5yr old Sow with sensitive guts

[Katie1988]

Hello, just after some advice really. My little lady had over the last few weeks developed a gassy belly, it flares up after the smallest bit of cabbage or after a few hours in the garden 'mowing the lawn'. She is still eating, very alert and does produce quite a lot of poos and gas when I give her belly rubs.

Is there anything I can give her as a natural pro biotic to help her digestion on a daily or weekly basis?

I've added a guineapig mineral block to the cage and the gas seems to have flared up since Peri has been eating it... Is this a coincide? Daisy is perfectly fine but she is much younger.

 

[Siikibam]

What is a mineral block? That would be the first thing I would remove. I’d also cut out cabbage as that can cause bloat if fed too much. How much grass has she been eating previous to going out on the lawn? What are her poos like? Have a read of the bloating guide and see if anything useful is in there. Else I would say take her to the vet for a check.

 

[Swissgreys]

Mineral blocks aren't really something that a guinea pig with a healthy, balanced diet should need, so I would advise taking it out.
Particularly if it seems to be causing a sensitive stomach.
If she is exhibiting symptoms that she hasn't had before, then the first course of action would definitely be a check up wt the vet to rule out any major problems.
In the first instance they may recommend a probiotic if there aren't any other obvious causes for her sensitivity.
Has she lost any weight?
I would still definitely get her checked out by a vet.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello, just after some advice really. My little lady had over the last few weeks developed a gassy belly, it flares up after the smallest bit of cabbage or after a few hours in the garden 'mowing the lawn'. She is still eating, very alert and does produce quite a lot of poos and gas when I give her belly rubs.

Is there anything I can give her as a natural pro biotic to help her digestion on a daily or weekly basis?

I've added a guineapig mineral block to the cage and the gas seems to have flared up since Peri has been eating it... Is this a coincide? Daisy is perfectly fine but she is much younger.

Hi

Have you had your old lady vet checked to make sure that there are no underlying causes like massive fluid ovarian cysts that could cause the bloating? They are pretty common in older sows.
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

Please have a look at our diet recommendations for guinea pigs with a digestive issues which removes the most common trigger foods. Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Phase in any new things slowly in order to avoid more upsets.

Removing grain based products (especially in pellets) can often help. A course of fibreplex in some cases, too; if your piggy doesn't like the taste of it, mix into some mushed pellets or emeraid formula; that tends to go down well.
But you will have to accept that in elderly piggies the digestive process is no longer working as well as it should - and that is not something you can control much.

You can discuss with your vet whether gripe water from the baby section of a UK supermarket to help disperse the gas may be a mild way to help; especially with zantac out of production and cisapride a bit of a heavy gun with some major side effects that should only carefully. However, I would be wary of using gut stimulants and anti-bloating medication on spec.
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating





I would recommend to remove the mineral block as it may contain fillers that are detrimental.

 

[Katie1988]

Thank you, her poos are a little smaller than usual. They were normal size this afternoon but tummy rubs made them come out smaller, they are soft as well but uniform in shape.

Peri over the past year has lost some muscle mass and her spine is boney to the touch, but she's eating the same.

Regarding the chance of ovarian cysts, I am quite confident in feeling for them and I am pretty sure they are not enlarged.. Also she does not squeel or show any signs of discomfort when feeling her abdomen.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you, her poos are a little smaller than usual. They were normal size this afternoon but tummy rubs made them come out smaller, they are soft as well but uniform in shape.

Peri over the past year has lost some muscle mass and her spine is boney to the touch, but she's eating the same.

Regarding the chance of ovarian cysts, I am quite confident in feeling for them and I am pretty sure they are not enlarged.. Also she does not squeel or show any signs of discomfort when feeling her abdomen.

What does the vet say?