Violet's medical thread

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Zaphy

Post   » Wed Mar 08, 2017 2:21 am


You know, the thought that she might have heart problems did cross my mind. She certainly has displayed none of the symptoms, but I know that's not always a good indicator of complete health. It may be worth looking into.

Her weight is down (1170g -> 1120g -> 1080g) and she hasn't been leaving many poops in her cage, though I've seen her ducking under to grab a few here and there. I gave her a few ccs of Critical Care just in case, but as she's been nibbling on her hay this evening I'm not too concerned right now. I'm guessing this is just the fallout from not having eaten much last night. I'll check in with her again in the morning.

Oh, and I gave her another dose of Meloxicam, she was wheezy again. I didn't like the sound of how raspy she was, it didn't seem less than yesterday... but it's not constant at least. The vet said it would probably last another day, so we'll see if it gets better tomorrow.

Had to do full reintroductions with her cage mate today, as well. I was hoping it was soon enough that I wouldn't have to, but Adelaide was having none of Violet this morning. Pulled out some hair and left Violet with a small abrasion on her side :( They seem to be getting along well now that they had some time to get used to each other outside the cage though.

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Zaphy

Post   » Wed Mar 08, 2017 6:17 pm


Hmm. Something seems off about Violet since last night and I haven't been able to put my finger on it- she hasn't lost more weight, her raspiness hasn't gotten worse (still not sure if it's better though), and while she hasn't been eating and drinking as much as I'd like her to, I've been supplementing her with CC and she's been pooping and peeing. She just doesn't seem like herself.

I think it's because her sister seems to be bullying her. I switched out the normal hideys with some makeshift towel tents, so that Violet's never trapped in one and that's stopped Adelaide (the bully) from jumping on her, and no blood has been drawn (apart from a small abrasion when Violet's hair was pulled), but Violet's behavior in the cage is quite different from outside right now. She's quiet and a bit jumpy, and not very enthusiastic about her food- she'll nibble here and there, but not very much. She pretty much stays in one corner... body language doesn't indicate pain or discomfort (not fully relaxed, but laying down on her side, no hunching or poofing), but she refuses to move out of it. When I set her down on the other side of the cage she'll bolt for that spot and stay there.

What's more confusing is that apart from a few scuffles last night before I switched hideys (and after full reintroductions), Adelaide seems to have stopped really bullying Violet. I wouldn't call them the most bosom friends or anything, but as far as I can tell she's been leaving Violet pretty much alone.

When I gave Violet some hay outside of the cage, she was pretty enthusiastic about it. She walked and rooted around, groomed herself, sniffed my face, normal guinea pig things. Just not inside the cage.

I have no idea if I should be concerned or not? Anyone have any additional advice on stopping bullying, if that is what's going on?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Mar 08, 2017 9:22 pm


Have you thought of adding some fleece forests (walls of fringed fleece that span a section of cage that they can walk through) to break things up visually?

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Zaphy

Post   » Thu Mar 09, 2017 1:41 am


I have not- I'll give that a try and see if it helps.

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Zaphy

Post   » Thu Mar 09, 2017 11:19 pm


It didn't make a difference... I finally separated them tonight. Maybe it was too much to ask for Violet to be reintroduced after that kind of trauma. I guess I'll see if Violet comes out of her shell, then try again... however long that takes.

I really didn't want to separate them, as neither of them had ever been able to get along with any other pigs.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Mar 10, 2017 8:55 am


I hope they will get along at some later date!

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Zaphy

Post   » Sat Mar 11, 2017 6:11 am


Just a couple things I wanted to note for myself. Violet hasn't been drinking on her own yet. I note that this is similar to her abscess removal surgery, she didn't drink on her own for several days afterwards- however, she was dealing with a surgical wound then, and not now. I wonder if this is just her response to the anesthetic?

She's not quite eating enough as she should be- weight is still 1080g, down from her normal weight of 1170g. I've been supplementing her diet with watery Critical Care (and sometimes just water by syringe, wetting down her lettuce, etc) where appropriate. Not much, probably 1/2 T dry mix per day, watered down quite a bit. Furthermore, she seems more tired than normal... she still gets up to eat, and spins around and jumps up for treats, just seems like she's sleeping more than usual. She does not appear to be in pain. Her raspiness is less, but still present sometimes.

Though her appetite and energy seem to be down, the poops that she is producing look good, if a little dry. Good solid oval shapes, normal odor.

I called the vet today to voice these concerns and she advised to keep an eye on it, which I agree with for now... as long as we don't have any terrible things happen over the weekend. She also suggested that I could try another dose of Meloxicam to see if that perks her up back to normal, just to eliminate pain as a cause of this unusual behavior.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Mar 11, 2017 7:19 am


I was going to suggest trying pain medication - glad to see your vet already did.

I think your supplementation of water, wetting down greens, and adding some watery Critical Care is perfect for increasing fluids for her.

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Zaphy

Post   » Sat Mar 11, 2017 5:50 pm


Discovered last night that if I just hold her water bottle up to her face, she'll drink from it. She just won't go to it herself. How weird.

Also forgot to note that she seems to be pretty itchy on her belly where her fur was shaved. I do not see any irritation or hair loss, so I am guessing that it is just that she doesn't like a buzzed tummy, but I will keep an eye on it. I recall hearing that stress can 'bring out' mites, so to speak.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Mar 11, 2017 6:18 pm


If it was shaved very closely, the wrong way, when the hairs grow out they can kind of poke the skin and hurt. Look to see if there is red irritation.

This is what happens sometimes when a female (or male, I imagine) shaves hair on their own bodies. Depending on the direction and closeness of the shave, it can hurt when growing out.

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Zaphy

Post   » Tue Mar 14, 2017 3:40 am


Small update, Violet is drinking a small amount on her own. Still having to supplement though, and she's still leaving only about half the poops in her cage that her sister is. Her low weight today was 1078 and high weight was 1110.

I am going out of town on Thursday, and I have a vet appointment for Violet on Wednesday before that to have her checked to make sure she's ok. Might do an ultrasound again to see if there's any internal change, though I don't feel anything different. I suspect her cyst burst again, because I'm not feeling the lump right now and she seems a little more pained today even with the meloxicam. I really wish I didn't have to leave town this week... but I'm training my husband to handfeed her and what to watch for while I'm gone. If he's unable to handle nursing her, the vet offers medical boarding with emergency staff on duty overnight that he can take her to.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Mar 14, 2017 9:27 am


Your husband is a good guy! Hope it goes well while you are gone.

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