RIP Cuddles Pig
The stone surgery was more complicated than anticipated. The stone did not appear to be floating in the bladder as expected. It was either in the bladder wall or else in the right ureter; if it was the ureter, that was in an abnormal location. The vet (who is good, and did his other surgeries and knows this pig) accessed the stone from outside the bladder and closed it as if it was in a ureter, which his last one actually was, on the other side. She flushed a large amount of sludge out of the bladder so he should have been more comfortable. He got quite cold on the table and it took most of the afternoon to bring him back up to temp. He looked okay but dopey when we brought him home in the evening.
He continued to be droopy in chiefoperator's armpit, but was moving a bit and still looked like he was doing alright, so chiefoperator gave him some pain meds (which the vet later said was what she would have done) and let him go to his run some time after midnight and went upstairs to sleep. I was already asleep with an alarm set to get up with him at 3am for a supplemental feed and snuggle. After I prepped his food and water, I went to get him and he was gone. His little body was mostly still warm, so I think he had not been gone long. I held him for a bit, then put him on the quilt and went to let chiefoperator know.
He was the last of his herd. We are not planning on immediately searching for another herd. If a piggy or two in need appears, we'll probably not turn them away. I could use a break though. I was feeling a bit crispy from all the Expected Services we let build up with this one.
He continued to be droopy in chiefoperator's armpit, but was moving a bit and still looked like he was doing alright, so chiefoperator gave him some pain meds (which the vet later said was what she would have done) and let him go to his run some time after midnight and went upstairs to sleep. I was already asleep with an alarm set to get up with him at 3am for a supplemental feed and snuggle. After I prepped his food and water, I went to get him and he was gone. His little body was mostly still warm, so I think he had not been gone long. I held him for a bit, then put him on the quilt and went to let chiefoperator know.
He was the last of his herd. We are not planning on immediately searching for another herd. If a piggy or two in need appears, we'll probably not turn them away. I could use a break though. I was feeling a bit crispy from all the Expected Services we let build up with this one.