thalestral
Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2006
- Posts
- 746
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2006
- Messages
- 746
I really wanted to write about this to encourage anyone who suspects they may have a heart pig to get them checked out as soon as possible and DO NOT let them be sedated for x-rays or any other situation where treatment can be carried out while the pig is awake.
Rosie came down with symptoms that led us to believe she may have ovarian cysts. As things progressed though it became clear that Rosie was a heart pig and that even if there were other problems this had to be addressed first. Luckily Rosie is now okay, but only after an emergency visit finally got her the drugs she needed. If you suspect your pig may have heart troubles I urge you to get them checked out as soon as possible and that if they need medication to get them on it as soon as possible if not sooner. Heart conditions are simply something that cannot wait!
Our journey started back in June when Rosie had been in a constant state of rumbling and sexual aggression for over a week, far longer than a normal heat period would last. Under closer supervision we also saw that she was being incredibly grumpy and snappy with the other girls, something that was completely out of character. She had also lost just under 2oz which is enough for concern, but especially for Rosie who had last lost weight way back in February.
We immediately suspected a hormonal problem, most likely ovarian cysts and booked her in for an ultrasound and x-ray. Both came back clear. By this time I'd realised that Rosie was a hooting pig. Hooting is a noise that is made by heart pigs and there are a few threads and videos about it here and on Guinea Lynx. Other symptoms began to fall in to place.
We picked Rosie up at the end of the day. The vet talked us through the x-ray and ultrasound results which had shown up no cysts, and no heart abnormalities. She looked in perfect health. We were prescribed Baytril and Metacam to see if that helped any. The vet had taken a blood sample which could be sent off for analysis if we so wished, which of course we did!
Rosie had been sedated for her x-ray and this is when we knew for sure she was a heart pig. We picked her up at 6:30pm when she was judged awake enough to go home. This means the sedation had begun to wear off sometime before. By 9:30pm she was still unable to move at all. She refused hay and vegetables and relied more than ever on the Critical Care which was now up to the full dosing and we had to start syringe feeding her water as well as she wasn't drinking by herself.
After four days she started to drink from her water bottle a bit, which was a great relief. We added vegetable mash to her Critical Care to make it nicer and she started nibbling her hay. Her interest in all food though was minimal and her pellets remained untouched. She was still on the full round the clock Critical Care feedings.
After a week we tried skipping the two night time feedings one night to see if it would encourage her to begin eating by herself but her weight plummeted by an ounce. By now her main symptoms were extreme lack of energy and lack of appetite. We tried to introduce her with our most laid back sow Frisky but while she managed a few rumbles she soon flopped on her side distressed.
The blood tests came back and showed no abnormalities. From here on out our vet repeatedly suggested that Rosie was overweight and that we should be reducing pellets - never mind the fact that we were having to hand feed to prevent rapid weight loss!
We now knew enough that we wanted to try heart medication. Our vet initially agreed to look into this, to contact specialists at the Edinburgh Veterinary College. From this point on the legwork was all down to us and the helpful people at Guinea Lynx. We found out the UK versions of Lotensin and Lasix - Fortekor and Furosemide. The former is to treat the heart condition, the latter to reduce fluid around the heart and lungs which at this point we didn't think we needed given the x-ray results. We kept pressing our vet and she kept telling us that she was waiting to hear back, and in the meantime we should be trying to get Rosie to lose weight. Which I strongly disagreed with given her condition.
Through the great help of webs at Guinea Lynx and Wendi at Thistle Cavies we got the name and number of a UK vet who had treated heart pigs. At this point the stress and worry was overwhelming and I was incredibly grateful to these wonderful ladies! Alas, the heart pig vet was away on holiday and our vet still put us off treatment. On top of this Rosie dropped another 2 ounces and still our vet said she was overweight! In fact Jon read the computer screen when she was out of the room to find Rosie had written on her file "very overweight". Now I was getting mad. I decided if we didn't get treatment we would look for a new vet the next week.
On the 20th of July at night Rosie was struggling to breathe. Her lungs were crackling so loudly you could hear them outside the room. We rushed her to see the emergency vet where she was diagnosed with fluid in the lungs and a heart murmur. This vet listened to all we had to say, looked at the bit of paper where I'd hurriedly scribbled down the names of the two heart meds and their doses as recommended by Guinea Lynx and immediately got them for us and converted the dosages where needed. I was so relieved I would have cried were it not for the worry for Rosie and the complete ANGER at both the vet who had put off this treatment and myself for not pushing harder.
