[Gpdd] HEALTH: Sparkles update

[corrine sakumoto]

Thanks to Ann & Sandy for all their help with Sparkles.  

Regarding Sparkles 'drooling' she has no 'drool', her chin or mouth or that area is not wet or damp.  We got this thing that's sort of like an otoscope so we can see inside her mouth and we can't see any 'bumps' or cuts or anything and her teeth look fine.

As for the bald spot, I'm sorry but that must be my fault as she doesn't have a 'bald' spot as much as a dry patch.  Michael bathed her with Selsun shampoo (per one of Peter Gurney's books) and also with Burt's Bees "Peppermint & Rosemary" shampoo.  I had her on a white sheet on Saturday (she's a dark brown long hair with brindle--is that an agouti??) and when I petted her, her hairs would come off along with the bottom part.  I kept rubbing my hands on her and hairs kept coming off onto the white sheet.  She was also scratching while she was on the sheet.  So that's when Michael bathed her.  After her bath, she hasn't scratched and no other hairs have come out like that.

Thanks to Sandy for her info!  We started Sparkles on the panacur on Sunday and it seems to help her.  One thing that worried me is that she wasn't really pooing much so we gave her 1 ml of olive oil.  Soon, little tiny firm poos came out!  But then, now, she has soft poos again.  I am happy that she's now pooing all over the place, because that tells me that she's, what I call, 'processing', but we're wondering where did all the 'pellets' go?? and if we should continue with the olive oil if she becomes "constipated" again?

At the vet's on Friday, she weighed 1.8 pounds, which I figured means about one pound twelve ounces.  When I weighed her on Monday, she weighed one pound fifteen ounces.  She's usually around two pounds.

As we all know, our piggies are all different and have their own little quirks that make them unique.  We can understand that Sparkles' tummy probably wasn't feeling well, so she was eating but not as much as we'd liked.  Also, laying around more.  Well, she's been acting more normal, more like herself, lately.  Every time she 'acts like herself' I feel like squealing with delight and hugging and kissing her, so it takes a lot to refrain from doing so.  Let's just say if I do that, she grumbles at me a lot!

Currently, this is her regimen--she gets 0.13 ml baytril injectable solution 2.27% orally twice a day; Critter Be Better, usually twice or more times a day 1 1/2 hrs after the baytril; brewer's yeast tab, 1/2 tab, twice a day; 0.16 ml 100 mg/ml panacur once a day; banana once a day before bedtime.

Well thanks again to everyone, especially Sandy and Ann for all their help and support.

Corrine and Michael