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IC- arching back

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Piggies2023

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Anyone had a pig that would arch their back to poo with IC? Nancy has had pain when pooing before but I can't remember her arching when pooing. I have contacted the vet. This maybe a flare up from stress because Pumpkin has been unwell and vanishing to the vets. I don't take them together because any stress can cause Nancy problems.


Nancy certainly doesn't have mild IC. I've been worried she's had a stone before and it hasn't been. Pumpkin has just had a stone though.
 
Piggies2023 said:
Anyone had a pig that would arch their back to poo with IC? Nancy has had pain when pooing before but I can't remember her arching when pooing. I have contacted the vet. This maybe a flare up from stress because Pumpkin has been unwell and vanishing to the vets. I don't take them together because any stress can cause Nancy problems.


Nancy certainly doesn't have mild IC. I've been worried she's had a stone before and it hasn't been. Pumpkin has just had a stone though.
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Hi

It could be pain from a stronger flare or a stone if the diet is not quite balanced in the sweet spot. Only a vet can tell. Please make sure that the water is not too hot in coming days.
 
Wiebke said:
Hi

It could be pain from a stronger flare or a stone if the diet is not quite balanced in the sweet spot. Only a vet can tell. Please make sure that the water is not too hot in coming days.
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Seriously hope it's just a flare up. This doesn't seem to ever end. Nancy stopped drinking when I moved unfortunately apart from the odd mouthful.
 
Piggies2023 said:
Seriously hope it's just a flare up. This doesn't seem to ever end. Nancy stopped drinking when I moved unfortunately apart from the odd mouthful.
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Try and see whether short term doubling the glucosamine and upping the painkillers will get on top of it over the next 2-3 dys. If symptoms persist or get worse, please contact your vet. Give her some extra water, as much as she is willing to drink from a syringe; please do not just squirt water into her and also offer a slice of cucumber twice daily. You can mix a little probiotic powder into the syringed water to make it more palatable.
 
Wiebke said:
Try and see whether short term doubling the glucosamine and upping the painkillers will get on top of it over the next 2-3 dys. If symptoms persist or get worse, please contact your vet. Give her some extra water, as much as she is willing to drink from a syringe; please do not just squirt water into her and also offer a slice of cucumber twice daily. You can mix a little probiotic powder into the syringed water to make it more palatable.
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Thank you. I upped her glucosamine already. I also upped her gabapentin at the weekend to a dose she's been previously prescribed. So I've dropped the vet a message. We've already tried cartrophen in the past and it didn't work but I know my vet has potentially got another suggestion.

I already give cucumber 2-3 times a day as it helps to reduce pain a bit. She won't take water from a syringe.
 
Piggies2023 said:
Thank you. I upped her glucosamine already. I also upped her gabapentin at the weekend to a dose she's been previously prescribed. So I've dropped the vet a message. We've already tried cartrophen in the past and it didn't work but I know my vet has potentially got another suggestion.

I already give cucumber 2-3 times a day as it helps to reduce pain a bit. She won't take water from a syringe.
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All the best. At least you are on the ball as much as possible.
 
Wiebke said:
I wish I had more ideas. I hope that it is just the warmer weather impacting.
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike
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Managing to keep it fairly cool. I opened my windows last night, until bed & then woke up after 4am and reopened until it started to get warmer outside. It's only 20.6C in their room. I suspect it's stress. I moved house 5/6 weeks ago. And then Pumpkin has been unwell. And Pumpkin has been on heat this weekend which Nancy finds stressful.

Or I made the wrong call getting her last ovary out. I've read a lot of research on IC. There is research that says too much estrogen or too little can make IC worse. Nancy had one ovary out due to hormonal cysts, vet needed to go back in for the second one. It improved things a lot but she still had some hormonal issues so we went back for the second one hoping it would help more. Had 2 weeks though before I moved with no pain. So maybe just moving, hard to judge.
 
She has an appointment tomorrow morning. Hopefully something will help.
 
