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Bloat - What Am I Doing Wrong

Katiedid

Katiedid

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Ziggy, recurrent URI, off antibiotics a week today. Baytril crucified her tummy.

Metoclopramide injection not last Friday but Friday before and one last Wednesday as she got bloat/stasis. No veg from last wed until sat. Only tiny amounts of veg over the weekend and not many greens. Had a little bit of grass too.

Critical care 3x daily until yesterday. When I only gave evening CC (and I gave her a tummy massage) as I thought she only needed once a day. She as been getting 0.5ml fibreplex 3x daily since wed.

Overall much better than she was but tummy now back to bloated. Yesterday was quiet until she was fed and then she ran around for an hour (Saturday she was very active al day). This morning I fed her CC and she walked around for about 10 min then went back into her hay for a snooze. After the feed she went into her cage had a wee and did 2 poops (normal size but not a pile of them). She was quite pear shaped this morning.

She is a different shape to Binky (I'm now worried that it is either bloat or she is pregnant).

Vets say they can only given injections of metoclopramide (and have only offered lactulose as an alternative)! I'm watching to see how she is today but do I go back for another injection, is there anything more I can do after she has the injection to keep her on track, does this sound more like a blockage than bloat? How long should I keep feeding her CC?
 
Katiedid said:
Ziggy, recurrent URI, off antibiotics a week today. Baytril crucified her tummy.

Metoclopramide injection not last Friday but Friday before and one last Wednesday as she got bloat/stasis. No veg from last wed until sat. Only tiny amounts of veg over the weekend and not many greens. Had a little bit of grass too.

Critical care 3x daily until yesterday. When I only gave evening CC (and I gave her a tummy massage) as I thought she only needed once a day. She as been getting 0.5ml fibreplex 3x daily since wed.

Overall much better than she was but tummy now back to bloated. Yesterday was quiet until she was fed and then she ran around for an hour (Saturday she was very active al day). This morning I fed her CC and she walked around for about 10 min then went back into her hay for a snooze. After the feed she went into her cage had a wee and did 2 poops (normal size but not a pile of them). She was quite pear shaped this morning.

She is a different shape to Binky (I'm now worried that it is either bloat or she is pregnant).

Vets say they can only given injections of metoclopramide (and have only offered lactulose as an alternative)! I'm watching to see how she is today but do I go back for another injection, is there anything more I can do after she has the injection to keep her on track, does this sound more like a blockage than bloat? How long should I keep feeding her CC?
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I am very sorry. You feed CC as long as you have to and as much as you need to. Severe bloat happens in waves, and it can come days or weeks later.
The bum shape and size of sows can differ quite a bit depending on the breed and individual genetics. My Nerys has never been pregnant, but she had huge bum!

Metoclopramide can be given orally, but if your vet is not giving it, she will need a daily injection for at least a week. Is your vet giving you zantac (ranitidine), too? They work on different parts of the guts. Zantac is even more important as it works on the intestines whereas metoclop works more on the stomach.
You can additionally give gripe water up to 0.3 ml every 3 hours. it can help disperse gas, but it is not strong enough to
cut through severe bloat.

This is the new guide I have written last week. I hope that you find it helpful. Bloat, Gi Stasis ( No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
 
Thank you, I appreciate the advice.

I have read the bloat guide, I think I just have information overload, I will go read it carefully again.

No they haven't given Zantac, I keep seeing a NQ vet (I suspect to teach me a lesson as no matter who I book in with I get her - I gave her a tough time over Jet, because what she suggested was unbelievably stressful for him and he is my baby) and although we are getting on better than we did, every decision gets referred to another vet so I never get to question them properly. I was just told the metoclop was tablets and such a minute dose it wasn't possible.

I will see how Ziggy is later and then take it from there (of course this is the week I have no car - so whilst the vets is within walking distance of my home - work isn't).
 
Emeprid (which contains metoclopramide) would be even better for guinea pigs. It is also an oral solution. You can also get metoclopramide as an oral solution. Unfortunately for you, gut stimulants are prescription only meds where you have to go through your vet.

Please try to get hold of zantac or ranitidine if you can when dealing with recurring bloat. It the most effective drug, especially in combination with a gut stimulant.
 
My vets have always given me Emeprid/metoclopramide in liquid form plus Zantac in liquid form plus pain relief all to be given throughout the duration of the bloaty episode. I also feed CC/emeraid plus gripe water which held break up any gas.
It can feel like 2 steps forward then 2 steps back when dealing with bloat. And in my experience it can be a couple of weeks before you feel you are out of the woods.
 
Sadly the exotics specialist in the surgery seems to favour the no intervention route (oh dear they are going to die face and all). I had to press for pain relief for Biscuit and I got 0.15ml once day - she weighs over a kilo (which was the dosage Simon suggested for Ziggy twice daily at 400g).
 
Thank you Vicki, I appreciate the help.

Can anyone give me an idea of what sort of dosage we are looking at for these (she is 400g).
 
