I'm from Hong Kong. I have a dental piggy, Oreo, who lost his lower incisors last summer and subsequently developed badly grown molars early this year. He gets his teeth trimmed monthly.
On 22 June I saw spots of blood on his pee pad. The next day there's only very pale spots of pink, and we went to his usual vet who took xray of his bladder confirming no stone. He was prescribed trimethoprim ( which I supplemented with probiotics) and meloxiam. He starts to have gradually more intensive orange pee, some were bright orange spots. His last dose of trimethoprim was on on 29 June, and his vet advised that he no longer need antibiotics. After having antibiotics, his poop looked thin and dry, but on 30 June, his poop drastically became moist and soft.
On 3 July in early morning, I saw a large patch of diarrhea (paste of poop) with liquid sitting on top. His usual vet was fully booked and I took him to another cavy savy emergency vet.
The emergency vet found his temperature (39.x degree c) normal, and his heart, lungs and molars appeared normal. However, his lower abdomen was so filled with fluid that when he squished it it made a sound of fluid flowing inside. He was diagnosed as enteritis (I think that is the term, it was the intestinal inflammation). He was hospitalised and had to get blood and stool test. He will receive sub q and medicine injection (including painkillers, general antibiotics and gastrointestinal antibiotics). Vet estimated that his chance of survival is 50%, and he will have to be hospitalised for 3 to 4 days or until his poops take shape.
So today (4 July) his nurse reported that he looked less dull, and vet felt that there was slightly less fluid in his abdomen but still no poop forming. Vet also advised not to feed him any critical care last night, but very diluted critical care this morning, he was willing to eat some. He did not eat any hay or pellet. He did not poop or peep all night. There was a small spot of blood on his pee pad, and the vet found a small conjugated lump of blood in his sac (nurse told me it was bleeding of the intestinal wall).
Because my usual vet is not 24-hour, I asked the emergency vet to take his case and opt not to be handled by the usual vet. The only way to treat the pig, as the vet suggested although I asked about any other possible treatment such as operation, is to continue giving sub q and medicine injection until all fluid in his abdomen is passed from his body.
I visited Oreo today and he trembled and heaved a bit, but would eat 1 small tablet of his favourite treat (vitamin c tablet). Without a hideout he would turn to face the wall (had to take it away to feed him the tablet) and he looked a bit more comfortable in his rather dark hideout. Before his nurse signed off, she reported that he peed a bit and had taken some hay back to his hideout (not sure if he has eaten though). Still no poop but no longer saw any spot of blood.
I am looking for any of your piggy's experience like Oreo's (diarrhea, fluid in abdomen, and no poop), your vet's diagnosis, and his treatment. To my knowledge, the emergency vet is quite a prestigious figure (he was a contributor of the "pink book"), so I do not doubt his diagnosis, but I saw he wrote in some of his Instagram posts about the difference between US and EU treatments (him being EU). I would like to know if other vets would treat the same problem in a different way or add in additional treatments.
Thanks for any input in advance!
On 22 June I saw spots of blood on his pee pad. The next day there's only very pale spots of pink, and we went to his usual vet who took xray of his bladder confirming no stone. He was prescribed trimethoprim ( which I supplemented with probiotics) and meloxiam. He starts to have gradually more intensive orange pee, some were bright orange spots. His last dose of trimethoprim was on on 29 June, and his vet advised that he no longer need antibiotics. After having antibiotics, his poop looked thin and dry, but on 30 June, his poop drastically became moist and soft.
On 3 July in early morning, I saw a large patch of diarrhea (paste of poop) with liquid sitting on top. His usual vet was fully booked and I took him to another cavy savy emergency vet.
The emergency vet found his temperature (39.x degree c) normal, and his heart, lungs and molars appeared normal. However, his lower abdomen was so filled with fluid that when he squished it it made a sound of fluid flowing inside. He was diagnosed as enteritis (I think that is the term, it was the intestinal inflammation). He was hospitalised and had to get blood and stool test. He will receive sub q and medicine injection (including painkillers, general antibiotics and gastrointestinal antibiotics). Vet estimated that his chance of survival is 50%, and he will have to be hospitalised for 3 to 4 days or until his poops take shape.
So today (4 July) his nurse reported that he looked less dull, and vet felt that there was slightly less fluid in his abdomen but still no poop forming. Vet also advised not to feed him any critical care last night, but very diluted critical care this morning, he was willing to eat some. He did not eat any hay or pellet. He did not poop or peep all night. There was a small spot of blood on his pee pad, and the vet found a small conjugated lump of blood in his sac (nurse told me it was bleeding of the intestinal wall).
Because my usual vet is not 24-hour, I asked the emergency vet to take his case and opt not to be handled by the usual vet. The only way to treat the pig, as the vet suggested although I asked about any other possible treatment such as operation, is to continue giving sub q and medicine injection until all fluid in his abdomen is passed from his body.
I visited Oreo today and he trembled and heaved a bit, but would eat 1 small tablet of his favourite treat (vitamin c tablet). Without a hideout he would turn to face the wall (had to take it away to feed him the tablet) and he looked a bit more comfortable in his rather dark hideout. Before his nurse signed off, she reported that he peed a bit and had taken some hay back to his hideout (not sure if he has eaten though). Still no poop but no longer saw any spot of blood.
I am looking for any of your piggy's experience like Oreo's (diarrhea, fluid in abdomen, and no poop), your vet's diagnosis, and his treatment. To my knowledge, the emergency vet is quite a prestigious figure (he was a contributor of the "pink book"), so I do not doubt his diagnosis, but I saw he wrote in some of his Instagram posts about the difference between US and EU treatments (him being EU). I would like to know if other vets would treat the same problem in a different way or add in additional treatments.
Thanks for any input in advance!
