Specialty Vet

This past weekend started with taking Xabi to the vet (and picking Erin up from the airport!!!).

The vet visit was a bit of a doozy. The vet listened to Xabi's heart and lungs-nothing abnormal. They sedated him and took an X-Ray-nothing abnormal. They took a blood sample and did a full panel-nothing abnormal.

The vet said that
a) He was a bit more gassy than she likes to see, but that could be from the sedative.
b) His eye has more discharge than is normal, even with a nerve deficit. She suspects maybe an Upper Respiratory Infection.
c) His head tilted a little bit when he was sedated, (I think it's because he can't see out of his right eye very well, but I kept that to myself) so he might have a lingering ear infection causing head-tilt.

So we have him on antibiotics and also a G.I. tract mobilizing...stuff. His poops are back to normal, so hopefully by the end of the antibiotics, he'll be feeling much better.


Now who wants to see an X-Ray of a guinea pig?! I know I do!

Xabi Vet & Cage Update

News from the vet:

Xabi is at a low weight, but not UNDER-weight. However, if he drops below 900 grams, she would be concerned. At the time of the vet appointment he was at 914 grams. 

She listened to his heart, lungs, guts, ears, mouth, and eye. She said to just keep putting ointment on his eye. It's really difficult to do without it getting smeared all over his fur by his eye. Then, when it dries, the fur around his eye gets pulled out in clumps when he cleans it. He's developing a little bald spot. :( She also said that what he has is called Horner's Syndrome. Which I think we knew, but had forgotten. Or didn't know the name of, but knew his symptoms.

The next thing she said is that with the bickering going on between Harvey and Biscotti, Xabi is probably not getting as much food as he normally would. We decided to do away with the current cage design, and make a simple, no-loft cage (which is a shame, since the loft minimizes hay debris getting everywhere), with 3 separate sections. It has worked out really well! See below:

Originally Harvey was on the left, Xabi in the middle, and Biscotti on the right. I figured Xabi could be a good buffer between the two trouble-makers. But then Scotti just bit the cage incessantly until we decided to try putting him in the middle. He is much happier now. He just needs to make sure he is in charge. He's the center of the universe! 

It has also been kind of fun making sure the pigs get exclusive rights to their favorite things. Harvey got his straw teepee, Biscotti got his pigloo (although he prefers the tent, but it's dirty right now), and Xabi got his barn. He LOVES to lay on top of it. He has always loved being on top of things. I've wondered if it makes him feel more secure, since he has worse eye sight. 

It's also really easy to clean. Plus, all 3 pigs have separate food bowls, hay racks, and water bottles. It is easier to monitor their droppings, as well. Before it was impossible to tell which droppings belonged to which pig. 

Xabi, before the vet visit. D'awww

I'm happy to report that he is now at 924!