A week post antibiotics, advice needed please

[Talulah]

Himy 4.5yr old sow had a chest infection a couple of weeks ago. The vet gave her .35ml of baytril twice a day for a week. That ended last Saturday.
Today (Thursday) she’s not eating much at all and when she does she’s very slow. We’ve got lots of dried out small poop and it’s made things very messy too.
I'm not sure what to do with her, I’ve been reading about probiotics and wondered if this could help?

 

[Claire W]

I would have her back to the vets if she still isn’t eating properly. Probiotics certainly won’t harm

 

[Piggies&buns]

please also step in and syringe feed your piggy and weigh her daily so you can monitor that enough food is going into her

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

 

[Talulah]

So I posted yesterday about my middle aged sow who wasn’t eating well, I got her in at the vet yesterday afternoon, she couldn’t see any obvious reason why she wasn’t eating etc. She had been to the vet a couple of weeks before for a chest infection and the difference in weights means she has lost over 200g.
She did say that she had no gut sounds on one side. She’s given us critical care, Emperil and a painkiller and I just have a few questions and a hand hold please really as I got the impression she was expecting the worst.
She’s not being grumpy and is looking for lots of cuddles but she definitely isn’t herself.
I’ve weighed her today and she’s lost another 10g

painkiller wise, she has .18ml every 24 hours, this doesn’t seem regular enough, she’s obviously in pain as sat hunched up etc. Is it enough? Can I give more?

syringe feeding her isn’t easy. She obviously doesn’t like the experience, however a couple of times she’s happily licked the mix off the syringe so it’s not a taste thing. I do manage to get it into her but usually by holding her head and opening her mouth, she then chews and swallows but it doesn’t feel like a nice thing to do. She tried to push the syringe away mostly or tried to climb me.
She has eaten a few mouthfuls of hay/lettuce on her own but no where near enough. Poops are few and far between and usually when I’ve syringe fed her she does the bending underneath to eat poo so I’m assuming she’s doing this as she comes back chewing.

I'm not sure how this is all going to go, is it days or weeks? is there likely to be a positive outcome?

thanks for reading, sorry for waffling, I’m all over the place

 

[Piggies&buns]

what pain med has she been given? If it’s metacam, has she been given cat or dog metacam?

once every 24 hours is too long between. Piggies really need their pain meds every 12 hours as they metabolise them that fast. Only giving once every 24 hours means she is in pain for 12 hours.
you will need to speak to your vet about increasing the dose. We cannot tell you what go give her.

Ensure you weigh her daily as it is the only way to know you are getting enough syringe feed into her. You are aiming for 60-90ml in a 24 hour period, but as I say, weighing her is the only way to know and to enable you to adjust how much you give her.
the guides below will help further

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

 

[Talulah]

what pain med has she been given? If it’s metacam, has she been given cat or dog metacam?

once every 24 hours is too long between. Piggies really need their pain meds every 12 hours as they metabolise them that fast. Only giving once every 24 hours means she is in pain for 12 hours.
you will need to speak to your vet about increasing the dose. We cannot tell you what go give her.

Ensure you weigh her daily as it is the only way to know you are getting enough syringe feed into her. You are aiming for 60-90ml in a 24 hour period, but as I say, weighing her is the only way to know and to enable you to adjust how much you give her.
the guides below will help further

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

It’s Loxicom for cats.

I will weigh her daily, she’s lost weight since yesterday. I’m trying to get enough into her but it’s a struggle. Is this normal?
ive read all the guides but the one thing that confused me is the commment in digestive disorders about telling if your pig is dying about them struggling against the feed

 

[Piggies&buns]

Definitely speak to the vet about the dosage.

theres a difference between struggling to feed and fighting a feed. We obviously cant determine which you are finding But if you aren’t confident in syringe feeding her then she will fight - you often need to be quite strong willed and act confidently when getting them to take the syringe.

Today's instructional video on our Facebook page - Syringe feeding

 

[Talulah]

Definitely speak to the vet about the dosage.

theres a difference between struggling to feed and fighting a feed. We obviously cant determine which you are finding But if you aren’t confident in syringe feeding her then she will fight - you often need to be quite strong willed and act confidently when getting them to take the syringe.

Today's instructional video on our Facebook page - Syringe feeding

Thanks for your replies, it’s definitely a fighting to feed, she’s a pig who knows her own mind. She swallows it happily once it’s in.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

If your piggy is still making burbling noises in the gut and is still eating from the syringe, then she doesn't have GI stasis.
Use some of our piggy whispering tips to assert your authority piggy style while continuing to ensure her of your love (always first and last). That is surprisingly effective as you are speaking their language and put the problem into a hierarchical setting that they are familiar with.
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
Who is the boss - your guinea pig or you?

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[Talulah]

Hi!

If your piggy is still making burbling noises in the gut and is still eating from the syringe, then she doesn't have GI stasis.
Use some of our piggy whispering tips to assert your authority piggy style while continuing to ensure her of your love (always first and last). That is surprisingly effective as you are speaking their language and put the problem into a hierarchical setting that they are familiar with.
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
Who is the boss - your guinea pig or you?

thanks for your reply.
if it’s not GInstasis then at is it please?
ive read both these posts before and I’m the dominant loving “piggie” for both my girls. Syringe feeding has definitely gone better this evening with being moor confident