Vet is suspicious it could also be a stone. If it is I don't know why.. I've changed nothing in their diet.

They aren't getting on well again. I was going to get a male pig a while ago but changed my mind because i couldn't cope with the health problems I currently have. But maybe that was the wrong decision. It's not awful not getting on, just Pumpkin keeps rumbling at Nancy and Nancy finds this stressful.
 
Piggies2023 said:
Vet is suspicious it could also be a stone. If it is I don't know why.. I've changed nothing in their diet.

They aren't getting on well again. I was going to get a male pig a while ago but changed my mind because i couldn't cope with the health problems I currently have. But maybe that was the wrong decision. It's not awful not getting on, just Pumpkin keeps rumbling at Nancy and Nancy finds this stressful.
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Hi

Adding a neutered boar to a feuding pair of sows will only accerbate the situation because sooner or later the boar will associate with one of the sows and you end up with the classic trio outsider situation.

What you are currently seeing is likely health related or seasonal dominance but it is not going to lead to fall out. Just sit it out and try not to you stress yourself out additionally.

Diet can control only so much in terms of stones. For stones to form there need to be one or several additional factors - a genetic disposition, not being a great natural drinker (nothing you can do about that) or something just flipping with the complex calcium absorption process, in which latter case, larger stones can form rather quickly in a matter of weeks as I know from personal experience and there is not very much you can do with diet about that; especially not quickly.

Arching is generally a sign of discomfort in lower body which is making pooing or peeing difficult. Has your vet checked for a potential urethral stone. You can feel just above the genitalia for a small hard swelling. (Use Nancy for reference if needed)
 
Wiebke said:
Hi

Adding a neutered boar to a feuding pair of sows will only accerbate the situation because sooner or later the boar will associate with one of the sows and you end up with the classic trio outsider situation.

What you are currently seeing is likely health related or seasonal dominance but it is not going to lead to fall out. Just sit it out and try not to you stress yourself out additionally.

Diet can control only so much in terms of stones. For stones to form there need to be one or several additional factors - a genetic disposition, not being a great natural drinker (nothing you can do about that) or something just flipping with the complex calcium absorption process, in which latter case, larger stones can form rather quickly in a matter of weeks as I know from personal experience and there is not very much you can do with diet about that; especially not quickly.

Arching is generally a sign of discomfort in lower body which is making pooing or peeing difficult. Has your vet checked for a potential urethral stone. You can feel just above the genitalia for a small hard swelling. (Use Nancy for reference if needed)
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Pumpkin has cysts, suspect this has something to do with it. Though they have never loved each other. Nancy wants company Pumpkin doesn't. But pumpkin may also still have a bladder stone (she had meds last week to try and flush it out). She seems happy now but I know that doesn't mean it's definitely gone. I haven't opted for bladder stone surgery because she's had 3 surgeries on her stomach this year. Only one bladder stone (hernia and cancer op was the other) but that was only 3.5 weeks before this one. So while cysts may not be helping i don't want to operate again this soon if it's not going to fix everything, it's becoming unethical in that sense.

Nancy- is the one who has gone to vets today, and vet is suspicious because her bladder feels thickened & the video I showed her. But she does have IC. But never felt like that before. My vet has checked for stones near there. She's been injected with the same meds Pumpkin had to see if it helps.

Neither drink much, though in the hot weather I've seen them have the odd mouthful.

I just wondered if stress of them not getting on could be causing all the health problems I'm having. I know someone who had a pig with issues and adding a boar helped. I would even ask the rescue to take a pig back to bond with a boar and me having a boar with a remaining pig if I thought it would definitely help.

I'm just lost with all these issues now.
 
Piggies2023 said:
Pumpkin has cysts, suspect this has something to do with it. Though they have never loved each other. Nancy wants company Pumpkin doesn't. But pumpkin may also still have a bladder stone (she had meds last week to try and flush it out). She seems happy now but I know that doesn't mean it's definitely gone. I haven't opted for bladder stone surgery because she's had 3 surgeries on her stomach this year. Only one bladder stone (hernia and cancer op was the other) but that was only 3.5 weeks before this one. So while cysts may not be helping i don't want to operate again this soon if it's not going to fix everything, it's becoming unethical in that sense.