Katiedid said:
Sadly the exotics specialist in the surgery seems to favour the no intervention route (oh dear they are going to die face and all). I had to press for pain relief for Biscuit and I got 0.15ml once day - she weighs over a kilo (which was the dosage Simon suggested for Ziggy twice daily at 400g).
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Are there any other vets you can consult with?
 
There is one good one in the surgery - but she is difficult to get hold of. I'm going to go check on Ziggy and then take it from there.
 
Emeprid you can go up to 0.2 ml twice daily for a 400g piggy.
Zantac is about 0.1 ml twice daily for a 400g piggy.

(I have adjusted this from what has been prescribed for Pili Pala at 800g the other week.)
 
Oh hun, I'm so sorry. Pompom was the same, it took 3 weeks to shift the bloat. She'd improve, then puff up again, it was a vicious cycle.

The only extra advice I can give on top of the medication suggestions up top is to get out a electric toothbrush/'personal massager' and use this on her tummy too. I had to be quite vigorous with Pompom's belly rubs to really get the bubbles moving. I was very frightened of hurting her, and was being overly cautious. once I started to get firmer with the rubbing, that's when we made real progress. Don't hurt Ziggy, but do get on in there. Maybe pop her in a basket and pop her on top of the washing machine for a spin cycle, too?
 
Thank you Mishka.

I went home at lunchtime - she had spent a lot of the morning asleep. However when I got home she ran around terrorized everyone, mounted Jet and hovered up hay and pellets. I felt her tummy and it was soft again. I don't know if yesterday was just that I held off the critical care? I may try put a call in with the vet and see what they say.
 
Katiedid said:
Thank you Mishka.

I went home at lunchtime - she had spent a lot of the morning asleep. However when I got home she ran around terrorized everyone, mounted Jet and hovered up hay and pellets. I felt her tummy and it was soft again. I don't know if yesterday was just that I held off the critical care? I may try put a call in with the vet and see what they say.
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So good to hear! It could have been, fibre is a critical weapon for bloat. Will she take it without a syringe? Might be worth giving her a ball of it in the cage, if she can get to it before the others do :)
 
Mishka said:
So good to hear! It could have been, fibre is a critical weapon for bloat. Will she take it without a syringe? Might be worth giving her a ball of it in the cage, if she can get to it before the others do :)
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She used to (when her and Binky were both ill, I would syringe Binky and put a bowl down for her. None of the others will touch CC willingly (that said watch me put some down and them eat it). The last time she was ill too I had dropped one of the feeds.
 
Katiedid said:
She used to (when her and Binky were both ill, I would syringe Binky and put a bowl down for her. None of the others will touch CC willingly (that said watch me put some down and them eat it). The last time she was ill too I had dropped one of the feeds.
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It could have been the culprit then, yes. but at the same time, she might not have moved as much yesterday, whereas today she's been active and that's got things shifting. Exercise helps so much. I would keep at it with the CC all the time she's having relapses, little and often as you can. It just keeps everything travelling through.
 
Katiedid said:
Thank you Mishka.

I went home at lunchtime - she had spent a lot of the morning asleep. However when I got home she ran around terrorized everyone, mounted Jet and hovered up hay and pellets. I felt her tummy and it was soft again. I don't know if yesterday was just that I held off the critical care? I may try put a call in with the vet and see what they say.
Click to expand...

Bloat comes and goes. You are not out of the woods yet. The next wave can come anytime.

It has nothing to do with whether you support feed or not - in fact, you have to do your best to keep the guts going throughout and prevent your girl from developing GI stasis. :(
 
Wiebke said:
Bloat comes and goes. You are not out of the woods yet. The next wave can come anytime.

It has nothing to do with whether you support feed or not - in fact, you have to do your best to keep the guts going throughout and prevent your girl from developing GI stasis. :(
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Thank you that is helpful I will relay that to the vet.
 
With bloat you have to keep giving the medicine CC and support until several days after the last episode appears to have passed. It’s vicious and comes back Wiebke has said in waves.
 
Katiedid said:
Thank you, it certainly seems it. I seem to get 4 days free post injection then it comes back. I just need the vet to call back.
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I'd be really kicking up a stink about oral metaclopramide if I were you. I find it very odd they don't have the suspension. Can they not ask another vets for a supply?
 
To give her, her dues the NQ vet has listened, and tried to accommodate, and asked questions. She had someone with her who was helping her but she was really trying to work out something that would help/work.
 
Update:

Ziggy has thrived on the Zantac & Emeprid - she has gained 60g, she is back to her lively and naughty self and looks like a guinea pig rather than skinny she has curves (she isn't chunky). I dropped her early evening feed on Friday and today I dropped her morning feed (she was only having 0.5ml of CC in the end as she is stuffing herself). At the same time I have dropped the nebulisation sessions that I did just before her CC feeds. The meds for tummy continue until wed. I am hoping that as we haven't had any more bloat (touch wood) that we can stop them then. Wish me luck.
 
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