Back home it took just twenty minutes for the Furosemide to clear up her breathing. The day after that night and her first dose of Fortekor she greeted us with zoomies around her pen! She was so much happier and within a week we could really see the difference. Within two weeks she was back in with the rest of the herd, popcorning and wheeking away at the top of her lungs. She reasserted herself as the dominant sow and is now the first out for floor time, charging through to the kitchen to demand veggies straight away. Seeing this amazing difference made us realise just how long things had been wrong - it had been many months since Rosie had energy like this. She is also much happier at her new slimline weight even though she's still a big girl. Her weight gain in the last few months had obviously been the result of her decreasing energy levels as her heart issues got worse. Oh, and her heart murmur is now much less than it was before
And her fur is now a permanent dark shade, a sign of a healthy piggie.
We put the earliest symptoms down to Rosie being a heavier pig which can itself be a symptom of a heart problem, being lazy when in fact she simply didn't have the energy to do what she wanted, and being a bit of a grump when really she was only grumpy due to the lack of energy and a general feeling of unwellness.
As I type Rosie is shouting at me for her vegetables She is still rumbling a bit too much now that she's better but even if we do need to treat something else I can do it safe in the knowledge that her heart issues are already addressed so we can safely proceed with any other treatment.
And now I can sleep at night!
Rosie's Guinea Lynx medical thread: Guinea Lynx :: Topic - Rosie is Limping
Guinea Lynx Heart page: Guinea Lynx :: Heart
Rosie came down with symptoms that led us to believe she may have ovarian cysts. As things progressed though it became clear that Rosie was a heart pig and that even if there were other problems this had to be addressed first. Luckily Rosie is now okay, but only after an emergency visit finally got her the drugs she needed. If you suspect your pig may have heart troubles I urge you to get them checked out as soon as possible and that if they need medication to get them on it as soon as possible if not sooner. Heart conditions are simply something that cannot wait!
Our journey started back in June when Rosie had been in a constant state of rumbling and sexual aggression for over a week, far longer than a normal heat period would last. Under closer supervision we also saw that she was being incredibly grumpy and snappy with the other girls, something that was completely out of character. She had also lost just under 2oz which is enough for concern, but especially for Rosie who had last lost weight way back in February.
We immediately suspected a hormonal problem, most likely ovarian cysts and booked her in for an ultrasound and x-ray. Both came back clear. By this time I'd realised that Rosie was a hooting pig. Hooting is a noise that is made by heart pigs and there are a few threads and videos about it here and on Guinea Lynx. Other symptoms began to fall in to place.
Heart Pig Symptoms:
Early signs may be loss of energy, a tendency to move less.
May produce a "hooting" sound .
Reduced activity, lethargy.
Loss of appetite and weight loss.
Because of this we asked the vet to take a close look at her heart and lungs during x-ray as well. While waiting for our appointment Rosie had now lost 3oz in just 15 days. We started hand feeding Critical Care to our little girl. I was also advised on Guinea Lynx not to let them sedate Rosie for her x-rays. When we went in to get them done I asked the vet to do this and she said she would refrain if possible but it was difficult to x-ray without it. Early signs may be loss of energy, a tendency to move less.
May produce a "hooting" sound .
Reduced activity, lethargy.
Loss of appetite and weight loss.
We picked Rosie up at the end of the day. The vet talked us through the x-ray and ultrasound results which had shown up no cysts, and no heart abnormalities. She looked in perfect health. We were prescribed Baytril and Metacam to see if that helped any. The vet had taken a blood sample which could be sent off for analysis if we so wished, which of course we did!
Rosie had been sedated for her x-ray and this is when we knew for sure she was a heart pig. We picked her up at 6:30pm when she was judged awake enough to go home. This means the sedation had begun to wear off sometime before. By 9:30pm she was still unable to move at all. She refused hay and vegetables and relied more than ever on the Critical Care which was now up to the full dosing and we had to start syringe feeding her water as well as she wasn't drinking by herself.
