Blood spots on Lacey’s bedding

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Thu Feb 18, 2021 12:42 am


That’s what happened here. I made sure all her wee pads were flat so she wouldn’t trip, and put fleece up for her to hide in rather than plastic hideys in case she hit her foot. She is moving pretty well.

I’ve been keeping a closer eye on her anyway because her weight dropped about 2.5 ounces over the last several months. Her input and output are good. I have tried extra pellets but she eats only so much. I notice her body shape is changing as she ages. She’ll be 5 years old in July, so welcome to the middle ages!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Feb 18, 2021 12:11 pm


Crossing fingers she improves! You have made such a nice safe place for her - just right for healing!

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Sun May 30, 2021 11:44 am


Lacey has been doing well all along, but today when I weighed her she's down to 896 grams which is just below 2 pounds. I weigh her each week and last week she was 950. Over the last 2 months her weight varied weekly from 950 to 926, and although she's a small pig this is an all-time low.

She's eating and drinking water, I doubt there's any teeth issues because she's eating corn husk and fresh grass like a conveyor. She left some of her pellets overnight the last few days, but she's eating them today. She had some floor time last night and did the usual exploring. She's going to be 5 in July, and I know they drop a little weight as they get into their senior years, but this just startled me. So I guess I'll watch and see if I notice any behavior things, and start weighing her daily for a while.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun May 30, 2021 12:16 pm


I hope it is a normal aging loss. I know how closely we watch our guinea pig's weights! I expect one aspect of aging is not processing food as efficiently. Let us know how things go in the coming days.

Bookfan
For the Love of Pigs

Post   » Sun May 30, 2021 8:06 pm


I think most or all of our pigs who made it to 5-years-old gradually lost weight and were bony.

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Sun May 30, 2021 9:21 pm


Thanks for the feedback. I haven’t really noticed any change regarding her input and output. She definitely has an appetite and she’s moving around, tunneling in her hay, wheeking when she sees us or hears the fridge door. So without any signs of illness I’ll just start weighing daily and see what her weights are.

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Thu Jun 10, 2021 12:32 pm


Lacey has a vet appointment on Saturday. She’s moping around barely picking at her hay and pellets. Yesterday she turned her nose up to green peppers, but she did eat some CC off a spoon after I got a syringe ready for her. I’ve been feeding grass and corn husks trying to keep the fiber content up and keep her chewing. Then I give her tummy massages for digestion and she’s pooping but smaller amounts. I’m getting the stink eye quite often - she’s really tired of me.

She’s drinking a little water but not as much as she was, so I watered down some watermelon juice and she drank that from a spoon.

Saturday is a long way away, and it’s a drop off appointment since the exotic vet is there Saturday through Monday and she’s booked solid.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Jun 10, 2021 9:43 pm


I hope you get some answers. At least Lacey is in good hands with you!

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Fri Jun 11, 2021 12:36 am


Thanks, I’m worried about her. We’re in the middle of a heat wave, but she’s in air conditioning so I don’t think that’s the problem. She’s not sneezing and no UTI symptoms. So I just pester her every few hours to get her to eat something and move around.

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Sat Jun 12, 2021 12:29 pm


Well, someone must have told Lacey about the vet appointment today. Yesterday she perked up, started eating hay and pellets, wheeking when she heard the fridge door, and standing up to chew at the bars for her vitamin C. She is also eating CC off a spoon. Input and output have been good for 24 hours, weight is 880. So I cancelled the drop-off appointment. The clinic is swamped through the weekend and I don't know how long she would be in that little carrier or what they would do for an exam. Fingers crossed she's on the mend.

I'm amazed my blood pressure isn't through the roof - what a week!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Jun 12, 2021 11:11 pm


No kidding! I hope she continues to have a good weekend!

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Sat Jul 10, 2021 3:37 pm


Lacey is at the vet clinic today. She started losing her appetite overnight Thursday and there were pellets in her cup Friday morning. She barely picked at her hay all day but would still eat corn husks and fresh grass. She gets those year-round so it’s nothing new to her system.

She looked puffy but not bloated, tummy was soft. So I gave her a number of massages. Poops are smaller and I can hear digestive gurgles.

So the clinic only had drop-off available. I typed up a health and food history and dropped her off. The vet called and suspects a uterine infection. She feels something like a mass and palpated her ovaries, but it could be food or gas. She wants to try Albon antibiotic, which I’ve given in the past with no problem. Then she wanted a follow-up and ultrasound. So I asked her to do the ultrasound today if possible. I figured why wait if she’s already there.

Now I’m waiting nervously for a call.

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