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Sick Possible stone or uti or impaction?

JSishy

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Hello,

I hate that my first post on here is asking for help but I have a young boar, he's around 6-7 months I want to say, and in the past couple days he has been squeaking and visibly struggling when he goes to pee or poop, I cannot tell if he is struggling with both or one more than the other. His left testicle is swollen and hard. In the past 24 hours I had him sit on a heating pad and gave him some of his favorite veggies and he has since perked up, thank God. He is nibbling hay and food, perking up and nibbling on peppers, saying hi to his neighbor, and drinking, but still visibly struggling. There are some pee spots in his cage but not very large, and he is pooping some, not as much as he usually does. I hand fed him and gave him a little water yesterday to hopefully keep his gut moving, and I think it helped, otherwise I'm not sure he would have tried. His mood seems better but the swelling is still there and he is still acting like he is struggling some. I have experience with piggies with stones and uti's, but I could tell them apart, this has left me clueless. Three days ago his sack looked tarry, and like there was no boar glue, so I used a little water and oil to soften it and get out some of the gunk I saw in there, and the fact that he is pooping now tells me he can pass feces, but I don't want to stress him more by trying to take another look and clean more, especially since his left testicle is so swollen. I lost a young piggie two years ago to a stone, but he wasn't acting this lively.

Also, yes, I plan on taking him to the vet ASAP, but I don't know when I will be able to get in. Both offices I know of have been closed since Saturday, neither emergency vet clinics in our area have small animal vets, and I am hoping I can get him in tomorrow but I know they will be backed up with the holiday.
 

bpatters

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If it were me, I'd just go appear at the exotic vet clinic and tell them it's an emergency.

But I would also clean the sac if it needs it -- you can do so gently enough that it shouldn't bother him.

Keep hand feeding him -- that's the most important thing you can do. A guinea pig that's not eating is a guinea pig that's dying. They MUST have food moving through their gut at all times. And keep syringing him fluids. If he won't take water, get some pedialyte (the generic is as good as the brand name stuff) -- most pigs love it and will willingly drink 15-20 cc at a time.

I don't know that he has a stone or a UTI or an impaction. The swollen testicle is what I'd bet on, and it's not apt to be any of the three of those.
 

JSishy

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Thank you for replying! There aren't any vets available until possibly tomorrow, the answering service seemed particularly annoyed when I called and told them it was an emergency, and that both places they suggested did not have small animal vets in their practice. I asked if I could just make an appointment for first thing tomorrow morning and she said she couldn't do it, and hung up. I plan on complaining big time. I can't believe that the two vets who know anything about pigs within a 50 mile radius are unavailable. I have a hard time pushing the anal sac open because the testicle is that swollen and he starts to squirm, but I will try again. I left some oil in the sac yesterday and today it looks a little messy, he has been pooping much more, but the pellets are normal and not soft, so there still has to be something in there. He is actually playing with his toys, eating willingly, wheeking when I walk in with veggies, and acting like himself! But he frequently seems like he is still struggling to either pop out two or three poops, or pee. The urine spots in the cage are small. I'm syringe feeding extra water just in case. My stone piggie had no swelling and went downhill fast, and was constantly trying to pass urine. My fiancee is betting it's the swollen testicle as well, and that it's just making everything down there painful for him. I think I assume a stone because I've experienced it and am expecting the worst.
 

bpatters

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You don't want a small animal vet anyway. "Small animal" means "dog and cat," not pocket pets.

You don't really have to open the sac wide. You can use a q-tip dipped in a bit of mineral oil and swab it through the sac. But I doubt that anything inside the sac would cause a swollen testicle.

I'd still just show up tomorrow with him and insist that he be seen. If the front office staff won't accomodate you, ask for the office manager. If that fails, ask for the vet.
 
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