Extreme gas

[Suki&Indie]

Hi all! I have a 5 year old piggy who I recently noticed had a bit of a bulge, of course brought her straight to the vet panicking it was a tumour and was told to see how her weight goes and call back. Her weight continued to drop (about 20g a week) so I went back.
She’s currently in the vets recovering from her sedation and this is what’s come back
Her teeth were pretty normal although the vet rasped the back teeth as they were getting sharp
The vet couldn’t get blood from her so no blood test sadly
Her X-rays are the most concerning and they show her bulge seems to be caused by extreme gas, the poor wee lady looks like a balloon (no tumours luckily)
The vet sadly said she wasn’t sure what caused the gas and therefore not sure how to treat it and that she would try putting the x-rays on a veterinary group.
Firstly does anyone have any idea what this is? I know it seems like bloat but it seems more serious/ I'm not sure what would cause that. If you’ve had something similar could you please let me know how you treated it so I could pass it onto my vet.
Secondly any tips on what to do once shes home? Massage her? Give her critical care? What sort of things should I feed her e.g should I give her any veggies?
Sorry for long post but any advice is massively appreciated so thank you!

 

[Piggies&buns]

As she has bloat, then she should not have vegetables. She will need to be syringe fed and given hay only. Weigh her daily while she is unwell so you can be sure you’re getting enough syringe feed into her.
The guide below explains further information
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

could you also please add your location/county/state to your profile as it can assist us in tailoring our advice

 

[Merab]

Can’t add anything but support.
Hope your piggy recovers quickly

 

[Swissgreys]

Bloat comes in many forms, and in some piggies it can be a huge gas build up - my Lucy was like this - she would have enormous, almost golf ball size lumps when her bloat was severe.

The guide above is invaluable, and don't forget to keep an eye on her poop output too.

The vet should prescribe pain meds, gut stimulants and recovery food for syringe feeding, but the guide lists everything you need to know.
Good luck - bloat is horrible.
I hope she feels better soon.

 

[Suki&Indie]

Hi all! Thanks for the replies, gonna phone the vet and get the drugs she needs today. She’s eating well and pooping although it’s quite long, curved and more pale brown-yellow colour, not sure how normal that is. Only questions now is how likely is this to reoccur? And any idea what’s the best way to put weight back on her once she’s feeling better? Thanks so much

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hi all! Thanks for the replies, gonna phone the vet and get the drugs she needs today. She’s eating well and pooping although it’s quite long, curved and more pale brown-yellow colour, not sure how normal that is. Only questions now is how likely is this to reoccur? And any idea what’s the best way to put weight back on her once she’s feeling better? Thanks so much

abnormal poops are caused by gut disturbance and/or a period of low food intake. Keep an eye on them to ensure things settle back down. Don’t feed veg until things are normal again.

Bloat can come in waves, so a piggy could look better for a few days and then suddenly go downhill again; not have another flare up at all; or struggle with it repeatedly (which can be caused by certain veggies for example)

Continue to syringe feed if weight is being lost but once she is better, then just feed her a good hay based diet and she will regain weight in her own time, it’ll take longer to regain it though