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Emergency Bloat Advice!

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Alanaf

Alanaf

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hello everyone..

I've been reading posts on here for a good while now but never got around to signing up..

I'm in great need of some advice regarding bloat of my female guinea pog Scruff pot.
She was given baytril last week for a suspected start of an infection after she pokes her nose with some hay, but she reacted really badly to it.

On Friday night I noticed a hollow sound when I tapped her left hand side - after doing health checks for the infection.

She didn't poo all of Friday night so the next morning it was off to the vets - after giving her pain relief she was diagnosed with gut statis and bloat.

I was sent home with Zantac and emeprid - and picked up infracol on the way home.

After she had still only produced one poo, After a good bit of hand feeding I went back to the vets for an X-ray. I have the picture but I'm not sure how to post it!

She got some under the skin fluids and more pain relief. We then had a very long night staying up together, taking medicine, having massages and encouraged running around I started to see poos!

Today I purchased a massage pillow and got her buscopan (after reading about it here!)
She is now eating quite a lot more, lots of fresh hay from me, and even some nuggets. I'd say she's done about 20 poos in the last day, they are still quite soft though.. (No fresh food other than a sliver of cucumber to help with her hydration)

However despite this she still has a distinct hollow sound on the spot where she had the gas build up from the X-ray. You can't always hear it, after a massage session it's not there.

My main query really is if anyone else has advice, and how long it might take before the hollow noise stops.

I'm going to call the vet again in the morning to let her know the progress but for now I could really do with the advice of you wonderful cavvysavvy bunch!

Thank you in advance!

Alana and Scruff Pot
 
This is her X-ray, as you can she she had no plops and there is a pocket of gas on the left hand side...

Also forgot to say - been giving 0.2 of both the Zantac and emeprid twice a day.

The buscopan she had one tablet crushed in 1ml of water.

0.1 of the infracol every 6 hours
 

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I am very sorry for your problems. Bloat is a serious issue, as is gut stasis. It can last for days, come and go, and it can kill. :(

Please see your vet again tomorrow. Infacol is not to be recommended as it rather builds up the gas in one place. I would see and try whether gripe water (about 0.3 ml every 3-4 hours) will help break up the gas. As poos are coming through, you are not dealing with a blockage. However, the output reflects what has gone in a day or so ago.

Please continue to hand feed and water (if necessary with dioralyte); offer as much as water as she will take. Stay off any veg until the guts have well settled, at least 48 hours until the end of a tummy upset of any kind, and then you have to start very slowly and carefully. Fresh herbs are often one of the first things that go in well. Fibre is most needed to settle the guts during any crisis - it should make up to 80% of the daily food intake anyway! Rough brown cardboard in the cage can help additionally to the hand feed; guinea pigs with upset tummies seem to crave it.

Please keep massaging/vibrating (if necessary with an electric toothbrush) and encourage you piggy to move and exercise to help getting on top of the bloating.

Here is our hand feeding guide: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/
 
Thanks so much for your reply - do you know any brands names of gripe water?

I'll stop the infacol straight away - there seems to be a lot of people who swear by it though?

I'm just so annoyed with myself, she was fine before we started the baytril feel like I've caused it all.

She is an absolute nightmare with hand feeding and taking medicine, she just does not ever want to keep her head still!

I was also given a pro C probiotic powder mixed into the drinking water that I am hand syringing.

What are your thoughts about infant calpol? I picked some up as an emergency measure, I don't think she's in too much pain at the moment but would you recommend it and at what dosage if needs be?

Thank you so much for such a quick reply!
 
To be honest I wouldn't bother self medicating as well as given prescription drugs. You have the very best drugs at hand for Bloat piggies. Emeprid and Zantac, I have also used infacol when tackling Bloat under my vets instruction.
As Wiebke has advised Bloat can last days, it seems your piggy is Baytril intolerant. I have a piggy of my own that developed severe Bloat after a course of antibiotics. You really are doing everything you can, if she's eating she's likely to not be in a huge amount of pain but if you think she is. I would contact the vet for painkillers.

Just keep topping up, using the vibrating pad and encouraging movement. The fact she is poo'ing is very encouraging.
 
I know Infacol is popular with some people, but it's mode of action is to collect the gas into one big bubble that a human baby can burp up more easily - guinea pigs don't have that option - there's only the one exit and it tends to get stuck. Gripe water on the other hand works by breaking up the gas into small bubbles that are easier to pass down, which is exactly what you need for a piggie. I use Dentinox, but Woodwards is another popular make. Keep at it, you're obviously doing a great job and spotting the hollow sound was really good piggy knowledge! :yahoo:
 
Gripe water you can find in the baby section of a supermarket. I have also used dentinox. Both meds have been Oked by vets I saw over bloating in my own piggies. Please talk about any extra medication with your vet; he may be able to advise you from his experiences. Zantac and emeprid are the standard medication for bloating and you should continue to give them.

