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Emergency Bloat Advice!

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We can still hear a hollowness on her right hand side since last night - it's strange as throughout this whole thing it had always been on her left. I wonder if we are getting the gas pocket moving around due t massages and it's starting to make its way down properly?

It's frustrating as at the vets yesterday morning there wasn't any noise. It's like when you go to a doctor and suddenly feel better, then feel terrible again once you get home!

Two weeks seems like a long time to be hearing the hollow sound? I know it's going to take a while to get her guts back to normal but is this the same for the hollowness?

@Wiebke is she likely to lose some weight on a hay only diet?
 
Not if you let her also have a bowl of recovery food that she can eat out of! ;)
 
I didn't even think to give it to her like that, just given her a bowl and she's tucking straight in! Thank you from both of us :hug:
 
Just had a slight panic. I can now hear a bit of liquid sloshing on her right side when I tap her, rang the vet and she has said to start the emeprid again. Is that around the cecum sac?

Come on scruff stop yoyoing!
 
I'm starting to wonder whether her Zantac dose is too low, she weighs 1000g and is on 5.0 concentrate 0.2 ml twice a day. Which I think is the bottom end dosage?

I think this is the bottom end dose, my vets is closed today so I can't ask them - does anyone have any advice?
 
Alanaf said:
I'm starting to wonder whether her Zantac dose is too low, she weighs 1000g and is on 5.0 concentrate 0.2 ml twice a day. Which I think is the bottom end dosage?

I think this is the bottom end dose, my vets is closed today so I can't ask them - does anyone have any advice?
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I am linking @Pebble for you; my piggy with bloating issues has been prescribed 02.ml twice daily.
 
Can't offer advice on meds as not qualified. Connie weighs 1300g and was on 0.4mls three times daily and metclorpromide 0.6mls three times daily. But I know that different vets favour different prescriptions.
 
Thank you both, I wouldn't just change her dosage without talking to my vet but thought going with a bit of prior advice could be useful.

It's been over two weeks now, and although we seem to be having good days it's a complete rollercoster!
 
Alanaf said:
Thank you both, I wouldn't just change her dosage without talking to my vet but thought going with a bit of prior advice could be useful.

It's been over two weeks now, and although we seem to be having good days it's a complete rollercoster!
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It can take a while to recover from a bad attack of bloat. Comes on fast but goes away slowly in my experience with my poor baby.
 
Another long night, scruff isn't doin too good...
 
A couple of hours, managed to get her to take some metacam which seemed to help her discomfort.

No poos since afew mega sized ones when she was having a massage at about 1am - the fact that we managed to get those out suggests that it it's not a blockage?

she's still definitely not herself today though.
 
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The only other gut motility drug worth a try might be Cisapride, have you asked your vet about that one? I've got a piggy that has had multiple problems, she ended up having terrible gut issues after a hysterectomy last year & suffered bloaty gut episodes which took us nearly 3 months to sort out. My vet added in Cisapride which helped, I'll tag @Pebble for you as I am certain she has used it too in the past.
 
It's not a bladder problem is it? I'm just asking because we lost our guinea about a month ago. We took him to a local vet who thought it was a blockage but when we took him to the PDSA it was actually two bladder stones. I won't bore you with all the details.

Oh and our other one, we had a sow put to sleep in Feb, she was bloated on both sides when we adopted her, took her to the vets who tried to make out it was nothing. We still aren't sure what it was but after asking someone who knows about guinea's they thought it was ovarian cyst or a UTI.

I'm not saying yours has any of these though.
 
Sorry to hear scruff is still not doing well. You are doing the right thing with massage and continuing meds. not sure if she's eating and drinking but if any doubt best to give her some water (syringe) and some critical care or similar. Gripe water can also help break up the gas, metacam def helps with the pain. Poor old scruff. Hope your vet can help further tomorrow. Hugs to you both
 
Sorry for no reply - after massages every two hours, water, food pain meds and gripe water she has now bounced back to where we were a couple of days ago!

I don't understand what triggered it, she had had nothing different we still haven't started on fresh food - she just suddenly bloated right up on both sides, was lethargic and clearly not happy.

