[Gpdd] HEALTH:Lily

[Penny Charlesworth]

Mieke,

I am sorry to read that dear Lily is losing weight.

You are quite right that the easiest way to take a blood sample from a
piggy is to overclip a nail. It will hurt at the time but heals up very
quickly and most of us will have clipped a bit too far when doing our own
piggies' pedicures. The vet will have something to stop the bleeding very
quickly. My vet has a product that I have seen him use when clipping my
birds' beaks or claws.

I always check piggies' mouths and teeth first if they are losing weight.
Sometimes they seem to have their usual appetite but when you look more
closely, sometimes you find that they might only be eating veggies that are
easy to manage and might be avoiding the all important hay.

It can be hard to see exactly what is being eaten when you have a herd.

If Lily were mine, I would separate her from her friends for a while and
watch her most carefully, Check her poo output ( that's hard when four
little girls are all contributing to the poo pile ). Check her mouth for
thrush, which can make it painful to eat as much as usual and have your vet
look most carefully at her teeth. Some piggies eat less when there is only
a tiny amount of overgrowth on a tooth. Some soldier on despite having
really horrible teeth.

You don't say what treatments have been given against fungus. Have you
shampooed her against it as fungus is one of the most common causes of hair
loss? This can be really hard to treat and may need many treatments to
clear it up once and for all, especially in the cold, damp climate that
your pigs and mine have to endure.

All the best for Lily.

Please let us know how she gets on.

Penny and the Piggyfriends.