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Bann's mysterious lump (and a URI)

It's on the floor, but at least one of the room thermometers is there too. I've been using Snugglesafes - Mourne gets one and ignores it, when I tried to get Bann's last night he refused to leave the bed lol. I've got it in the base of a cuddle cup because he likes it like that, but he doesn't quite understand it doesn't magically warm itself back up.

When the boiler wasn't working yesterday I dumped a massive amount of orchard hay into the cages. Neither of them seems inclined to eat it, but for insulation purposes I'm good with them not eating it. I think it's helped a little.

I know when Comet got a URI Blitzen never had an issue, and Mourne's been fine since anyway. It's just Bann. 😕 part of me hopes it's just him getting older, but I've that niggling thought at the back of my mind there's more to it. I'm trying to ignore that thought, he was checked over fully when I was last in, if there was something obvious to be found we'd've known.
 
So not the temperature pure and simple then...Maybe it is age related, as skinnies have a faster metabolism and usually shorter average lifespan. My OH (now an OAP!) used to not feel the cold, now he even wears a jumper in the kitchen which is always warm due to the Aga 😯 And I've noticed how much cooler it seems since the weather became autumnal 2 weeks ago - the temperature on the thermostat is still around 20 as it has been all summer, but I feel colder indoors than I did...

I'm presuming you're monitoring his weight and he's eating enough when you're not watching. Hope he perks up soon 🤞🙏
 
Hope that Bann is feeling better soon. The poor boy has had a rough few weeks. 😞
 
YvonneBlue said:
Hope that Bann is feeling better soon. The poor boy has had a rough few weeks. 😞
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Well I can confirm there's nothing wrong with his circulation and he's the epitome of a hand sized hot water bottle, and I can confirm there's nothing wrong with his ability to hold a grudge (don't ask). I also went to ask Mourne to stop rumbling at him earlier only to realise it was Bann who was rumbling (sorry Mourne).

But. He was rumbling from head to rump, which was weird. Like I could see his head almost vibrating too and I'd swear that didn't always happen...but I guess that it's been a while, I could be wrong.

I'm torn, because if something is wrong I don't want to miss it, but at the same time, everything about him is telling me going to the vet probably won't help and I don't want to keep dragging him in there if it turns out to be old age. His breathing sounds normal and looks normal in his chest, his appetite is still good, I unintentionally rearranged his cage earlier and he has curious enough to check it out which is when he rumbled at Mourne. Poor wee man, I wish I knew for certain where to go with this.
 
Well he's going back in this afternoon. Between 9am and 10:30 he developed a large drop of white eye fluid in his left eye (again) and when I picked him up to check it, he's breathing a little heavy (again). , he'd been so good yesterday.
 
I'm taking Mourne in too. One of them screamed while I was upstairs earlier and since it was when Mourne also went quiet I think it was him. Checked his teeth in case he'd injured himself gnawing on the bars and his teeth looked intact (for all of how briefly he let me look before trying to eat my thumb) but I think he's breathing a little heavier than I'd like, too.

Couldn't get a back to back appointment but that's fair, they can see him at the first appointment after that though so if we do need them both there won't be too much sitting around.

Prepping the carriers is fun. Bann gets the soft shell because Mourne would just eat it, I need to find something to wrap it in though so I don't get hay and woodshavings over the taxi.
 
I'm glad too with the weekend coming up. I mean I hope I'm wrong and it's nothing, but I don't want to risk it for the sake of a weekend, that's always when it'll go wrong.
 
We are so lucky here with our vets having 24/7 opening hours. I hope it is nothing and it will at least give you peace of mind.
 
Bann is good. His lungs are clear, he's maintained his weight (1.02kg), and he couldn't find anything major with the eye. He asked me what it was I'd seen and I told him it was like he had a large drop of milk in the corner of his eye, so he's back on isathal for a week, rather than waiting for it to ulcerate again. He's happy it's not anything to do with his mouth/teeth.

He's fine with the vet looking in his left eye because that's the one that keeps having issues. He's far less impressed with having his right eye checked, lol.
 
My Stripe occasionally has a milky drop in the corner of his eyes and Google said it can be normal. My vet wasn't concerned either. Stripe did have hay poke last month but the two were unrelated and he had his hay poke rechecked, he got the all clear.

Hope Mournes ok too
 
Ramia said:
My Stripe occasionally has a milky drop in the corner of his eyes and Google said it can be normal. My vet wasn't concerned either. Stripe did have hay poke last month but the two were unrelated and he had his hay poke rechecked, he got the all clear.

Hope Mournes ok too
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Mourne is absolutely fine thankfully. Bann has an unfortunate habit of getting the large "milk drop" in his eye and then within a couple of days, it's ulcerated. With it coming to the weekend I don't really want to risk it, not at his age.
 
Does anyone have tips on convincing a piggy to blink?

Bann's decent about being medicated but he's still squirmy, and for some reason this time he takes to drops best if applied directly to the eye - like squeeze the tube so it's at a blob on the tip and gently apply to the eye directly.

I can work with this because he's still getting the same stuff on his eye and there's nothing else that touches the eye bar the drops, but then I'd rather he blink before I put him down or try giving him the metacam. Bann doesn't want to blink, obviously, because that'd be too easy.

If blinking is a reflex, is there any way to gently trigger it? I don't want to freak him out because that does more harm than good, but I've already ended up with the drops on my arm when he was trying to get the metacam and on my arm, it's useless.
 
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Betsy said:
After I put eye drops in I gently massage the eyelid up and down a few times have you tried that?
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I have not! Well, not exactly. Do you mean the upper eyelid or both at once? I've tried it with his upper lid and no dice, and I've tried with his lower lid, same thing. Just not together, dunno why I didn't think of that.

I've also tried gently stroking his head above the eye or the cheek below it. He seems to be too intent on finding his Metacam syringe to even notice, lol. Oh, Bann.
 
Lorcan said:
Does anyone have tips on convincing a piggy to blink?

Bann's decent about being medicated but he's still squirmy, and for some reason this time he takes to drops best if applied directly to the eye - like squeeze the tube so it's at a blob on the tip and gently apply to the eye directly.

I can work with this because he's still getting the same stuff on his eye and there's nothing else that touches the eye bar the drops, but then I'd rather he blink before I put him down or try giving him the metacam. Bann doesn't want to blink, obviously, because that'd be too easy.

If blinking is a reflex, is there any way to gently trigger it? I don't want to freak him out because that does more harm than good, but I've already ended up with the drops on my arm when he was trying to get the metacam and on my arm, it's useless.
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See whether he will close his eye if you move your finger quickly close to it, so the protective reflex kicks in.
 
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