[Gpdd] (Care) Abscesses/ Incontinence

Candy G. crawdad1953 at hotmail.com
Sun Dec 23 03:53:36 EST 2007


Greetings, Stacy -
 
I'm so sorry to hear about your 'abcess and 
incontinence' woes.  I do not have any experience 
with abcesses, but it looks like you are already 
starting to receive excellent advice from our great 
gpdd'ers.  I do have a lot of experience with chronic 
wetness in an older pig, though, and would like to 
add my two cents.
 
I totally agree with Penney.  I believe that as our 
little ones get older, they sometimes develop 
stiffness that discourages a lot of extra movement.  
When they get warm and toasty and comfortable, 
they sometimes just don't want to go through the 
discomfort of getting up and going elsewhere to pee.
 
Topper has always been extremely fastidious about 
having his little "pee area" in his cage and pool and 
that is where he urinated and there ONLY.  It didn't 
matter how long he was out roaming or how long I 
had him in my lap, he would wait and go to his 
"bathroom".  He 'signals' when it's time to go back 
to his cage or pool to let me know he needs to pee.  
He is still totally 'housebroken' - he is not incontinent 
at all.  BUT - several months ago I noticed that he 
was always very wet in the mornings when I would 
pick him up and then I started noticing that he was 
not moving at night (or during long naps) to urinate.  
He's 6 1/2 and he has pretty bad arthritis now and 
Degenerative Disk Disease (DDD) [both pretty 
common in senior piggies] and I believe that when 
he's been still for a good while, it just hurts his poor, 
creaky little knees too much to get up and go 
elsewhere to pee even with his Metacam and pain 
med on board.
 
I was very concerned about the possibility of urine 
scald, especially because he also has a problem now 
with his penis not retracting all the way (due to nerve 
damage in his spinal column from DDD).  My exotics 
vet [WONDERFUL vet!!] advised me to use A&D 
Ointment twice a day to coat/cover his genetal and 
anal area ("everything down there without fur" <grin> 
that could stay damp).  I have been using it for months 
now with great success.  He has stayed scald and 
breakdown free and the area looks just as healthy as 
can be.  A caution, though: DO NOT use the A&D 
Ointment that has Zinc in it.  It can be harmful to your 
piggie if she ingests it.  ONLY use the A&D Ointment 
WITHOUT ZINC.
 
I apply it twice a day: once in the morning when I 
give Topper his Vitamin C and Critterberries, and 
once at night when I give him his Metacam and 
Tramadol.  I take a Q-tip and squeeze a little blob 
of the A&D on it (about the size of a green pea) and 
then just coat the whole area.
 
I have been looking for a long time, but I have not 
been able to find the vet bed here in the US.  Our UK 
friends swear by it and it sounds like the perfect answer 
to keeping our little ones dry.  What I have been using 
are the bed pads like we use in the hospital to keep 
patients dry(er) and keep the sheets from getting wet.  
You know the ones - they look sort of quilted with white 
cotton fabric on top and sort of a blue or green backing 
that is waterproof.  This doesn't keep Topper completely 
dry but it disperses the dampness to the point that he 
stays only just barely damp.
 
I ordered ten of these pads off ebay.  The company is 
"value-n-ethics" and the item number for the ones like 
I ordered is item #300184096889.  I bought ten pads 
(size: extra small) for $2.95 each and I have used and 
washed them over and over and over and they are still 
as good as new.  They have been well worth the money.
 
[However I would still love to find the VetBed so if the 
person Penney mentioned who found a US supplier is 
reading this, please post for us so we can order.  Thanks!  
(I, too, am getting a "Page Not Found" for the Archives.)]
 
Good luck with your dear Maxine.  I know she is so happy 
(and lucky) to have you for her mama, expecially now that 
she is in her "little old lady" years.  I would imagine that 
she will do just fine with you taking care of her.
 
Sorry to be so long-winded.  Y'all know that once I get 
started with a post, I just can't control myself. <sigh>
 
I am so very thankful for the wonderful people and 
piggies of the GPDD.  I hope that all whose bodies and 
hearts need it will find gentle comfort and healing in 
the magic of this most special season.
 
Candy, The Topmeister, and the notorious Cat X
(with sweet little MollieBug always in our hearts)


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