Do I have to worry?

[4pigsies]

I have a mama pig, her name is Tuba. She was pregnant when we got her, when she was 3 weeks old.( I think one of Tubas brothers is the father…) She soon gave birth to 3 wonderful piggies. One of them only weight 45 grams- but we gave her kitten milk and she is still alive( and is now 3 years old)
A few months ago my beautiful Bumle, who is a child of Tuba, died because of a bad tooth(we think?). He got surgery and all kind of medical care but he didn’t make it, because he didn’t want to eat.
It hurt me a lot and I am scared for my other pigs.
Tuba has now grown a bad tooth also, and the little one who only weight 45 grams, Lille-du, also has a bad tooth and an abscess. we are giving medical care often and they go to the vet often as well.
Do anyone have experience?
And do anyone know if they have a good chance of staying alive?

On the picture, you can see Lille-du eating critical care. And also her little bump on the nose- that is the abscess.

Thank you.

 

[Free Ranger]

Oh Lille-du, that's a big bump you poor girl.
Is Tuba's bad tooth one of the 4 biting incisors at the front? Or one of the big, flat molars at the back? And is there any sign of abscess or infection for her?

This is indeed very bad luck to have all this happen at the same time. I don't know whether there is a genetic link to these things. But it is something we see time and again on this forum - piggy stops eating properly - teeth are overgrown - dental surgery - but piggy still does not want to eat. And often there is an abscess at the bottom of the trouble - this has been unable to be detected but maybe gets bigger after the surgery. It makes me wonder how many pigs in this situation also had an abscess that the vet didn't detect. But it must be very painful (although Lille-du looks like she is enjoying her critical care!) - have you been able to get pain relief from the vet? And are your piggies losing weight fast or just a slow decline?

I will link in another forum member who has plenty of abscess experience. Her vet favours an antibiotic called zithromax which must be given for a long time - quite some weeks. I think a probiotic is also recommended as the course has to be so long. And often surgery is required for the abscess but it cannot simply be removed or drained because they reform and re-fill. Vets vary in their approach but some people have to use a syringe and cotton-bud (Q-tip) to flush out the open wound through a little hole. I had a sow with a big lump under her chin at the front (fortunately it grew big so fast we saw it before she stopped eating so much) and the vet left the would completely open (2 or 3 cm across!) and I had to rinse it twice a day with a dilution of pink 'hibiscrub' (the stuff vets wash their hands with before operations). It healed from the inside out over a couple of weeks but I must say the vet looked quite surprised to see me back with a good-looking wound after the surgical horror show.

So in some cases these things can work out - but I don't know the success rate. @furryfriends (TEAS) do you have any advice for our new Danish member and her pigs?

 

[4pigsies]

There is no sign of infection or abscess on tuba, and her teeth are very clean, they are just very long.
But this morning the abscess on Lille-du popped- all by itself.
She gets antibiotics, painkiller and critical care.
She still eats a lot. She doesn’t seem in pain.
Is it normal that the abscess pop? Or should we check up at a vet?

Thank you so much for the help!

 

[Wheekallweek]

It's good that its popped! She's a gorgeous piggy

 

[weepweeps]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I have had a piggy with a tooth root abscess. It took him a few months for him to fully recover.

Is Tuba losing weight? Is the vet going to sort her teeth out? Is it just the teeth at the front that are long ? Or molars? Sorry for all the questions.

It’s good Lille-Du’s abscess has popped. If I was you I would clean it out twice a day with cooled boiled water. See if you can gently squeeze any puss out. Is there a hole? If so try and keep it open until no more puss is coming out. What antibiotics have you been prescribed? Pepper was given 6 weeks of Zithromax and pain meds and also a probiotic. He had his abscess lanced and stitched open so it could drain.

Good luck