The Pigglingtons

Brillo has been to the vet today. He has been slowly but steadily losing weight over the last few weeks, has had on and off soft poop, cheilitis under his chin and has been slowing down a bit.
We met a lovely new vet who I felt very confident in and we are both in agreement with where we are in relation to his health and age so I feel relieved about that.

The soft poop is probably down to the Metacam which he has been taking twice daily for over 2 years. I have him on Fibreplex and am careful about how much and what veg he is eating, that is to continue. We are reducing the amount of Metacam slightly and adding in Gabapentin. Hoping Brillo's not affected by it like Red was.

I used the same treatment as I used for Red a few years ago for the chelitis and it is gone. He may have had a crack in his skin due to his game of letting water run out of the bottle down his front rather than drinking it.
We are hoping the slowing down is due to age and the weight loss is down to not eating so much due to pain. The Gabapentin will hopefully help with this.

I can syringe feed if I want to try and bring his weight back up. My feeling about this is to wait and see if the Gabapentin helps , whilst happy to feed a sick piggy who is going to get better there is no cure for old age. I don't want to be just keeping him alive. I will sleep on that one for a day or two and see what happens with the Gabapentin and some extra dried forage and special hays to tempt him.
It was quite an adventure travelling in the snow. Brillo was nice and snug in his carrier with hay, a snuggle safe and a fleece cover fitted over the carrier.

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Ah lovely Brillo - he’s living his best life with you and your devotion and care is amazing ❤️❤️
I hope the gabapentin works …..keeping tucking into those lovely bits of forage Brillo
 
Was going to bed 2 hours ago. Walked into the room with veggies for Fizz and Fuzz to find Fuzz hanging over the top of the bars, half his body hanging over. Fizz was only one rung behind. It's a 4 foot drop from the top of the grids to the floor, talk about heart in mouth moment.
I had to empty the cupboard under the stairs to get the spare grids. The first C&C we had years ago had a lid so I have lid bars, I've rigged up a temporary roof using bull dog clips and reusable cable ties, will look at it again tomorrow to make improvements and a more permanent structure. I've had some characters over the years but I think these two are going to win all the prizes for most daring.
Now I'm wide awake, thanks boys.
 
piggieminder said:
Was going to bed 2 hours ago. Walked into the room with veggies for Fizz and Fuzz to find Fuzz hanging over the top of the bars, half his body hanging over. Fizz was only one rung behind. It's a 4 foot drop from the top of the grids to the floor, talk about heart in mouth moment.
I had to empty the cupboard under the stairs to get the spare grids. The first C&C we had years ago had a lid so I have lid bars, I've rigged up a temporary roof using bull dog clips and reusable cable ties, will look at it again tomorrow to make improvements and a more permanent structure. I've had some characters over the years but I think these two are going to win all the prizes for most daring.
Now I'm wide awake, thanks boys.
Click to expand...
😲😲😲
 
piggieminder said:
Was going to bed 2 hours ago. Walked into the room with veggies for Fizz and Fuzz to find Fuzz hanging over the top of the bars, half his body hanging over. Fizz was only one rung behind. It's a 4 foot drop from the top of the grids to the floor, talk about heart in mouth moment.
I had to empty the cupboard under the stairs to get the spare grids. The first C&C we had years ago had a lid so I have lid bars, I've rigged up a temporary roof using bull dog clips and reusable cable ties, will look at it again tomorrow to make improvements and a more permanent structure. I've had some characters over the years but I think these two are going to win all the prizes for most daring.
Now I'm wide awake, thanks boys.
Click to expand...
Uh oh!
Hope you managed to get some sleep. How’s your late night CC arrangement holding up?

Fizz & Fuzz it’s not a good idea to scare your hooman late at night. 😱
 
AidaB said:
Uh oh!
Hope you managed to get some sleep. How’s your late night CC arrangement holding up?

Fizz & Fuzz it’s not a good idea to scare your hooman late at night. 😱
Click to expand...

With the higher grids I couldn't open the curtains this morning and the arrangement was totally impractical for cleaning the cage so I've removed it except an extra half high grid in the place they climbed and one halfway up the ramp where they might go over the top. I hope they have scared themselves enough they don't dare do it again. Fizz wouldn't have attempted it if he wasn't copying Fuzz. I have a design in my head using ratchet clips so I can remove a layer of grids for cleaning if I have to but it's fiddly. They are on very close supervision for the next few days! I think Fuzz used his bed to shorten the distance he had to climb, there's no where I can put the bed that's not near a side so hopefully the higher grid next to the bed will stop that. He loves his bed so I don't want to remove it unless I really have to. I eventually got to sleep around 4am. I read for a bit to get the vision of Fuzz hanging half out of the cage out of my head. He's eating and being his normal self but that must have hurt his tummy being folded over a grid like that. I thought Bertie was bad enough, his antics are just Bertie acting daft without thinking. Fuzz his far more dangerous, he's thinking this stuff out, there's a determined mind in that head. I was obviously taking to long with the veggies.
 
Wally has one roof grid- above his hammock. I always think it looks funny. Anywhere else he’s not bothered- but that one spot is a safety issue.

Good luck, fingers crossed today’s adaptation makes it safer for Fizz & Fuzz and easier for you to clean.
 
I've taken the bed away. It was the P@H spotty one, the sides are quite high and solid. He now has the Hay Pigs Crash Pad which is squishy and lower. Fuzz is not impressed. They haven't attempted to climb today so fingers crossed it was doing mere cat impressions on the side of the bed that gave them the idea. The extra grid is attached with ratchet clips and was easy to remove when I cleaned them out, fingers crossed I don't have to go the whole way along.
 
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Fizz was in Fuzz's favourite bed this morning. I'd just managed to get a photo when Fuzz came stomping out of the hay pile squealing at him to get out. Fizz wasn't going to budge, he'd got possession. Fuzz put his nose under the bed and tipped Fizz off, you couldn't make it up! Fuzz is beginning to worry me, the way he works things out is dangerous!
There are 2 of these beds but ......
 
Last night as I was topping up the hay and Fuzz was getting excited. I watched him climb the bars and hang out over the top of the grids. At least now I know he clings to the bars using them like rungs of a ladder, he curls his toes round each bar using them like fingers, this animal is scary. Fuzz is more like a monkey than a guinea pig.
In the winter I use perspex sheets over the grids as draught excluders in parts of the cages that are in direct line of the kitchen door. I've borrowed a couple of pieces from the less likely to be in a draught places and covered the grids in the front of Fizz and Fuzz's cage so his lordship can no longer climb. There's extra grids at half height at the back of the cage just in case but I don't think he's likely to climb the back as it's against a wall and I think it's all to do with food coming and I'm not quick enough.
It's exhausting trying to stay one step ahead of this little monkey, poor Fizz has to live with him!
 
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