine when she went down hill very quickly we spent a night with me cuddling her and she just looked at me and the twinkle had gone. Although it hurt it was the right decision to have her PTS. With Junior she went quickly in minutes from heart failure and again the brightness was gone and the same with Moon. With Junior we didnt have the chance to respond, with Moon we had treated her for a recurrence of a URI but she wasnt responding and she went in the night as comfortable as we could make her. By having them indoors you have a better understanding of how they are and whether they have the strength to fight.
 
It was the same with my Bella, she had rapid breathing, she was diagnosed with a URI, went to give her the medicine, when she died in my hands. :(
 
As the others have said, only you can make the decision & you know him better than anyone, you will know when the time comes. you don't need to justify yourself to us on here. He will let you know when he is ready.
In the meantime enjoy & cherish all the time you have with him, as long as he has a good quality of life & no pain or suffering make the most of it.
He will fight his way through it if he can, but if not he will know you gave him the best chance, you loved him & cared for him.

I hope he continues to improve, sending healing vibes for him from the girls & I, & a little ol' hug for you too. Take care. xx
 
Rapid breathing and lethargy can also be a sign of pain - metacam at normal doses might not cut the mustard. This will also affect food intake/weight and it can be quite dramatic. Tia lost almost 100g overnight and was clearly in pain when eating even mushed pellets- it was a severe ear infection with a ruptured eardrum.....once she got pain relief her breathing and weight returned to normal.
I have had some pigs on higher doses of metacam plus tramadol for effective pain relief, particularly in "terminal" situations such as kidney stones, tumours...when they do slow down but still remain lively enough at veggie time..and they have spend many more happy months until it was time to go to the Bridge.

Might be worthwhle reviewing pain meds with the a cavy savvy vet

Hugs - thoughts are with you, it's never an easy decision.
x
 
Thank you all.

Todays update, Lily is definitely looking brighter, he has his strong willpower back, though his breathing is still fast, i am sure it is starting to very slowly slow down again (unless i am just getting so used to seeing it) So i dearly hope we could be getting better *fingers crossed* He has been very affectionate and loving, clingy for want of a better word. After his 7pm syringe feed slot last night i had him snuggled up in a thick warm fleece blanket on my lap for well over an hour while i watched Birds of a Feather and Benidorm :)) he was like a little hot water bottle and still didn't want to wake up bless him.

Still a looooooog way to go, but i am hoping he will recover, i dont believe he will ever be my old Lily again, but I hope he can still carry on a happy life and be re-introduced to the girls, I cant help but feel cruel for having him on his own, he has never been on his own, but the girls seem fine on their own and incase he doesn't recover i dont want to re-introduce him again and confuse everyone. Some advice on what to do here would be good?

@Pebble what metcam dose have you given in the past for extreme circumstances? Just so i know what to discuss with the vet, I would be worried about giving him a higher dose with his weight at approx 800g, i was told 2 drops once a day but I have been giving it at 1 drop twice a day, in the morning when i leave for work so that he is comfortable, and at night before i go to bed. Thank you for the advice. Xx
 
Just sending support - it sounds like you are going through a very hard time. x
 
I am not going to say i am enjoying it, but i am very glad he is still here, and at the moment i am thanking my lucky stars that i went with my heart and didn't have him PTS. Thank you xx
 
Toffeewoffee said:
I am not going to say i am enjoying it, but i am very glad he is still here, and at the moment i am thanking my lucky stars that i went with my heart and didn't have him PTS. Thank you xx
Click to expand...
It is very difficult nursing a poorly pig especially when you know the prognosis isn't likely to be good. Rosie was said to have an abdominal mass so we took her home, with heat pads, spoon feeding, metacam and cuddles we made her as comfy as possible.
Over those last few days she became even closer to us, even taking water from a syringe which she normally hated.
Cherish every moment x
 
I am very nearly out of Critical Care, I need to get some more, I have been using Oxbow, but have heard the Supreme recovery is also quite good, which would you recommend? x
 
Toffeewoffee said:
I am very nearly out of Critical Care, I need to get some more, I have been using Oxbow, but have heard the Supreme recovery is also quite good, which would you recommend? x
Click to expand...
Depends on your piggy really. Many people prefer the critical care but my lads won't eat it which has resulted in some overly late discharges from the vet cos they won't eat (only because they don't like the food!) They prefer the Supreme recovery as it is made by Science selective the same as their pellets! Not much difference in other ways I don't think.
 
Well Lily has been eating the Oxbow voluntarily most of the time and not putting up a fight when it is being forced, so i will stick to that, i suppose the last thing he needs is a change in the food he is getting. I have also been giving harringtons optimum mixed with porridge oats mush too, hoping the oats will help him gain weight and give him some energy. x
 
Toffeewoffee said:
Thank you all.


@Pebble what metcam dose have you given in the past for extreme circumstances? Just so i know what to discuss with the vet, I would be worried about giving him a higher dose with his weight at approx 800g, i was told 2 drops once a day but I have been giving it at 1 drop twice a day, in the morning when i leave for work so that he is comfortable, and at night before i go to bed. Thank you for the advice. Xx
Click to expand...

Dog or cat?

I will PM you Ginger's current regime.

x
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top