Gastrisis, bloat (6f) urgently need advice

[Xiaoqi]

Hello fellow Guinea pig parents,
I do not know what to do for my Guinea pig. I took her to the vet last weekend, she was diagnosed with gastritis and bloat. Her X-ray showed a lot of gas. She was extremely dehydrated so bloodwork was not done. She was prescribed painkiller and gut mobility medication. She was doing well after the vet and a day after she started to not eat, drink very little water and lay there with no energy. (I assume it’s because of the fluids she got from the vet) I told vet during his follow-up call the next day that all is well her poop is looking very normal. He said I can feed her less often and lengthen the medication intervals. I went out for 4-5 hrs came home to her not looking well. I start syringe feeding cc 4-5 mL at first. I went up to 6, I saw her eating hay right after. She showed discomfort in syringe feeding. She improved the day after, I thought finally she’s gonna be alright. I still feed her the same amount today.6mL every 3-4 hrs with 1-2mL water. Around afternoon, she started to lay there not drinking/eating at all. When I try to syringe feed, she resisted extremely hard. I never saw her resist this hard. I am wondering if up and downs are normal? Do I need to take her to the vet again? Her poop is soft and stinky. It was a mix of normal and dried stringy little poop this morning. I noticed massages help, I have been trying to give her gentle massages. I have no idea how to use the electrical toothbrush for massage. I also have baby gas drops that I use between the gas medication vet prescribed. For the baby gas drops I heard mix opinions on them. (The gas become a big bubble and it’s painful for the pig) My vet said it’s okay to use. Do I continue to syringe feed her 5mL? I’m only doing 2-3 mL every 2 hrs currently. Thank you for reading.

Sincerely,
Worried pig mom

Ps, I’m extremely sleep deprived, sorry if there are grammar problems.

She also does not have a cage mate, my mom strongly refused to let me get a second pig. This is my first time caring for my first pig. Please let me know what can I do to make her feel better.

 

[Xiaoqi]

adding to syringe feed, how do I syringe feed when she is fighting me super hard. It takes me 30-40 to get to barely4-5mL.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this

You must continue to syringe feed her - it is essential her gut keeps moving. You are aiming for a minimum of 40ml or syringe feed per 24 hour period but ideally you need to get 60ml per 24 hours.
You need to feed as much as she will take per sitting. The less she takes at each sitting, the more sittings you need to do.
You need to switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh her every morning. You are looking to keep her weight stable each morning and the weight checks are the only way to know you are getting enough syringe feed into her.

Is she still on pain relief?
What is the dosage and how often is she taking it?

Is she still on the gut motility meds?
If so, which one? What is the dosage? How often is she taking it?

We don’t recommend the use of simethicone based baby gas drops as it can make it more painful for the piggy gut (which is very different to a human gut)

Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)

 

[Xiaoqi]

I’m sorry to hear this

You must continue to syringe feed her - it is essential her gut keeps moving. You are aiming for a minimum of 40ml or syringe feed per 24 hour period but ideally you need to get 60ml per 24 hours.
You need to feed as much as she will take per sitting. The less she takes at each sitting, the more sittings you need to do.
You need to switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh her every morning. You are looking to keep her weight stable each morning and the weight checks are the only way to know you are getting enough syringe feed into her.

Is she still on pain relief?
What is the dosage and how often is she taking it?

Is she still on the gut motility meds?
If so, which one? What is the dosage? How often is she taking it?

We don’t recommend the use of simethicone based baby gas drops as it can make it more painful for the piggy gut (which is very different to a human gut)

Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)

For pain relieve she is on meloxicam every 24 hrs. Vet said if she not eating have her take it every 12 hrs.
For gas medication it’s cisapride for every 8 hrs. I need more advice on syringe feeding. Do I just force her take 5-6? She is refusing w all her might do u keep the syringe in the mouth? I took it out and give her tons of breaks and head pats.
thank you for the speedy reply.
I have read all of those blogs 5x ‍before this post.

