[Gpdd] [HEALTH]<Yaya my satin pig>

[Janneke Staaks]

Hi you guys,
I'm sad today. My Yaya is a satin pig and as some of you might know, satin 
pigs can get a bone disease which is called OD. In the netherlands there is 
a rescue centre that does research concerning this disease and I've been 
following their forum and website ever since a few weeks after i got Yaya 
and found out about this disease. Today there was a festival, organised by 
this rescue and you could bring your satin pig for a special satin hour 
where all satins would be checked. (there was also a lot of fun stuff btw) 
And they found that yaya's jaws are already thickened, which is one of the 
earliest signs of this disease. She is not in pain yet, but she will be.
For those of you who do not know what satin is, this is a special shiny fur. 
The hairs are hollow and this makes them softer and really shiny. It is not 
known yet, if all satin pigs develop this disease, also because you can 
never be sure. Some pigs only develop it after 4 years, and as we all know, 
pigs can die earlier and of other causes. They recommend to test your pig 
between 1 yr and 1,5 yr but there are also cases of 3 month old pigs.
You can read about the disease, (if you want to) here: 
http://www.rspcareadingguineapigs.co.uk/index_files/satins.htm
Sigh..I was actually surprised to find out that she had symptoms. I knew her 
jaw was thicker but when i first got her she was so tiny and fragile, if i 
had to syringe feed her and touch her jaws, it was all so thin, i was afraid 
it would break so i was actually glad that it became thicker. And i've been 
reading about this disease for about a year now, i guess it was just 
wishfull thinking. Well, it does not really matter, she is not in pain yet 
and eating very well. I just hoped that it would be little longer for her, 
or that she would not ever get it, she is lying in the cage cuddling with 
auntie guiny, she is so sweet, i don't want her life to be a painful one.
So i'll moniter her very closely, to see if she's not in pain and eating 
well. If she develops symptoms (the painful ones) I'll give her painkillers 
(both regular as herbal). I guess i'm lucky that the people at the rescue 
are so sweet and willing to help with their knowledge and support. Things 
could have been worse for yaya, at least i know what it is and what to look 
for (well, at least know people that know what to look for ;-) ). If and 
when the pain becomes to much, i'll have to decide to do the 
inevitable..pff..I hope that we'll have some more time before that happens.
Okay, thanks for listening. It's nice to share this with people that care as 
much about piggies as I do.
Grtz and sad wheekz from Janneke and the winky girls

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