On Apr 21, 12:33=A0pm, Michel Oosterbeek <so...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Just a month ago, we lost Marussia. Now one of the healthiest piggys in
> the group passed away: Doodle
>
> He suddenly showed no interest in his veggies. He has a history of being
> sensitive in the belly, and it didn't take the vet long to diagnose him
> with gas in his belly. The vet did everything she could just like she
> did 2 years ago. That time he pulled through, but this time the poor guy
> lost the fight. He was almost 4 years old.
>
> http://www.mioo.demon.nl/pages/caven_fotos/doodle.jpg
>
> We're already making arrangements with the shelter to adopt a new piggy.
> For us this is hard, but Droopy, Doodles cagemate, needs the company.
> She is feeling VERY lonely right now, and I want her to have a friend
> again as soon as possible.
>
> We'll miss that little guy though...
>
> Michel
Poor Doodle. It's a sad story and I'm sure you did everything possible
as you are a very experienced piggy owner. Just a bit of information
for any other new owners out there. Gas in the belly (bloat) is quite
common in piggies and usually arises as a result of the greens in
their diet or eating too much fruit ( with yeasts on the skin) which
starts fermenting.. It's im****tant not to give piggies mown grass
clippings as fermentation could have started in the pile. You know
your piggy has bloat when the belly feels tight like a drum and when
you 'flick' the sides of the belly with your fingers and it sounds
dull. They invariably go off their food just like we would. You can
give them 0.5 ml Baby gripe water via a syringe as an emergency
measure until you can see a vet (Tell him when you get there). Then
massage the belly very gently with the piggy on your knee several
times over the next hour of two.. You can sometimes disperse the wind
as you do with a colicky baby, and you will hear the results. They
don't burp but they DO fart. The vet will give Buscopan as pain relief
but if an animal is in great pain you can give 0.3 ml Baby Calpol
(paracetamol) as an emergency measure for pain relief. This dose is
for an adult pig and would need to be scaled down for a baby by a
third. Be sure to tell the vet that the animal has had some pain
relief and note the time given.
|
