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Swollen bottom

Wiebke said:
Has your vet felt for the present of a stone logded just above her bits? Otherwise they look normal to me for a slightly skinny or older piggy.

PS: Unfortunately with you starting a new thread, I cannot see what has been said before or ruled out. You'll just get a standard answer if you start the process from scratch again. Keep in mind that we are all doing this for a free in our free time, so not everybody will every read all threads or remember what has happened several days or weeks before as we jump between lots of threads in a day.
For that reason, we strongly recommend that you continue with your original thread. You can always pick it up again via the search function underneath the top bar. A new post will come up in the alerts or the new posts listing for us but it will allow us to check back and to to tailor any recommendations on any ongoing problem. Thank you.
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Oh Lord, sorry.
i she was checked for stones via X-ray and found to be all clear
 
Bumped.
she seemed to poo very readily, although the poo looks totally normal. She is eating but has lost a lot of weight, is taking syringe feeds, gained a little weight but has now lost it again, no sparkle, sits in the same place all the time
 
AliP said:
Oh Lord, sorry.
i she was checked for stones via X-ray and found to be all clear
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Please don't feel guilty but a lot of new members struggle with the quick question - quick short diagnosis culture on social media, which we explicitly do not embrace. We try our best to get the to the bottom of things and take the time to do so in order to support our members as best as we can; which is something that sadly not many places do anymore. But for that we need your cooperation.

I have been ill the last week so I am not up to scratch on here anyway; and I may be pardoned for having long stopped to remember case details unless they are outstanding. It kind of gets into a mush after literally thousands of piggy cases and a decade down the line... :(

You can feel for a urethral stone yourself. There is a hard area under skin just leading into the genital protusion; that is where they usually fetch up in sows. If you have a companion, then feel them first so you'll notice any differences. ;)
 
I have had a good feel and she is soft around the front and a bit of a hard bit at the back, I have marked it, is that where you meant?
Vets tomorrow, she is so thin now I am losing hope really but thanks for any thoughts
 

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AliP said:
I have had a good feel and she is soft around the front and a bit of a hard bit at the back, I have marked it, is that where you meant?
Vets tomorrow, she is so thin now I am losing hope really but thanks for any thoughts
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That sounds fairly normal, but ask vet to check. Is she actually eating properly? I am wondering if there is a dental issue here, as they can often look like they're eating, as they nose around in the food, but very little is actually going in.
 
She is not leaking urine now. She is probably not eating as much as the others, she seems to rush to the beg, and eagerly takes the syringe feeds, but spends a lot of time sitting in a particular place so unless I keep adding hay she won’t be nibbling.
she passes poos as soon as you handle her which is unusual, these are normal in size and consistency
 
AliP said:
She is not leaking urine now. She is probably not eating as much as the others, she seems to rush to the beg, and eagerly takes the syringe feeds, but spends a lot of time sitting in a particular place so unless I keep adding hay she won’t be nibbling.
she passes poos as soon as you handle her which is unusual, these are normal in size and consistency
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It sounds like her body isn't absorbing the nutrients. Has anyone suggested hyperthyroidism? I have also had piggies lose weight, despite eating well, with systemic fungal issues and a course of intrafungol has helped. You could send a sample of poos to the lab to see if that highlights anything.

However, it could be a dental issue. Have her teeth been checked?
 
Thanks I will ask the vet Tomorrow to look at her teeth. She has started passing watery blood again i am feeling this is all bad news. She is so special.
 
Vet diagnosed severe kidney infection, she may need 2 months of antibiotics if she survives this. She looks really unwell. Syringe feeding to continue indefinitely.
 
AliP said:
Vet diagnosed severe kidney infection, she may need 2 months of antibiotics if she survives this. She looks really unwell. Syringe feeding to continue indefinitely.
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I am very sorry for the diagnosis. Fingers very firmly crossed!
 
Fingers crossed for Flora, so sorry about her diagnos, hope the antibiotics help her x
 
Flora is still losing weight despite 3 syringe feeds a day and extra veg given away from the other piggies. What foods might help Flora right now, with such a lot of antibiotics going in her, and severe kidney infection and severe weight loss? She is still enjoying food.
 