Just continue with what you are doing and don't hesitate to speak to your vet. Bloat is a serious condition that should not be taken lightly and that won't be taken lightly by any good vet.
 
Just got back from the vets - our little lady is still with us, slightly more active and still doing soft poos - not regularly yet though.

The vet have her another shot of metacam and I bought some gripe water on the way home, she's had 0.3 ml

Absolutely exhausted, three nights of hardly any sleep but it's worth it if it's going to get her better!

Have stopped with the infacol but carrying on with the Zantac/emeprid. She is still hollow on the left hand side, but he vet seems to think things are beginning to look up.

I'm not overly confident though as I know it can still go backward...
 
BIG HUGS


I am so glad that your girl (what is her name?) is still there and very much with it. Having been through it more than once, I know how draining and tough it is; especially during the lonely night hours when your fears are at their worst and in the blurry mornings when you feel ever so shattered.

All you can do is ride the flow and hope for the best!

Please continue the vibrating/massaging, hand feeding and medicating. You are a very caring piggy mummy and you are doing your best. That is all you can do and all that you are required to do; the rest is sadly out of your control.

I am keeping my fingers firmly crossed!
 
Her name is Scruff Pot :) the little panda face is a fighter that's for sure!

And yes the nights are very hard but we all do it for our fluff balls, luckily my boss has been very understanding so far giving me three days off but I think I'm going to have to go in tomorrow depending on how she is - as she is eating at the moment I'm hoping leaving her for a day will be ok as long as she's had all her medications before I go.. She hasn't lost any weight during all of this which is good!

It's just horrible timing as it's a year after losing another girlie Tipex to heart failure.

As I type this she's exploring and munching hay, fingers tightly crossed from me too! If she pulls through this I can't thank this forum enough, as well as all of your responses here the medical threads let me know exactly what I should be doing when I was waiting through the night to get to the vets. So thank you!
 
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Please do not self-medicate with over the counter prescriptions - especially in cases of gut stasis or bloat.The use of such medications is a historical one dating back to before vets had much uinderstanding of guinea pig health whereas now they do and are willing to use cat and dog drugs on guinea pigs.

As already stated, zantac and emeprid are the best choice of drugs for this condition. (Cisapride is one my vet prefers to use in place of emeprid but that is their personal preference) The job of these "pro-kinetics" is to help the muscles in the intestinal walls to re-establish their natural rhythmical movement of alternatively relaxing and contracting (peristalsis) to start pushing both the gas and poos out properly. When the gut slows down the bacteria in the gut start fermenting the food with the associated build-up of gas so the primary aim is to get the guts moving properly again hence why they are also referred to as "gut motility" drugs.

Infacol is not a good idea for the reasons stated above. Gripe water is a better option - but again please do not give it without first discussing this with your vet first for reasons of etiquette.

As far as pain relief is concerned - Scruffpot has had an injection of metacam (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug - a bit like ibuprofen) and if further pain relief is needed then ask the vet for some oral metacam. (My vet prescribes me a bottle so I always have a small supply in for emergencies - however they know I will always ring them first to ask their permission)

Buscopan is not appropriate for bloat as its method of pain relief is to relax the intestinal muscles.....which is at odds with what the zantac and emeprid are trying to achieve
As far as infant calpol is concerned - this contains paracetamol and again is not a good choice of pain relief for guinea pigs suffering from bloat. Many human medications for pain relief (paracetamol, ibuprofen, aspirin etc) are poisonous to pets and can cause stomach ulceration, kidney and liver failure and ultimately death hence why it is best to use alternative veterinary drugs licensed for eg cats and dogs such as metacam.

If metacam doesn;t relive the pain then tramadol or buprecare are other alternatives......these are opiates and although theoretically they can also slow down the gut muscles, my vet has been using them with my guinea pigs with no ill effects on the gut at all for deep-seated pain from e.g. gut stasis, ear and eye infections and dental issues for the last three years.

Hopefully Scruffpot is now on the mend - and as wiebke has stated, keep of the greens for a bit until the gut has had a chance to setlle down properly.
HTH
xx
 
Thanks pebble - I stopped the infacol yesterday after advice on here :)

The vet and I spoke about gripe water and he said that I would also be ok giving her small amounts of that.

We have been carrying on with a strict routine today of medication, massages, exercise and rest time.

She is now drinking by herself slot more and grazing on her hay.

She did however just produce one large wet poo, I could see her straining slightly but she was not squealing in pain. The vet explained earlier that her poos would be slightly wetter than normal until her fibre levels in her gut are back to where they should be - I will be keeping a very close eye on her fluid intake tonight to make sure she isn't developing full blown diarrhoea.

I'm able to find the hollow sound still but only occasionally so I think il things must be moving better, when I put ear to her gut I can definitely hear movement.

