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Very worried, Olivia peed blood!

We had a piggy respond very dramatically after an opioid injection - I forget the name but it started with bus I think? It was a small dose and not unreasonable for her situation, our vets are very experienced, but she reacted almost as if she’d been under general anaesthetic, it was scary seeing her like that - the lights were on but no one was home kind of thing- but she did recover. I think we had to help her eat by offering her different things and reminding her that food was there as she seems so vacant. We maybe kept her bedding clean where she didn’t move much. The vet said pigs can react differently to these drugs and such a strong reaction is unusual but I guess not unheard of. they made a note on her records to not give her that again.

Do speak to them if you’re worried as it may be something else and not normal, but I wanted to share our experience. I can’t remember if it was a day or two before Winnie bounced back but she did.

All the best - sounds like a stressful time .
 
Ps this was the thread in case helpful Slightly off behaviour- should I be worried? and the opioid bit is from April 7 2025. Looks like it took her a few days to recover from that, and we gave her syringe feed.

The drug was buprelieve. They vets reckoned that the funny leg jerk she did after was related to that too. It passed and never happened again.
 
Sorry to hear about Olivia, keeping everything crossed for you.

Was it buprenorphine she was given? I personally try to avoid this where possible because it does totally knock them out - almost like a sedative.

Is she pooping now?

Id try and tempt her with some of her favourite veg and then support feed when she is a bit more alert after the injection has worn off. Have they given you gut stimulants?
 
Hi everyone, thank you so much for all the good vibes — I really hope I can share some good news soon 🤍

Thanks for your message Lucy, it really helped. I’ve read a few similar stories on the forum and it does feel like that’s where we are right now. Olivia has brief moments where she will eat a tiny bit of parsley on her own, very slowly. She wants to eat hay — you can see the instinct is there — but her body is like it’s stuck in a deep slumber. The “lights are on but nobody’s home” analogy is exactly it.


I’m trying to syringe feed Critical Care, but I’m really struggling — I can barely get even 1 ml per session, often much less. I’m happy to keep going like this through the night if that’s the right thing to do, but I’m worried: how long can she safely stay like this, barely eating, if the opioid effects last so long?


I’m planning to call the vet again tomorrow if there’s no improvement, to see if there’s another way to support feeding.


Another concern is that I haven’t seen any poop or pee since this morning — I assume because she’s not eating enough. Oddly, she has gained a bit of weight since this morning, which I don’t fully understand.

Before today, she already had a combination of bladder pain (sediment/sludge) and gut slowdown (mushy poop). What I’m struggling to understand is: if she’s now not really eating, how can her gut improve? We were given a gut stimulant, but the vet said not to use it until her poop is “normal” again — but how do we get back to normal poop if she’s in this sedated, barely-eating state?

Has anyone been through something similar with opioids? Is this level of sedation normal, and how long did it take for your pig to become responsive enough to eat properly again?


Any advice or reassurance would really mean a lot right now. 🙏
 
AnxiousPigOwner said:
Sorry to hear about Olivia, keeping everything crossed for you.

Was it buprenorphine she was given? I personally try to avoid this where possible because it does totally knock them out - almost like a sedative.

Is she pooping now?

Id try and tempt her with some of her favourite veg and then support feed when she is a bit more alert after the injection has worn off. Have they given you gut stimulants?
Click to expand...
Hello! It’s called Buprelieve, I think I understand why they gave it to her but not sure if they ynderstimated how potent it is. They injected her with gut stimulant and gave is some for home use, but told us to give it to her only when we see normal poop again. So now I am stuck in the loop from my reply just above 😭
 
That’s the same drug I think- buprelieve is the brand name.

Others here may have advice re the gut stimulants and eating. I have been given motility drugs when a (different) piggy lost most of their appetite and had funny poos, but I know each situation is different. Others here should know more about that.
 
MartiDavi said:
Hi everyone, thank you so much for all the good vibes — I really hope I can share some good news soon 🤍

Thanks for your message Lucy, it really helped. I’ve read a few similar stories on the forum and it does feel like that’s where we are right now. Olivia has brief moments where she will eat a tiny bit of parsley on her own, very slowly. She wants to eat hay — you can see the instinct is there — but her body is like it’s stuck in a deep slumber. The “lights are on but nobody’s home” analogy is exactly it.


