Yesterday, I called the vet to talk about The Shush Sister Charlotte, who is still walking very wonkily. And not often. She lists to the side like a sinking container ship. 
But the vet was out for the day and would not be back until Monday. No-one could help me there. Hmm. 
I called the breeder, no joy there either. By then I was feeling a bit annoyed with them all. So I decided to take things into my own hands and looked on the internet and discovered that pigs can take aspirin. Who knew! One and a half per hundred pounds. So I gave her three with some honey. Charlotte woofed it down then went back to her corner. Whether it was the aspirin or just that she is into her third day of recovery ( I refuse to discuss anything other than recovery) but she did move about a bit within the hour and she stood up to eat later in the afternoon. Putting her foot down when she was eating. 
So I think she is ever so slightly on the mend. The mornings are the worst for her though. Stiff I suppose. Ella Dee has suggested arnica and glucosamine. So we will find those too. I swear, between us, using all the knowledge the Weblog family has, and the support and good thoughts from you all, I think we can pull her through ourselves. (That was a muddled sentence but it is too early in the morning for me to untangle it and I am sure you know what I am saying!
The Daily View, a month ago –
And yesterday.
The night temperatures are dropping. Twenty Two F. That is something like minus 4C. Chilly. 
Now I am going to go and grind up some aspirin for our girl (the hardest part is making sure it is Charlotte who gets the pain relief not that Sheila, but so far so good).
Daisy has new milking cups as part of the ever lasting mission to get the most comfortable and efficient milking system for the winter and these cups have a wee area at the top of clear plastic, so we can see what quarter is giving how much milk, it is pretty neat actually. They arrived yesterday. Daisy does not care. Daisy being Daisy just eats, whips me with her tail and tries to kick the cups off when she decides she is finished. Which is usually about the time she is finished but I prefer to take them off myself thank you very much Daisy.
Have a lovely day.
celi
PS. Yesterday I wrote 3, 656 words, good words too I think, which brought my big total up to 12, 487 words. And I found that yesterday I was writing better too. The actual content is improving. I am not allowed to edit but I can already see where I will be deleting, adding and reworking when January comes along. But the story is fun. We just found the husband in a freezer in the back of a removal van! Fantastic. Ah well, we did not like him much anyway!
PSS. If you have a teenager saying what shall I do with my life tell her or him to be a vet. They will never ever be out of work.
The Kitchen's Garden 
79 responses to “Charlotte begins her Slow Recovery. Because I said so.”
Be still my heart – Charlotte is better
Oh oh, I’m in big Ka Ka. When the very busy Celi writes in November, what the heck excuse do I have?
Isn’t it fabulous having the Internet for quick reference? It saved me one weekend when my hot water tank was blowing up and not one plumber would answer his phone. So glad there is improvement – I really dislike that state of constant unknowing and concern.
Morning Amy, November is a calm month on the farmy, so I really do have more time to write.. plumbers!! c
Poor Charlotte, and poor you Celi, left to fend for yourselves (again!) when it comes to the care of your animals. Aspirin for miss piggy makes total sense to me…pigs and humans being quite closely related and all – (and not just at the dinner table.) And I have to ask, third picture down, is that Charlotte who’s smiling with her whole face, all squinty-eyed? How do you not fall in love?! (Well, of course, that’s not even a question!) x
Yes that is Charlotte sitting down and Sheila giving me the eye saying do i have to stay in for another day! ANOTHER DAY!! Poor Sheila.. c
We are glad that Charlotte is improving, very worrying when our ‘keep’ are not well, But after all aspirin ( Salycilic) comes from willow.. and it’s such a useful drug.
Which reminds me i need to go out to the big farm and cut some more willow for the cows and pigs and sheep to chomp on.. that willow bark is good stuff! c
I’m SO happy Charlotte is feeling better. It is a good sign that she has continued to eat. When one of my animals would not eat it killed me with worry.
WONDERFUL!!!! I hope it keeps on. After reading willowarchaway I forgot that we would give the pigs willow branches when they were off.