She is also not hunched up in pain, just hoping that things are going to keep progressing positively and she will be able to fight this off...
 
This has felt like the longest few days, but I'm not going to give up!
 
Just a quick update, scruff seems to be continuing to improve - eating and drinking like a trooper and there is no more hollow sound!

Vet has stopped the emeprid but she's got 1 and 1/2 more days on a half dose of Zantac 0.1 ml


She has lost a small amount of weight during this so we are back to the vets next week for a final check up and to see if we've managed to get her back up to her normal weight.

Without speaking too early though it seems we are out of the worst!
 
This is a very informative thread, l have learnt a lot. Well done on getting scruff pot through a difficult time. What a wonderful piggy owner you are! X
 
@Alanaf I'm so pleased to hear Scruff Pot is on the mend as I've also been nursing my Connie after her 2nd attack of bloat. My girl, too is on the mend. It's so terrifying how quickly they go downhill. Well done for all your care x
 
Unfortunately after a day off the mess her hollow sound has returned - she is still in the same positive spirit though, eating drinking and piping away.

Vet has said to restart meds and hopefully it's just a case of stopping too quickly before.

@VickiA how quickly did your pig redevelop bloat? Did you manage to pin down a trigger?

We hadn't even started her back on any veggies yet
 
And hope Connie is doing better!
 
Alanaf said:
Unfortunately after a day off the mess her hollow sound has returned - she is still in the same positive spirit though, eating drinking and piping away.

Vet has said to restart meds and hopefully it's just a case of stopping too quickly before.

@VickiA how quickly did your pig redevelop bloat? Did you manage to pin down a trigger?

We hadn't even started her back on any veggies yet
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Connie first had bloat last September. Pretty sure that celery was the trigger. Only recurred last Sunday when shed had an hour and a half on the grass so I blame myself for letting her gorge herself on grass. It's such a worry. You are doing great with scruff pot. Vigilance is key I think, and you clearly know scruff well. Same for me with Connie - She's doing really well and is having tiny amounts of veg again. Glad we have a long bank hol weekend so I can watch like a hawk after she's had a bit of veg.
 
We are still battling with scruff, her character still seems the same but this is never ending. How long was it each time before you saw proper improvement in Connie? Sleep deprevation is seriously starting to kick in!

And you can't blame yourself, it seems like you're equally vigilant sometimes we just can't help it if our pigs don't stop gorging! Hope she is still on the mend
 
Also does anyone have any advice about timescale with the Zantac/emeprid? Our vet said on Friday to carry on with the meds but of course I don't want to over do it and then that cause her to get sick for a different reason
 
I think you just have to keep in phone contact with your vets for their advice and then it's pretty much down to your judgement. Connie is still on Zantac 3 times a day, gripe water twice a day but I've stopped the metclopramide. Eating well lively looking, but I still hear some gurgles. I've introduced a tiny amount of carrot and coriander so far back into her diet. She was so pleased she kissed my hands in delight :luv: But I'm still watching her like a hawk.
 
Glad to hear Connies enjoying herself!

What does of Zantac are you keeping her on? Scruff is on 0.2 twice a day at the moment

I'm too nervous to give Scruff any fresh stuff yet, boy are my ears paying for that though - I feel like I'm torturing her every time I open the fridge!
 
Connie is on 0.4 currently twice daily. I'm reducing down as she seems so good at moment. Hope Scruff still on the mend too. It's a tricky decision to let them have a bit of green stuff again, I share your pain!
 
Hi, hope your piggy is better soon. When they are suffering from bloat/ GI stasis it is best not to feed any pellets for a week or so as these slow the stomach down & the starches in the pellets will feed any bad bacteria in the gut (dysbiosis) which causes more gas, sugars in carrots, fruit & timothy hay will do the same. If they will eat well on their own its best to just feed good quality meadow hay & something like Pro c in the drinking water, then introduce some green food like herbs slowly, every couple of days to begin with. After recovery, it is best to keep pellets & sugary foods to a minimum to help prevent it returning & encourage lots of hay eating which is the best thing for tums & teeth too :)
 
Do you have any suggestions on a brand of good quality meadow hay? Is it something that would be available from pets at home?

I didn't realise that Timothy hay was sugary?

She's still acting herself although the hollow noise can still be heard!
 
Just a little update, scruff is doing well.

Still the same cheeky thing, we went to the vets this morning and have agreed to slow the Zantac down over a 10 day period.

This morning we couldn't hear the hollow sound at all, although of course this afternoon it had come back a bit - only this time on the other side! In hoping this just means things are slowly starting to move through and dissipate
 
Here she is saying hello to everyone
 

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Great news that your girl is feeling better. I would still keep to strictly fibre until you are well sure that any issue is gone and then very slowly start feeding pellets and fresh veg again, in very small quantities at first to get the guts used to them again. After a major upset, the digestive system can stay tender for weeks.
 
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