Wiggiepig
New Born Pup
Hi all, sorry this is going to be a long post but I'm at wit's end and would be so grateful for any suggestions.
I noticed on Tuesday last week (11 days ago) that my 6y2m pig Wiggie was struggling to eat. We went to the vet on Wednesday and they booked her in for dental work on Thursday. She had her teeth filed under gas and our vet said the front ones were overgrown, molars looked fine other than a couple of small spurs that she'd taken off. Vet said there was a small lump under her chin and gave us antibiotics in case it was an infection - we've now completed the 7 day course of these.
She should have been able to eat properly straight away but she still couldn't manage anything and I was feeding her with a syringe. Looking at her teeth I put it down to her front bottom teeth being too short and expected that they would grow enough in a few days to be back to normal. However despite her teeth growing she still couldn't eat and it then became apparent (confirmed with vet) that the overgrown teeth were a symptom rather than The Problem, and there is something else wrong. She'll try to pick something up and think she's got it and start chewing, and then realise her mouth is empty and try again, and then after a couple more goes will give up and go and hide... it's horrible. Obviously I've tried all sorts of food in all different forms, but nothing goes in and stays in. She couldn't pick up anything, and despite me trying hard and her desperately wanting it, between us we couldn't get any sort of food in her mouth either, it looks like it's going in and then her attempts to take it back in her mouth just seem to send it out again. She can't use the water bottle either, which of course she doesn't need teeth for, and I get the water in by dripping it just above her lip so that it runs down the line between nose and mouth and surface tension carries it through into her mouth. If I drip it straight into her slightly open mouth then it doesn't go in, despite her trying to catch it with her tongue. [I know I can do it by putting the end of the syringe directly into her mouth but that's by far the more stressful option for both of us]. The vet has suggested it might be a tumour somewhere (she does have several obvious lumps around her body that she's too old to operate for) and that there's nothing else to be done. I'm giving her painkiller every evening and she doesn't seem to be uncomfortable, just sad. If she's going then ideally I want her to go peacefully at home, for her sake and her sister's sake (so she knows what's happened).
So, I've been feeding her still with the syringe - which she's pretty much stopped taking now, and I don't push it like I did when I thought we were just waiting for her teeth to grow back - and lots of water likewise, which she does take, and giving her lots of cuddles. On Thursday she had a bad start to the day (messy bum, I think because I gave her some sieved strawberry the day before) and after a little wash I had her on my lap being sleepy and cuddly the entire day, from 6am on, and we pretty much said goodbye to her. However... I'd given her sister some celery while Wiggie was on my lap, and I took the remaining bit out of the house before I put Wiggie in for the night at 10pm. Wiggie could smell it and put every bit of energy she had in into one almighty squeak. Faced then with miserable choice of putting the celery down and watching her fail to eat it, or not give it to her at all, I broke a tiny bit off and held it out to her and was then gobsmacked that she managed to take it (after a couple of false starts) and eat it. I gave her another bit and another and she ate it all. So I chopped up some more with added cabbage and put that in a dish and she stuck her face in it!
She has had a bit more since, and some apple and cucumber, but still can't eat pellets, hay, or anything leafy, regardless of how small I cut it up. Yesterday I noticed her try to take some dry food and fail, and then she went over to her sister and kept nudging her bum, and I think she's been eating her poos which would prob explain why she's still with us. The vet noted that she'd lost over a quarter of her body weight between last routine visit and when I took her in for the apparent dental issue, but over the last week she has remained roughly steady and not lost any more.
I don't want her to suffer, and I want to do the right thing for her whatever that is, but I feel like it might help to understand what's going on with her. Does anyone have a similar experience and/or any suggestions for what I should/could be doing to help her?
Thanks for your time in reading this. Pig people are special.
I noticed on Tuesday last week (11 days ago) that my 6y2m pig Wiggie was struggling to eat. We went to the vet on Wednesday and they booked her in for dental work on Thursday. She had her teeth filed under gas and our vet said the front ones were overgrown, molars looked fine other than a couple of small spurs that she'd taken off. Vet said there was a small lump under her chin and gave us antibiotics in case it was an infection - we've now completed the 7 day course of these.
She should have been able to eat properly straight away but she still couldn't manage anything and I was feeding her with a syringe. Looking at her teeth I put it down to her front bottom teeth being too short and expected that they would grow enough in a few days to be back to normal. However despite her teeth growing she still couldn't eat and it then became apparent (confirmed with vet) that the overgrown teeth were a symptom rather than The Problem, and there is something else wrong. She'll try to pick something up and think she's got it and start chewing, and then realise her mouth is empty and try again, and then after a couple more goes will give up and go and hide... it's horrible. Obviously I've tried all sorts of food in all different forms, but nothing goes in and stays in. She couldn't pick up anything, and despite me trying hard and her desperately wanting it, between us we couldn't get any sort of food in her mouth either, it looks like it's going in and then her attempts to take it back in her mouth just seem to send it out again. She can't use the water bottle either, which of course she doesn't need teeth for, and I get the water in by dripping it just above her lip so that it runs down the line between nose and mouth and surface tension carries it through into her mouth. If I drip it straight into her slightly open mouth then it doesn't go in, despite her trying to catch it with her tongue. [I know I can do it by putting the end of the syringe directly into her mouth but that's by far the more stressful option for both of us]. The vet has suggested it might be a tumour somewhere (she does have several obvious lumps around her body that she's too old to operate for) and that there's nothing else to be done. I'm giving her painkiller every evening and she doesn't seem to be uncomfortable, just sad. If she's going then ideally I want her to go peacefully at home, for her sake and her sister's sake (so she knows what's happened).
So, I've been feeding her still with the syringe - which she's pretty much stopped taking now, and I don't push it like I did when I thought we were just waiting for her teeth to grow back - and lots of water likewise, which she does take, and giving her lots of cuddles. On Thursday she had a bad start to the day (messy bum, I think because I gave her some sieved strawberry the day before) and after a little wash I had her on my lap being sleepy and cuddly the entire day, from 6am on, and we pretty much said goodbye to her. However... I'd given her sister some celery while Wiggie was on my lap, and I took the remaining bit out of the house before I put Wiggie in for the night at 10pm. Wiggie could smell it and put every bit of energy she had in into one almighty squeak. Faced then with miserable choice of putting the celery down and watching her fail to eat it, or not give it to her at all, I broke a tiny bit off and held it out to her and was then gobsmacked that she managed to take it (after a couple of false starts) and eat it. I gave her another bit and another and she ate it all. So I chopped up some more with added cabbage and put that in a dish and she stuck her face in it!
She has had a bit more since, and some apple and cucumber, but still can't eat pellets, hay, or anything leafy, regardless of how small I cut it up. Yesterday I noticed her try to take some dry food and fail, and then she went over to her sister and kept nudging her bum, and I think she's been eating her poos which would prob explain why she's still with us. The vet noted that she'd lost over a quarter of her body weight between last routine visit and when I took her in for the apparent dental issue, but over the last week she has remained roughly steady and not lost any more.
I don't want her to suffer, and I want to do the right thing for her whatever that is, but I feel like it might help to understand what's going on with her. Does anyone have a similar experience and/or any suggestions for what I should/could be doing to help her?
Thanks for your time in reading this. Pig people are special.