I’m trying to syringe feed Critical Care, but I’m really struggling — I can barely get even 1 ml per session, often much less. I’m happy to keep going like this through the night if that’s the right thing to do, but I’m worried: how long can she safely stay like this, barely eating, if the opioid effects last so long?


I’m planning to call the vet again tomorrow if there’s no improvement, to see if there’s another way to support feeding.


Another concern is that I haven’t seen any poop or pee since this morning — I assume because she’s not eating enough. Oddly, she has gained a bit of weight since this morning, which I don’t fully understand.

Before today, she already had a combination of bladder pain (sediment/sludge) and gut slowdown (mushy poop). What I’m struggling to understand is: if she’s now not really eating, how can her gut improve? We were given a gut stimulant, but the vet said not to use it until her poop is “normal” again — but how do we get back to normal poop if she’s in this sedated, barely-eating state?

Has anyone been through something similar with opioids? Is this level of sedation normal, and how long did it take for your pig to become responsive enough to eat properly again?


Any advice or reassurance would really mean a lot right now. 🙏
Click to expand...
Not sure I understand the logic of waiting to give the gut stimulant when her poops have returned to normal?

Is this your normal vet or emergency vet advice?

I would always advise to follow your vets advice but I would be inclined to double check that.

Poops are 2 days behind, how was her food intake 2 days ago? If you have any probiotic may be try sprinkling some on some lettuce or something to see if that helps.

She needs the support feed, but I would be careful administering it if shes not fully with it. Does she chew it when you give it to her?

I personally would also try some fibreplex if you have any (but again maybe check with your vet).

How long has it been since she was given the bupe?

On the sludge side - when she is feeling a bit better, id have another chat with your vet to work out a plan of action for this. My senior piggie has had 2 sludge flares over the past 6 months and its really important to make sure she has plenty of fluids. I syringe bottled water (Volvic) 2-3ml at a time every few hours to top her up (never force it), give cystease to help bladder protection and also started potassium citrate which apparently helps with stopping any new sludge from binding.

Good luck x
 
I do agree with you — that’s exactly what’s confusing me. It was an exotic vet who said that, but not her usual vet (they’re on holiday), and I don’t really understand the logic of waiting to use the gut stimulant.


It feels like she needs help now, especially since she’s barely eating and hasn’t pooped. I’m struggling to understand how we’re supposed to get back to normal poop without supporting the gut first. At the moment it feels a bit like we’re stuck in a loop.

So yes, I’m definitely planning to double check this with the vet again tomorrow because right now I feel a bit helpless and not fully confident in the strategy.
 
AnxiousPigOwner said:
Not sure I understand the logic of waiting to give the gut stimulant when her poops have returned to normal?

Is this your normal vet or emergency vet advice?

I would always advise to follow your vets advice but I would be inclined to double check that.

Poops are 2 days behind, how was her food intake 2 days ago? If you have any probiotic may be try sprinkling some on some lettuce or something to see if that helps.

She needs the support feed, but I would be careful administering it if shes not fully with it. Does she chew it when you give it to her?

I personally would also try some fibreplex if you have any (but again maybe check with your vet).

How long has it been since she was given the bupe?

On the sludge side - when she is feeling a bit better, id have another chat with your vet to work out a plan of action for this. My senior piggie has had 2 sludge flares over the past 6 months and its really important to make sure she has plenty of fluids. I syringe bottled water (Volvic) 2-3ml at a time every few hours to top her up (never force it), give cystease to help bladder protection and also started potassium citrate which apparently helps with stopping any new sludge from binding.

Good luck x
Click to expand...

Hi! I'm Olivia's pig dad.
Thank you so much for your message.
About giving support food: when Olivia has it in her mouth she starts chewing. But it's like we have to wake her up every 10-20 seconds.
Also she is eating parsley, slowly but eagerly. Hope this gives a clearer picture.

The buprelieve injection was 11 hours ago. I've found a few threads here with people saying the heavy drowsiness lasted for at least one day.

At this point we are taking it a minute at a time really, any help is extremely appreciated!
 
