Specialist Mystery illness

[Emx93]

Does anyone have any experience with a mystery illness sweeping through your piggies? What was the outcome and did they ever find out what it was?
On Friday morning my palliative piggy went from we may need to call the vet but I've stepped in with syringe feeding and watering Thursday night to i definitely need to call the vets right now on a bank holiday during lockdown Friday morning, she was obviously dehydrated, not eating much and rejecting syringe feed (most unusual for her) she'd been struggling to clean herself for a few days but despite twice daily bum cleans her bits looked gunky and smelt a bit funny, I got a telephone appointment and the vet suspected a uti/ cystitis she was given recovery food, rehydration, gut stimulants and antibiotics, she got worse very quickly and we worried she wouldn't pull through, thankfully once the meds kicked in she started to improve and started to eat for herself and happily take recovery feeds. But during this time fluffy also stopped eating and started to loose weight, I started to syringe feed her and saw a little improvement as princess improved so I put it down to sympathy symptoms because her friend was so sick. Then overnight last night she's gone down quickly with the not eating and loosing weight. This morning marshmallow didn't come for veg and looked skinny, I weighed her and she too is loosing weight (-70g). Prompt phone call to the vets and they are all on recovery food and gut stimulants for 10 days, she will give them antibiotics in 2 days if no improvement.
What the hell is wrong with my babies marshmallows friend nugget is still healthy! She stays that way. There are no symptoms in fluffy and marshmallow just a loss of appetite and weight syringe feeding x3 advice greatly appreciated! Princess is improving by the day thankfully

 

[Wiebke]

Does anyone have any experience with a mystery illness sweeping through your piggies? What was the outcome and did they ever find out what it was?
On Friday morning my palliative piggy went from we may need to call the vet but I've stepped in with syringe feeding and watering Thursday night to i definitely need to call the vets right now on a bank holiday during lockdown Friday morning, she was obviously dehydrated, not eating much and rejecting syringe feed (most unusual for her) she'd been struggling to clean herself for a few days but despite twice daily bum cleans her bits looked gunky and smelt a bit funny, I got a telephone appointment and the vet suspected a uti/ cystitis she was given recovery food, rehydration, gut stimulants and antibiotics, she got worse very quickly and we worried she wouldn't pull through, thankfully once the meds kicked in she started to improve and started to eat for herself and happily take recovery feeds. But during this time fluffy also stopped eating and started to loose weight, I started to syringe feed her and saw a little improvement as princess improved so I put it down to sympathy symptoms because her friend was so sick. Then overnight last night she's gone down quickly with the not eating and loosing weight. This morning marshmallow didn't come for veg and looked skinny, I weighed her and she too is loosing weight (-70g). Prompt phone call to the vets and they are all on recovery food and gut stimulants for 10 days, she will give them antibiotics in 2 days if no improvement.
What the hell is wrong with my babies marshmallows friend nugget is still healthy! She stays that way. There are no symptoms in fluffy and marshmallow just a loss of appetite and weight ☹☹☹ syringe feeding x3 advice greatly appreciated! Princess is improving by the day thankfully

Hi!

I am every so sorry! It is every owner's worst nightmare.

Please quarantine any healthy piggies in contact with the deceased or the ill one asap and hope that it has not spread to them yet.
Importance Of Quarantine

Have you checked the gas alarm? We have seen the odd case from monoxide poisoning mainly expressing itself with piggies being very off and losing their appetite before dying, but no other distinct symptoms.
When several piggies die with the same symptoms or lack of symptoms, it is either something in their environment or food, or it is an illness - although in the latter case you generally do have more symptoms.
Sadly only a post-mortem examination and lab test will give you an answer. We can only guess as much as you do.

 

[Emx93]

Hi!

I am every so sorry! It is every owner's worst nightmare.

Please quarantine any healthy piggies in contact with the deceased or the ill one asap and hope that it has not spread to them yet.
Importance Of Quarantine

Have you checked the gas alarm? When several piggies die with the same symptoms or lack of symptoms, it is either something in their environment or food, or it is an illness - although in the latter case you generally do have more symptoms.
Sadly only a post-mortem examination and lab test will give you an answer. We can only guess as much as you do.

