[Gpdd] health - e.c. and goup power

[warmbreath at comcast.net]

Hi Fellow GPDD'ers.    Julie's letter of condolences to Carole for BG has 
got me thinking again, so I share my thoughts with you all. I have been 
wondering about Donald and happy to hear he is recuperating well. He too is 
a special pig, it's often the sick ones we come to know and love so much and 
I'm delighted Carole, with her depth of information was there to help you. 
You and Donald are lucky as well as loveable, may he continue to thrive. I 
too, offer my condolence to Carole for her loss of the very special BG.  I 
hope the wonderful memories soon outshine the pain

I would like you to know that the subject we have been studying for Hershey, 
the common bunny parasite, e.c., is often present in animals in a dormant 
state, it encysts itself, and doesn't become active until another issue 
compromises the pets immune system. I would really like to find out if it is 
more common in Piggies than previously known, the advantages to answering 
this question are huge, and groups as large as ourselves can be a powerful 
tool for good. You have seen this thought develop in me as we study this 
case of possible e.c. in Hershey, so if you are interested, read on.

My purpose isn't to scare Julie about Donald but to start to use our 
collective resources to discover if e.c. is more common in piggies than we 
previously thought, and if so what is the best treatment protocol to force 
it back into dormancy.  E.C. strikes at 3 notable times, just after birth in 
a weak pet, just after an insult as above, and in old age. Since Donald has 
2 of those situations, I encourage you to learn about it and be ready in 
case it comes along.

Things to watch out for. A period of weeks to months after an insult, 
illness, or compromise, including a water shortage.  Watch for stasis, like 
Hershey had, that was a symptom of an underlying condition causing pain or 
something that puts her off feed. Of course tooth problems are often the 
culprit here, or ear infection, abscess, cancer, etc. Another indicator is 
the hind end paralysis or paresis as vets call it, that's one of the first 
signs. We usually think of that as a Vit C deficiency and it may be that Vit 
C, which does play a strong role helping the body to fight off foreign 
invaders, so we immediately give the Vit C, immunity is restored, paralysis 
disappears. So what causes the paralysis, just the lack of Vit C or could it 
be another infection getting a toe hold because Vit C was low or deficient. 
The paralysis is one of the very first indicators of e.c.so it could be that 
a restored immune system can knock back the new e.c. bloom. This isn't 
proven but it's a very possible scenario, and one I think piggy people 
should look into. Also sudden blindness or eye problems, any neurological 
problem, most common being head tilt which can also be an ear infection.

There is a test that measures the titre, which is really hard to explain, as 
it doesn't give you a firm result. You are given a number, and whether it be 
low or high doesn't mean definitively that there is an active outbreak, it 
measures the bodies immune response to the parasite over time, a high number 
doesn't mean for sure that an active infection is present, maybe there was 
one previously, perhaps the most meaningful result is a number close to 
zero, that may mean the pet has never been exposed or had an outbreak in his 
life, that could definitely help us. Of course any pig could get a infection 
later if he plays outside, comes across urine in its infectious state, takes 
up residence with a bun, or if it is transmitted by contaminated hay as the 
breeder who wrote the article Penny submitted, but it's thought rare to pick 
up the infection during life, we think. Buns are believed to get from their 
mothers at birth, and the rate of infection is very high, but the buns don't 
usually get an active infection right then, although  weak one may. The 
parasite remains quietly encysted, waiting for a condition conducive to its 
growth to pop up. Did you know that if your piggy or bun breaks out with a 
case of mites, it's a similar process, a low number are usually always 
present but a compromise occurs and the parasite starts to develop and 
multiply, e.c. is similar in that way. So if your piggie suddenly get mites, 
its wise to look around for some other problem that may have weakened your 
piggies immune system that allowed the mites to take advantage of the 
situation. That might be a time when e.c. also starts to develop or it maybe 
some other condition was present that caused the immune response to be low 
enough the other disease or e.c started and that allowed the mites to 
develop too. Either cause or effect or visa versa.

To sum up again, I have no reason to believe Donald has or has had or 
harbors encysted e.c. I do think Hershey has it, she has all the classic 
symptoms.  I just want to raise awareness in all of us, so we might start to 
be able to find out if our piggies have this condition more often than 
previously thought. This fact could be hidden from us as we aren't looking, 
and there are other explanations, but we do have sudden deaths in piggies, 
and mysterious deaths. Those of you that can afford to have the e.c. titre 
test might consider doing that when you have your pigs in to the vet for 
other reasons, then report the result to GPDD.  You might, if affordable, to 
do necropsies more often, one that include examination of brain and kidney 
tissue. Slowly we would build a data base a skilled researcher could 
study,or maybe the answer would be simple enough that even one of us could 
draw some conclusions.  I think we can find an expert through Dana Kremples 
or Esther van Praag, Vedra Stanley Spatcher, my exotics vet in Portland, or 
perhaps another great exotics vet, or a University vet school to help us if 
need be. You all may know someone.

I would be thrilled if the answer to any test was no, that e.c. is truly 
very rare in piggies, or yes,  the incidence is much higher than previously 
thought  and owners should be directed to become knowledgeable about the 
warning signs and unnecessary losses could prevented or at least a happy 
life prolonged.  I will make some enquiries of the experts I know of,  maybe 
a half dozen. Perhaps our group could start a data base of causes of death 
in guinea pigs and the incidence of each. That way we could direct our 
resources to help us become knowledgeable on the true diseases and 
conditions that cause the most illness and deaths in our beloved piggies. I 
have seen what a highly directed group like etherbun can do for its members, 
and it's wonderful. They are so large, though, that they dont allow our fun 
stuff, off topic stuff, and out network of heartfelt condolences except 
offline. I wouldn't want to see us give that up, it makes us unique and well 
balanced giving us support when we are sad and ways to play together. But on 
the other hand, a group of highly motivated parent/slaves could become a 
potent tool for learning more about the causes of death and disability in 
our loved ones, and therefore how to avoid it and make for longer happier 
more pain free lives. The etherbun members also learn how to manage their 
vets and they keep lists of good ones. GPDD people who want to participate 
in either side or both would be free to participate at whatever level is 
good for them, but the accumulated knowledge would benefit all of us. I 
really don't propose running amok, just doing a better more directed job of 
making use of the information we have now, and developing ways to learn 
about things we know little or nothing about now, but that, if exploited 
could improve the lives of every pig, even if we concentrated on just one of 
these ideas. A group our size can be very powerful. And I truly hope my 
hunch about e.c. in pigs being more common is dead wrong but I also hope we 
take the  time and effort to find out.

I closing, get better my wonderful friend Alge and be lucky too, and recover 
little Hershey and Donald, and other sick and recovering piggies. I will 
light my special piggy candle to help send my good wishes. Good night all, 
or I guess it's morning.

Best regards,  Sandy and Shipwreck Sam (Sammy in my heart)