Urgent help needed....

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jane28

Can someone help me please?

Bigbum really is not well. He isnt moving a lot and has gone completely off his food. Vedra has said to feed him more often and more food and water but he is refusing more than 5ml of food.

I can afford anymore treatment and i cant expect Toddyguineapig to nurse him back to health just in case he doesnt make it (she has offered a home)...

I am way out of my depth here and taking him down the CCT today is out of the question as i cant make it now as its too late for me and i cant do another 4 - 5 hour round trip.

He and the others need a rescue place or somewhere where they can get professional help.

I am so worried about him and apart from feeding him more which he is refusing my pocket and my skills dont stretch to this kind of care.

I am crying my eyes out writing this as even though they are fosters i have come to think of them as my own and i feel terrible...

I cant even afford to have him PTS if things go worse... i feel I'm not doing enough and he is wasting away...

Can anyone in the midlands help?
 
I'll still take him Jane but have just got home myself.
Please don't feel bad about things, I've been in your position before and know how it feels, you've done loads for him and the family and if love was all it took he'd be a very healthy little man.
If anyone could please help with transporting this little family from Stafford towards suffolk I'll go as far as I can to meet you please

Jacquie :...
 
Toddyguineapig said:
I'll still take him Jane but have just got home myself.
Please don't feel bad about things, I've been in your position before and know how it feels, you've done loads for him and the family and if love was all it took he'd be a very healthy little man.
If anyone could please help with transporting this little family from Stafford towards suffolk I'll go as far as I can to meet you please

Jacquie :...
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thank you jacquie i didnt want you to think i was palming him off on you and i amso worried about him. he didnt even try and run when i picked him up. he is in my armd now having his feed. which is why i am having difficultyy writing...
 
Am I right in saying that this is the piggy that is currently being treated for mites, that you have asked on another thread for a new home a couple of days ago? I am not experienced enough to answer health queries, but could the mite treatment be upsetting this little piggy's tummy, in which case would something like bio lapsis help, usually available, or something similar locally? No 5 hour round trip. Or could you try crushing nuggets with water and syringe feeding. Until a rehome is found for this little guy, you need to keep his food/fluid intake up, which I'm sure you know already. x
 
Sorry to hear Bigbum isn't well, but if he's really that poorly then I wouldn't travel him as it's very stressful for them even if they're healthy.

If you can't get him to Vedra then can you get him to a local vet? Sounds like he needs it.

Fingers crossed for him here

Sophie
x
 
I havent any money to treat him which is the main problem. i have £40 and i can get him to the CCT but i cant now and i am working tomorrow till 3pm. I dont know what else to do he might not make it till then. I cant afford the vets and they wont let me pay later. My vet will just want me to PTS and i cant even afford that.

Yes he is on the rehoming thread as they are private fosters and he was fine a couple of days ago, a bit under the weather but was still interested in things. Today he has just gone downhill. I have no idea now. I am going to seperate himi from the others and put him in his basket under a lot of hay to get some proper rest but i have a feeling he is gong to slip away over night...

Thanks anyway for the advice... I'm just getting upset with myself...

edited to say i have been feeding him twice daily with mushy pellets about 5ml when he ws ok and water. i have just fed him 10ml and about the same in water... Its too late now for me to buy what was suggested as the vets is closed.

SOrry guys I'm trying not to get stressed...
 
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Is he still pooing Jane? he will need more than that amount of food via syringe, that isnt enough to keep his gut moving :(

I dont know what else to suggest :(
 
could you try him with something quite "simple/mushy" to eat, i.e. romaine lettuce/cucumber mashed up? or what about tempting him with parsley/mint or do you have any dandelions in the garden? Or fresh grass?
Anything to try and tempt him.
I sympathise with you. I've been in this situation where you despair as they don;t eat. If they can be tempted to eat even a little bit then at least every bit counts and might tempt them to eat more.
As mentioned in another post, perhaps it is the treatment which is putting him "out of sink" so to speak.
Hugs to you and BB.
xxxxx
 
He wont accept anymore food than 5ml so I'm doing it every 2 hours now and feeding him upto 5ml and some water. He is in a basket with lots of hay in and everytime i check on him i think he has passed on... :(

I have never had an animal die on me without my mum being there and its just reminding me that she isnt here anymore and i have to do this for my little man.

