[Gpdd] HEALTH- Mel our foster piggie

[Penny Charlesworth]

Poor little Mel.

I was talking on the phone to C, my Rodentologist, while waiting for the
digest pages to load and immediately turned to yours, which I read out to
her. Always good to get a second opinion. Whitish discharge meaning the
piggy is on heat? "Rubbish" she said.

She agreed with my first thoughts that it could be an excess of calcium
being excreted or a UTI. Is there a smell with this discharge? It would be
a rather stale smell - C describes it as a nursing home smell if you know
what she means. This often accompanies a UTI.

Certainly she cannot be on heat and pregnant at the same time. I do hope,
for her sake, that she is not pregnant. You both have enough to worry about
but you have had pregnant foster piggies before so you know what you are
doing.

With her crusty ear flaps, is there an actual crusting that falls off or do
her ears just look thick and crinkly. My Lavender has no ear flaps and what
is left is a thick edge rather like a boxer's cauliflower ear. She had no
infection and the odd look is just scar tissue from when the damage healed
over ( before she came here ). Does Mel scratch at her ears or is there any
bleeding?

We use Cymex cream for fungal infections. I don't know if you can buy this
in the US. It is applied very sparingly to the affected area and is also
used for those nasty mouth sores to which some piggies are prone.

I'd send you a pigture of Lavender but she is a black Abby with black ears
and, having looked at all my pigtures of her, none of them show her ears
very clearly.

Good luck with Mel. If she is pregnant, you will know to be very careful
what meds she has whilst she is carrying. If she has a UTI, the barley
water treatment would be safe.

Penny and the Piggyfriends.