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Vets Or Not?

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piggilies

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One of my piggies hasn't been quite well for a couple of days. She has lost some weight (not drastically, but she was never a large pig) and has had some wet poos. Not full diarrhoea, it has ranged between normal shape and size poos which have just been too wet and very small or very thin poos that almost look as if there is an obstruction causing them to be extruded through a smaller hole (I have checked, nothing visible, and she is also able to pass normal size poos, just not all the time).

She seems to have gone off eating hay but is drinking normally and eating pellets (going to the bowl regularly and is clearly successfully eating the pellets, not dropping them), she is still super eager for fresh veggies but I have now stopped giving them due to the diarrhoea (much to her and her cage-mate's disgust!).

She isn't as active as normal and where she sits still she is often positioned with her face inside a tunnel or hidey, or very close to the side wall of the cage. Could this indicate a problem with her teeth/mouth? (She is letting me touch her jaw and feel her mouth from the outside) I changed their pellets to a different flavour about when she started being unwell, could this have upset her stomach?

She is letting me pick her up and touch her without any signs of pain and she is tolerating me wiping her bottom from where she is getting her soft poos stuck in her long hair.

Every time I think it's time to go to the vets, she rallies and comes over to chat, starts eating again, or does normal looking poos. I last gave fresh veggies last night, stopped this morning after reading that no veg is the best initial treatment for diarrhoea, how long should I leave it to see if this helps before making the call to go to the vets? I have ordered some critical care to syringe feed if needed to top up diet, but that won't arrive until tomorrow.
 
have you looked at her teeth?
usually if the front ones are slanted means there is a problem further back.
cut out all veggies for a bit aswel, she needs to eat hay as this helps keeping teeth trimmed and a healthy digestive tract....a vet check up wouldnt be a bad idea though
 
Hi!

Keeping her off veggies is a good idea until her stools return completely to normal.

This could be an upset stomach due to change of pellets, which should be done gradually, but it will be a judgement call on your part if you are happy this is the cause. If in doubt, see a vet- certainly wont do any harm!

Please weigh her daily at the moment to make sure she is eating enough in general. Offering some pellets everynow and again may he worthwhile- she could like them so much; shes stuffing her face with them and upsetting her stomach, and in turn eating less hay.

If she is losing weight please step in with syringe feeding

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

I hope she picks up soon, if not then best see a vet x
 
Thank you to both of you for your thoughts. I've been sat watching her all morning and she has now started nibbling some hay. I will check her teeth later, I don't want to break with her usual routine of out time when she has just started taking an interest in hay.

I wasn't happy to do a sudden change of pellets either but had completely run out of their usual brand and the ones sent were not the ones described when ordered! However, the girls seemed to love them so stuck with them - perhaps she loves them too much!
 
:DI agree with @Adelle . It sounds like the sudden change in pellets has upset her tummy. Just give her a very few at a time. I recently bought some new pellets and gave all my girls just a few each, along with their usual brand. Shortly afterwards, Aspen and Cedar started doing very soft sticky poops that I had not seen them doing before. All the other girls were fine. If the teeth are the problem, your Vet will be able to get a good look at the molars with his special instruments.
 
Update: I have just checked her again and found her chin swollen and distended. It doesn't seem to cause her pain if I touch it as she tolerated me feeling around the extent of it. It feels fluid filled and definitely wasn't there, or at least noticeably there, yesterday.
I suspect an abscess and was just in time to book an appointment as soon as the vets open tomorrow.

Is there anything I can do for her until then? She is still drinking and eating some pellets, her poos seem to have solidified again so should I offer her favourite veg to encourage her to eat? Or pellet mash? I want to make sure she's strong enough to overcome this.
 
piggilies said:
One of my piggies hasn't been quite well for a couple of days. She has lost some weight (not drastically, but she was never a large pig) and has had some wet poos. Not full diarrhoea, it has ranged between normal shape and size poos which have just been too wet and very small or very thin poos that almost look as if there is an obstruction causing them to be extruded through a smaller hole (I have checked, nothing visible, and she is also able to pass normal size poos, just not all the time).