Nancy- is the one who has gone to vets today, and vet is suspicious because her bladder feels thickened & the video I showed her. But she does have IC. But never felt like that before. My vet has checked for stones near there. She's been injected with the same meds Pumpkin had to see if it helps.

Neither drink much, though in the hot weather I've seen them have the odd mouthful.

I just wondered if stress of them not getting on could be causing all the health problems I'm having. I know someone who had a pig with issues and adding a boar helped. I would even ask the rescue to take a pig back to bond with a boar and me having a boar with a remaining pig if I thought it would definitely help.

I'm just lost with all these issues now.
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Hi

IC can cause a hard small bladder in the longer term without a stone; I have had that in piggies of mine. So I would take a deep breath and go with the existing issues first before adding new ones into the mix.

The same goes for Pumpkin. If she is having ovarian cysts then the odd stronger season is par for the course and will over in 1-3 days.

Please take a deep breath and do some mindfulness for yourself.
The one that is really stressed out is you. Your sows can have a perfectly happy and close bond even if one of them has greater emotional needs than the other. It is actually not all that uncommon. The last thing your piggies need right now is an anxious owner hovering over them all the time. Try to relax; the situation is nowhere critical.
 
Wiebke said:
Hi

IC can cause a hard small bladder in the longer term without a stone; I have had that in piggies of mine. So I would take a deep breath and go with the existing issues first before adding new ones into the mix.

The same goes for Pumpkin. If she is having ovarian cysts then the odd stronger season is par for the course and will over in 1-3 days.

Please take a deep breath and do some mindfulness for yourself.
The one that is really stressed out is you. Your sows can have a perfectly happy and close bond even if one of them has greater emotional needs than the other. It is actually not all that uncommon. The last thing your piggies need right now is an anxious owner hovering over them all the time. Try to relax; the situation is nowhere critical.
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Ah okay. So Nancy's bladder might have got inflamed from IC. We are trying cerenia. Don't know if your pigs have ever tried that.

Pumpkin has been on heat for 4 days.

They get on better than they did pre- uterus cancer surgery. Pumpkin would shout and shout at Nancy and not let her anywhere near her. Though Pumpkin has gone back to that this weekend and rumberling. They do bicker a lot like siblings but they aren't fighting. Vet has recommended i try pet remedy.

I am stressed. We've had so much go wrong it's been awful and I nearly had Pumpkin put to sleep last week.
 
Piggies2023 said:
Ah okay. So Nancy's bladder might have got inflamed from IC. We are trying cerenia. Don't know if your pigs have ever tried that.

Pumpkin has been on heat for 4 days.

They get on better than they did pre- uterus cancer surgery. Pumpkin would shout and shout at Nancy and not let her anywhere near her. Though Pumpkin has gone back to that this weekend and rumberling. They do bicker a lot like siblings but they aren't fighting. Vet has recommended i try pet remedy.

I am stressed. We've had so much go wrong it's been awful and I nearly had Pumpkin put to sleep last week.
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Hi

No, I have never tried cerenia; it wasn't around when I had my big spate of IC.

Sounds like Pumpkin has a hormone spike from a growing hormonal cyst, then. :(
 
Nancy is in for an x-ray today. I'm hoping no stones. The cerenia injection definitely helped but then does wear off so before I put her on cerenia more long term I thought it would be wise to check.
 
Piggies2023 said:
Nancy is in for an x-ray today. I'm hoping no stones. The cerenia injection definitely helped but then does wear off so before I put her on cerenia more long term I thought it would be wise to check.
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Fingers crossed for her!
 
No stones 😊. Very relieved. She's had another cerenia injection & vet will order me some of the oral form. I have two very grumpy pigs but at least all is well.
 
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