Chewing: Pigs ate a Shamwow!

[Lauren&Pigs]

Hello,
I have been sick the last couple of days, and I had a shamwow in my cage under a small hand towel (sitting on top of the fleece). I was on the couch for most of the time, so my mom was taking care of my pigs (feeding, etc) and apparently she didn't notice that my pigs had eaten about a fourth to one half of one of the smaller shamwows. This would've only been within the last day or so.
What should I do? I'm just worried about digestion and how they absorb so much...

[blackarrow]

Are they still eating, peeing and pooping normally?

[Lauren&Pigs]

Originally Posted by blackarrow

Are they still eating, peeing and pooping normally?

Yes, it seems like it to me. If anything goes wrong though, Hazel has an appointment at the vet this week for bladder stones and I can ask.

[blackarrow]

Originally Posted by Lauren&Pigs

Yes, it seems like it to me. If anything goes wrong though, Hazel has an appointment at the vet this week for bladder stones and I can ask.

If they do have any signs of an intestinal obstruction (i.e. not eating, peeing, or pooping normally, or signs of discomfort) that would be an emergency you should not wait for a regular appointment for. I would certainly recommend calling a vet anyhow to see if there's something that could help them pass the bits of fabric.

[Ly&Pigs]

We are talking about something here that may swell up. Fluids can cause it to swell inside the intestinal system causing blockage. Keep a very close eye on your pigs and if anything seems out of the ordinary, get to the vet ASAP.

I think it's now safe to say that shamwow's and piggies who like to chew on things aren't a good combination.

[Lauren&Pigs]

Originally Posted by Ly&Pigs

We are talking about something here that may swell up. Fluids can cause it to swell inside the intestinal system causing blockage. Keep a very close eye on your pigs and if anything seems out of the ordinary, get to the vet ASAP.

I think it's now safe to say that shamwow's and piggies who like to chew on things aren't a good combination.

Thank you. I will keep a close eye on both pigs. I feel so dumb for putting that in there..
Is there a certain amount of time which a pig would be fully digested and I would know they're safe? Or is this something that won't break down?

[Ly&Pigs]

I honestly don't know if it will break down or not or how long it will take to pass if it can pass. I wish I had an answer for you but unfortunately, I don't.

You may want to consult your vet via phone.

[fieryone]

Wow. I was considering these for little areas of their cage, under fleece. I think I'll pass on that idea now though. My Lola eats everything and this has given me some food for thought (no pun intended). I hope all is well with your pig(s) and I would call the vet to see what he/she has to say.

[Bdmellohead]

I hope everything turns out well Lauren&Pigs. Piggies can be so naughty! *sigh*

[Lauren&Pigs]

Hello everyone.
After five hours of waiting in the emergency vet, we were able to take both pigs home. Fortunately, only one pig injested the shamwow. The vet was saying that she should be able to poop the shamwow out within a couple days. We are scheduling a vet appointment on Wednesday for a check up and x-ray to see if it's moving down. If she doesn't poop out the shamwow, or it hasn't moved from the intestine, then surgury will be needed. However, the vet was saying that most pigs don't easily recover from anesthesia. Hazel was given an IV to get her hydrated and metacam to take for pain while passing the shamwow.
Please keep Hazel in your thoughts.

[TheCraftyFaerie]

Poor piggie! I'll be thinking about her.

I too was thinking about Shamwow underneath the fleece but this gives me pause.

[Paula]

Oh you poor thing! As for the emergency vet, did you go to Dove Lewis or the Tualatin ER vet? Dove Lewis isn't likely to have a very experienced piggy vet on staff and the Tualatin ER is hit or miss. I ask because I wonder what they told you about the anaesthesia, as Isoflurane gas is safe for pigs - and that's what they use at Southwest. If your pig does need surgery, I strongly recommend Dr. Burgess there. His surgery days are today through Wednesday, and he's helped me out in a lot of emergency situations so I know he will be willing to see you too. There are also other experienced pig vets in the area who have great surgery experience, if you want any info on the clinics/schedules they work, just shoot me a PM and I can set you up with all the info.

[Lauren&Pigs]

Originally Posted by paula.m.moore

Oh you poor thing! As for the emergency vet, did you go to Dove Lewis or the Tualatin ER vet? Dove Lewis isn't likely to have a very experienced piggy vet on staff and the Tualatin ER is hit or miss. As for the anaesthesia, Isoflurane gas is safe for pigs - and that's what they use at Southwest. If your pig does need surgery, I strongly recommend Dr. Burgess there. His surgery days are today through Wednesday, and he's helped me out in a lot of emergency situations so I know he will be willing to see you too. There are also other experienced pig vets in the area who have great surgery experience, if you want any info on the clinics/schedules they work, just shoot me a PM and I can set you up with all the info.

I went to Dove Lewis because of how close it was to me. We were referred to Dove Lewis over Tualatin by Dr. Weinstein. We found out about the vet thing after we had the exam of the pigs. North Portland Vet told us there were very experienced pig surgeons at Dove Lewis, but when we were about to talk to the vet or "more small animal specialist" we found that their surgeons were not comfortable with surgeries on small animals. At Dove Lewis though, they were trying to get ahold of Dr. Burgess (who called after we had been there our 5 hours) and she was able to talk to Dr. Weinstein who was booked for surgeries but who recommended just to keep a close eye.

Regarding the Isoflurane, the recovery chances are much higher? My mom doesn't like the idea of giving surgery on such small animals because of shock and after we heard they don't usually recover.

Thank you for the reply!

[Paula]

Recovery chances are better with the Isoflurane gas, and at SW they give you the option of a blood test to see what your pig's chances of recovery are. If I remember correctly, it's $58 or so.

I honestly wouldn't go to Weinstein for a surgery like this one, but that part's up to you. He's a very experienced exotics vet but I just wouldn't have him do a surgery like this one if I could get Burgess to do it. There's also Surrency, she works out in Hillsboro tomorrow and Wednesday but she's at SW Thursday-Saturday, and Ramsell in Beaverton who I think works every day except Friday and Sunday. Ramsell and Surrency are awesome vets with lots of pig experience. They both can do surgery, but I put them in the same boat as Weinstein when it comes to what could turn out to be delicate or intricate surgeries.

Burgess is utterly lacking in human interaction skills, but he absolutely makes up for it in surgical skill, so if you end up needing surgery for your girl and you can go to him, I cannot stress how wonderful he is. I warn you, though - Burgess ain't cheap. But none of them are, I suppose.

Hopefully it won't come to surgery, but if it does, he's a miracle worker.

Another thing that's very nice about surgery at SW is that they see nearly exclusively exotics there, and their staff is very orientated towards small animals, as opposed to the other clinics that see primarily dogs and cats.

[Amsley246]

Hopefully things work out for you and your piggies! I feel your pain right now as my Pixie may need surgery. She has an abcess on her face and she getting antibiotics but if they don't take, then we may have to take her in. I'll make sure to keep your piggies in my thoughts!

[Jennicat]

Just from personal experience, I would say that anesthesia problems are exaggerated by many vets that don't have experience with guinea pig surgery and that may not be using the correct types of gas. We've had very few problems with pigs having surgery, and in the cases that there were issues, the pig always turned out to have an underlying problem.

[auburnmare5]

I thought about using a Shamwow on part of Smudge's cage and after reading this, I am not going to now. I am sorry that this happened though, I hope they are all okay.