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Bloat

T

Tigger&Eeyore

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi all,
Got my little Eeyore out tonight for a cuddle and I’ve been keeping an eye on him for bloat as he has had some gassy stomach sounds for he last few weeks, a couple of trips to the vets to air on the side of caution but no bloat. Tonight his stomach sounded hollow so took him to the emergency vet. She said he has bloat but only slightly as stomach still very soft, he wasn’t showing any signs of pain when being examined etc. She could hear intestines moving everything along etc which she said is a good sign. She gave him Zantac and Emeprid as a one off. I asked why no course of medication and she said because it isn’t bad it could be far more than what is needed but to go to keep an eye on him, watch food intake, poo etc, which obviously I’ll do as well as take him to our normal vet on Monday for check up.
Just come home and he is making quite a bit of noise on and off of discomfort and I’ve heard him (what sounds like) passing wind. Is this normal following the medication? Is there anything else I can do to help him?
Thanks
 
Tigger&Eeyore said:
Hi all,
Got my little Eeyore out tonight for a cuddle and I’ve been keeping an eye on him for bloat as he has had some gassy stomach sounds for he last few weeks, a couple of trips to the vets to air on the side of caution but no bloat. Tonight his stomach sounded hollow so took him to the emergency vet. She said he has bloat but only slightly as stomach still very soft, he wasn’t showing any signs of pain when being examined etc. She could hear intestines moving everything along etc which she said is a good sign. She gave him Zantac and Emeprid as a one off. I asked why no course of medication and she said because it isn’t bad it could be far more than what is needed but to go to keep an eye on him, watch food intake, poo etc, which obviously I’ll do as well as take him to our normal vet on Monday for check up.
Just come home and he is making quite a bit of noise on and off of discomfort and I’ve heard him (what sounds like) passing wind. Is this normal following the medication? Is there anything else I can do to help him?
Thanks
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Hi!
You have got the right medication for bloat from the vet; it is good that he is passing wind!

Apart from giving him your vet's gut motility drugs, you can encourage the bowels to move on the gas by gently vibrating him. A cheap electric tooth brush from a 24 hour supermarket is usually the quickest available vibrator - use the handle and not the brush. Do so for half an hour every few hours as long as he his noticeably bloated.

Bloat can be mild (with the tummy still soft when you prod), partial (only a part of the tummy is hard to the touch and is blowing up) or severe, when the whole tummy is hard as a drum and ballooning up. The latter is a life and death emergency. Bloat, Gi Stasis ( No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
 
I always give them lots of floor time too. Get him running around and hopefully that will jiggle some of the gas out of him.
 
Hi all,
Just an update. Eeyore still has gas (still hollow sound when I tap stomach) although it’s still mild and is clearly in discomfort when going to the toilet, both when he wees and poos based on the noises he is making (which has only started in the last day or so). I am however hearing his stomach make less sounds. He is going to the vet tomorrow. What’s your advice?
 
Tigger&Eeyore said:
Hi all,
Just an update. Eeyore still has gas (still hollow sound when I tap stomach) although it’s still mild and is clearly in discomfort when going to the toilet, both when he wees and poos based on the noises he is making (which has only started in the last day or so). I am however hearing his stomach make less sounds. He is going to the vet tomorrow. What’s your advice?
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Talk about pain relief (metacam).

A scan may also bring clarity whether what is causing the toiletting discomfort is also causing the bloating.
 
Wiebke said:
Talk about pain relief (metacam).

A scan may also bring clarity whether what is causing the toiletting discomfort is also causing the bloating.
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Thanks Wiebke. I will request this. He is getting neutered on Thursday. Should I postpone or ask whether they can do the X-ray at the same time? Anything else I should be pushing for?
 
Hi all,
Took to vets yesterday and surgery has been postponed. Took to a different vets which a guinea pig rescue in Crawley recommended in Biggin Hill. Vet was happy with Eeyore in the sense that everything felt ok, didn’t see a need for medicine and made some recommendations to change his diet slightly ie more hay and less veg and pellets. He seemed very knowledgeable about guinea pigs and their digestive system. I mentioned the pain noises Eeyore is making when going to the toilet but he didn’t think it was a URI and thought the gas could be causing the pain.
However, Eeyore is now producing dark red urine and the pain noises have got worse.
I have some Baytril I could get him started on today until the vets re-opens tomorrow.
Can I have some advise?
 
