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Post by Susie on Apr 15, 2005 21:50:45 GMT
 Just wanted to mention to people to remember to weigh their piggys each month as this is a great way to check on their general overall health. Piggys do not always make it obvious when they are ill & this is a good indicator! Just thought off it today as I weighed my Spam (he's on weekly monitoring after he lost a couple of oz a few months ago). If you do weigh always record for comparison. A loss of more than 2oz is a worry. A gain of more than 2 oz for an adult piggy could also be... depending on age & build. Also do you check through your piggys skin & have a look at front teeth weeekly? I have a page all about health checks if you all have a few moments to browse at any point! www.susieandpigs.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/health.htm 
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Post by Alix on Apr 16, 2005 6:20:02 GMT
I do things at ramdom it seems lol. I don't do lots of weigh in's, but I do monitor the way they get at their morning vaggies, and whether they seem to be hanging a bit at the back and not interested. If a pig has lost weight enough for concern I can usually tell in their face and how they feel.. but sometimes it is difficult because you see them so often, so weighing is a good double check.
With regards to teeth and stuff, when I get mine out I usually play with their bottom droopy lip.. or hold them up to look at their cute mouths - so it's not hard for me to spot any mouth injury or broken tooth.
Does anybody have strict checking routines?
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Post by Susie on Apr 16, 2005 6:32:40 GMT
I used to just have a look at incisors. But now I have a feel as Spam lost weight due to a loose tooth... which eventually dropped out & grew back. I have no idea how long it had be like that as he did try to eat... he just gave up after a while and his cage mate was eating his share. I know because he gained the weight Spam lost!  |
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Post by Clover on Apr 16, 2005 8:46:29 GMT
Thats a really good page Susie I must admit to maybe being a little obsessive about my piggies weights, so I weigh them every week and keep a record. But like aL has mentioned, sometimes you can tell if there's weight loss, just by looking at them etc. Its even more important to weigh them regular when they are poorly, as they can loose weight so quickly. A good tip about recognising teeth problems is to check them over, but also stay with them for a while when you give them veggies to make sure they arn't having problems. Constantly dropping the food, refusing harder veggies like carrots that they would normally like. That was the first sign that alerted me to Squeekie's tooth problem. He even refused his bell peppers which he normally loves. Poor little boy had an overgrown molar that caused a bad mouth sore. Thankfully it hasn't caused him any problems since. I also check for fatty lumps and swellings around the body and also check under the chin. One of Jasmines lumps turned out to be a tumour, but thankfully it was benign. The vet actually showed it me in a tube, wasn't that nice of him! I must find time to update my care pages. |
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cavy13
Bronze Member
"What?.........This doesn't look like my hut!"
Posts: 448
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Post by cavy13 on Apr 16, 2005 12:01:34 GMT
Does anyone know where you can get one of those weigher scales like in the picture on Susie's page? I can't find one.
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Post by Susie on Apr 16, 2005 17:01:02 GMT
I find its not very acurate I;m afraid & swapped it for an electronic one. You want the weights to be acurate as piggys don;t weigh much & you want to notice the smallest change.
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Post by kitty on Apr 17, 2005 2:43:54 GMT
I am looking right now in resale shops for a baby scale to weigh my girls on. I have to watch Milano as she has that fluid buildup. I bet Treen has a good one ! I handle my girls so much and look them over all the time so I think I would find any problem.
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Post by Clover on Apr 17, 2005 8:16:47 GMT
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Post by kitty on Apr 18, 2005 4:55:41 GMT
I have one just like that Clover for our FOOD! John caught me weighing Milano in it so now that's OUT! Your piggie looks so cute in there!
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Post by Clover on Apr 18, 2005 8:09:23 GMT
I have one just like that Clover for our FOOD! John caught me weighing Milano in it so now that's OUT! Your piggie looks so cute in there! Snap Kitty  I once used hubby's comb to remove a little knot from Jakes coat, hubby didn't fancy using it again. I just said, 'oh a quick rinse under the tap, it will be fine' lol |
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Post by kitty on Apr 18, 2005 17:06:11 GMT
Picky, picky, picky these men are! Just a little pig poo or hair-what's the problem?! John asked me one day what I was doing and I said, "cutting Dodo's butt hair" and he about freaked out over WHICH scissors I was using. I had to assure him NOT the ones he uses to cut all HIS gross stuff! Jeez.
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Post by Clover on Apr 19, 2005 14:37:46 GMT
rofl, hubby once found a guinea pig hair in his sandwiches   I remember once while my brother Steve was visiting while I was picking up a few poops, he was amazed I wasn't wearing gloves. I just said 'nooo they are only veggie poops' lol |
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Post by kitty on Apr 19, 2005 17:19:05 GMT
Well, you know women are used to cleaning up all the gross stuff in the world. Men are SUCH babies- I just figure food without a little cat or pig hair isn't cooked right! I tell John the same thing about pig poo, horse manure and cat barf: it's just re-formed vegies! Sheesh!
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Post by Clover on Apr 20, 2005 7:48:06 GMT
Lol very true Kitty. My John's stepped on a piggy poop a few times, you should have heard the fuss he makes lol I remember once I shared my bath with a piggy poop, I wasn't wearing my slippers so one had stuck under my foot. Then it just appeared in my bath water |
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Post by kitty on Apr 20, 2005 16:13:45 GMT
Good one Clover! I'm sure the little devils will pop up everywhere eventually!
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Post by Susie on May 14, 2005 22:31:31 GMT
LOL Jackie... they do end to get around don;t they? |
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Post by skipperdoo on May 15, 2005 1:58:53 GMT
The digital scales that I have used are ones from the kitchen section of department stores and also postal scales from office-supply stores. No photo of any "in use" since the pigs aren't into taking photos while I weigh a critter. |
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Post by Susie on May 15, 2005 2:18:51 GMT
Bet those are great. really accurate. Need some like that myself  |
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Post by skipperdoo on May 15, 2005 4:46:47 GMT
This is the one I just got: www003.staples.com/Catalog/Browse/Sku.asp?PageType=1&Sku=499322We (work) got four of them as a donation for the Wildcare Center and my exotics vet use the same scale. I use a bowl (?) from another scale that I had and place it on top of the scale and ten zero it out before I use it. The Wildcare Center uses old empty baby-wipe containers and my vet uses a small cardboard box to hold the critters. I guess I'd know better how this one works if I took it out of the box and used it. (I'm going to donate my other one to the Wildcare Center.) |
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Just wanted to mention to people to remember to weigh their piggys each month as this is a great way to check on their general overall health. Piggys do not always make it obvious when they are ill & this is a good indicator! Just thought off it today as I weighed my Spam (he's on weekly monitoring after he lost a couple of oz a few months ago). If you do weigh always record for comparison. A loss of more than 2oz is a worry. A gain of more than 2 oz for an adult piggy could also be... depending on age & build. Also do you check through your piggys skin & have a look at front teeth weeekly? I have a page all about health checks if you all have a few moments to browse at any point! www.susieandpigs.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/health.htm 
I once used hubby's comb to remove a little knot from Jakes coat, hubby didn't fancy using it again. I just said, 'oh a quick rinse under the tap, it will be fine' lol 
