Mmmmmm Baytril

[EastMidsGPs]

Sadie has a bit of a chest infection. Just a snuffle and an occasional grunt.
She has milked the 'how unwell am I' scene to DH for a few days until I was guilt tripped into visiting Dr Chris.

So, yesterday we went. Dr Chris had an emergency so we saw a very nice (very young) Spanish vet.
Having weighed Sadie and having declared her 'middle aged and chunky' with vague lung rattles, he's prescribed her 6 days worth of Baytril.
She provided the answer to his question 'is she weeing and pooing OK?' by doing both on his table. When he asked if she was eating OK, she barely looked up from eating the fortifying slice of apple we'd taken - well you never know when you'll eat again

He said that the liquid Baytril was often difficult to administer and suggested I mix it with organic apple juice. So of course DH insisted I went out especially to buy this.

The little madam is quaffing the Baytril down her, licking her lips and searchingfor more - with no apple juice required!
Ironically, no sniff, grunt or rattle has been heard since we arrived at the vets; there appears to be nothing wrong with her - although she is still giving DH her best big eyes look.
I may have an addict (and great actor) in the making here 😂😂

Ahh Bless , she's probably still raging at the 'Middle Aged and Chunky' , that vet was damned lucky to have kept all his fingers !

She's ever so brave chugging down the Baytril without dilution, what a trooper . You need to reward her selfless behaviour with some handpicked dandelions (and she'll let you finish the apple juice yourself)

Sadie will need (according to Dr Bert) : a nice fleece washed in unicorn tears , nothing that will assault her nostrils. Fluffy bedding to pee in knitted from angels armpit hair and something delicious involving parsley hand picked by Tom Hardy from his own herb garden.

He assures me that's the Gold Standard in Guinea Care .

I disagree! 'Middle aged and chunky' is one of the highest compliments a pig can be given. Better than being described as 'young' which just means people expect you to be active and lively instead of allowing you to lard about. And 'skinny' just means you're starving . All my pigs have aspired to middle aged and chunky and generally achieved it as quickly as possible.

Madampig says Bert sounds like an expert doctor - all his advice is spot on. She does think Sadie would benefit from some fresh grass hand picked under a waning moon when the sun is in Jupiter. This should be eaten as a light third breakfast with another portion for second lunch. As Sadie is convalescing she should be hand fed her meals which ideally would be served to her on a silver platter in front of the TV. She must be allowed to choose the programme. 

Sadie is insisting 'middle aged and chunky' is Spanish for 'in her prime and svelte like'

Today she has decided she will not open her mouth for her Baytril unless she is lying in DH's arms. She sits with him pretending to be all pathetic when I know for a fact she's not really ill. He enables her!

£36.19p the vet's visit and medicine cost, add into this a box of organic apple juice that is ignored, some new '5 a day hay' (to tempt her appetite as DH has read sometimes Baytril suppresses it 😂😂😂😂) M&S giant blueberries and a bag of parsley to herself and I cannot see any real improvement happening any time soon !!!

How is the patient? Hopefully she is managing to nibble a few morsels between doses of Baytril. Madampig is jealous and is currently trying to appear sick so she can have the yummy stuff too. I've just seen her polish off a tomato, some celery leaves, lettuce and a large piece of cucumber as well as one of Current Buns biscuits - so I'm not fooled

The invalid is well recovered FernieB
Milking the attention for all it is worth and looking accusingly at me whenever she is sat in DH's arms.
She (and Ness by default) have been totally spoilt by him all week - the 3 of them were watching cricket together the other morning and so both pigs had a cuddle from the district nurse when she came to redo his dressing!!

I personally do not think Sadie was ever ill, well not enough to warrant all the fuss - I think she had the equivalent of man flu😃
The only lasting consequence is that the white fur around her mouth and under her chin is now a faint blueberry hue.

It seems the blame lies with me ... I collected grass from the park for them last week and DH is of the opinion that it was too wet and cold for them to eat. Apparently I should have dried it and 'warmed it a bit' before giving it to them sigh
S & N would love to come to tea with Madampig, however, neither would even have a nibble of tomato - they are the Devil's food.

