8 year old piggy with a tumor is now peeing blood.

[AbraCassandra]

K she has critical care, and I only have 1ml syringues so how many syringues would I need to give her per feeding?

 

[AbraCassandra]

Also will the critical care help hydrate her as well?

 

[Wiebke]

K she has critical care, and I only have 1ml syringues so how many syringues would I need to give her per feeding?

As many as she will take in one go; you feed the more often round the clock the less a piggy will accept but you are aiming at 40-60 syringefuls, plus the odd on with water for her to drink as much as she wants in addition to the water that the feed is made up with.

Please take the time to look at our step by step feeding guide link; it is all explained in practical detail so you can adapt your support regime to exactly the degree needed, with pictures and videos.

 

[AbraCassandra]

With just a 1ml syringue ans a druggy sleepy girl this is going to take a looong awhile

 

[AbraCassandra]

She's fighting a lot : ( but I'll persevere.

 

[AbraCassandra]

Should I not give her the Gabapentin unless shes in a large amount of pain? It causes drowsiness which is making her extremely lazy. She's falling asleep while eating this critical care...I think the dose is too strong for her. Maybe I'll try just the antibiotics and meloxicam

 

[AbraCassandra]

 

[AbraCassandra]

I got maybe 8 ml into her and 3 of water. She has now stopped even trying to chew so to avoid choking her I stopped and wiped what she didn't want. But I feel like she's getting ready to leave me : ( she's unresponsive and stopped reacting to the syringe. I"m just going to hold her like this a while...My little tank girl : (

 

[AbraCassandra]

I hope she's just tired but in my heart I think she's about to stop breathing...But if she does...I've made peace with it. She's been my little tank girl for 7 1/2 wonderful years. My husband and I adopted her and her sister from petco April 2014. She was already 6 months old. Both of them were in a tiny 2 x 2 ft cardboard box. They told me they had ear infections that went ignored and both were deaf and with neurological issues and the were free because you can't sell "damaged goods". We brought them home completely unprepared. My little damaged goods have brought me so much joy for so long. We lost her sister to cancer Oct 6th 2020. And if kooky decides after her long run, it's time to join her beloved sister, I support her. We'll see what happens.

 

[h_and_piggies]

Sorry you’re going through this tough time. I can’t offer any advice, but just to give you my support. You obviously care for your girl a great deal and are doing everything you can.

 

[AbraCassandra]

I put her in her cage and let her go into her hay hammock which is her favorite place in the world...There was so much blood where she was laying from the UTI...I don't want to put her through the hell of the vet again after what she went through...Will the medicine fix this? Or should I make the devastating decision to take away her suffering? I'm so freaking torn right now and don't know what to do.

What would you do if you had a very old piggy that was bleeding this much and crying everytime they did, and they were not eating and not even trying to chew food : (

Would you take away their suffering as soon as possible? Or wait to see if the antibiotics MAYBE work since the vet doesn't know if they will, while the UTI could get worse and more painful. I don't know what to do for my baby...

 

[Merab]

Holding you in my heart

 

[Free Ranger]

I would try and give the antibiotics a chance to work if I could. After 24 hours they should start to make a difference although it may be 48 before she really picks up (if she's going to). I can't advise on the gabapentin - we've only used metacam for UTI although in reasonably high doses. If the gabapentin is making her sleepy and she's not eating that's not great for such an old lady. When she's 'due' her next dose of G has she woken up more and is eating more actively?

My vets have never used that technique for getting urine. Usually with UTI they can't keep it in very well anyway as everything is inflamed... they get wet bits and that's how I spot something is amiss. George was placed in a clean plastic bowl until he peed. My vet's approach is treat for UTI and x-ray for stones to be in the safe side but they always give AB and metacam anyway. Poor, poor old girl. She's being very brave. Even if the pee is 'contaminated' a proper UTI has loads of bacteria - people just have to pee in a cup after all. Perhaps the vet was going by the book.

