[Gpdd] [Health]<Questions about shilintong>

[Janneke Staaks]

Hi Ann,
 
I saw christina already copied a former message of mine but i'd like to add two more cents ;-)
The information we used for feeding Lotje shilintong, came from guinealynx ( http://www.guinealynx.info/stones.html )
We (me and my sister, later only my sister) usually grinded a whole bunch of shilintong tablets in a stone mortar together with vitamin C tablets. My sister came up with that idea since lotje didnt like the shilintong either but lotje loooved vitamin C (those are pills intended for humans, we had the c60 kind. Try to buy pills with the lowest dosage you can find, pigs need about 30 grams a day). With the vitamin C she really grabbed the syringe.
Twice a day lotje would get her shilintong. In the morning before we went to work and in the evening. Our dosage was an estimated powderamount of (slightly more than) half a pill and a bit of water, mixed together in a syringe. What we did was the following. First we'd put enough water in the syringe. i cannot remember exactly how much it was, but it was a little bit more than in the guinealynxrecommendation (we figured a bit more water didnt matter and it went down a lot easier). When we were satisfied with the amount of water in the syringe, we would hold the smaller end of the syringe closed with one finger and next we would tip in the powder, with the help of the small end of a little teaspoon. then we would close both ends with our fingers and shake the syringe. After this, we carefully put in the thing that  goes into the syringe (still holding the smaller opening closed), then turn it around and carefully let out the extra air. I know it seems like a lot of work but it's a lot faster this way.
 
We fed less shilintong than leah because lotje didnt have stones (and never had, just a bit of sludge). If lotje would have had stones we would have upped the dose.
 
There are other ways to mix up shilintong, some use honey (which is also a natural anitbiotic and is so sticky that even if they dont like it, they still have to clean themselves). Some use cranberryjuice instead of water (make sure there is no sugar added) When i have a uti cranberryjuice really helps me. Dont overdo the cranberryjuice if you decide to put it in a water bottle (some people do that) because too much cranberry juice can cause belly problems. Some just make a shilintongburrito with a romaine or endive leaf. My yaya never had shilintong but hates every syringe i try to give her. If i'd had to feed her shilintong, i'd just put half a pill behind her teefies twice a day. With her, this always works.
 
It is always hard  to tell if something works because you can never know what would have happened if you didnt use the shilintong. But we suspect it is likely that it had a positive effect on Lotje. Her x-rays never showed stones.
 
Btw, it is always important to keep up her general health by feeding lots of veggies, providing good pellets (timothybased, not alfafa) lots of timothy hay, lots of exercise and a clean cage. My yaya is also a bit prone to cystitis but in her case, this is because she is such a messy pig. Since i started cleaning out the cage more often and keep her buttfur shaved (she is a long haired piggy) she doesnt get uti's anymore (well..a little.. sometimes, but then i have to shave her again, and it clears up quite fast)
 
Ow.. and if your pig doesnt have stones, there is no need to feed lysium. Getting an xray can help diagnose this. But sometimes stones dont show up on x-rays, these stones can usually be seen with an ultrasound.
 
Okay.. those were my two cents..
Grtz
Janneke, Yaya, Suus and Igor the Irrisistible
 
_________________________________________________________________
Jouw nieuws en entertainment, vind je op MSN.nl!
http://nl.msn.com/