Thankyou thankfully noone has died, my palliative piggy I believe came close but she's recovering greatly now the meds are in effect. I've checked the gas alarms etc and everything is fine they went out on the grass last Wednesday for a short time but it was in a clean and dry area could they have picked something up outside? Fluffy is now drooling most of her recovery food out and not chewing it, but she's getting a little down her, Princess did this Friday night and thankfully managed to come back. I only have one healthy piggy now, she lives with marshmallow do I seperate her from her friend or is it likely that she has already been exposed?
Their food hasn't changed either, they've not eaten anything new it's a total mystery and definitely a nightmare Xx

 

[Wiebke]

Thankyou thankfully noone has died, my palliative piggy I believe came close but she's recovering greatly now the meds are in effect. I've checked the gas alarms etc and everything is fine ☹ they went out on the grass last Wednesday for a short time but it was in a clean and dry area could they have picked something up outside? Fluffy is now drooling most of her recovery food out and not chewing it, but she's getting a little down her, Princess did this Friday night and thankfully managed to come back. I only have one healthy piggy now, she lives with marshmallow do I seperate her from her friend or is it likely that she has already been exposed? ☹
Their food hasn't changed either, they've not eaten anything new it's a total mystery and definitely a nightmare Xx

Hi!

Please have Fluffy checked for either teeth overgrowth or an increasing blockage somewhere between the mouth and the anus. Drooling is a serious alarm symptom as it means that she struggles to swallow or is unable to pass saliva through her gut. if both ill piggies are displaying this, then it will give you and your vet a hint as to a more tangible symptom.

Exposure is likely to have happened. Personally I would still quarantine as soon as a second piggy was displaying the same mystery symptoms, but that is your own call.

 

[Emx93]

Hi!

Please have Fluffy checked for either teeth overgrowth or an increasing blockage somewhere between the mouth and the anus. Drooling is a serious alarm symptom as it means that she struggles to swallow or is unable to pass saliva through her gut. if both ill piggies are displaying this, then it will give you and your vet a hint as to a more tangible symptom.

Exposure is likely to have happened. Personally I would still quarantine as soon as a second piggy was displaying the same mystery symptoms, but that is your own call.

Thankyou I may have explained wrong, she isn't drooling saliva she just isn't chewing the majority recovery food and it's coming out of her mouth rather than into her, she's not the most cooperative with syringes at the best of times, I only noticed marshmallows symptoms this morning but I do have a quarentine cage I can set up in another room I just worry the separation could cause more stress if she's likely already exposed? We didn't seperate initially as we believed princess to either have a uti, or her cancer was affecting her and fluffy was reacting to the stress due to the fact she perked up when princess did but has since got worse xx

 

[Wiebke]

Thankyou I may have explained wrong, she isn't drooling saliva she just isn't chewing the majority recovery food and it's coming out of her mouth rather than into her, she's not the most cooperative with syringes at the best of times, I only noticed marshmallows symptoms this morning but I do have a quarentine cage I can set up in another room I just worry the separation could cause more stress if she's likely already exposed? We didn't seperate initially as we believed princess to either have a uti, or her cancer was affecting her and fluffy was reacting to the stress due to the fact she perked up when princess did but has since got worse ☹ xx

You know your piggies. I can't make that judgement for you. I can only say what I would do in your shoes being fully aware of all the considerations in play and having weighed them up in my own mind.

 

[Wiebke]

I would however strongly recommend to contact your vet again.

 

[Merab]

Can only add support and hold you and your piggies in my heart

 

[Emx93]

I would however strongly recommend to contact your vet again.

Thankyou I have just tried fluffy again and if I put no more than 0.1ml in she will swallow it, the vets advice (a few hours ago she is aware of the symptoms including the syringe avoidance) was to start her on the gut stimulants and wait for improvement, if there isn't improvement to start them on antibiotics, she is nibbling hay so she can swallow but we all know how deceptive that can be and how the scales don't lie, she is slightly more cooperative from a spoon so I will try that way too it's just I can't get an accurate reading for how much is going in from a spoon. Marshmallow is taking syringe feeds well thankfully i think we have caught her early! but I am going to quarentine nugget and monitor her weight very closely, I do worry for if they will go back together afterwards there has been some dominance uncertainty there since nugget was spayed in January.
I am sorry I should've been more clear, was typing in a rush and slight panic at how quickly they lost their appetites thankyou so much for the advice daddy is setting up the quarentine cage now if there is no improvement in the next few hours I will call the out of hours vet as mine are only doing telephone appointments atm xx

 

[Claire W]

I’m afraid I have no advise but I am sorry that you are going through all this x

 

[Emx93]

Thankyou for everyone's advice and well wishes, marshmallow is taking recovery food like a champ, fluffy is taking it slightly better and I was able to get 5ml in very slowly in the last session, I have found a new syringing position that she tolerates better

 

[Emx93]

Are utis contagious? Fluffy just squeek peed on me a uti is what they thought p had (though she wasn't squeek peeing!) xx