Hi everyone! I would very like your opinions about my piggie, Lily ;
Lily is about a year and a half years old. She is living alone in her cage, which I know now isn't a great thing for cavies, but didn't knew back then. She has an ''Ok'' size cage with fleece. Usually she goes out for play time one to three time a week. She is usually rather active and very easy to approach. She eats plenty of different veggies twice a day, oxbrow pellets and lots of hay.
Last week, we noticed changes in her behavior. She got very less active and seems to have problem moving. She was also was eating less, and didn't seem to be drinking. She wasn't making noise anymore, which is odd for her since she usually squeaks loudly when we open the fridge door. At some point, she seem to have difficulties using her rear legs. We noticed redness on her feet and thought it could be bumblefeet. We made all her food easier to access and got an appointment to the vet. She seemed to get better before the appointment and began to get a little more active.
The vet confirmed that she had pododermatitis and advised to rub her paws with vaseline each day to help heal the feet. Lily is also a little overweight, so we were suggest to cut off a pellets a bit.
Back home, I noticed that the urine spots on the towels (under the fleece) were different than usual. The color was between orange and red. I went back to the vet who advice that we check for bladderstones and urine testing.
To be honest, despite the love I have for my piggie, I cannot afford the veterinary cost and I'm still convinced it is worth it. I already spent 80$ for the appointment, and now I would have to pay 130$ for xrays + 50$ for urine testing. If something shows up, I'll have to pay for a surgery. Given the fact that bladder stones can happen again, and that other problem could show up as well, I'm just not sure about this...
Back home, Lily seems to be doing a little better. She is easier to approach. She eats, but only lettuce. She started squeaking for food again. She do not want to drink. She moves a little bit more but is not active as she used to. She enjoy being pet and I gave her a bath yesterday to try to re-hydrate her a bit.
I checked for pee using a white towel ; it still red-ish, but she do not seem to have any pain. I'm wondering if it could be the dehydration. She is poo-ing less, but since she do not eat much, that make sense.
As you imagine, I have a lot of questions. Exepted going back to the vet, what would you guys do? What are the odds that bumblefeet and bladderstones happens at the same time? Is it possible that there is other explanation? How long can a piggie lives eating so little? How will the piggie let me know that she is in pain and that is too much to endure?
Thanks for your precious time and help!
Alex
Lily is about a year and a half years old. She is living alone in her cage, which I know now isn't a great thing for cavies, but didn't knew back then. She has an ''Ok'' size cage with fleece. Usually she goes out for play time one to three time a week. She is usually rather active and very easy to approach. She eats plenty of different veggies twice a day, oxbrow pellets and lots of hay.
Last week, we noticed changes in her behavior. She got very less active and seems to have problem moving. She was also was eating less, and didn't seem to be drinking. She wasn't making noise anymore, which is odd for her since she usually squeaks loudly when we open the fridge door. At some point, she seem to have difficulties using her rear legs. We noticed redness on her feet and thought it could be bumblefeet. We made all her food easier to access and got an appointment to the vet. She seemed to get better before the appointment and began to get a little more active.
The vet confirmed that she had pododermatitis and advised to rub her paws with vaseline each day to help heal the feet. Lily is also a little overweight, so we were suggest to cut off a pellets a bit.
Back home, I noticed that the urine spots on the towels (under the fleece) were different than usual. The color was between orange and red. I went back to the vet who advice that we check for bladderstones and urine testing.
To be honest, despite the love I have for my piggie, I cannot afford the veterinary cost and I'm still convinced it is worth it. I already spent 80$ for the appointment, and now I would have to pay 130$ for xrays + 50$ for urine testing. If something shows up, I'll have to pay for a surgery. Given the fact that bladder stones can happen again, and that other problem could show up as well, I'm just not sure about this...
Back home, Lily seems to be doing a little better. She is easier to approach. She eats, but only lettuce. She started squeaking for food again. She do not want to drink. She moves a little bit more but is not active as she used to. She enjoy being pet and I gave her a bath yesterday to try to re-hydrate her a bit.
I checked for pee using a white towel ; it still red-ish, but she do not seem to have any pain. I'm wondering if it could be the dehydration. She is poo-ing less, but since she do not eat much, that make sense.
As you imagine, I have a lot of questions. Exepted going back to the vet, what would you guys do? What are the odds that bumblefeet and bladderstones happens at the same time? Is it possible that there is other explanation? How long can a piggie lives eating so little? How will the piggie let me know that she is in pain and that is too much to endure?
Thanks for your precious time and help!
Alex