• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Gagging pig

We are not qualified vets, not have we seen your piggy, but the sort of problems you are describing with an inability to swallow and food coming back out of the mouth does sound like it could be either some kind of blockage or a neurological problem (like a stroke or something).
 
Well, then we will try our best to feed him with syringe, until we can take him to the vet. We were able to get him eat a little on his own when we put a little mashed feed on the back of a bell pepper chip. Also a little less resistant when we coated the syringe's end with the pepper's fluids.
 
That's great! He is keen to eat which shows his gut is still working. If he is hungry and trying to gulp down the food it will cause him to choke (for whatever reason) and he can be put off trying that food again. Little and Often... it takes a lot of time but if he's thinking positive he'll keep trying and it might be enough to see him through till the vet (I think you said Monday was a holiday there, so Tuesday?) You might have to get up in the night to get him to have a little more, if he can't take large volumes in the day though.

You could try the syringe feed in a bowl or from a spoon to see if that helps (but you'll have to stop his healthy friend from eating it)

I tried mixing a little carrot juice in with the feed. I also have a mortar and pestle... I put some parsley in this and ground it with water to get her to take some. It worked for a couple of days each time but then she went off it and I was searching around for something new to tempt her. I think she perked up whenever I gave a new thing because she was thinking "maybe I can eat this" but we just couldn't manage it. My girl also inhaled food as she tried to swallow and ended up with a respiratory infection (and needed antibiotics) but remember she was getting worse over many weeks syringing, not a few days. Keep an eye on his breathing - you want it to be regular and not noisy or strained. It might be an idea to measure his 'resps per minute' (how often he breaths in a minute) while he's breathing well by watching his sides go up and down. It varies so much from pig to pig. Let's hope they stay the same, but if his resps change significantly between tonight and Tuesday tell that to the vet.
 
We made him eat about 20-25 ml yesterday. Today looks like a much better day, because he is taking 5ml every time we feed (1.5 hour rest, 1 hour feeding time cycle). Also we tried to add more water this time to the mash because we were afraid of dehydration and it made the feeding easier as well. After the 2nd feeding we offered him his usual feed cut in half and he took it! He looks and acts more active now and is taking the cut feed every 10 mins or so. We thought about syringe feed him less regularly now since he is eating food pellets. We also saw him once eating his poop which we took as a good sign of gut functions. We contacted the vet and we will probably able to get him there tomorrow early morning.
 
Glad your little one is making an improvement, keep up with the syringe feeds for now if you can. the more you get into him the better x
 
I'm so glad to hear your news. It makes the owner feel more positive when their piggy is looking happier. I hope and pray that he continues to improve and you can get some answers from the vet. Good Luck with the feeding and also getting some sleep! 💕
 
Seems like we achieved even more improvements. He ate total of 25-30ml today, while he also took a lot of solid feed. We used pepper as an apetizer and he took pellets after it, also we put some mashed feed on the top of the peppers. This seems like a solid method for now to make him eat more. In the evening he was even asking for peppers. (We taught them a trick to give us a nose kiss for a treat and he was doing it). Now he is eating hay on his own. Small amount at a time and sometimes having a small gag reflex, but not as strong as before. And he started to drink! We previously put water in a bowl, but he did not drink it at all and we got an idea and it looks like he prefers it from bottle which was in his original cage.
 
Oh that's so wonderful! I guess (we can only guess!) that if there was some sort of blockage from apple core it might have shifted or broken down a bit? Whatever is or was the problem the only thing that matters here is that he seems to have gotten through it. Eating hay and drinking - really well done!
 
Quick update. The piggie is much better now. He is eating hay on his own, and we dont need to syringe feed him, because he is taking the mash from spoon. He is pooping regularly and they are looking much healthier now. He is playful and curious and started to gain back his weight. This is the timeline:

Should have been around ~550g
03.13 - 21:00 - 505g
03.14 - 17:20 - 433g
03.15 - 15:37 - 414g
03.16 - 00:10 - 418g
03.16 - 15:00 - 450g
03.17 - 11:00 - 466g

And here are some pics of the recovering "Mandula" (means Almond in english):
DSC_5986.JPG

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/748655181561856143/821680600880381972/DSC_5978.JPG
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/748655181561856143/821680673072087040/DSC_5980.JPG
 
So he seems to be fully recovered now. Still a little bit below his original weight, but we are working on it to pump that number up. He resocialized with his grumpy brother and seems happy now. :)
Thank you all for all the advises and wishes. We made a good use of them and the they really meant a lot to us. Amazing community
 
What a lovely update. So pleased to hear that he is doing so well and is back with his companion. Let’s hope that they have a bright future together.
 
So please he is making a great recovery. Plain porridge oats are good for recovering piggies,
it helps them get a bit of weight on and is easy to eat x
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top