25 August 2006
Poorly hog update
Okay, firstly, hoggy has been to the vets, I showed Lowry the instructions from Tiggies, and we started off on the basic antibiotic course. He had two injections, and I have to take him back on Sunday morning at 9am for another one. She is hopeful, and so am I that it will be enough. We got him out and let him run round the floor, and he is fine. He actually wasn't as snuffly this morning anyway. He didn't want the heat pad. I put it in, only warm, to take him to the vet, and he got off it and as far away as possible, even though it was wrapped in two towels, so I actually took it out of the box and put it back in the car whilst I was waiting.
Right here comes the interesting bit. I think it may be Snuffles! Here is my theory. Firstly, this hog wasn't in the least bit afraid of me, it let me go and pick it up, without attempting to run away. Secondly, the nose. The nose is Snuffles' nose. I thought so when I posted the photo that I took yesterday of the two of them in Snuffles box, I thought to myself that nose is very like Snuffs nose. Let me explain - Snuffles has a slightly deformed nose, it is pinkish in colour as opposed to dark black like normal. One nostril is elongated, almost like it has been torn at some time. This hog I have now is exactly the same, the same nostril. Snuffles has been gone since June, the box has been empty for two months, although I left all his old nesting in there incase he came back, and despite all these hogs around, none of them had gone in there (I left a piece of paper delicately poised which would be pulled off if anything had entered, so I know nothing had) Suddenly, the box is occupied again this past four days/nights. Snuffles was never much interested in the dry food, only occasionally peanuts, but ate loads of the chicken flavour cat food. This new hog ditto, the other hogs weren't interested in the cat food, in fact, I'd stopped putting it out because it was getting left, and started using Bakers Meaty chunks, chicken variety just incase Snuffs came back, as he liked these as a second choice. Suddenly this week, all of these were getting eaten from the front feeder, whereas they were left before, the ones I put out round the back garden are still being left. This other hog was snorting and breathing exactly the same as Snuffs last night. He even smells like Snuffs, I sniffed the hogs that I have handled lately, and they smelled different. I can smell him in the house already, same as before when he was living in my back cupboard last winter. The only thing that makes me slightly unsure is the size. This hog weighs 950gms, almost a kilo. Snuffs weighed a lot more, but I was thinking this hog now was little, but when it actually stretched out, and I had a good look today, it is around 12-13 inches in length, just really only thinner than Snuffs was. I can't remember what Snuffles weighed, but will ask at the vets on Sunday as they will probably have a record on the computer. If Snuffs has had a bad summer and lack of food around with all this dry weather, could he really have lost about half his bodyweight? Maybe possible I would have thought. It was about this time last year that he came back after being absent again for a couple of months. I am praying that it is him, I really am. I am going to post a couple of pictures here to compare the two, would appreciate any views/thoughts of others please!
This is the two in box yesterday, it's the one on the left, see the left nostril is strange.
This is him this morning in the bath when I cleaned out his box, again see the nostril
Okay this is about the best view I have of Snuffles' nostril.
This is Snuffs again, maybe slightly better shot
Right here comes the interesting bit. I think it may be Snuffles! Here is my theory. Firstly, this hog wasn't in the least bit afraid of me, it let me go and pick it up, without attempting to run away. Secondly, the nose. The nose is Snuffles' nose. I thought so when I posted the photo that I took yesterday of the two of them in Snuffles box, I thought to myself that nose is very like Snuffs nose. Let me explain - Snuffles has a slightly deformed nose, it is pinkish in colour as opposed to dark black like normal. One nostril is elongated, almost like it has been torn at some time. This hog I have now is exactly the same, the same nostril. Snuffles has been gone since June, the box has been empty for two months, although I left all his old nesting in there incase he came back, and despite all these hogs around, none of them had gone in there (I left a piece of paper delicately poised which would be pulled off if anything had entered, so I know nothing had) Suddenly, the box is occupied again this past four days/nights. Snuffles was never much interested in the dry food, only occasionally peanuts, but ate loads of the chicken flavour cat food. This new hog ditto, the other hogs weren't interested in the cat food, in fact, I'd stopped putting it out because it was getting left, and started using Bakers Meaty chunks, chicken variety just incase Snuffs came back, as he liked these as a second choice. Suddenly this week, all of these were getting eaten from the front feeder, whereas they were left before, the ones I put out round the back garden are still being left. This other hog was snorting and breathing exactly the same as Snuffs last night. He even smells like Snuffs, I sniffed the hogs that I have handled lately, and they smelled different. I can smell him in the house already, same as before when he was living in my back cupboard last winter. The only thing that makes me slightly unsure is the size. This hog weighs 950gms, almost a kilo. Snuffs weighed a lot more, but I was thinking this hog now was little, but when it actually stretched out, and I had a good look today, it is around 12-13 inches in length, just really only thinner than Snuffs was. I can't remember what Snuffles weighed, but will ask at the vets on Sunday as they will probably have a record on the computer. If Snuffs has had a bad summer and lack of food around with all this dry weather, could he really have lost about half his bodyweight? Maybe possible I would have thought. It was about this time last year that he came back after being absent again for a couple of months. I am praying that it is him, I really am. I am going to post a couple of pictures here to compare the two, would appreciate any views/thoughts of others please!
This is the two in box yesterday, it's the one on the left, see the left nostril is strange.
This is him this morning in the bath when I cleaned out his box, again see the nostril
Okay this is about the best view I have of Snuffles' nostril.
This is Snuffs again, maybe slightly better shot# posted by flicker : 16:44
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