Mange and Severe Pododermatitis
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- Little Jo Wheek
Geez Louise! You are picky. I'll see what I can find online. It's something you use in veterinary medicine, but there are different scales (some are like 10-point, too). I prefer BCS to weights, since sometimes pigs are wasted away or gain ascites and their weights don't change much (or increase), but their overall body condition changes.
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- Little Jo Wheek
Here's the one I learned from: Hill's BCS Chart for Dogs and Cats There isn't a chart that I know of for cavies, so I just use it as a guide. Also, 2.5 is pretty much ideal (not 3 as the chart suggests). 3 would be considered heavy by many standards. When I showed dogs, we used to like them to be about 3 for show condition. 2.5 was maintenance.
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- Little Jo Wheek
Hmmm... The link works for me. It's probably like the charts you've seen, Becky. The pig I have has a definite waist and protruding hip bones. The BCS system has allotments for how well you can feel bones, ribs, hips, spines, etc. I'm sure the humane organizations use something similar to evaluate their starvation cases.
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- Little Jo Wheek
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- Little Jo Wheek
Well, while the foot is progressing, now the rest of the pig doesn't look so hot. I left a bowl of CC and grain this morning that wasn't touched when I got home from work. He looks fluffed. I skipped his Baytril and meloxicam. I can't risk either one of those causing problems. I have yet to get bloodwork on this pig. Wednesday!
I gave him warmed SQ fluids w/B vits since he does look dehydrated a bit (or emaciated) to the point where the skin snap-back test is definitely positive for dehydration. He seems fairly bright, but maybe less steady and fluffed up. Darn it. I also got about 15 mls of CC slurry into him tonight. He seems to eat his Romaine, but hasn't finished it. His pouch was full of well-formed, moderate-sized poops. His GIT seems to have poops forming. He feels fuller than he did last night. I'm worried, though.
I gave him warmed SQ fluids w/B vits since he does look dehydrated a bit (or emaciated) to the point where the skin snap-back test is definitely positive for dehydration. He seems fairly bright, but maybe less steady and fluffed up. Darn it. I also got about 15 mls of CC slurry into him tonight. He seems to eat his Romaine, but hasn't finished it. His pouch was full of well-formed, moderate-sized poops. His GIT seems to have poops forming. He feels fuller than he did last night. I'm worried, though.