MartiDavi said:
Hi everyone, thank you so much for all the good vibes — I really hope I can share some good news soon 🤍

Thanks for your message Lucy, it really helped. I’ve read a few similar stories on the forum and it does feel like that’s where we are right now. Olivia has brief moments where she will eat a tiny bit of parsley on her own, very slowly. She wants to eat hay — you can see the instinct is there — but her body is like it’s stuck in a deep slumber. The “lights are on but nobody’s home” analogy is exactly it.


I’m trying to syringe feed Critical Care, but I’m really struggling — I can barely get even 1 ml per session, often much less. I’m happy to keep going like this through the night if that’s the right thing to do, but I’m worried: how long can she safely stay like this, barely eating, if the opioid effects last so long?


I’m planning to call the vet again tomorrow if there’s no improvement, to see if there’s another way to support feeding.


Another concern is that I haven’t seen any poop or pee since this morning — I assume because she’s not eating enough. Oddly, she has gained a bit of weight since this morning, which I don’t fully understand.

Before today, she already had a combination of bladder pain (sediment/sludge) and gut slowdown (mushy poop). What I’m struggling to understand is: if she’s now not really eating, how can her gut improve? We were given a gut stimulant, but the vet said not to use it until her poop is “normal” again — but how do we get back to normal poop if she’s in this sedated, barely-eating state?

Has anyone been through something similar with opioids? Is this level of sedation normal, and how long did it take for your pig to become responsive enough to eat properly again?


Any advice or reassurance would really mean a lot right now. 🙏
Click to expand...

HUGS
I am so sorry for the dramatic downturn at the worst time possible.

Opioids can really knock out piggies badly. You just have to wait and see. Since you do not know the make and strength, not factoring in the individual reaction, it is impossible to make a prognosis, I am very sorry to say. :(

Please remember that the gut is like a big conveyor belt and that the poo output is running 1-2 days behind the food intake. What you are seeing now reflects her food intake over the weekend. Hold your ear to the gut. If it is burbling like normal, then it is working. What you don't want to get is silent gut. Listen first to the belly of a healthy companion for comparison.

So please don't panic and keep on feeding and watering to keep up her strength.
 
Wiebke said:
HUGS
I am so sorry for the dramatic downturn at the worst time possible.

Opioids can really knock out piggies badly. You just have to wait and see. Since you do not know the make and strength, not factoring in the individual reaction, it is impossible to make a prognosis, I am very sorry to say. :(

Please remember that the gut is like a big conveyor belt and that the poo output is running 1-2 days behind the food intake. What you are seeing now reflects her food intake over the weekend. Hold your ear to the gut. If it is burbling like normal, then it is working. What you don't want to get is silent gut. Listen first to the belly of a healthy companion for comparison.

So please don't panic and keep on feeding and watering to keep up her strength.
Click to expand...

Hi Wiebke,
So good to hear from you.

Oliva was checked at the vet today, breathing, heart and guts all sounded fine, the gut was not perfect but working. She has had some hay and critical care around the clock, tho in small sessions, so hopefully we are not looking at immediate gut stasis.

The opioids was Buprelieve, but unfortunately I don't know the dose. It was calculated on Olivia's weight tho.

In the last hour or so she started hooting, she used to hoot a lot due to a bone growth in one of her nostrils, but in this context is scary.
 
Martina did a test that Olivia's previous vet taught us, by closing one nostril at a time, and if the hooting stops then is supposedly localized in the nostril. Perhaps is just some hay dust that she's picked up as she laid flat all day since the opioid
 
Davide said:
Martina did a test that Olivia's previous vet taught us, by closing one nostril at a time, and if the hooting stops then is supposedly localized in the nostril. Perhaps is just some hay dust that she's picked up as she laid flat all day since the opioid
Click to expand...
Fingers crossed that's it - makes sense if she has been a bit dopey and face planted her hay.

I think for me personally, while she is dopey, id be giving maybe 0.4ml of feed, waiting 5 mins, then do another 0.4ml then wait 5 minutes and repeat until you've done 5ml. Give her an hour or so break and then repeat.

If you hold her water bottle in front of her does she drink out of it?

Some poop soup might also help if you have any other pigs with healthy poops.

Olivia sounds like a lucky girl with such a caring mum and dad.
 