You need to get some metacam, only from the vets though.
Can you get your piggy today, I don't thing they should be left over a long weekend.
Let us know how you get on.see if you can get a sample before you go.
Put Eeyore in a clean washing up bowl & leave her for a couple of houses or till she's been. Put in a clean bottle & your away.
 
Tiamolly123 said:
You need to get some metacam, only from the vets though.
Can you get your piggy today, I don't thing they should be left over a long weekend.
Let us know how you get on.see if you can get a sample before you go.
Put Eeyore in a clean washing up bowl & leave her for a couple of houses or till she's been. Put in a clean bottle & your away.
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I will be taking him into the vets tomorrow, definitely not leaving it till after the weekend.
Good advice - I’ll take a sample in with me.
What should I expect vet to give me? Probiotic and antibiotic? I read that vets often don’t prescribe antibiotics for a UTI for long enough. What’s the suggested time?
 
If you have got a good vet they should do. I generally what until about 2 days before the medicine is too finish, if I don't think it has cured it, I'll go back, it saves them running out of meds.
Normally it's Metacam for pain, & Baytrill for infection, although Baytrill can put them off there food. Make .sure you come back with painkillers, a water infection can be very painful.
I'll tag a couple of people in for there point of view.
@Wiebke @Flutterby @helen105281
 
I would definitely urge your vet to give you an antibiotic as blood in his urine can be a sign of infection. It can also be a sign of other things. Has he had an X-ray at all?
 
Flutterby said:
I would definitely urge your vet to give you an antibiotic as blood in his urine can be a sign of infection. It can also be a sign of other things. Has he had an X-ray at all?
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No x-ray as of yet. Would the normal course of action be to see the antibiotics out and if still unwell then have an X-ray? Or push for X-ray ASAP to be on the safe side?
 
Personally I would push for an Xray as his problems has been long standing. The blood in the urine could indicate stones which should show up on an x-ray.
 
Flutterby said:
Personally I would push for an Xray as his problems has been long standing. The blood in the urine could indicate stones which should show up on an x-ray.
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Is it a good/bad idea for me to start him on Baytril now (I have some left over from another piggy thats been in he cupboard about 6 weeks) rather than waiting until I get him to the vets tomorrow? I assume they will treat for an infection straight away and I will request to book him in for an X-ray as you suggested, but conscious they might not be able to do this until after the weekend.
 
I personally wouldn't give baytril without the vet seeing him first. How is he at the moment?
 
Flutterby said:
I personally wouldn't give baytril without the vet seeing him first. How is he at the moment?
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He is ok in himself, still eating and drinking but making a lot of distressing sounds (very loud) regularly ie every time he goes to the toilet. I have Meloxicam in the cupboard as well which I could gove him to relieve the pain before going to the vet tomorrow. Thoughts?
 
If he is showing signs of pain then give him some pain relief as long as you know the correct dosage. If he stops eating or seems to get worse then you'll have to seek on an emergency vet.
 
Flutterby said:
If he is showing signs of pain then give him some pain relief as long as you know the correct dosage. If he stops eating or seems to get worse then you'll have to seek on an emergency vet.
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Thanks, I’ll do that now. Will keep a close eye on him but I’m happy he is ok other than the pain. Will keep you posted and thanks for your time and advice - much appreciated!
 
Update: Vet has prescribed pain relief and antibiotics based on a UTI. Sample showed blood in urine. Vet couldn’t find any evidence of bloat or stones. Vet suggested moving Eeyore away from the girls and the pheromones and said that the additional excited and hormones he has had whilst living beside them for the last week could have triggered the infection, so I have moved him. If it means his recovery is quicker then it means he can have the surgery sooner and we will have an ultrasound / X-ray done at the same time as surgery. If he is doing well in next few days they have suggested getting him booked in. All being wel and following surgery he can recover for a few days before moving him next door to the girls. Keeping my fingers crossed
 
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