The last piggy I had that passed left us at home but it was a difficult decision. I think that she was in pain and I helped her as much as I could with pain relief and heat pads. She been at the vets for a couple days to have a tooth extracted and never recovered fully from the anaesthetic so it was a really bad experience for her. As much as I didn't want things to drag out I knew that she would have been terrified in the car again as the only place she ever went was the vets. So I kept her at home - and I still don't know if it was 'right' but I think I'd do the same again. She was younger - only 3 1/2 - and fought very hard. But she was in her own familiar environment with the others round her.

We'll be thinking of you both x

 

[AbraCassandra]

I would try and give the antibiotics a chance to work if I could. After 24 hours they should start to make a difference although it may be 48 before she really picks up (if she's going to). I can't advise on the gabapentin - we've only used metacam for UTI although in reasonably high doses. If the gabapentin is making her sleepy and she's not eating that's not great for such an old lady. When she's 'due' her next dose of G has she woken up more and is eating more actively?

My vets have never used that technique for getting urine. Usually with UTI they can't keep it in very well anyway as everything is inflamed... they get wet bits and that's how I spot something is amiss. George was placed in a clean plastic bowl until he peed. My vet's approach is treat for UTI and x-ray for stones to be in the safe side but they always give AB and metacam anyway. Poor, poor old girl. She's being very brave. Even if the pee is 'contaminated' a proper UTI has loads of bacteria - people just have to pee in a cup after all. Perhaps the vet was going by the book.

The last piggy I had that passed left us at home but it was a difficult decision. I think that she was in pain and I helped her as much as I could with pain relief and heat pads. She been at the vets for a couple days to have a tooth extracted and never recovered fully from the anaesthetic so it was a really bad experience for her. As much as I didn't want things to drag out I knew that she would have been terrified in the car again as the only place she ever went was the vets. So I kept her at home - and I still don't know if it was 'right' but I think I'd do the same again. She was younger - only 3 1/2 - and fought very hard. But she was in her own familiar environment with the others round her.

We'll be thinking of you both x

I'm so sorry for your loss : ( I honestly would want Kooky to pass at home myself as well. In a place she knows, with people she knows...In a vet I know she'd be terrified. : ( I think you made the right decision.

I have some good news. Kooky has perked up a little and I fed her another 2 syringe fulls of critical care and one of water and now she is gobbling some carrot I put in front of her. I also gently gave her a warm bath to get the stuck on junk off her hair and also trimmed the longer hair to try to prevent anything from sticking again. when she'd done eating what she wants I'll give her more water and put some coconut oil on her rear end to prevent anything from sticking and let her rest a spell.

The difference from an hour ago is nuts. It must be the medicine...I gave her her once a day dose of meloxicam.

After seeing this improvement I know she has the will to live...Little tank girl. This is why I call her that because we've had close calls in the past but she's never given up. She's incredible.

I will definitely put my foot down with the vet on her next appointment. She is NOT sticking my baby and stressing her out to get the urine.

 

[Free Ranger]

Oh she looks good! And carrot is a challenge to eat - she's got some of her energy back.
It's about 9.30 pm here so I'm off to bed now but I hope she continues to improve... Keep fighting little girl

 

[AbraCassandra]

After almost 24 full hours she FINALLY started pooping again. It was a tiny thin thing...But it was there. Gonna keep syringe feeding her every hour or so. She won't take more than maybe 6 mls at a time, starts getting really stubborn and her fur is covered in critical care : ( she'll need another bath when she's a little stronger.

Also been giving her a few mls of water while feeding her. Her probiotics are arriving tomorrow and she did pass some of that gas. I couldn't find a massager to put under a pillow for her so I've been massaging with my fingers and she hasn't been complaining.

