Violet's medical thread

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GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Sun Jan 24, 2016 2:48 pm


My thought also. Of course, you're all excellent teachers!

That said... Zaphy, you and husband rock!

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Zaphy

Post   » Wed Feb 03, 2016 6:29 pm


I kept meaning to post an update earlier. Violet is doing very, very well! I stopped the Critical Care a few days ago when she was pretty constantly around 950g, and since being reintroduced to the other pigs, between her pellet eating and constant begging for treats (side note: I have trained her to spin for carrots now and it is adorable) she is back to being chubs again at 994g when I weighed her just now.

As for her scar, the scab is completely gone now! Here are a few photos I took of the healing process since last update:

Image

Image

Image

Image

^this last one is from today :)

At the last vet appointment I had just after the last time I posted, the vet said it was looking really good, and to keep up antibiotics for a few days after it completely closed up. Last night is the last time I gave her a dose of Chloramphenicol and Rimadyl (I've been tapering her off on the Rimadyl and she's acting just fine today without any so I think she's good on that front), and I'm thinking now would be an okay time to stop it since the scab's been off completely for five or six days now. The flesh is a bit bumpy with the scar tissue but I don't feel any hard lumps or swelling in the area. And as you can see, her fur's growing in pretty well too! Her poops have become beautiful ovals this morning and I am proud of her :)

Thank you all again so, so, so much for being so willing to hold my hand through this whole process.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Feb 03, 2016 8:46 pm


How wonderful! So glad it's all healed up and she's feeling well! You did a great job taking care of her, too!

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Thu Feb 04, 2016 12:05 am


Ditto Lynx. You and your husband did a wonderful job caring for a difficult condition.

I'm tempted to think it actually helped when she ripped the drain out. !!

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Zaphy

Post   » Thu Feb 04, 2016 8:00 am


Me too, really- I just can't imagine how all that gunk back there would have come out with just the drain!

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Zaphy

Post   » Mon Apr 11, 2016 12:12 am


Do pigs get melanoma? I've noticed a freckle on Violet's back heel that I am 95% sure hasn't been there her whole life. It's black and the texture is the same as the surrounding skin, though the skin near the foot on that leg is dry and flakey:
Image

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Apr 11, 2016 7:31 am


Yes, they can get melanoma. If it were a possible skin cancer, you would just keep an eye on it and see a vet if it changes. If it's been there all her life, much more likely jut dark skin pigment (does she have some black on her somewhere?

Let me know if you'd like your picture added to your thread for future readers.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Tue Apr 12, 2016 12:01 pm


Ditto. Keep an eye on it, and have her vet see it if there are changes -- basically the same advice as for a human.

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Zaphy

Post   » Thu Apr 14, 2016 6:30 pm


All right. I'm pretty darn sure that it's new, but she does have dark skin elsewhere on her body. Do guinea pigs sometimes develop benign freckles/moles like people do too then? (thank you for the responses!)

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Apr 14, 2016 8:06 pm


I would take a really good closeup of her foot (you could even post it here) and maybe once a month or so, compare it to your picture for changes. You might also have a vet look at it, now or the next time you see him.

I think there are general guidelines humans would follow to monitor changes in their skin. Perhaps not all would apply but I'm sure some would.

Guidelines I found here:
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/skincancer ... d-symptoms

A is for Asymmetry: One half of a mole or birthmark does not match the other.
B is for Border: The edges are irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred.
C is for Color: The color is not the same all over and may include shades of brown or black, or sometimes with patches of pink, red, white, or blue.
D is for Diameter: The spot is larger than 6 millimeters across (about ¼ inch – the size of a pencil eraser), although melanomas can sometimes be smaller than this.
E is for Evolving: The mole is changing in size, shape, or color.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Fri Apr 15, 2016 10:17 am


Ditto Lynx. Comparison photos taken at regularly-spaced intervals is a real good idea.

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Zaphy

Post   » Wed Jun 08, 2016 5:17 pm


Just wanted to update this before I lost track of these photos.
May 3:
Image (it looks darker in these, but that's because the scaliness of the skin on her feet has gone down- the actual mark didn't seem to have darkened)
Today, June 8:
Image
(it took two WHOLE grapes to get that last photo, haha)

Not much to say about em yet, I think. Just an update.

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