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What Would You Do In My Position?

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my dental piggie was on zithro...... for 4 weeks and that eliminated any abcess that had started,but I'm not totally sure Sian,but good luck tomorrow with the boys.Milan is handsome,love agouti piggies.hugs to you Sian.those wives are ready and waiting!:yahoo:
 
Thank you @eileen

It's bad news for Milan tonight. He has eaten so well all day today. Over the last few weeks he's hardly touched any pellets but last night and today, he really has scoffed them down. I'd say he's eaten 10 x as many pellets on his own. But he's still lost more weight and is now down to 1kg. Can there be any other underlying causes of weight loss other than not eating enough because I've watched him so much today and he's eaten a really good amount so I really don't understand!
 
My partner has just mentioned that she read someone about the kidneys if the pig is eating but loosing weight but she can't remember where she saw it. I'm now panicking as he's been on medication for a long time now. Can anyone give any more info?
 
He's also drank 140ml water in 24 hours which he doesn't normally drink! I'm shaking with worry. Can anyone help before the vet appointment at 14.10?

So symptoms are that he's drank alot and is eating well but still loosing weight and with him being on antibiotics for almost 2 months I'm terrified!
 
The drinking could be related to the pellets as they are dry and make them thirsty, mine also have a habit of going pellet drink pellet drink etc. Has he only been eating hay up to now? It can take a while for a pig who has been poorly to regain the weight they have lost.
 
He's also drank 140ml water in 24 hours which he doesn't normally drink! I'm shaking with worry. Can anyone help before the vet appointment at 14.10?

So symptoms are that he's drank alot and is eating well but still loosing weight and with him being on antibiotics for almost 2 months I'm terrified!

I am sorry that he is continuing to lose weight. :(

The increase in drinking is likely either due to the change in weather (it is getting warmer) or him eating more dry food and less veg. However, if the change in drinking is due to a change in what he is eating, then it is likely due to a health issue.
The amount in itself is not worrying - he is stil less than half of the amount that we recommend people to have their piggy checked for excessive drinking.
 
The drinking could be related to the pellets as they are dry and make them thirsty, mine also have a habit of going pellet drink pellet drink etc. Has he only been eating hay up to now? It can take a while for a pig who has been poorly to regain the weight they have lost.
Thanks helen. Up until yesterday he was eating hay and his veg but only very few pellets (max of 10 per day) and was loosing around 15g of weight per day. I was syringe feeding to try and help top up his weight but he put up such a struggle and despite my best efforts, he was still loosing 15g per day. However, yesterday he showed a sudden interest in his pellets and was scoffing away at them (I have been counting how many I've given him). He ate 74 nuggets in 24 hours (as opposed to hardly any in the last week) so I did not syringe feed him.. I expected his weight to at least remain stable but he still lost 17g! But he did drink 140ml of water which he has never done before! When healthy he only drinks a max of 70ml
 
If he ate 74 nuggets that could well explain the drinking. See what the vet says about his weight. Is it is a steady drop each day and are you weighing at the same time?
 
I am sorry that he is continuing to lose weight. :(

The increase in drinking is likely either due to the change in weather (it is getting warmer) or him eating more dry food and less veg. However, if the change in drinking is due to a change in what he is eating, then it is likely due to a health issue.
The amount in itself is not worrying - he is stil less than half of the amount that we recommend people to have their piggy checked for excessive drinking.
I am sorry that he is continuing to lose weight. :(

The increase in drinking is likely either due to the change in weather (it is getting warmer) or him eating more dry food and less veg. However, if the change in drinking is due to a change in what he is eating, then it is likely due to a health issue.
The amount in itself is not worrying - he is stil less than half of the amount that we recommend people to have their piggy checked for excessive drinking.
Thanks for that. I'm leaving for the vets in a few minutes anyway but I'm so worried. He's still eating all his veg.. Yesterday he had 1 slice cucumber and slice of celery in the morning, piece of spring green and half a grape midday and another piece of cucumber, another piece of celery and a slice of bell pepper at night time. So the water from those veg plus the 140ml seems strange!
 
If he ate 74 nuggets that could well explain the drinking. See what the vet says about his weight. Is it is a steady drop each day and are you weighing at the same time?
Yes it's been around 15g of weight loss per day for the last week (with the exception of one night he remained the same weight). Yesterday is the first day he's drank a noticeable amount more than normal. And yes I've weighed each night at the same time before evening veggies!
 
Also it was 75 of the burgess pellets.. He normally gets around 80 as that is about an egg cup full so he does normally eat slightly more than 75 but never drank that much water before
 
You can't really control the hay intake. It can also be that he is drinking a bit more with the arrival of the warmer weather and increased air moisture. Please try not to work yourself up into a panic before you have seen your vet. Make sure that they check his abscess areas.
 
Good and bad news.

Milan- she said his abscess area feels good and she does not think there is any pus present now. The small lump he has feels like scar tissue. She said that kidney problems would not be top of her list for his weight loss and increased water intake, she didn't really say what could be the cause of big water consumption yesterday but told me to monitor how much he is drinking over the next few days. She is a bit concerned about his weight loss though as he has lost 80g this week and down to only 1kg now. She wants me to syringe as much as possible to try and at least stabilise his weight and she also said that he can now come off Zithromax. But he's only been on it for 2.5 weeks so i think I'd rather make sure all infection is gone.. She did say I can carry on with the antibiotic if I want to. What does everyone think about that?