The only thing I'm concerned about is the amount of blood she's passing when she urinates. It seems like SO much every time...Hopefully I'll start seeing improvement within the next couple of days

 

[AbraCassandra]

Right now she is happily eating some mashed up Oxbow pellets. I've been trying to get water into her in every way as well as syringe and even put a dish in her cage with water right near her hopefully she'll try it. Sad to say she only let me get maybe 10 mls of water into her today... I know it's not a lot but after the vet told me she went into seizures when she freaks out I don't want to put her too hard and holding her head stresses her out.

 

[AbraCassandra]

Gross picture warning but a relief to me. We have somewhat regular poopage again. It's very weirdly shaped and wet looking but it's poop and after 24 hours of almost nothing (just two really dry tiny poops) this makes me happy.

Sorry for the gross out but I'm THAT mom. And also pay no mind to how dirty that pad is. That is the fleece pad under her water bottle and she tracks a lot of hay and pellet dust onto it walking back and forth lol

 

[Free Ranger]

Good news to wake up to here in the UK. If she's pooping again it's got to be positive. Come on little girl, hang in there to give those antibiotics a chance. She is really tough - you were right!
I have hard that some people use an electric toothbrush as a massager but I'm not sure about the technique...
I would just say be a bit careful about syringing water - it is quite easy to inhale and that can cause problems in itself. I personally just make the slurry a bit thinner for syringing/feeding from a bowl.

 

[weepweeps]

That’s a good sign she’s pooping. Once the antibiotics kick in hopefully you’ll see an improvement.

 

[Wiebke]

Gross picture warning but a relief to me. We have somewhat regular poopage again. It's very weirdly shaped and wet looking but it's poop and after 24 hours of almost nothing (just two really dry tiny poops) this makes me happy.

Sorry for the gross out but I'm THAT mom. And also pay no mind to how dirty that pad is. That is the fleece pad under her water bottle and she tracks a lot of hay and pellet dust onto it walking back and forth lol

Fingers crossed that she is over her crisis now and will recover as the antibiotic gradually builds up to full efficiency over the coming days. The medication at the vets could have slowed the digestive system (GI stasis) or made her feeling rather sick.
At least the internal conveyor belt is running again - that is why the home feeding support is so critical even when it is quite literally a battle for every little bit you can get into a piggy in an acute crisis; it can help to tip the balance in your favour if you can keep a piggy ticking over until the meds have a chance to kick in. The first poos after an event are always strange looking. They will normalise to the degree she is eating hay. Please continue to offer her syringe feed 3 times, as much as she is willing to take from your syringe until you are sure that she is eating enough hay for herself and the daily kitchen scales weigh-in tells you that the weight has stabilised again and is starting to go up and not down.

 

[AbraCassandra]

I will definitely still syringe feed especially water. But right now I offered her usual breakfast and she did her little purr growl and snatched it from my hand. I actually had my stick up Ring camera watching her all night to make sure she moved and she got up and down multiple times to go into her igloo to eat the mashed pellets and other veggies I left in there. We're getting there!

I'll keep everyone updated but thank you so much for the support so far. These days have been exhausting and scary for us

 

[AbraCassandra]

Good news to wake up to here in the UK. If she's pooping again it's got to be positive. Come on little girl, hang in there to give those antibiotics a chance. She is really tough - you were right!
I have hard that some people use an electric toothbrush as a massager but I'm not sure about the technique...
I would just say be a bit careful about syringing water - it is quite easy to inhale and that can cause problems in itself. I personally just make the slurry a bit thinner for syringing/feeding from a bowl.

Yes the critical care says one scoop of the powder to two scoops of water and I had been adding 1-2 extra scoops of water so do you think that helps hydrate too? I was honestly hoping so but I had to thin it more to make this super tiny syringe be able to suck it up

 

[Wiebke]

I will definitely still syringe feed especially water. But right now I offered her usual breakfast and she did her little purr growl and snatched it from my hand. I actually had my stick up Ring camera watching her all night to make sure she moved and she got up and down multiple times to go into her igloo to eat the mashed pellets and other veggies I left in there. We're getting there!