He has had one bath and was fine afterwards even perked up a bit... I was wondering if i can blend veggies and syringe them as well?
 
awww Jane, we're all here for you. keep going, you're doing your best.
 
He just wont feed now. just tried him again and he has taken a bit of water begrudgingly but refuses anymore food.

I really think its not the mites and its actually lymphoma. his lumps behind his front legs feel very large but dont know if thats because he is a bit thinner or they have grown...

THanks for the help and support guys. I might have to see if the vets can help me out with payments and see if they can work out what it is and whether its the time for him... i am going to try him again before i go to bed and also in the morning if he makes it. If he doesnt pick up then i may have to think about it. He cant go on like this one way or another :0

He has been wrapped up in a fleecy blanket in my arms watching doctor who for the past half an hour and has grown restless so he has gone back to his basket.
I think this may be it...:(
 
I'm so sorry things are not going well. It doesn't sound good and my heart is breaking for you and sweet Bigbum right now. I know how it is to be tied in terms of money, it makes it so much harder if the vet insists on immediate payment. Even if you go to have him PTS, you can request that the bill go onto your account and you will pay it as soon as you have the money to. It would be immoral for the vets to let an animal suffer, when they know the animal is suffering, just because you cannot pay the full amount upfront. My own vets didn't normally put bills onto the account, but they did it twice with us, for emergency bills of Tuppy and for the euthanisation and cremation of our dog.

Another option - have you looked into the PDSA? They may be able to treat/advise you, bearing in mind your financial situation.

Since it has come just a couple of days after his bath, I would be inclined to feel that his immune system was weakened prior to his bath and he has come down with another illness. The stress of the past week - the trip to the CCT, vet visits, bath etc. - may have just been a bit too much for him (not your fault at all, you have done everything exactly as others would have). After bathing, susceptible pigs can develop - most commonly - a respiratory infection.

Have just seen your latest post. Pigs with lymphoma die soon after diagnosis; while it is rare it has been diagnosed in numerous pigs, and all have passed within months, with and without treatment. If it is lymphoma, it is simply his time. If it's not, then he likely just has an accumulation of problems which are just too much for him.

I can only wish you and Bigbum luck. I am keeping my fingers crossed for him and hoping that he and you can find some help and peace, in one form or another. *Hugs* to you Jane. xx
 
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Thank you. I do think he has been through a lot this past week and wonder what would have happened if he didnt have his bath. He was covered in mites though and its my fault i didnt realise it in time and maybe could have prevented this. My vets didnt notice it either though and that was both of them...

His breathing is ok. Its not laboured and his eyes still have a bit of life in them i just wish he would eat and drink.

I am going to phone the vets up tomorrow though and take him in.

Thank you everyone for listening to my hysterical posts and for all your help so far...
I'm going to see this through with him whether its good or bad...:( The way he is going it does seem like he is slipping away which makes me think it is actually lymphoma...
 
It's possible, but be reassured that there's nothing that can really be done for lymphoma, that you have done everything as well as you and your vets have been able to. You have done more than most, and Bigbum has had a wonderful life with you.

The bath was the right thing to do, don't pressure yourself over it. Anyone else would have bathed their pig if they were in the same situation. I stressed myself out the same when my Tuppy developed pneumonia two years ago, she fell ill a week after I bathed her and she was very seriously ill, but luckily I managed to pull her through with the (limited) help of the vet. I blamed myself but eventually accepted that it was more likely to be just one of those things, as she was mostly dry and kept warm following the bath.