Thanks everyone for your answers. We are trying everythibg we can tbh I think poop soup might be the next step.

For now we are trying to siringe feed her but it’s really slow. She is unable to take more than 1 ml per session right now, and a bit of forced water too. I am giving her 30 minutes break than start again. Sometime, as Davide said, she will eat some parsley too. Her body is definitely not helping her yet. I am just hoping we are not stressing her much with this routine and that I can start give her ar least 4ml if critical care per time soon.

The nostril’s sound has stopped and breathing is steady.
 
MartiDavi said:
Thanks everyone for your answers. We are trying everythibg we can tbh I think poop soup might be the next step.

For now we are trying to siringe feed her but it’s really slow. She is unable to take more than 1 ml per session right now, and a bit of forced water too. I am giving her 30 minutes break than start again. Sometime, as Davide said, she will eat some parsley too. Her body is definitely not helping her yet. I am just hoping we are not stressing her much with this routine and that I can start give her ar least 4ml if critical care per time soon.

The nostril’s sound has stopped and breathing is steady.
Click to expand...

Try to get at least 40 ml into her over 24 hours or as close as you can come.

It is good that the breathing has eased. It is most like a side effect of her lying face down in the hay. There is no proven link to heart issues, not even from long term hooting. Short term is in our long term experience a minor nasal obstruction, like a spec of hay, dust or pollen.

I am keeping my fingers very firmly crossed for Olivia.
 
Update after the night: me and Martina took turns in syringe feeding and watering, each session was between 1.5ml and 3ml of critical care, so we could only give her short breaks of 15-20 minutes.
Olivia had moments during the night when she was a chewing a bit more energetically, and had a good amount of parsley.
In the last 2-3 hours she struggled a bit more, chewing less and more slowly.
She has a better posture compared to yesterday evening, doesn't drag her legs as much and her head is more raised, but she is still very dozed and the breathing is a bit slower than yesterday evening (around 50 breaths per minute).

She had the opioid injection yesterday at 10am, so it's close to 24 hours since.

Her weight this morning is 30g less than yesterday morning before the opioid, which I assume is not too bad considering the situation?

I am wondering if there's any point in bringing her to the vet again. All I read is that what we're seeing with the opioid is not unusual, and I'm not sure what else the vet could do at this stage. Plus I'm afraid the trip could upset her, and she couldn't have around the clock care for the time that we are there.

I'm thinking the only thing that makes sense right now is to keep feeding her constantly and to wait for the opioid effect to wear off, hopefully we should be getting close to it, and then take it from there?

Thanks everyone for all your replies, it's invaluable to feel your support in these moments!
 
Well done, sounds exhausting for you both. Glad she may be perking up a bit and that’s good she’s eating a bit more enthusiastically. If you’re worried about the stress of a visit, would they offer phone advice if you emailed or left a message? Just to check in and reassure you if nothing else. Are you seeing poos? You’re doing really well, Hopefully shall settle soon and you can catch up on sleep etc!
 
Thanks for all your input so far. I just spoke to the vet on the phone. I explained what I shared here—how the night went, that we’re managing only around 1 ml of Critical Care at a time, taking breaks, and that she’s slightly more alert—lifting her head a bit, even refusing Critical Care at times, almost like she wants something else. But she still can’t actually eat the hay or veggies on her own. I did see a blob of poop (which I expected), and she’s peeing—but this morning there was a bit of blood again.


The vet said the opioid (they insist) should have worn off yesterday afternoon, so they’re concerned she’s still sedated. They suggested hospitalization so a nurse can do the same feeding we’re doing, but I told them I’m already doing that at home. For now, they said we need to watch closely, and if she’s still sedated this afternoon, they’d want to see her again.


So I’m wondering what you all think. Based on your experiences, what could the vet actually do at this stage if she stays like this? Is the best course of action to just remain patient and keep getting as much Critical Care in as possible, or is there something else I should be asking them for?
 
Davide said:
Update after the night: me and Martina took turns in syringe feeding and watering, each session was between 1.5ml and 3ml of critical care, so we could only give her short breaks of 15-20 minutes.
Olivia had moments during the night when she was a chewing a bit more energetically, and had a good amount of parsley.
In the last 2-3 hours she struggled a bit more, chewing less and more slowly.
She has a better posture compared to yesterday evening, doesn't drag her legs as much and her head is more raised, but she is still very dozed and the breathing is a bit slower than yesterday evening (around 50 breaths per minute).