The hollow sound has gone again from the right, but still present on the left. She's eating, drinking and exploring by herself again now and we've got some good looking plops back!

Thanks Kerrie, we are near certain that a prescription of baytril is what has triggered all of this. She's had X-rays and examinations from the vet who didn't suggest the presence of cysts - I will mention the UTI and see what she thinks tomorrow. She isn't struggling with urination though, as we've been keeping her fluids up her wees look normal and passing without any pain.

I'm just so glad that I was awake when she started going downhill, otherwise it could have gone un-noticed for four hours (we have been doing 4 hourly checks and massages on the nights she is doing well)
 
She has bought us so much joy over the last 5 years I owe it to her!

We lost our girl Tipex this time last year to what we now think was acute heart failure, as it was so sudden. There was nothing we could do for her.

So now I know that something I can do can help scruff I'm going to do all I can!

This site is full of the most caring piggy mums and dads I've seen! Just shows how much love they give out :)
 
Poppy'sMum said:
The only other gut motility drug worth a try might be Cisapride, have you asked your vet about that one? I've got a piggy that has had multiple problems, she ended up having terrible gut issues after a hysterectomy last year & suffered bloaty gut episodes which took us nearly 3 months to sort out. My vet added in Cisapride which helped, I'll tag @Pebble for you as I am certain she has used it too in the past.
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I would certainly ask the vet about cisapride as an alternative to emeprid given these bloaty episodes are still continuing (but keep going with the zantac). My vets prefer cisapride because it works on the movement of the hind gut whereas emeprid and zantac apparently work on the foregut/stomach emptying. Zantac has the additional benefit of reducing acid in the stomach and helping to prevent ulceration from other meds such as metacam As the gas normally accumulates in the hind gut, it is essential that this is kept moving.

Once she has been off antibioitics for at least a week, it might be worth considering a poo culture as this could help to show/rule out if there is a microbiological imbalance (including yeast overpopulation) that might be contributing to her symptoms.

@Poppy'sMum - was it you who had samples sent to Chester Zoo?
x
 
Yes @Pebble my vet sends all samples to Mary at Chester Zoo exotics lab, she does thorough full analysis of fecal samples :) Thank you for your valued opinion as always Pebble :) xx
 
Thanks @Poppy'sMum
Chester zoo are the only lab I know who do a thorough analysis for yeast......yeast ferments sugars and produces gas - this could be owoth following up if you're vets are willing giving these recurring bloat issues after baytril admn. Assuming a yeast overgrowth is proved then an antifungal (itrafungol) would be helpful at this point
HTH
x
 
From what I remember @Alanaf we had to wait a week after finishing antibiotics & you will need to specifically ask your vet to send the sample to Chester Zoo. Hope your piggy is better soon x
 
Thanks so much @Pebble and @Poppy'sMum

I will definitely talk to my vet about all of these suggestions, is there anything i can do in the interim to aid if it is perhaps a microbiological imbalance? Will things like the probiotic I am giving aid this or potentially be making it worse?
 
The most important thing is to not change anything (apart from ceasing abx) leading up to the test. Keep on with the probioitics - but make sure that your vet who sends the sample off also includes information on what what probiotics have been given (a lot of probioitics are harmless yeasts - but that is the reason we are suggesting Chester zoo as they are equipped to "deal with" that)
x
 
Do you think that all of this was caused by the baytril?

Or could this have been something that was always present and aggravated by the gut statis?
 
We had no poos again over night - however after the emeprid and Zantac and massages there was a barrage of light coloured hard poos. She then had one large 1p sized soft poo (not full diareah) after that she seems much more active - eating drinking and exploring.

Vets appointment is at 1:30, is there anything else I should be asking them? Apart from potential poo culture and the cisapride? I'm worried that It will be dismissed as a 'Google diagnoses' but I think something does definitely needs to change in her treatment...
 
Just got back from the vet - they think that something else must be going on for this to keep on going up and down like it is.

She is booked in tomorrow for an ultra sound, more X-rays and possibly some blood work - depending on what comes from the other tests.

This is all looking much mode serious than I had previously considered... :(
 
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