 

[Xiaoqi]

I’m sorry to hear this

You must continue to syringe feed her - it is essential her gut keeps moving. You are aiming for a minimum of 40ml or syringe feed per 24 hour period but ideally you need to get 60ml per 24 hours.
You need to feed as much as she will take per sitting. The less she takes at each sitting, the more sittings you need to do.
You need to switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh her every morning. You are looking to keep her weight stable each morning and the weight checks are the only way to know you are getting enough syringe feed into her.

Is she still on pain relief?
What is the dosage and how often is she taking it?

Is she still on the gut motility meds?
If so, which one? What is the dosage? How often is she taking it?

We don’t recommend the use of simethicone based baby gas drops as it can make it more painful for the piggy gut (which is very different to a human gut)

Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)

For her weight, she is severely underweight. Vet weight her at 700. She was 713 when I weigh her yesterday. (She was eating hay sometimes)

 

[Piggies&buns]

Was her heft checked to confirm she is underweight? The number on the scales does not say whether a piggy is under or over weight - only checking the heft determines that.

Keep up with daily weight checks.

Follow your vets advice re the pain meds but do note they metabolise them in around 12 hours meaning once every 24 hours often isn’t enough.
What dosage of pain meds is she on?
Is it cat or dog meloxicom?

Regarding syringe feeding, they can only take around 0.3ml in their mouth at one time so you have to offer some and then remove the syringe to give her chance to swallow before adding in another small amount.
5-10ml at a sitting generally suggests a total loss of appetite and that is rather poorly.

 

[Xiaoqi]

Dosage: 0.04 for gas med
0.15 for painkiller it says apo before it I’m not sure

 

[Xiaoqi]

I cant see her lip I wonder if feeding her like this is ok, I tried using smaller syringes it didn’t work, this one works ok I push really little out at a time. She hates me rn lol

 

[Xiaoqi]

Was her heft checked to confirm she is underweight? The number on the scales does not say whether a piggy is under or over weight - only checking the heft determines that.

Keep up with daily weight checks.

Follow your vets advice re the pain meds but do note they metabolise them in around 12 hours meaning once every 24 hours often isn’t enough.
What dosage of pain meds is she on?
Is it cat or dog meloxicom?

Regarding syringe feeding, they can only take around 0.3ml in their mouth at one time so you have to offer some and then remove the syringe to give her chance to swallow before adding in another small amount.
5-10ml at a sitting generally suggests a total loss of appetite and that is rather poorly.

Also can I use a little bit of unsweetened applesauce? I am so sorry for spam, my thoughts are scattered rn

 

[Piggies&buns]

Dosage: 0.04 for gas med
0.15 for painkiller it says apo before it I’m not sure

For painkiller you are looking whether it is 0.5mg/ml (cat version) or 1.5mg/ml (dog version).
Dog version is stronger, so If she is on cat version then it is much weaker. The smaller the dose the less effective for a guinea pig particularly the cat version - although there is her weight to consider.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I cant see her lip I wonder if feeding her like this is ok, I tried using smaller syringes it didn’t work, this one works ok I push really little out at a time. She hates me rn lol

Typically we suggest to use a 1ml syringe but you need to cut the tapered end off of it for it to work properly.

The syringe should be placed down the side of her mouth and then angled slightly to go into the gap between the incisor and molar teeth.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Also can I use a little bit of unsweetened applesauce? I am so sorry for spam, my thoughts are scattered rn

She needs the fibre from the syringe feed so if you add anything to it then it should not be much - you don’t want to fill her up with the item you have added and then mean she takes less fibre before feeling filled up and refusing to eat any more.

 

[Xiaoqi]

Typically we suggest to use a 1ml syringe but you need to cut the tapered end off of it for it to work properly.

The syringe should be placed down the side of her mouth and then angled slightly to go into the gap between the incisor and molar teeth.

I changed it to 1ml w the tapered end, thank you for all your advice <3 Also, can she eat the timothy biscuits with baked apple? I have been giving it to her 2x a day after her medications.

