Jack with abscess

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daj

Post   » Sat Sep 12, 2020 8:42 pm


So, with the shillintong, how have you all used it? How did you administer it? And, did you use one tablet per day? Did you use it for three weeks and then get another x-ray?

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sat Sep 12, 2020 9:59 pm


You might search the medical forum for Shilintong. I know there have been quite a few posts on dosing it. If I remember correctly, I used one tablet per day, divided into two feedings. There is also more info on the Bladder Stone page, toward the bottom:
https://www.guinealynx.info/stones.html

daj

Post   » Sat Dec 19, 2020 5:36 pm


Jack is now stone free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I only just took him back to the vet yesterday. I think he passed the stones within a few weeks though. I'm still doing what seems to have worked, which is: No greens, high fluid consisting of one shilintong tablet, 1/2 teaspoon pellets, vitamin C, fruit juice like scrapped cantaloupe or apple juice concentrate, 1 capsule of cranberry supplement and 1/2 capsule potassium citrate (I had already bought it and the vet said it's unknown whether it might help, but can't hurt). I let the pellets and other ingredients dissolve overnight and add the sweetener in the morning. I warm some on the stove and use finely cut hay to soak some up and reduce the amount I need to syringe. I give it 4-5 times per day, totaling nearly 8 oz. of fluid. He seems to be doing great and also has no more skin issues.

All my pig's skin issues have cleared up BTW, after eliminating all greens except for lettuce, and I have reduced the lettuce to a bit less than 1 leaf per day (usually red leaf). I'm convinced that pigs need A LOT LESS leafy greens than is commonly assumed. We went through years of suffering from scabby, flaky lesions on their backs, countless meds, creams, shampoos, etc. and vet bills through the roof before I finally wised up.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Dec 19, 2020 9:39 pm


What good news! Thanks so much for the update. So glad to hear he is stone free.

I hope he maintains his good health.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Mon Dec 21, 2020 2:58 am


Thanks for the follow-up. I remember all the frustrating skin issues - so glad that is finally cleared up. And also happy to hear Jack is stone-free.

Bookfan
For the Love of Pigs

Post   » Mon Dec 21, 2020 7:30 pm


Good news!

daj

Post   » Fri Jan 01, 2021 1:09 pm


So, there seems to be something still not right with Jack. He seems happy and lively, with good appetite, but the reason I took him back to the vet when I did, was that I found a spot of blood on his bed. It wasn't the pink type, as when it's in the urine, but plain blood. It wasn't a large spot, smaller than a poop. The vet wanted to put him on an antibiotic again, but I wanted to hold off on that.

After leaving the vet's I felt like she didn't do much of an exam, just the x-ray, checking his weight, as far as I saw. I was so relieved and surprised to hear the x-rays showed no stones, I basically forgot about the blood. The other night I found another blood spot, and I just heard him squeal/grunt, possibly when pooping. Does anyone have any thoughts on what might be going on? I am tempted to go back to the first vet I was using. This one charged $112 for "exam" and x-rays. I have yet to see any of the vets I've gone to check their anal sacks or for things like sperm rods. But, I guess the x-ray would have shown that. I tried checking his anal sack, but an not confident I was very effective. I don't see any trouble down there.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Jan 01, 2021 4:19 pm


Have you ever cleaned out his anal sack? Does it seem to have lots of poops in it or debris in it?

I'm wondering if you could gently check it with a cue tip to look for fresh blood. Usually a lubricant is used to prevent tearing of the soft tissue. The lubricant might interfere with finding blood, if present.

Most worrisome is your observation that he was squealing/grunting "possibly when pooping". How many days has it been since you last saw the vet? Was it the visit you described about 12 days ago?

daj

Post   » Fri Jan 01, 2021 8:08 pm


Yes it was the one about 12 days ago. I did stick a q-tip with mineral oil it into his sack, but not very far. I don't want to hurt him and don't know how to really get it there. I will have to watch a video on it. I have before, but need to do it again. The vet said they can get an infection from the stones, and that's why she wanted to do the AB. But he was on Baytril at the start of the stones, and I didn't want to put him on again. She said watch him and call for the AB if necessary.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Jan 01, 2021 10:36 pm


I don't know if you've read this page but I think one of the pictures shows how to kind of turn the sack so you can see more:
https://www.guinealynx.info/impaction.html

p.s. yes, there might be some information on that page that could help you.

Image

daj

Post   » Mon Jan 04, 2021 1:24 am


Today I tried again... after reading and watching videos. I think his pocket is OK. When I went to clean it he pooped a lot. They came out easily with no sign of pain, and I don't see anything foreign, but I was still timid in the effort. I still haven't succeeded in getting his penis exposed. I'm afraid of hurting him, and he fights a lot. I've not heard any sign of pain when I'm around him. So far it's only happened when he's in his house. Handling doesn't seem to cause pain, and he was on the floor twice today and seemed perfectly normal. I will see how tomorrow goes.

Meanwhile though, Henry, one of his mates had blood in his urine tonight. About a 4-5 weeks ago Melvin left a little pool of pink urine. I've kept an eye on him and haven't seen any sign of blood since that first time. Now this is Henry's fist time. I will have to see how tomorrow goes for him now. Can something cause a bit of blood in the urine as a one time appearance, and not be a cause for concern? Or is pink/blood in the urine always a problem?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Jan 04, 2021 9:41 pm


Generally speaking, I think blood in urine always means something -- though sometimes the urine can be an odd color due to food that is eaten or porphyrins in the urine and the color you see is not caused by blood. A urine/blood test would tell you for sure. Perhaps syringe extra fluids and see if there is a recurrence of apparent blood in the urine.

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