Heart Pig Symptoms:
Difficulty coming around after being put under anesthesia
Deep sleeping, easy to pick up (does not run away)
It took her two days to start moving around by herself. By this stage she was living separated from the other girls as they were upsetting her. This is when we realised that her earlier rumbling was due to the other girls being aware she was ill and constantly challenging her authority. Her grumpiness too had simply been down to her feeling so unwell. Rosie was now spending a good amount of her time out of the cage on our laps wrapped up nice and cosy, not only for feedings but because it seemed to cheer her up to have the company. We also gave her Infacol to see if she had gassy trouble and it did seem to help a little.Difficulty coming around after being put under anesthesia
Deep sleeping, easy to pick up (does not run away)
After four days she started to drink from her water bottle a bit, which was a great relief. We added vegetable mash to her Critical Care to make it nicer and she started nibbling her hay. Her interest in all food though was minimal and her pellets remained untouched. She was still on the full round the clock Critical Care feedings.
After a week we tried skipping the two night time feedings one night to see if it would encourage her to begin eating by herself but her weight plummeted by an ounce. By now her main symptoms were extreme lack of energy and lack of appetite. We tried to introduce her with our most laid back sow Frisky but while she managed a few rumbles she soon flopped on her side distressed.
The blood tests came back and showed no abnormalities. From here on out our vet repeatedly suggested that Rosie was overweight and that we should be reducing pellets - never mind the fact that we were having to hand feed to prevent rapid weight loss!
We now knew enough that we wanted to try heart medication. Our vet initially agreed to look into this, to contact specialists at the Edinburgh Veterinary College. From this point on the legwork was all down to us and the helpful people at Guinea Lynx. We found out the UK versions of Lotensin and Lasix - Fortekor and Furosemide. The former is to treat the heart condition, the latter to reduce fluid around the heart and lungs which at this point we didn't think we needed given the x-ray results. We kept pressing our vet and she kept telling us that she was waiting to hear back, and in the meantime we should be trying to get Rosie to lose weight. Which I strongly disagreed with given her condition.
Through the great help of webs at Guinea Lynx and Wendi at Thistle Cavies we got the name and number of a UK vet who had treated heart pigs. At this point the stress and worry was overwhelming and I was incredibly grateful to these wonderful ladies! Alas, the heart pig vet was away on holiday and our vet still put us off treatment. On top of this Rosie dropped another 2 ounces and still our vet said she was overweight! In fact Jon read the computer screen when she was out of the room to find Rosie had written on her file "very overweight". Now I was getting mad. I decided if we didn't get treatment we would look for a new vet the next week.
On the 20th of July at night Rosie was struggling to breathe. Her lungs were crackling so loudly you could hear them outside the room. We rushed her to see the emergency vet where she was diagnosed with fluid in the lungs and a heart murmur. This vet listened to all we had to say, looked at the bit of paper where I'd hurriedly scribbled down the names of the two heart meds and their doses as recommended by Guinea Lynx and immediately got them for us and converted the dosages where needed. I was so relieved I would have cried were it not for the worry for Rosie and the complete ANGER at both the vet who had put off this treatment and myself for not pushing harder.
Back home it took just twenty minutes for the Furosemide to clear up her breathing. The day after that night and her first dose of Fortekor she greeted us with zoomies around her pen! She was so much happier and within a week we could really see the difference. Within two weeks she was back in with the rest of the herd, popcorning and wheeking away at the top of her lungs. She reasserted herself as the dominant sow and is now the first out for floor time, charging through to the kitchen to demand veggies straight away. Seeing this amazing difference made us realise just how long things had been wrong - it had been many months since Rosie had energy like this. She is also much happier at her new slimline weight even though she's still a big girl. Her weight gain in the last few months had obviously been the result of her decreasing energy levels as her heart issues got worse. Oh, and her heart murmur is now much less than it was before
And her fur is now a permanent dark shade, a sign of a healthy piggie.
We put the earliest symptoms down to Rosie being a heavier pig which can itself be a symptom of a heart problem, being lazy when in fact she simply didn't have the energy to do what she wanted, and being a bit of a grump when really she was only grumpy due to the lack of energy and a general feeling of unwellness.
As I type Rosie is shouting at me for her vegetables
She is still rumbling a bit too much now that she's better but even if we do need to treat something else I can do it safe in the knowledge that her heart issues are already addressed so we can safely proceed with any other treatment.And now I can sleep at night!
Rosie's Guinea Lynx medical thread: Guinea Lynx :: Topic - Rosie is Limping
Guinea Lynx Heart page: Guinea Lynx :: Heart
