[Gpdd] HEALTH Corrine's Spikey

[Penny Charlesworth]

Corrine,

I am ccing this to the GPDD as other people might be able to join in too.

Corrine sent me a pigture of Spikey but it is hard to see if he had a short
nose. Lovely pigture Corrine!

You have had several piggies so perhaps you might have noticed that some of
them have quite pointed noses and others have shorter ones. It is the
shorter nosed piggies that are sometimes prone to snuffles or else they
snore.

I assume that the vet is satisfied that his lung infection has completely
cleared up.

Here are a couple of things that you could try. I keep liquid Bisolvon, as
I mentioned before. Maybe your vet might consider prescribing some for
Spikey. The dose is 0.4ml twice a day. I also give Rafferty Sudafed on
occasions. 0.4ml twice a day.

It is safe to use these both at the same time plus the following remedies.

For Rafferty, I use Vick when his breathing is really noisy. I dab some on
each nostril and some on his front paws so that he inhales it when he is
asleep.

Another remedy is Menthol Crystals. I buy these from a health food store.
Drop one crystal into a small container - a baby food jar is ideal. Pour
boiling water over the crystal and use something like a flannel to hold the
jar directly under piggy's nose so that he can inhale the vapour. I find it
very strong, in fact it makes my eyes water, but piggies seem to like it.
Mind the hot jar does not come into contact with piggy.

You can reheat the mixture in the microwave for another try later on.

For piggies with odd poos, sometimes Acidophilus will help. A third of a
capsule per day mixed with a little water and syringed in.

If you are worried about him becoming dehydrated, try Dioralyte via a
syringe. It comes in different flavours. I currently have Blackcurrant,
which they seem to enjoy.

2 1/2 pounds is a good weight so I guess that he is eating OK. If all his
veggies are disappearing, give him some more. You can't overfeed a piggy.

Has anyone else anything to add for Spikey?

Regards from Penny and the Piggyfriends.