She seems to have gone off eating hay but is drinking normally and eating pellets (going to the bowl regularly and is clearly successfully eating the pellets, not dropping them), she is still super eager for fresh veggies but I have now stopped giving them due to the diarrhoea (much to her and her cage-mate's disgust!).

She isn't as active as normal and where she sits still she is often positioned with her face inside a tunnel or hidey, or very close to the side wall of the cage. Could this indicate a problem with her teeth/mouth? (She is letting me touch her jaw and feel her mouth from the outside) I changed their pellets to a different flavour about when she started being unwell, could this have upset her stomach?

She is letting me pick her up and touch her without any signs of pain and she is tolerating me wiping her bottom from where she is getting her soft poos stuck in her long hair.

Every time I think it's time to go to the vets, she rallies and comes over to chat, starts eating again, or does normal looking poos. I last gave fresh veggies last night, stopped this morning after reading that no veg is the best initial treatment for diarrhoea, how long should I leave it to see if this helps before making the call to go to the vets? I have ordered some critical care to syringe feed if needed to top up diet, but that won't arrive until tomorrow.
Click to expand...

A change in eating habits is usually a sign that something is not right. I can be a dental or a pain issue.

Please weigh her daily at the same time to monitor her food intake/weight. Step in with topping up with syringe feed as soon as she loses more than 30-50g from one day to another. You can always give mushed up pellets in an emergency.

It is difficult when you are an observant owner and there is not yet any clear symptom, but if you can see a piggy savvy vet, he may hopefully get an idea as to what could be wrong.
 
Well we have just had a lovely few hours spoon feeding pellet mash and having lots of cuddles! She is now revelling in the attention of being hand fed an entire carrot so she definitely has lots of fight left in her ahead of our trip to the vets tomorrow!
 
how did she get on at the vets? what was it ... all sorted i hope? fingers crossed for a speedy recovery anyway. xx
 
To update: We went to the vets this morning, it isn't an abscess or swelling from teeth problems, it is excess fluid. She has been diagnosed with kidney failure. We are at home now, trying to increase her protein levels as she is still getting a lot from life and isn't ready to go yet but we are definitely at the palliative care stage.

Having researched more about the early signs of poor kidney function I am increasingly sure that she has always had low kidney function and only now has it reached the point of overwhelming her system, as many of the things I had thought were just quirks of her character can also be early kidney problem indicators. She was a rescue pig with a known history of neglect, so I'll never know if it was a consequence of her early life, something congenital, or just plain unlucky but I do know she and her cage-mate have had a wonderful life here as even though her condition must be making her feel down, she is still enjoying attention and companionship and relishing her favourite foods.

Thank you to everyone who has suggested different ways to help her, unfortunately there is nothing more we can do but make her happy
 
I'm sorry to hear it isn't good news. As you have said yourself, the important thing now is to give her a good quality of life.
 
Huge hugs.Am so sorry.She has had and is still having a great life with you.You took her in and gave her a wonderful life.
 
Hi there!

I'm sorry you havent had good news.. May i ask how your vet diagnosed kidney failure? Fluid build up under the skin (oedema) can be due to a variety of struggling organs i.e liver or heart, not just kidneys. The treatment for all of them is predominantly pallative care, but the heart and sometimes liver can be managed with meds in the short term. Kidneg failure can only definately be diagnosed by checking the Urea and Creatinine levels of a blood sample, but a urine sample can also be checked for these levels. Although not as informative as a blood sample, an idea of kidney function can still be read from the urine.

Has she been prescribed diuretics? These can be prescribed in the event of fluid collection in the body, although at a low dose if kidney failure has been confirmed.

If she is painful, your vet can prescribe metacam to make her more comfortable- this drug isnt great for the kidneys, but quality of life is more important than quantity.

Offering extra watery veg to keep her hydrated and toxins flushed out will help her feel a bit better.

I'm sorry if I'm overloading you with info, i know you must of already had alot thrown at you. Just wanted to give you more info incase there is something you can try.

All the best x
 
Sorry to hear it wasn't better news for you. Time to just make her as comfy and happy as possible and to treasure every minute. Hugs x
 
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