• 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

poorly piggie :( - Reproductive tract

Emma Curly

Emma Curly

New Born Pup
Joined
Jan 17, 2019
Messages
67
Reaction score
64
Points
220
Location
ipswich suffolk
hi everyone i havnt been on here in forever but I'm after some advice, so ive always kept piggies all my life and atm i have 1 male 2.5yrs old a 1 female 23months old i had 2 sisters but 1 died last year suddenly! Male has been nuterd also, so i noticed my female piggie loosing some weight and some hair loss last week i called the vets we spoke and they said keep an eye on her and keep an eye on her eating ect which shes still been eating well. (they are indoors) This morning i bathed them and when i was washing her bottom area she squealed i rinsed her off and then had a look and in her lady parts i noticed a lump i called the vets straight away took her in obvs i wasnt allowed in so i explained best i could she came back and said she has 2 tumors in her valva which need removing and her ovaries are all swollen and probs need to be removed! i came away with pain relife and need to go back in a week, ive lost piggies over the years threw having ops simple ops even amd thry just dont make it and i honestly dont know what to do, shes soo young but i feel its 2 big ops for such a tiny piggie to cope with? when i got the 2 girls they where sooo tiny for 8 weeks old seemed more like the size of 2/3 week old piggies and with her sister dying last year i just had a feeling she was going to have health issues! please help ...
 
I’m sorry to hear this.
you need to be guided by your vet in terms of the surgery and its necessity.

I just wanted to pick up on the fact that you say she is losing weight but is eating well. If your piggy is losing weight is is usually due to reduced hay intake. How much weight has she lost? Weigh her daily so you can monitor what is actually going on and if she is still losing weight, then you will need to step in and syringe feed her to stop the weight loss.
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
 
i fill there hay rack 3/4 times a day its never empty I'm guessing its because of how poorly she is? they also have 2 veggie meals a day and are eating excel which is never empty either
 
Emma Curly said:
i fill there hay rack 3/4 times a day its never empty I'm guessing its because of how poorly she is? they also have 2 veggie meals a day and are eating excel which is never empty either
Click to expand...

do keep an eye on her weight daily as it is the only way to know enough hay is really going in And step in if she continues to lose. How much weight has she lost?

when you say she is eating excel and it’s never empty, I assume you mean burgess pellets? If so, then they should never have constant access to pellets. They should only have one tablespoon per piggy per day ( it amounts to about 6g of burgess pellets per day) and then remove the bowls until the next days portion. Pellets are the least healthy part of the diet and overfeeding them can contribute to excess calcium and potential for bladder problems
 
ok thank you yes there pellets there bowl is not over flowing its just always half full but i will start to do that! and I'm not sure on the excat amount of weight shes lost as she was soo happy and healthy ill be honest i wasnt keeping track but she has lost alot! i will start to weigh her. i still just dont know what to do about the tumors and her in the long run and if its fair to put her through all that?
 
Emma Curly said:
ok thank you yes there pellets there bowl is not over flowing its just always half full but i will start to do that! and I'm not sure on the excat amount of weight shes lost as she was soo happy and healthy ill be honest i wasnt keeping track but she has lost alot! i will start to weigh her. i still just dont know what to do about the tumors and her in the long run and if its fair to put her through all that?
Click to expand...

only the vet Can guide you on the tumours.

if she has lost a lot of weight then you must step in and syringe feed her immediately. Weigh her daily as it is your guide to how much and often to syringe feed her. if she continues to lose weight while being syringe fed, then she isn’t being fed enough. the guide I linked in will help you
 
ok thank you but surly if they are cancerous then she would be loosing weight as shes very poorly? ive always had such lovely large healthy pigs everyone including vets have always commented on there health and weight ect and she was perfect until this :( ill defo keep and eye on her eating but they are in my bedroom and i watch them constantly i honestly dont thinknits her food/hay intake i think its cause shes very poorly not only having 2 tumours but her ovaries aswel i really just hope shes not in pain
 
So sorry to read about your poorly piggie. I am not qualified to offer advice but totally agree with what has been written. I send you and your poorly piggie my best wishes and healing vibes and a virtual hug. I hope she will be ok.
 
Not eating hay can contribute to weight loss. And not eating may be down to her being unwell. She is young so I would be guided by the vet. There have been older piggies here (think 4-5 years old) who have gone in for emergency spays and done well afterwards. Just keep in mind it is a big op compared to neutering boars. But it’s also not good to leave her with the lumps.

Are the lumps on the ovaries cysts?
 
ive just done there food for the evening I'm sitting here watching them and shes munching away well veggies and hay. Ive had 6 boars been nuterd over the years 2 recoverd well dug who i have now got a hernia and then that got infected he took a long time to recover but hes fine now :) 2 didnt make the op and 1 died a week later, I'm going to call them tomorrow and have a good talk with them i just honestly feel its such a big op for her maybe I'm just worrying to much i dont know but i wouldnt leave her like this id have to have her PTS which obviously i dont want to have to do! they didnt say it was cysts just said her ovaries feel inflammed and like rock soild lumps
 
Veggies are only 15% of the daily food intake so don’t have a large impact on weight And you cannot judge hay intake by eye. watching them eat it is very deceptive.

All you can really do is have that discussion with your vet on what the prognosis is. It’s never an easy thing to go through but your vet may be confident that they can get things right for her.
 
So i spoke to the vet today we had a long conversation and she said mable would need 2 operations 1 to remove both tumours around her vulva and and 2nd to see whats going on with her ovaries, she said she is pretty certain that the hair loss and weight loss is they are producing to many hormoans and thinks she may have ovarian cysts. She said itis alot for her to go threw and obviously as i know already there is a chance she wouldnt make it. She has her pain relife and she honestly seems fine apart from looking abit of a mess bless her she is eating really well very soicalable still and is still popcorning when is veggie and hay top up time! The vets have said to maybe just keep her on the pain meds and see how she goes but i cant help but think she must be in pain! Someone please tell me what they would do I'm soo confused right now and feel really sad :(
 
We can't really tell you what to do. Only you can decide that along with your vet. I understand your worries about her going under though, I think it's to be expected with piggies of any age. If you have confidence in your vet then be guided by them.
 
i dont want anyone to tell me what to do i was just asking what people would do and after advice i feel soo confused and upset and i have spoken to the vet and shes told me its alot to put her through
 
It’s a tough one. I think I would go ahead with the spay and see if the vet could remove the tumours at the same time. Have the tumours grown much in size since they were discovered? And are they inhibiting her movement etc in any way? And what does the vet think they are? I’m sorry for so many questions, don’t answer them if you feel it’s too much.

I don’t know what else to say really. It’s a hard situation you’re in. I’ll tag @Wiebke
 
she doesnt know what they are, no they havnt and shes still moving about fine she seems happy enough thats whats soo sad ! x
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top