Violet's medical thread

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Talishan
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Post   » Sat Jan 23, 2016 5:01 am


Rimadyl is an older drug. Vets have used it for ages in dogs, and many are more familiar with it.

Metacam is, in my experience, more effective, especially in short-term use (i.e., postop), but you can get the occasional pig to have problems with it. We've had several pigs get hyper on it, and one to basically just crap out (I thought he was close to death) after he had been on it for arthritis for four full weeks. We also have two on it right now for arthritis who are having no problems whatsoever, so there you go. I never had any sensitivity or reaction problems to Rimadyl, so basically if a piggy has trouble with Metacam, I ask for Rimadyl.

What concerns me more is that Violet seems to be regressing a little here -- evidence of pain, scant droppings or reingesting all of her droppings, maybe a touch of GI upset. I think it's a good idea to resume her Critical Care.

The standard advice on scabs is to rip them off and to continue to flush until the tissue fully granulates from the inside out/up from the bottom to the surface. I've never been able to do that, at least not exactly that way.

Might be worth a call to the vet.

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Zaphy

Post   » Sun Jan 24, 2016 1:18 am


Since re-upping her Critical Care feedings her poops have become regular again (though still a bit soft and teardrop shaped). She's also fighting the feeding less. I'll ask my vet about Metacam at her next followup appointment Monday morning.

So I tried to take the scab off today- obviously she wasn't going to let me grab it enough to rip it all off, but I was able to saturate the scab with saline enough to soften it a little and I could grab a couple very small pieces (<1mm) with tweezers. Next I enlisted the husband to hold her vertically/at a slight belly-up angle while we bribed her with a baby carrot to keep her from struggling. I picked off a few slightly larger pieces of it, then I held a warm compress to it for a minute or two, as long as she tolerated it, then I picked off a couple more pieces. I gave up picking after a while and gently wiped it with the compress, which got pretty much everything that was loose off. There's still a couple pieces that I thought were going to come off... but maybe not.

Here it is after all the attempts to get the scab off- you can see the flap I was trying to get hold of last at the bottom of the wound.
Image

Talishan
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Post   » Sun Jan 24, 2016 7:59 am


That's looking better to me. More granulation and less what looks like dried pus.

Let us know what the vet says tomorrow.

You have done a fantastic job with a condition that is very difficult to care for. Kudos to you (and husband) and carry on.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Jan 24, 2016 8:34 am


Oh, it looks so much better!

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GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Sun Jan 24, 2016 2:48 pm


My thought also. Of course, you're all excellent teachers!

That said... Zaphy, you and husband rock!

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Zaphy

Post   » Wed Feb 03, 2016 6:29 pm


I kept meaning to post an update earlier. Violet is doing very, very well! I stopped the Critical Care a few days ago when she was pretty constantly around 950g, and since being reintroduced to the other pigs, between her pellet eating and constant begging for treats (side note: I have trained her to spin for carrots now and it is adorable) she is back to being chubs again at 994g when I weighed her just now.

As for her scar, the scab is completely gone now! Here are a few photos I took of the healing process since last update:

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^this last one is from today :)

At the last vet appointment I had just after the last time I posted, the vet said it was looking really good, and to keep up antibiotics for a few days after it completely closed up. Last night is the last time I gave her a dose of Chloramphenicol and Rimadyl (I've been tapering her off on the Rimadyl and she's acting just fine today without any so I think she's good on that front), and I'm thinking now would be an okay time to stop it since the scab's been off completely for five or six days now. The flesh is a bit bumpy with the scar tissue but I don't feel any hard lumps or swelling in the area. And as you can see, her fur's growing in pretty well too! Her poops have become beautiful ovals this morning and I am proud of her :)

Thank you all again so, so, so much for being so willing to hold my hand through this whole process.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Feb 03, 2016 8:46 pm


How wonderful! So glad it's all healed up and she's feeling well! You did a great job taking care of her, too!

Talishan
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Post   » Thu Feb 04, 2016 12:05 am


Ditto Lynx. You and your husband did a wonderful job caring for a difficult condition.

I'm tempted to think it actually helped when she ripped the drain out. !!

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Zaphy

Post   » Thu Feb 04, 2016 8:00 am


Me too, really- I just can't imagine how all that gunk back there would have come out with just the drain!

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Zaphy

Post   » Mon Apr 11, 2016 12:12 am


Do pigs get melanoma? I've noticed a freckle on Violet's back heel that I am 95% sure hasn't been there her whole life. It's black and the texture is the same as the surrounding skin, though the skin near the foot on that leg is dry and flakey:
Image

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Apr 11, 2016 7:31 am


Yes, they can get melanoma. If it were a possible skin cancer, you would just keep an eye on it and see a vet if it changes. If it's been there all her life, much more likely jut dark skin pigment (does she have some black on her somewhere?

Let me know if you'd like your picture added to your thread for future readers.

Talishan
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Post   » Tue Apr 12, 2016 12:01 pm


Ditto. Keep an eye on it, and have her vet see it if there are changes -- basically the same advice as for a human.

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