More *hugs* to you and Bigbum. I will check back as soon as I can.
 
Me again...

Can i just say thank you everyone again. i ws getting really upset that icouldnt cope with this and i am crying a lot but everyone who has given me advice and been generally lovely have turned me around into the person who thinks they can actually cope with this whether good or bad...

Lets just hope the vets take pity on me...

You lot are really a lovely bunch of people you know that?
 
Jane, I expect most of us have felt similarly at some point, it's awful when you've got a sick piggy and don't know what to do to help them. It's also too easy to blame yourself, but all you can do is what you think is best, and this is what you've done for Bigbum. If it's his time - then all you can is keep him warm and comfortable until he passes. I've sat with many a pig in my arms, and it's a comfort knowing you're there for them at the end.

Will he eat anything voluntarily - fresh grass? Anything you can tempt him with?

I really hope he makes it through the night and that you can get him to a vet tomorrow. I'm thinking of you

Sophie
x
 
Nope there is nothing he wants to try and eat, not even celery leaves which next to spinach is his favourite.:(

He is going to go into my bedroom tonight as it keeps the heat in once the heating has gone off and i will see if he is still with us in the morning...
 
Poor Bigbum and poor you...there is nothing more you can do now except tempt him to eat/drink and if he wont, just cuddle him. I had a similar situation with Lennie and he went quickly, by 2.30am :(

No one could have done more Jane and we all care and are here for you. Laura has said it all really.....

(((hugs)))

Fiona x
 
Thanks. Its not good he really isnt moving much now. His breathing a bit shorter and sharper. I dont want to move him or pick him up as he is comfy but i want to hold him as well
 
So sorry Jane. I would just make him comfortable. Sadly I do think a long journey would be too much for him. Can't suggest anything that hasn't already been discussed maybe the PDSA is an idea or another vet with a pay weekly or monthly scheme.
 
Sorry to hear he's not breathing well. I've found with mine that they don't seem aware of much by the time it gets to that point, luckily. I don't want to upset you, but they often kick a bit (like they are running) - I didn't know this and it came as a bit of a shock. Someone on here (I think it was SunshineandTwinkle) called it 'running to the bridge' which I think is a nice way of thinking of it.

If he's comfortable where he is then I would leave him, but if you'd feel happier cuddling him then do so.

Thinking of you

Sophie
x
 
SunshineAndTwinkle said:
So sorry Jane. I would just make him comfortable. Sadly I do think a long journey would be too much for him. Can't suggest anything that hasn't already been discussed maybe the PDSA is an idea or another vet with a pay weekly or monthly scheme.
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its ok thevets i can actually plead poverty with (eitehr that or i will go tothem and stage a sit in) but i dont think he is even going to make it there tomorrow. I am going to stay up with him tonight. I wont move him out of his basket but it will be beside me on the sofa.
 
Am thinking of you both Jane, let me know what happens (have just texted you - phone playing up!) so don't worry if you take him to the vet in the morning.
He's lucky to have you and if he does pass at least he's been surrounded by love

Jacquie xx
 
Aw dont your making me cry now :0.

Seriously though thank you Jacquie and i have got your text msg. I'm just checking on him every 5min, stroking him and telling him I'm there. He has flattened himself out now and is sort of in the position you tend to find piggies when they have passed away.

Sorry this is becoming a bit of a detailed "story" on here. I dont want to say "death" unless it happens. I just hope he goes quickly if he does.

The other two dont really realise he has gone and are still munching away and snuffling around. I just wish he got to go out in the garden for some sunshine and lots of grass nibbling whilst he was here. The weather has never been good enough or warm enough.
 
Thanks he has shuffled around and i am half way thinking i could syringe feed him again but he doesnt look like he would appreciate it.

I hope i can stay awake. I havent eaten since i got back ive just realised and for me thats a feat and a half.
 
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