Hugo- she is concerned that another abscess may be forming and to continue keeping an eye on it and continue the Zithromax and bring him back in 7-10 days. She said at this point she feels it's too early to put a needle in to check for any pus
 
Good and bad news.

Milan- she said his abscess area feels good and she does not think there is any pus present now. The small lump he has feels like scar tissue. She said that kidney problems would not be top of her list for his weight loss and increased water intake, she didn't really say what could be the cause of big water consumption yesterday but told me to monitor how much he is drinking over the next few days. She is a bit concerned about his weight loss though as he has lost 80g this week and down to only 1kg now. She wants me to syringe as much as possible to try and at least stabilise his weight and she also said that he can now come off Zithromax. But he's only been on it for 2.5 weeks so i think I'd rather make sure all infection is gone.. She did say I can carry on with the antibiotic if I want to. What does everyone think about that?

Hugo- she is concerned that another abscess may be forming and to continue keeping an eye on it and continue the Zithromax and bring him back in 7-10 days. She said at this point she feels it's too early to put a needle in to check for any pus

I am sorry about the bad news about Hugo. :(

I would keep Milan on the zithromax a bit longer, even if it is contributing to his weight loss. I would also agree that topping him up with syringe feed (if he is hungry, he may take it from a spoon) and some extra vitamin C to boost his immune system is a good idea.

PS: You are about the third forum member who has posted independently about worries over increased drinking today. After a far too cold month, it can well be just the warmer weather!
 
I am sorry about the bad news about Hugo. :(

I would keep Milan on the zithromax a bit longer, even if it is contributing to his weight loss. I would also agree that topping him up with syringe feed (if he is hungry, he may take it from a spoon) and some extra vitamin C to boost his immune system is a good idea.

Yes I'm worried about Hugo and I did suspect that the area felt abnormal so this has been confirmed.

In relation to Milan, I've syringe fed him this last week (with the exception of yesterday as he ate all his nuggets overnight and ate a really good amount throughout the day.. I thought he would at least maintain his weight but unfortunately he didn't. He won't eat any off the spoon and syringe feeding him has been quite a struggle. I've tried critical care and mushed up pellets and he just hasn't wanted to eat it. So it's been more of a fight over the last week to try and get him to eat it. Each day I syringed about 20 mushed up pellets in separate feeding sessions as I felt this was the max that he could bare before really getting fed up but despite this he continued to lose bits of weight each day.

Both pigs have also been getting pro c sprinkled on their veg an hour or so after their antibiotic and Milan has had it mixed in with his syringe feed
 
Can you get some fresh grass and see whether that is tempting Milan's appetite? it is a worry that he is still losing weight.
 
Can you get some fresh grass and see whether that is tempting Milan's appetite? it is a worry that he is still losing weight.
I don't have any access to grass at the moment, no. He is eating on his own. He's ate 22 pellets up to now today (and we were out at the vets for almost 3 hours) he's been eating lots of hay and all his veg. I just don't understand why he's still loosing weight
 
I got some aubiose helm bedding for the litter/hay trays and I'm not sure but as I walked into their room, it appears Milan was eating the hemp? Is this a concern?
 
I'm devastated! I've just done a urine strip test on request of the vet and Milan has blood in his wee (although I've not seen him in any discomfort). So blood in his wee, seems to have increase of drinking and loss of weight (although still seems to be eating quite a bit), what could be wrong with him?
 
I will be ringing the vet in the morning to feed back the results as she asked, but I just can't wait until then not knowing what, why and how
 
It could be a simple UTI that he has picked up due to being run down after all that has gone on. Any squeaky pees? I think renal failure would not come on so quickly after being on antibiotics for 2 months. He may even have inflammation in his bladder. I have even heard that blood on a test stick can be dietary related.
 
It could be a simple UTI that he has picked up due to being run down after all that has gone on. Any squeaky pees? I think renal failure would not come on so quickly after being on antibiotics for 2 months. He may even have inflammation in his bladder. I have even heard that blood on a test stick can be dietary related.
Thanks for the reassurance. I've always spent a lot of time with my pigs but lately I really have been at their side a lot since they've not been very well and in this time I've not heard one single squeaky wee.

Back in February Milan had squeaky wees and blood in his wee.. It was clearly visible on his fleece although his leopard print pattern is not the easiest to see any blood. I took him to the vets and they scanned for stones (none present) and so prescribed septrin. However after that episode of blood and squeaks that night, he didn't show any signs again. I tested his wee several times at home and they indicated that no blood was present. Although I did finish the course of antibiotics anyway. I assumed that maybe he had a bladder stone and passed it but of course I don't know this for sure
 
Did the vet give you the urine test sticks, or are the ones your using old?
They're mine from February when Milan had visible blood in his wee. I believe they last 3 months once opened. They were opened on 17th February so still have 2 weeks before they're out of date
 
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