Yesterday was a tad stressful. Okotto, one of our long-time residents, has recently been experiencing weight loss and occasional vomiting. We took her to see our exotics vet, which is always a feat with an animal that is heavy, loud, and uncooperative, though as one of our smallest pigs she was easier to wrangle than some. To be thorough, she was given a physical exam, x-rays, a full blood panel, and a fecal. This required mild sedation, as pigs are difficult patients, and less tame pigs even more so. The conclusion reached was that Okotto is in excellent health, but is likely older than our estimate (we had her at ten based on how long we had her and the age reported by her previous owner), and in addition to probable age-related decline in body condition may be vomiting due to inadequately chewed food from substantial dental wear. We will be supplementing her diet with calorie-dense foods and soaking the dry matter to see if there is any improvement.
The visit proved expensive for a diagnosis of "old," but I'd rather expensive good news than expensive bad news, and I feel fortunate that I can afford to give our residents a high standard of veterinary care. I will say that this visit underscores two points: one, ensuring that you have access to a qualified exotics or livestock vet before embarking on the ownership of a less conventional pet, and also that you should do what I haven't been able to due to the sheer number of animals we have worked with historically: invest the time and effort into acclimating your pets to intrusive/extensive handling so that vet visits are less difficult and stressful for all parties involved. A fractious pet makes veterinary care more difficult and more dangerous for patient and staff alike.
I feel this is an area of opportunity for pet owners of every stripe. Best practices in zookeeping include conditioning animals to accept various forms of handling that facilitate easier veterinary care, yet even dealing with far more biddable domesticated species like cats and dogs, we often fail to prepare our pets for routine vet care (and grooming). The stress animals experience at the vet tends to become a vicious cycle; the first bad encounter sets a negative tone for future visits, and the more a frightened animal struggles, the more difficult care becomes, and the more likely injury to vet staff is to occur. Conversely, animals who are introduced to positive handling experiences from a young age make for calmer, more cooperative patients with better outcomes.
We owe it to our animals and our veterinary staff to set the stage for success. So do yourself, your pets, and your vets a big favor: prepare your pet for the vet before it even has its first visit.