If they're not going to eat the tomato (uncut cherry tomato only - all other tomatoes are evil) then they're very welcome to come. Especially if they're happy to eat apple - that's devils food in this house.

I'm shocked that you neglected to hand dry each individual blade of grass and also didn't gently warm them. Poor pigs

I pick grass, rinse it and pop the plate on the radiator to warm to optimum temp.

Obviously Madam and Sadie need to get the RSPCA number on speed dial.

Our Bert is enjoying married life again (not sure if Tilly agrees though) . She does seem to like living with him, and he certainly knows 'His Place' , plus he's quite nice to cuddle on a cold night .

We gave ours some banana slices in skin, they were quite impressed !

Update.
Well it seems i was wrong and Sadie the actress was actually ill. To the point where I have been worried we were about to go through a 'middle aged piggie decline and death around Christmas Eve' scenario.

Monday she was very listless and just lay in DH's arms. REFUSED parsley even tho it was their favourite Lidl pack (large flat leaves).
Most worrying no obvious poo. Decided another vet visit may be on the cards but decided to give her a couple of syringes worth of Critical Care as it does mention convalescing animals on the label.

Tuesday not much better, ignored parsley again, but did produce 4 hard smallish poos when in for a cuddle. So more Critical Care. However very happy and able to be handfed large piles of freshly cut, dried and warmed grass!!
Yesterday, brighter watched Escape To The Country (Lake District) with DH and Ness, whilst eating more warm fresh grass. Had more Critical Care.
Today for the first time in over a week she was sitting waiting for breakfast and has had a fresh grass snack mid morning. She is currently sitting at the table with DH and Ness, listening to The Archers and nibbling a blueberry.

Phew ... think it would have been the divoice courts if she'd pegged it - both Sadie and DH are convinced I am somehow to blame for her being unwell

Madampig is very pleased to find other pigs that listen to The Archers. Clearly Sadie and Ness are discerning pigs. She likes Jazza and Neil as they clearly understand pigs! Do Sadie and Ness also enjoy 'I'm sorry I haven't a clue'?

Glad to hear Sadie is recuperating nicely. I'm sure Ness is also reaping the benefits of her illness. Paws crossed that she is fighting fit for Christmas and able to tuck into a full festive dinner.

Poor Lamb!
Was she dehydrated? If her poo was hard and shrivelled then it sounds like she wasn't drinking enough .
It is hard to monitor their water intake , I think ours spill more than they drink. And with two you don't know how much each one takes.

Is she giving you the guinea-pig judgey mourneful eyes I told you I was ill

FernieB
They chatter their teeth during The Archers, but yes ISIHAC and JAM are listening favourites. Unless of course TMS is on or cricket is on Sky.

Can report we definitely seem to have recovered or are very much on the way.

70 Sadie is able to this really big eyes thing .... so can look pathetic/cute/endearing at will 😉

Oh and after a flash start we are pooing for England. Copious amounts of large, moist poos are currently adorning the utility room floor 😠

only a small animal slave knows how reassuring it is to find the "Right" sort of dropping .
Texture/Shape/Colour/No slime/in a pooh nest so you know its come out of one guinea-pigs' bottom.

There must be a check list somewhere like for humans .

I went out this morning with grass cutting scissors for grass'n'lions , I must look like Lady McBeth in my robe

The pigs were all "don't mind if I do" and got wired in.
They are really nice as a married couple , it is a shame it took the loss of GP8 to get them together , Bert had them as company but he seems to thrive as being husband material. (And he's still a tidy little boy)

Congratulations on the correct kind of poo!. So good to know she's on the mend.

Madam wheeks like mad during JAM. Think she loves Nicholas Parsons.

Mollie used to love listening to Charlie Nicholas's football reports. She'd look adoringly at the TV screen as he spoke, I think it was his Scottish lilt!

Lovely to hear the middle aged widower Bert has settled back into married life with his new bride. It all sounds like a 19th C novel (eat your heart out Jane A or Mrs Gaskell) ... the only blessing being wife number 2 has not become step mum to countless children