Infection Blood on fleece. Infection?

I could tell she wasn't neglected, that's why I was questioning the diagnosis of fatty liver. I'm talking about pigs that are forgotten about, fed diets that are made for hamsters, kept in tiny cages, or outside, not pigs with attentive owners like Mooshy. It's certainly possible she's fat in general, but fatty liver specifically is a condition that seems to result from neglect.

In the wild, domestic cavies, aka guinea pigs the way we know them, don't exist, they have been domesticated for centuries. They were bred to eat hay and things that humans eat, so they can handle lettuce and peppers easily. The sugar in tomato and carrots can be a little hard on an especially sensitive piggy, but typically doesn't cause any digestive issues unless they're fed a LOT of it. I suppose it's possible that your piggy specifically has unusual dietary requirements, since everyone is different, but something about your vet's logic still seems weird.

Also, wouldn't it be best to give her wet veggies and extra water? That way you get even more water in her total, that's what I've been doing. My vet also suggested I put in a water dish in addition to the bottles, because recent studies have shown that some pigs do prefer it, and having both can help prevent dehydration. I'm not sure whether Odeta's drank out of it so far, but it can't hurt.

She wasn't diagnosed with fatty liver. There is a layer of fat in there, a little more than she likes to see. Mooshy will be 5 in June. She is on the chubby side like me so I'm all for trying to get that under control as much as we have control. She is very preventive which I like that in her. Doesn't hurt to try. She still gets her menu, just smaller portion until in 3 weeks we see if there are changes or not. I'm making her move more in games. She's probably in better shape than me since I'm sidelined with side effects of cancer meds, which I'd rather it be her in good shape than me if there's a choice.

And when I first got her I offered both the water dish and the bottle. The dish got lots of hay and poops in it so that was out. She has no problem with the bottle, just doesn't drink enough on her own some days.

Oh, alright, I misunderstood what you said- since you said she had a fatty liver, I thought you meant she had fatty liver disease. It sounds like you have everything under control, then. I hope both you and Mooshy feel better soon. (And I know what you mean about wanting your pigs to feel better than you.)

I wouldn't worry too much about Mooshy's extra weight, though. It's better for every pig, but especially a senior pig, to be overweight rather than underweight, since they tend to lose weight fast when they get ill. Still, more exercise is good for her, whether she loses weight or not.

Well she showed me the results of the radiographs on her laptop. I got a great course in guinea pig anatomy as she pointed her heart, lungs, liver etc! Inside the liver had a layer of fat she felt was a bit much. So maybe I used the wrong term. Jeebus folks. How about some well wishes for my girl instead of analysing how good my exotic vet is, which she is.

Mooshy will be 5 in June. She may have passed the stone as this am I saw a couple of thick crusty white spots on the fleece. I'm keeping up with the hydration via syringe and probably will even if she's in the clear now. She doesn't fight it and it's not hard to get many ml's down. She's very cooperative with this and the administering the abx, thankfully.

So finally got a call on the ua culture. There were a lot of crystals and some blood in the urine. Since she couldn't determine if Trimethoprim Sulfa (TMS) abx is the right one, I'm to keep Moosh on it for a total of 5 weeks instead of 3 and she goes in for a follow up and urine test 5 weeks from her last appt. I'm to administer as much Moosh takes it water via syringe. These 3 ml ones she gave me are easier to deal with than the 1 ml ones I have. I haven't seen any more blood. I have seen a couple of gritty white spots which I assume are crystals she passed. If it wasn't for the blood spots I'd never have known anything is up. She is completely herself in all aspects. Thankfully she doesn't mind being put in her rectangular tupperware container where I put hay and syringe water to her. It's also her bathtub where I put a few inches of water and butt bathe her. Here's what it looks like:

Here's the bathtub look in the sink and Mooshy saying hi.

Mooshy is sooooo damn cute! I'm glad everything seems to be looking up!

Look at that face! So sweet

Just because I think she has a sweet face too..

Sleepy Mooshy

Kelsie said:

I just want to reach out and kiss that precious little face. What a beauty! I've been thinking about your girl and sending her healing thoughts. Mooshy is so very lucky to have such a caring and dedicated owner. My best wishes to both of you.

Click to expand...

Thanks so much. One of us battling is bad enough, sucks when it's both of us at the same time. I'll know what's up with my lower abdominal discomfort (hopefully not tied to my cancer stuff) the week of 5/1 as I'm doing tests and seeing docs, and then 5/12 I'll have to drive all the way to S. San Jose (from N. Fremont) for Moosh's follow up on 5/12. Very tiring when you are knocked down with major fatigue that doesn't let up.

@Kelsie And you are so sweet and kind. Thank you. I used to live in WA. First was Federal Way, went to Decatur High. Lived in the dorms at UW then Kent then Redmond before I moved to N. CA. My mom is still there in Kent. She's tired of the rain and the cold winter you guys had.

Thanks again for your kindness and support. You have a friend in N. Cali too.

SO happy things are looking up for Mooshy! She is SO cute!! thinking of you, too, and hope you find resolution to your own health issues