[Gpdd] [HEALTH] <anal impaction>

[warmbreath at comcast.net]

Hello to you, Glen, and Rough and Ready.  Some boars get anal impaction as 
they age and some dont, also they get it if they get ill.  I think it's due 
allot to genetics. In the case of your boys they are getting mature and it 
looks like they may be ones that get it earlier. Also though I think they 
probably need more roughage in their diet and they will have to be swabbed 
out on a schedule you will discover, start with weekly.  For regular 
maintenance I use olive oil and cotton swabs, never use a lubricant that 
tastes bad as it might inhibit them from wanting to eat their cecals. You 
should also extrude the penis to make sure the works dont get gummed up in 
there too. We have had a couple bladder ruptures when that happens. Fully 
extrude it except for an almost invisible cartilaginous "hook" at the end, 
it is a natural part, not to be confused with something to be removed. Again 
I use the olive oil on my fingers, no swab for fear cotton be left in there 
and I do it after I have cleaned up the anal area and washed my hands, or 
else I use a new glove.

I would add grass or timothy type hay to their diet, and switch to a Timothy 
pellet or half and half pellet if they are eating alfalfa ones now. Also 
check their weight, if they put on even a little too much weight it makes it 
physically hard for them to bend enough to snatch the cecals so they not 
only pile up in the impaction, but the boars health declines as he is not 
getting the nutrients from the cecals. Also I use a bedding that doesn't 
show up often in the "slot"  I have good luck with a Carefresh knockoff.

The lettuce it should be a deep colored romaine or red lettuce, mixed greens 
etc, avoid iceberg, little nutrition and way too much pesticide, serve 
greens wet and give extra water the next few days until you see a perfectly 
normal type of poop being produced. I use kale and cabbage but some piggies 
get urine that is too sludgy with high calcium veggies, or others get gassy. 
Add these foods very slowly so as not avoid upset, some dont need a ramp up, 
but others do, better safe than sorry.  Also corn and carrots are both high 
sugar veggies, I would choose a couple Vit C greens like parsley, cilantro, 
peppers if organic, etc and cut back on the corn and carrots. We usually 
give the equivalent of one baby carrot a day with no other sweet veggie that 
day. Sugars and alfalfa hay are too sweet and rich and add weight.

The last suggestion goes with the grooming, they can be easily cleaned in a 
warm bath, and if a long haired variety I always trimmed their back hair to 
just above the floor, helps with the cleanliness, and if they have a 
forelock that gets in their eyes I trim it kind of punk looking so it stands 
straight up so they can see what they are doing and less hair gets stuck in 
the "slot".  Other hints on diet and care can be found on 
www.guinealynx.info. Hope this helps your boys and that they will join us on 
our virtual pirate adventure, I will write a couple starter stories to get 
the adventure going, Captain Jack will expect them. Oh! And he insists on 
boars maintaining good personal hygiene while on board the Black Pearl 
Welcome aboard
Sandy and Shipwreck Sam