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Post by lisajaneh on Sept 24, 2008 21:36:10 GMT
Hi Folks, Collected two new babies today. I ordered one of them ages ago and when the mum had babies, we chose a coronet to go with it. Very excited that they were eventually ready to come home. The breeder rang to say that one had been in a bit of a bust up with some of the others and had been bitten. He had been in with three other males and basically they beat the crap out of him! He has at least 10 bites over his back and ears. I dont beleive I have ever seen anything like it. She has cleaned the wounds with salt water and put betadine on them, and most look pretty much dried up. One or two look quite deep. I am angry beyond belief that this could have happened, but cant change the past so need to focus on making sure that this little chap has as good a chance as possible of surviving. Im really looking for advice on how to deal with making the wounds better and not frightening the life out of him when I need to clean him up. Any help greatly appreciated. Lisa
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Post by PigPog on Sept 24, 2008 22:10:59 GMT
When I got Sprout, he'd been done over by a rabbit and he was covered in bruises and bites from head to toe. Your pig is going to be very sore on his body for the next few days and he will most probably bruise, therefore you should handle him very gently if you have to handle him at all.
There's a cream you can get from the pharmacy called Kamillosan and it's really good for healing the skin on a guinea pig. Use it on wounds that are not open or bleeding and it should help to speed up the healing process.
Also, if you find him with a lot of blood on his face or down his cheeks, then the wounds on his ears might have been bleeding. The flappy part of the ears bleeds a lot, even if the wound is quite small, so don't panic and use some distilled water (water boiled in the kettle and allowed to cool down) and some cotton pads to clean him up. When one of my sows had her ear torn, it bled all over place and I thought it was something really major, but the wound wasn't huge and eventually it healed.
It might also be a good idea to call your vet and ask them if you need to take him for an injection against infection, as he's had several pairs of mucky teeth breaking the skin. Your vet may feel that the treatment he's already had should be enough, or they may recommend you take him to the surgery. I asked my vet at the time, and Sprout had an injection after he was bitten just to make sure.
When you're not handling him, make sure he's got somewhere dark, cosy and quiet to go to. He's basically been roughed up by a gang of thugs and he's going to need some time on his own. He may be off his food for a short while, so make sure you check for signs that his feed bowl has been disturbed, his veg has been nibbled at, or he's had a drink. I definately also suggest keeping him on his own for a few days because he might become scared of his friend - and his friend may also be wondering why his new playmate won't come out to play.
As he heals, you need to be giving him lots of cuddles vegetable treats to help him to get his confidence back. Reintroduce him to his new friend and hopefully everything will be as you intended it.
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Post by snailspace on Sept 25, 2008 3:18:07 GMT
Poor little piggy I understand your anger Lisa - it should never have happened, but as you so wisely say, the point now is to make him better. From experience I can tell you that can't do better than to get advice from Pigpog on piggy traumas. She's nursed some really sick and injured piggies and I'd say her advice in that last post is perfect. Not that I'm an expert in piggies of course, but I could feel the little one getting better as I read it
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Post by lisajaneh on Sept 25, 2008 9:52:47 GMT
Thanks so much the the advice guys. I checked him over this morning and he was a little angel while I put on more betadine. I will go and get the Kamillosan from the chemist today. Most of the bites were scabbing over, but one still looks like a hole! I have booked him in the vets for Sat morning just to be on the safe side. They both have little hidey houses and Sausage and Kenny (our hyperactive aby x ) have been squeeking through the mesh at him. Kenny is sooooo excited to have mates in the next run and hasnt given up squeeking at them, even though they wont come out and squeek back. When I checked this morning, they had both eaten some of their veggies last night, so I am reasonably happy that they just need time to settle in. I will put a divide in between them so they can get their own space for a bit, and he can recover without worrying about other GP's. He has the biggest ears I ever saw on a piggy and luckily both ears have healed already, though one looks like it was a big cut. I know I said yesterday how angry I am that this could have happened and I am sure this will lessen as he starts to heal, but I had a crap nights sleep as I just couldnt get over the fact that "who in their right mind puts four boars together", least of all someone who should know better. I really want to shout at someone and say "what were you thinking?" (with a few explitives in for good measure) but obviously that;s not going to help anything, but it's like I feel he needs someone to stick up for him. If that makes any sense. Anyhoo, (note to self) stop waffling on Lisa. If he wasnt feeling so rough, I would have snuck him into work with me, but good sense prevailed and I hope he is feeling much better when I get home. thanks again Kate for the advice. I am guessing though that he will probably get over it all quicker than I will. Hard lessons to learn eh?
