Wicket Upper Respiratory

[cortney]

I am so sorry i haven't been around. I am beside myself today well this week. First i am kicking myself for not noticing wicket not eating well until last night. However there is a reason i had gall stone attack Sunday night and Monday night i was so sick. I literally went to bed slept 18 hours to have it again and finally dragged myself to doctor and confrim wednesday evenin gall stone oh and bladder infection so literally i have not been the over indulgent mom. I cleaned cages tuesday Wicket was eating fine it was next day but i was ok nothing unusual he was eating but he lost weight and i called vet right away. As day went on i could hear whistling in his nose . Vet said his weight yes he lost, 60G it could be worse, heart rate was on low end but that can be stress but nothing sounding bad, lungs clear and he looked and said your left nostril has mucous he cleaned it wicket sneezed and he was there we go. So antibiotics, Azithroymicin, rhmeucam for anti inflammatoy and of course crtical care feeding which all vets are out of so it Emeraid which he hates

as soon as we go home he ran over to hay ate a little after i gave him meds. And i had to use a small 1 ML syring to get 16 mls of food into him then it was no more mom

i am extremely worried as not experience that. Vet was lungs are clear so it was no xray. I was beating myself up and he was you had a medical emergency you can't blame you got him here as soon as you noticed and he has plugged nose so he has to breath eating hay is irritating and he has stuffy now hard to eat. So start meds keep an eye if he seems worse come back if not worse but little improvement come back Monday latest. i feel i failed him. honestly i lost chai Nov 24th 2024, cadubury Feb 25 2024 and all i could think was i missed it and he is suffering . Sorry pitty party

Any advice for feeding other than syring would wet hay help, soften pellets.......thoughts

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please don’t blame yourself. You were poorly yourself and you have done everything you could have done.

When they are struggling to breathe they struggle to eat. They weren’t good at breathing through their mouths.
Wetting hay won’t help.
If he really won’t eat emeraid then you can feed mushed pellets until you can get critical care.
However if you got him to take 16ml into one sitting then that is good - it’s about the maximum most piggies will take anyway.

Make sure you are weighing him each morning so you can ensure that he is being fed enough. At least 60ml per day is where you are aiming.

You can put a bowl of steaming water next to the cage as that can help then breathe more easily.

I hope he, and you, are both ok

Thread 'Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support'

Jun 20, 2024

1 Weight and Weight Loss
- Why regular weight monitoring matters
- How weight changes over a lifetime
- How to weigh on your kitchen scales (with video)
- The weight loss rules
- How critical is the weight loss for my piggy?
- Possible causes for weight loss
2 Body Mass Index (BMI) or 'Heft'
- Why is understanding your piggy's weight so important?
- 'Average' weight vs. individual weight - the big trip up
- How to check for the BMI...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 5
• Forum: Health & Illness Support Corner

• 

 

[cortney]

Thank you. He ate a little hay last night not much poops i went to feed him this morning 3 am he sneezed and red blood. i got concerned so called vet and i told them room is dry, we live in Canada its winter and dry. lol
He had 20 mls at 3 am 20 mls 730-800am eating lettuce had on my bed seems brighter but the bloody nose..

humidifier maybe? basement apartment we are either too damp or too dry depending on season

But thank you i appreciate the kind words

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you. He ate a little hay last night not much poops i went to feed him this morning 3 am he sneezed and red blood. i got concerned so called vet and i told them room is dry, we live in Canada its winter and dry. lol
He had 20 mls at 3 am 20 mls 730-800am eating lettuce had on my bed seems brighter but the bloody nose..

humidifier maybe? basement apartment we are either too damp or too dry depending on season

But thank you i appreciate the kind words

Yes you can try a humidifier (if you’ve got one).

(The suggestion I made of a bowl of steaming water by the cage is the same thing and is often enough to see if it’s going to help, but if you’ve got a humidifier to hand then it is probably the quicker choice).

 

[cortney]

Vet called said not concerned about the blood his left nostril was quite blocked so its likely dried up and moving down and just keep feeding. and i feed him he munches on hay in between the syringe but he is laid back more than usual but also not being with his 10 month old son he misses Remy. Remy is also throwing fit biting on bars and very annoyed he can't go see him and steal wickets food

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’s good he is still wanting to eat hay between syringes.

Does this mean you have separated them while wicket is unwell?
Or do you just mean remy is upset for the short time while wicket is out having a feed and then you put him back in.

If you’ve separated while unwell, then we do not recommend any medical separation due to the stress is causes them to be apart, the fact that once one is ill the transmission to the other has likely already happened making separation futile, and the potential risk to their bond.

If it’s just while wicket is out having a feed then that is fine and remy will calm down once wicket is returned to him after the few minutes of the feed time

 

[cortney]

I seperated because not well and also because i had to do poop patrol make sure Wicket is going. So they are together now thank you because I figured they were together already damage done if Remy is to get it he will but hes running like a little fiend. My other vet same clinic would always say seperate them when ill i thought it strange and she has been doing this for over 30 years. This vet i told him is 10 month adopted son keeps him moving he smiled said good healthy one can perk him up

THANK you only had piggies for oh 9 years but so many vets give conflicting info. This vet came back to Canada from New Zealand and also worked in UK He mentioned drugs and i was oh is that this? different names.

As for others in Canada area Critical Care has been on back order for months its not getting any better Ridiculous

 

[Piggies&buns]

Separating for watching poop output is actually unhelpful.
Poop is 1-2 days behind food intake so only gives you out of date information ie by the time you see reduced amount of poop, the piggy has already not been eating properly for the past 1-2 days but the conveyer will still be producing the poop from that time when they were eating, hence 1-2 days have lost to be able to step in.

This is why the daily weight checks during illness are so vital. They provide real time information about hay/food intake and allow you to start and make adjustment of syringe feeding quickly feed.

 

[cortney]

The vet said he hear good gut sounds too so he said given he didn't eat may as much and went off see reduction but monitor especially being on Azithroymicin

but thank you so much! he isn't eating pellets but he has been eating little bits of hay but boys are napping for now until next bout of food time

 

[cortney]

i will keep you posted
he is sneezing a lot but more active

 

[cortney]

He began eatling a lot on his own last night. I woke up through the night to him drinking and eating hay. He was munching early this morning too. Gave him lettuce dive in and ate hay weighed him too he was up 1300 G prior to lettuce. Definitely more active i will continue syringe as these guys can go up and down. But not sneezing as much a few this morning

Usualy routine is hay lettuce and they rest. He was running around a lot last night i am hopeful

its 740am i have to leave for doc appt at 9:30 so feed dress go i think he should be good when i get back given he gained i was so worried i did 6 feeding yesterday will try to do same again but with appt may miss one HE HATES Emeraid omg i had a spoon not even of critical care i sprikeled in it and he took it

thank you for all the support and great advice !