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View Full Version : an update - rule out allergies?


cricket
08-02-2005, 11:15 AM
him we're still dealing with the hoglet health problems in this thread:

http://www.chins-n-quills.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80260

a few weeks ago our vet prescribed a topical medication that is supposed to deal with fungus, bacteria, mites, etc, etc, etc... we've had our two affected hoglets on that med for almost two weeks now.

the male, who we have had a VERY difficult time medicating (he is shy, grumpy, and balls up making it next to impossible to get meds on his sores at all)... well he has healed up pretty much completely on his own. i suspect the topical med had little to do with it.

as for the female, she started to improve for the first few days of the med (we think), but now she has a redness around the edges of her quills (where the quills meet her under-skin) which is progressively getting redder lumpy and scabby.

we will be contacting the vet again soon about her, but we're wondering about the possibility of allergies. we've read about symptoms that "come and go", and the affected areas on the hoglets (eyes, ears, feet, and quill border) are consistent with allergies as well. should we suggest this to the vet, and maybe start taking some steps on our own? there are very few things they are exposed to, so it may not be difficult to find out what or if there is something causing an allergy...

water? we've already switched them from tap water to distilled water. is this even a common allergy?

food? we just started switching them from royal canin kitten to slim 38 anyways... they have not really been given ANY other foods besides their rc diet.

bedding? they use a pine bedding. is this a common allergy? what is recommended to rule out bedding?

thats all i can think of. the babies all have cardboard shoeboxes for hideys and live in rubbermaid type tubs.

Nancy
08-02-2005, 01:00 PM
I'd get rid of the shavings and put them on liners. Just use a folded sheet or pillowcase to see if it helps. Make sure there are no loose threads that little toes can get caught in. I'd also go with a plastic igloo instead of a shoe box.

Because they were on RC kitten, the switch to RC slim should not cause a problem. I assume mom was eating RC slim while they were nursing.

Poor little things. That has been going on for quite some time now. How frustrating. I hope you get to the bottom of it soon. :)

cricket
08-02-2005, 05:09 PM
mom was on kitten as well... read it was better while nursing. they are all being switched to rc slim 38 right now and are almost completely switched...

will probably wait to talk to the vet about the possibility of allergies before switching the food... not really sure what a hypoallergenic diet would be for these guys. but for now, i am ok with changing the bedding on our own. might look into doing the vellux liners thing anyways. reading all kinds of things about good and bad beddings, seems someone finds something wrong with just about anything you could possibly use.

cricket
08-04-2005, 09:57 AM
last night we switched the two sick hogs to vellux liners (even though the male is looking about 95% better, he was switched too). we swapped the female's cardboard shoebox hut for a homemade fleece hedgie bag, which she loves.

neither of them are litter trained, so after the first day on liners its proving to be smelly and messy... but on the other hand it's less messy in a way, no shavings falling all over the floor.

Nancy
08-04-2005, 11:20 AM
Poop machine babies are far messier on liners than adults. It will improve. :laugh:

cricket
08-04-2005, 11:29 AM
ours are older, but stronger now too. they love to re-organize. ;)