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Post by meggiepiggy on Sept 25, 2008 13:40:10 GMT
but it's like I feel he needs someone to stick up for him. If that makes any sense. Oh that makes a whole lot of sense, and something I have heard before.......................
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Post by guineapigqueen on Sept 25, 2008 15:09:34 GMT
The one that looks like a hole could turn into an abcess.
I will raise my hand and say I have never been to the vets over bites and abcesses but I do have anti-biotics and anti-inflammatries at home, due to getting a large amount when I have to visit the vet.
With the treatment of this bite, I would clean the wound twice a day and remove any scab that has formed over the hole as this could seal in the infection and it would be prefered for the hole to heal from the inside out. Once the scab has been remove I fill the hole with salt water using a syringe and watch for any puss coming away from it. Once I know its clean I usually add some Wound powder for small animals within the wound and tea tree around it. This will help it dry up and hopefully stop it being sore.
The vet will probably want to clean the wound out him/herself and give you some Baytril.
Emma x
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Post by lisajaneh on Sept 25, 2008 15:41:20 GMT
thanks Emma, that helps a lot. I will check him this evening and if it looks dodgy I will take him to the vet this evening. If all looks ok, I will still take him Saturday just to be sure. What is wound powder? Any idea where I get this from? Lisa
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Post by guineapigqueen on Sept 25, 2008 15:55:09 GMT
I have that, and I have seen it for sale in Pets At Home, it could be possibly made by a different company, but all still works the same. and this Emma x
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Post by pigmadsarah on Sept 25, 2008 18:51:16 GMT
aww poor piggie hope the bites get bettre asap xx great advice from all !! I keep all these idea incase of future need ! xxxx
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Post by Hugs-Cavies (Doris) on Sept 25, 2008 19:31:01 GMT
Sounds like everyone else has it under control I've been there - done that. There is a thread knocking about somewhere about Harry Jnr with a bite, which became a hole But thanks to dilute tcp, and daily cleaning (and liquid plaster!) he is restored to his former glory! Well, one ear now hangs a bit lower than the other but I think it adds charm!
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Post by lisajaneh on Sept 25, 2008 21:43:12 GMT
What a donut I am! I actually have both those products. Only seeing the pictures, I thought, Im sure iv got that somewhere, and there it was! Thanks Emma. As for spray on plaster. how cool is that. I'll get some for my piggy medical kit. he's been out to grab some veggies and looks perkier today. Healing pretty well and I just need to keep an eye on the deeper ones. thanks so much everyone for your help with this, I feel so much better about it today. My apologies for letting off steam earlier. I will post some pictures tomorrow.
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Post by eppingstrider on Sept 25, 2008 22:13:36 GMT
This is a good place to let off steam. And we understand
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Post by Hugs-Cavies (Doris) on Sept 26, 2008 17:02:52 GMT
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Post by snailspace on Sept 26, 2008 17:45:31 GMT
This is exactly the right place to come to let off steam Lisa - we are all steaming with you!
I cannot understand how people can be so stupid and irresponsible with animals.
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Post by lisajaneh on Sept 26, 2008 21:18:25 GMT
Its amazing what a difference a day makes. This little one has already come out of himself and you'd never know he had bites all over him. Two days ago I thought he was close to death, and today he is charging up and down the run, wheeking and popcorning and trying to steal the other ones cabbage leaf. He is hilarious and really cheeky. I have tried to get pictures of his bites but he's a wriggly little stinker and all I get are blurred pictures of his bum. I am sooooo happy that he is ok. ;D He is still going to the vet tomorrow morning but I think all the bites are looking fine, he's eating like he's been starved for a month (healthy appetite!) and bombing around like a loon, so it should be a good result. Here's a couple of pictures of the ones I could get while he stood still for one second. thanks for the info on the plaster stuff. Really didnt know the difference, so makes sense to use the liquid rather than spray. Thanks Doris, you are star.
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