Genitals Impacted boars with raw genitals (Warning graphic)

[brupoppiggies]

I am having two boars dropped off tomorrow, they were my sister-in-law's but she abandoned them when she moved out and my brother-in-law doesn't know how to take care of them so he is bringing them here until he can find a proper home for them.

When I saw them yesterday they were both very impacted, to the point that feces (which were orange tinged) were pushed out of their sack and over the penis (which was NOT retracted and coated in dried feces) There were no droppings in the cage. I gave them both a good soak in warm water in the sink and got what I could out, but when it came off their both their genitals and their sack appeared raw and weepy I did NOT scrub or pull just let the warm water soften it up and break it up. The penis did retract after the dried feces came off. And both pigs seemed happier.

I know they need a vet, but I am not sure what time they will be here so it will likely be Monday (or Tuesday because of the holiday???) before I can get them in. What can I do in the meantime here at home to take care of these pigs. Both appeared to be a bit over weight (my Bru is pushing it and these pigs are easily bigger and heavier than he is) but their fur, nose, ears and eyes appeared clean. They are on a very poor diet of carrots and cheap junk grocery store pellets (no hay, no greens, no other veggies) and in a cage that is too small for one let alone two pigs - I actually think it might be a hamster cage, they can basically lay side by side and that take up 1/2 the cage. Glad I kept all my grids.

My brother-in-law was quite upset when he saw the condition of the pigs, they weren't his pets so he didn't pay much attention to them other than to feed them if their dish was empty and clean the cage once or twice since she left a couple weeks ago. He's never held them and he has no idea how long they were in that condition. I had no way to get them home yesterday or I would have brought them with me at that time (it's been very wet this past week and I was walking, didn't think it would be wise to bring them out in that)

Please tell me I'm not crazy for giving these guys a temporary home, I'm kind of scared they will die if I leave them there but 5 pigs? I might be insane. And PLEASE tell me that there is something I can do to help them until I can get them into the vet.

 

[Squint96]

I definately would take them if I were you. I think you are doing the right thing. Thank you!

 

[Kimberly713]

If you can afford vet care, most definitely take them! If nothing else, take them and see if you can find a rescue who can help if you truly aren't sure you can handle 5 pigs. I can't think of much else you can do besides a warm butt bath, and LOTS of water. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I wouldnt give them too much new foods in their condition I would think it could make things worse, more build up. Poor piggies! Whatever you can do for them is certainly better than what they have now

 

[brupoppiggies]

I think we can do this, since the hubs is on board and the kiddos are really good about taking care of ours (Hubs and I only have to do the bedding change, the kids take turns sweeping poos and feeding them - eve fight over whose turn it is! I think I got lucky!!) I don't think adding two more to the mix will be that much more work, it's just a lot of pigs (my compost pile will be happy though!!). IF it gets to be too much the small animal shelter isn't too far away and they work with the humane society and several rescues in our area (I'm sure we must have one for guinea pigs) I will call them and get help.

Thank you for the vote of confidence - both of you! Hopefully they look better when they get here.

 

[ellisa]

Oh no! What poor babies Thank goodness you rescued them.
I just wanted to add that if they have raw wounds to make sure that their cage is kept super extra clean until they are healed up. They could be at risk of getting an infection if they were to sit in pee and droppings. Poor little muffins. Please keep us updated!

 

[brupoppiggies]

They are in a corn cob?? bedding I'm going to put them on fleece in a C&C and will keep an extra eye to make sure they are staying very dry.

 

[brupoppiggies]

boyswere dropped off around 2 today, they look much better today than they did a few days ago.

 

[suzilovespiggie]

Thank you for taking these babies. You can clean out, or help clean out their sacs with mineral oil.
I would have them vet checked as soon as you can.
Getting them cleaned out, on a good diet, with good veggies water and hay. You should see some improvemnt. Thank you again for giving them a good chance.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

Having a bigger cage so they can get more exercise will help with the impaction issue, as well as an improved diet. You may need to make sure they exercise more by giving them floor time.

They will likely need cleaning out pretty often at first, but as they get healthier they will need it less and less.

 

[Hhbean]

Thank you so much for taking in those sweet little boys! Please keep us updated and sending your new guys healing thoughts!

 

[brupoppiggies]

Good news! They are trying new veggies and eating hay! They aren't as enthusiastic as the other pigs but they are trying it out. Their poos are starting to develop a more normal color, and we have seen a handful of popcorns and laps! We get to go in on Thursday unless they are worse, but I think they look remarkably better from when I first saw them.

Question though, we are pretty positive Bru was from the same litter as these two (sister-in-law got them an hour before we got Bru from the same place and know that Bru was in the same cage with these two), is it possible he would recognize their scent or sounds? They are in my office/spare room and Bru, Popeye and Samson are in the living room. Bru has been very ... alert?? ever since they were dropped off. I only have like 900sq ft so they aren't separated by much more than a door and he has been heading in that direction during floor time. Popeye and Samson just don't seem to care/notice there are more piggie smells or noises in the house.

OH and I forgot to tell you, their names Pippin and Gimli.

 

[GuineaPigPosse]

That is so awesome that you took these poor boys in and are helping them get healthy. I love all your piggies' names.

 

[Kieri]

i'm so glad you took them in. it's a wonder some owners seem to never notice conditions with their guinea pigs, such as impaction, very long, curled nails, or illness.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

He's probably just excited over the new smells and sounds of the pigs, not necessarily because he once knew them.

 

[brupoppiggies]

So didn't have time to update yesterday, both boys are "slightly over weight" weighing in at roughly 4.5 pounds (she also told me the grams but I don't remember what that was) both show signs of "barbering", "poor skin condition" and "poor coat quality" which she attributed to the bedding and diet, though she wants to go ahead and treat for mites - just in case (is that normal? she gave me a prescription for ivermectin and the number to a vet pharmacy in Portland) She also wants me to give added vitamin C she suggested drops, but I remember reading somewhere that you are supposed to give chewables and those were better???

As for their impaction and genitals, she recommended the mineral oil and keeping an eye on it, she said the sack doesn't appear inflamed to her and that they looked to be healing on their own. Gimli has what appears to be a pretty bad bite oh his penis that didn't quite heal properly, she said there wasn't much that could be done that was less stressful than just let it finish healing. Keep them clean and dry...

So that's the update in a nutshell.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

The barbering is most likely because of mites, as could also be the poor skin condition and poor coat quality. You don't need a prescription for ivermectin so I'm not sure what that's about.

Some pigs that mount other pigs' faces will get bit on their genitals. Usually you just keep an eye out for swelling and discharge.

No vitamin drops in the water at all. There is a liquid vitamin C drop you can give in the mouth, however, it's probably better to get the 100 mg children's chewable C and quarter it. Some pigs will take it like candy, but otherwise you can crush it and sprinkle it on a wet lettuce piece or syringe it to them.