Behavior Pig in recovery from bladder stone is chewing on everything, eating less.

[ginipigsinspace]

I took one of my boars, Chewie, into the vet on Saturday b/c he suddenly had crusty eyes and I assumed he must have a URI. The doc ended up finding a large (size of a pin head!) stone, which was completely obstructing his urethra. Luckily, he ended up being able to remove it without surgery, but there was still a good amount of swelling/blood. When I picked him up he was pretty drugged up, and the doc recommended I keep him on his own for a day or two. Saturday night I put fleece and towels in my bathtub, and gave him a hut, hay, water, and some veg. He didn't seem particularly interested in the lettuce, but quickly grabbed the carrot. In the morning he had pooped a ton, so I knew he was eating.

Yesterday afternoon I ended up putting him back in with his cagemate because they both seemed really depressed being alone. He did seem much happier, although he got tired a little quicker than before. One unusual thing I noticed was that he suddenly seemed really fixated on chewing a wooden toy they have in their cage. I also just caught him trying to chew on some fleece, and can hear him chewing on some coroplast inside a tunnel.

He is eating, but selectively. He ran to the front of the cage when I brought them veg this morning and at first looked like he was diving in. However, he didn't eat a ton of it. The morning meal is generally just lettuce (they get more variety at night) so I wasn't sure if he wasn't hungry or if he just wasn't feeling the lettuce. To test this, I brought a baby carrot, which he basically ripped out of my hand and chomped down in a minute. So he is willing to eat, but maybe doesn't have the same appetite so he doesn't feel compelled to eat the boring stuff? I also don't see him eating a ton of hay, but he has eaten a few strands at least.

He is pooping, but they are a little on the thin side.

He is currently on Metacam and Orbax.

So I guess my questions are:

Is there a reason he is suddenly so inclined to chew non-food items? It's not like he has never chewed on the wooden items in his cage, but he is doing it more, and trying to chew on items I haven't seen him chew on before now.

If he is currently eating less, but still eating, is he ok? Or is he at risk of stasis?

Since he will eat his favorite things (carrots, peppers, radicchio) but isn't really eating much lettuce or hay, can I just up the amount of those I give him, just to keep him eating for now? I do have critical care if necessary, but I am not sure if that is needed as long as he is eating something for now?

I am inclined to think the difference is just due to his recovery, as he has bursts of acting normal, and then periods where he is less energetic (for example, he was totally running around with his cagemate yesterday, but then ended up lying down for a longer than usual period of time. Similarly, he gets excited about food like normal, but then doesn't eat as much of it). If this is correct, I am assuming that the above is temporary, so I would only be giving him more "treats" for a few days and not fretting to much about him eating less for a few days. If it persists past a day or two, I would take him back in. However, I don't want to assume and end up causing a bigger problem.

 

[ArcanaNoir]

I can't really say why your pig is chewing stuff, but my pig was recently very ill and during her recovery she chewed on a lot of non-food objects (fleece, coroplast, stone coaster, etc). She had x-rays and a dental exam to rule out tooth problems, since she wasn't eating much food, but we never found any reason for the unusual behavior. Of course, you should always ask you vet about unusual symptoms, but it might just be from general discomfort during the recovery like you suspect.

As for stasis, as long as he's eating frequently, volume isn't as important. Just keep an eye on the poops and make sure they continue to appear. It might also help to weigh him everyday or more. You do want to watch out for veggies that might cause bloating. Also, a special hay might encourage eating hay. I got my piggy oat hay when she was sick and she really liked it.

 

[bpatters]

Chewing is a sign of pain. Did they send you home with pain medication?

Do keep him eating, but be careful not to overload him on sweet things.

 

[ginipigsinspace]

Thank you @bpatters, that is helpful! They gave me Metacam, which I am supposed to give him ever 24 hours. He was doing more chewing around when I gave it to him this morning than he is now, so maybe it had just worn off.

If I keep him eating veg but he is eating limited hay for a few days, will that be ok?

 

[bpatters]

Grrr... Split the Metacam dosage in half, add a little bit, and give it every 12 hours.

I don't know why vets don't prescribe it that way. It will NOT keep pain away for 24 hours. My vet goes on a rant about other vets prescribing it like that every time the subject comes up.

He should be ok on veggies for a few days, but if you can get some Critical Care down him every few hours, that will help.

 

[ginipigsinspace]

Ok, thank you @bpatters!