You need to syringe feed a piggy who isn't eating every few hours and at least once in the night. The fact that she is losing weight means that you aren't getting enough food in. It's hard fitting everything in between feeds. You are always clock watching wondering if it's syringe feed o'Clock. Are you noting down the time and amount you are feeding her? It's exhausting syringe feeding a piggy round the clock. Are you giving Flora probiotics? Pro-C is good. Sprinkle a pinch onto some water and syringe in about an hour after antibiotics.
 
I’m afraid in a poorly piggy who is losing weight you do need to weigh daily and step in with syringe feeding round the clock to support them through the illness. 3 syringe feeds a day is fine as a top up for a recovering piggy but if she is losing weight then she isn’t taking in enough nutrition so you need to take over and syringe feed her every couple of hours including during the night until she is eating enough for herself. I am linking the syringe feeding guide that explains the volume and frequency required
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
Hang on in there but step up your syringe feeding regime.

If you feel you are coming to the end of your own tether in what care you can provide for any longer time without any noticeable improvement after a week on a level of strong meds, then please take the time to read the guide below.
If the antibiotics are not bringing any palable relief, then it is unfortunately time to take stock of the situation. There is no shame attached if you cannot nurse an extremely and likely terminally ill piggy for a protracted period after having given your best. The guide is there to help all people through the minefield of where and when to call it shots by talking them through all the aspects involved and to help them make any necessary with an easier mind. You are also within your rights to talk to your vet about any realistic recovery chances and when to draw the line. We all want to do our best for our beloved piggies but few of us have the stamina and time to provide dedicated round the clock care indefinitely without reeling with exhaustion and struggling with our job, family life or our own ongoing health/mental health issues.
I am not saying that the time has yet come for you, but it may help you that there information out there that can guide you through some very rough ground.
A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs
 
Thanks for the advice last week. Flora seemed to suddenly improve and was more active and cheerful. Then suddenly nose dived Thu Fri despite more frequent attempts to feed as per your advice. We considered euthanasia for the first time.
A friend has had her this weekend as we have been away. as she is retired she has been able to feed Flora more frequently. Flora is in a group of 7 females, we have sent one (Nutmeg) to be with her at my friends.
my friend wants to keep her there for a few more days to see if she can make more progress.
here’s the question- if they are away from the group for several days will this make it difficult to get them all back together? Is it better to bring Nutmeg home and leave Flora by herself? I feel Flora needs a friend with her, but if she dies that might leave Nutmeg excluded from the group ....
any advice?
 
AliP said:
Thanks for the advice last week. Flora seemed to suddenly improve and was more active and cheerful. Then suddenly nose dived Thu Fri despite more frequent attempts to feed as per your advice. We considered euthanasia for the first time.
A friend has had her this weekend as we have been away. as she is retired she has been able to feed Flora more frequently. Flora is in a group of 7 females, we have sent one (Nutmeg) to be with her at my friends.
my friend wants to keep her there for a few more days to see if she can make more progress.
here’s the question- if they are away from the group for several days will this make it difficult to get them all back together? Is it better to bring Nutmeg home and leave Flora by herself? I feel Flora needs a friend with her, but if she dies that might leave Nutmeg excluded from the group ....
any advice?
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Long term bonded piggies that are not considered a thread to the survival of group because of a potentially infectious health problem should simply be accepted back in my experience. let them meet on neutral ground outside the cage first but please leave a companion with Flora for moral support and de-stressing so she will not feel abandoned and alone. Companionship is a huge pull for the will to live.

All the best!
 
Ok that’s great thanks, we have swapped friends this afternoon, they all seem ok. Thanks for the reassurance. We soldier on...
 
AliP said:
Ok that’s great thanks, we have swapped friends this afternoon, they all seem ok. Thanks for the reassurance. We soldier on...
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All the best! Great that you have such a good friend you can fully trust.
 
So Flora has stabilised her weight, and finished he antibiotics a week ago. She has been much more herself, although thinner and frailer, I have continued to syringe feed her three times a day.
Tonight she has passed urine with blood in it, I am a bit gutted. I guess she needs to restart her antibiotics. Will we ever totally beat this infection?
 
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