She had the opioid injection yesterday at 10am, so it's close to 24 hours since.

Her weight this morning is 30g less than yesterday morning before the opioid, which I assume is not too bad considering the situation?

I am wondering if there's any point in bringing her to the vet again. All I read is that what we're seeing with the opioid is not unusual, and I'm not sure what else the vet could do at this stage. Plus I'm afraid the trip could upset her, and she couldn't have around the clock care for the time that we are there.

I'm thinking the only thing that makes sense right now is to keep feeding her constantly and to wait for the opioid effect to wear off, hopefully we should be getting close to it, and then take it from there?

Thanks everyone for all your replies, it's invaluable to feel your support in these moments!
Click to expand...

BIG HUGS

You are doing a wonderful job. The best way is to ring the clinic for advice because they have the training to judge the symptoms and the medical implications much better than any of us can and advise you on what can be done. We can help you with practical tips for home care but this needs to be under veterinary supervision.

They have dispensed the opiate after all, and they have an obligation to deal with any complications arising from their actions.
 
Olivia is really not chewing anything now, it's really an uphill battle. How concerned should we be with good in her mouth from not swallowing? Can we still gently and slowly syringe water in this case?
I am about to prepare poo soup with Ginny's poo.

She's seeing the exotic vet in 3 hours, I don't know what options we have at this stage but we're doing all we can. She's my special piggie, a one in a million piggie. I was hoping we could get more time with her. She's 4.5 now, and been with us for 3 years
 
Sorry to hear this, you are doing all you can. I hope she rallies soon. I don’t know enough to advise on the water situation but others should.
 
What an awful situation to be in. Haven't the vets got any sooner emergency appointments?
 
Davide said:
Olivia is really not chewing anything now, it's really an uphill battle. How concerned should we be with good in her mouth from not swallowing? Can we still gently and slowly syringe water in this case?
I am about to prepare poo soup with Ginny's poo.

She's seeing the exotic vet in 3 hours, I don't know what options we have at this stage but we're doing all we can. She's my special piggie, a one in a million piggie. I was hoping we could get more time with her. She's 4.5 now, and been with us for 3 years
Click to expand...

HUGS

I am very sorry. You are really doing all you can.

If Olivia is given a further chance and she is showing signs of dehydration, your vet will give her a subcutaneous fluid injection in order to prevent dehydration. This is not an aspect you need to worry about right now.

My heart goes out to you and my fingers are very firmly crossed for Olivia.
 
Hello everyone, thanks for all your replies. We called back and we flying to the vet now, but not really sure what we can do as Olivia is not doing really well. Will keep you posted!
 
Olivia is back from the vet!

The vet offered another opioid injection today to manage the pain, but also offered as a slightly milder alternative oral tramadol, which we opted for, considering how badly Olivia reacted to the injection yesterday.
On top of this, she's getting paracetamol and increased dosage of gabapentin. We were also told to temporarily stop the metacam as it's dangerous for a piggie that is struggling to get enough hydration.

So the plan is to limit the pain enough so she can stabilize and start eating and drinking on her own again. It's a long shot but it is what it is.

We also talked with this vet about the bladder problem itself. This vet today mentioned surgery being maybe necessary, but her usual vet (who's on holiday) always proposed that she should pass the very small calcium bits she has by herself, while urinating.
She had 2 X-rays in 2 weeks, the last one 4 days ago. Both vets said she doesn't have stones, but very small calcium bits. You can see the individual tiny dots on the X-rays very well.

I am wondering now if the problem was maybe underestimated by her usual vet, and we should have tried surgery when Olivia was in pretty good shape. Oh, the "shoulds".

Olivia is definitely too weak now for a surgery, and my understanding is that is a very risky one even before considering the overall health of the piggie.
We're trying to take this one minute at a time, but after today I'm also more scared about the long term aspect of this. Poor Olivia.
 
I dont know much about bladder flushing, but I have heard of it being done. I wonder if it could be an option here. A vet would do the flushing.
 
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