Sick Ralphie's Acting weird; lethargic, puffed up fur, mucus

[labgirl5]

My pig Ralphie is ~2.5 years. He's never had any prior illnesses until now. He lives with Cooper, who is showing none of the same signs/sickness.

Ralphie had been acting a bit weird yesterday, and he turned pretty lethargic. He seemed to be more interested to eat as the day went on, so I was sure he was getting better. Today it's no different. He was eating a little bit of hay, pellets, and lettuce earlier, but he has shown very little interest in carrots - his favorite food.

His fur is very puffed up, and his eyes have mucus at the corners, but none at his nose and I did not hear anything off about his breathing. I'm not sure if this will help see what's wrong with him, but when I picked him up he might have been drooling on my hand? His chin was wet, and It also could have been he had gotten a drink of water, but he has been moving very little from his spot in his hut. I can't really tell if he's pooping/peeing; I'm going to put a towel under him to see if he is going normally (they're on pellets and CareFRESH in a 2x4 C&C).

Is there any thoughts of what this could be? I'm extremely worried, and I am going to call an emergency vet (possibly multiple, there are quite a few in my area) to see if there are any small-animal specialists. I know that emergency care can be very expensive, and if I do not take him in tonight he will go in first thing in the morning.

 

[labgirl5]

Update: I'm taking him in to an emergency small animal/exotic vet tomorrow morning.

 

[jaycriae]

Glad you're taking him to the vet and monitoring him closely, sounds like you're doing a good job. You should weigh him every day before breakfast to see if he's losing any weight, as that can be an important indicator of illness.

Also, be sure to change the towel out regularly if he is pooping and peeing, because towels will absorb the stuff and he'll be at risk for infection on his feet if he's standing in crud for hours and hours.

 

[bpatters]

You may want to isolate him tonight so you can check on whether he's pooping/peeing, and how much. The drooling is possibly indicative of a tooth problem.

 

[labgirl5]

After reading some more on Guinea Lynx I definitley think it has something to do with his teeth. He has the slobbers, and he'll eat very little, or nothing at all. His appointment is in an hour.

 

[lunarminx]

Good luck with him, I wish him a speedy recovery.