I'll keep everyone updated but thank you so much for the support so far. These days have been exhausting and scary for us

The wettish poos means that she has more than enough water. Please do not overdo it. If she is eating on her own, this implicitly means that she is drinking on her own, too; the lot of pees also means that she has no lack of fluid intake. The need to drink comes before the need to eat. It is as simple as that.
Rather offer a piece of cucumber to nibble whenever she likes it by where she is lying because that is basically water in fluid form if she is not yet moving around much, so she can supplement herself on her own as she wishes.

What is much more crucial for your poo quality is the hay fibre content from the syringe feeding formula and any hay you place where she can get at easily from her denning area; this is bulking them out and making them look normal. Water - sorry to say - doesn't give her the calories to help fight any infection and keep up the body mass.

 

[metalhead]

i am thinking of you and hoping she has turned a corner. keep us updated. hugs

 

[AbraCassandra]

 

[Wiebke]

It rather looks like the valium has thankfully worn off now.

She is eating more than enough watery veg in the video; so you do not have to offer lots more extra water until she really wants it. Please ensure that 80% of what she eats is hay based fibre to help her poos getting back to normal and to get/keep her weight up.
Keep in mind that your piggy won't drink any more fluid just because you off her lots in veg form (over 90% of which are water after all).

But you will get there!

 

[AbraCassandra]

It rather looks like the valium has thankfully worn off now.

She is eating more than enough watery veg in the video; so you do not have to offer lots more extra water until she really wants it. Please ensure that 80% of what she eats is hay based fibre to help her poos getting back to normal and to get/keep her weight up.
Keep in mind that your piggy won't drink any more fluid just because you off her lots in veg form (over 90% of which are water after all).

But you will get there!

After the veggies she told me in no small words she was ready to go back to her hay hammock. It's her favorite place in the world. 90% of her day she rests there sleeping and eating the hay. She's eating it much slower than she used to but she is eating it. She used to be able so smash that amount in around 2 days.

I gave her her antibiotic and pain med and let her go rest. I put the rest of the veggies in her igloo with a couple spoonfuls of mashed pellets. I'lll let her rest a couple hours then do some syringe feeding of the critical care and make it thicker so it's not as watery.

Here's a pic of her in her hay hammock just now and below her right leg is the amount of poo she's had so far. At least it's something.

 

[Wiebke]

After the veggies she told me in no small words she was ready to go back to her hay hammock. It's her favorite place in the world. 90% of her day she rests there sleeping and eating the hay. She's eating it much slower than she used to but she is eating it. She used to be able so smash that amount in around 2 days.

I gave her her antibiotic and pain med and let her go rest. I put the rest of the veggies in her igloo with a couple spoonfuls of mashed pellets. I'lll let her rest a couple hours then do some syringe feeding of the critical care and make it thicker so it's not as watery.

Here's a pic of her in her hay hammock just now and below her right leg is the amount of poo she's had so far. At least it's something.

Well done. The transition phase is not quite easy to manage if you have never done so. It is the little tricks and your persistence that can often make the difference. Her eating speed will hopefully get better again over the coming days but the fact that her appetite is coming back is good.

With the help of your kitchen scales you monitor the food intake so you can judge when you can start gradually reducing the number of feeds throughout the day; usually you can start doing this from when a piggy is starting to eat on their own again but you need the feedback from the kitchen scales to manage this process as it is different with each recovery.

 

[AbraCassandra]

Well done. The transition phase is not quite easy to manage if you have never done so. It is the little tricks and your persistence that can often make the difference. Her eating speed will hopefully get better again over the coming days but the fact that her appetite is coming back is good.

With the help of your kitchen scales you monitor the food intake so you can judge when you can start gradually reducing the number of feeds throughout the day; usually you can start doing this from when a piggy is starting to eat on their own again but you need the feedback from the kitchen scales to manage this process as it is different with each recovery.

Oh I don't own a kitchen scale : / Or even a normal scale. Maybe I can order a tiny pet scale from Chewy but I don't know how long it'd take to get to me.