So much I have forgotten over the years. Your pigs are helping me to remember.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
I tend to agree that rest, your ingenious presciption of aspirin and lots of TLC should be sufficient – the arnica and glucosamine would serve to alleviate longer term effects… And, the Weblog world is indeed wonderful, I can’t think how we would exist without the forums, information and community 🙂
Lots of production – in words and aspirin dispensing. Sometimes you just need to say so.
I discovered on the fifth dog out of our seventeen, that they all recovered from speying or any other op by giving them pain relief – ie aspirin, – on the vet,s advice. It always worked like a charm- they literally sprang back to normal.. And when I went to stay with a friend in Wales, and she thought her old lab was never going to recover from her cancer op, as she was still lying miserably in her basket a week later, I insisted on giving her aspirin. Within two hours she was up, nosing her way into the drawing room, and pushing out the younger dog to get to the fire.
So it looks as though you may be doing the right thing…..Do you have any friends who do reiki or shiatsu – that works on animals too….
My cleaning lady just happens to be doing Reiki on a pig at the moment! She /the pig loves it
I am glad to read about that dog because this is how it has happened with charlotte.. quite amazing, i was not sure whether it was timing or the aspirin, I have learnt something today.. something good..
Oh Good !!!! Bully for Charlotte !.
Seriously, it’s really sad how demoralised animals get when they’re in pain…thank heavens vets now recognise this, and give them painkillers …
Glad to hear charlotte is on the mend, small steps (literally) in the right direction. Very good to know about the asprin. I have two areas for my pigs, one where I feed them and they have access to their beds, water and a wallow, and another much larger area of pasture where they free range, they have not beein going to the pasture since baby pig got sick so I am now wondering if she was bitten by a snake.
Mine have exactly the same set up.. but to get to their beds they have to leave the field and follow me down the drive like good piggies and then into the barn. they have never run off though i am waiting for them to. Bitten by a snake, that would be nasty, but Baby Pig is better now?
Yup I can’t tell you how relieved I was too see her and fat guts scrap over the last bit of dinner last night, back to normal now. Like you I don’t know much about this sick pig business. This is the 2nd time I have had a sick pig but both times they have gone down hill pretty quickly and seriously but then come good again relatively quickly. I have to say reading this blog has helped immensely, what a wealth of knowledge and support, I am benefitting from it all in a 2nd hand kind of way but appreciate it just the same.
I’m do glad your pig is doing better but careful with the aspirin, it’s hard on the stomach. If she horks up something that looks like coffee grounds, stop – she’s bleeding somewhere. I can’t believe the problems with getting a vet out, I’m going to have to send my whole clinic candy or flowers or something. They’re always there (or here) when I need them be it for one animal or many, no matter if it’s a horse, donkey, goat or of course my late potbelly Roosevelt, and they always, always call back. They even have an email option for general questions. I believe the vet school here in Wisconsin is offering all kinds of prizes to lure people into large animal practice, there is definitely a shortage but I hear small animal practice is more lucrative.
I love the idea of an email for questions.. good advice about aspirin being hard on the tummy. When i gave it to her it was in honey and peanut butter and with her feed and milk. and 12 hours apart. She is looking so much better tonight that i think we have run our course. i think that the place i go to is just snowed under and i am considering going to another town, but any town with a vet is miles away anyway.. It just takes them so long to get here, they don’t have time .. take care sherry.. c
Well, I began firmly believing in integrated/alternative medicine way back when you were almost considered a fruitcake for speaking up 😉 ! Aspirin in short term good, arnica could help [I still think it is a hip/back/weight problem?], glucosamine takes too long to work if it is OK on anmals, Tiger balm terrific, but for her size, OMG, win the lottery first 🙂 ! Let us please remember that a contented body has a tendency to heal itself: and Charlotte must feel very loved 😀 ! ‘Sheila’ and ‘bugger’: does US understand?
they are on a learning curve, and you are right about happiness, happiness means relaxation and that must be good for a bent muscle, she has had a lot of stroking these last few days.. c
Late to the party …
I hope Charlotte has continued on the mend. If anyone could will an animal to better health, you’d be the one to do it, Celi. Well, there was St Francis of Assisi but he’s harder to contact than your vet.
I hope tomorrow’s a better day.
Keep up the good work, Celi!
Aspirin for pigs? Who knew! Good recovery, Charlotte!