 

[Xiaoqi]

For painkiller you are looking whether it is 0.5mg/ml (cat version) or 1.5mg/ml (dog version).
Dog version is stronger, so If she is on cat version then it is much weaker. The smaller the dose the less effective for a guinea pig particularly the cat version - although there is her weight to consider.

That make sense, I will continue to monitor how she is doing, give her painkillers every 12 hrs and call vet if she still has no appetite with lots of sluggishness.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I changed it to 1ml w the tapered end, thank you for all your advice <3 Also, can she eat the timothy biscuits with baked apple? I have been giving it to her 2x a day after her medications.

I can see you’re giving treats with her medications so to some extent you would want to say that it’s fine. But to be honest I avoid any commercial treats - they are usually too sugary.
The issue at the moment is if she is bloated you don’t want her having sugars or any veg as those two things will further imbalance her gut.

Meloxicom is actually rather nice tasting (if youre a piggy) and I have never given treats after giving it (or anything other med*) as it’s basically a treat in itself!

(* except baytril which tastes horrible (again, if you’re a piggy!) so a treat after that to take the taste away can be nice)

 

[Xiaoqi]

I can see you’re giving treats with her medications so to some extent you would want to say that it’s fine. But to be honest I avoid any commercial treats - they are usually too sugary.
The issue at the moment is if she is bloated you don’t want her having sugars or any veg as those two things will further imbalance her gut.

Meloxicom is actually rather nice tasting (if youre a piggy) and I have never given treats after giving it (or anything other med*) as it’s basically a treat in itself!

(* except baytril which tastes horrible (again, if you’re a piggy!) so a treat after that to take the taste away can be nice)

No waaay! I thought those meds taste gross. I try to flush it out w water after lol. Did I accidentally dilute them? oops. Smells bad tho

 

[Piggies&buns]

Offering a drink of water after is fine - don’t force water into her though due to the aspiration risk

Most piggies absolutely love metacam/meloxicom! You will often see those on long term pain meds begging for their doses each day!

 

[Xiaoqi]

Offering a drink of water after is fine - don’t force water into her though due to the aspiration risk

Most piggies absolutely love metacam/meloxicom! You will often see those on long term pain meds begging for their doses each day!

Hello, she has not eat the whole day or drink water. I syringed feed her about 40cc. Do I check in w the vet again? Is gastritis relapse normal? After feeding her, her bloat has improved.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hello, she has not eat the whole day or drink water. I syringed feed her about 40cc. Do I check in w the vet again? Is gastritis relapse normal? After feeding her, her bloat has improved.

You need to feed 40ml as a minimum for ideally 60ml per day.
You need to syringe feed her for as long as necessary while she isn’t eating for herself.
Make sure you weigh her every morning so you can continue to monitor her food intake.

 

[piggl]

Unfortunately with stomach issues, they sometimes become prolonged and/or reoccurring. If she is still not eating and you are worried, definitely get in touch with the vet again and continue with what you are doing.
With stomach issues you need to keep on top of all their medications and support feeding. One thing I learned through dealing with such, use the morning weigh in (everyday) as an idea of how your piggy is getting on. Especially when they begin eating/seeming themselves again, don’t drop the ball too early, as I have been caught out before!

When you say 40cc i assume you mean 40ml, in which case you are doing well and please continue doing this. If she is not eating at all you should be aiming at around 40-60ml in 24 hours, the more you can get in her the better.

When you put your ear up to her stomach, what does it sound like?

I don’t really have much to add but I just wanted to share my support. Caring for a sick piggy is tough and you always have so many questions and wondering if you’re doing right by your pig. You’re doing so well x

 

[Xiaoqi]

Unfortunately with stomach issues, they sometimes become prolonged and/or reoccurring. If she is still not eating and you are worried, definitely get in touch with the vet again and continue with what you are doing.
With stomach issues you need to keep on top of all their medications and support feeding. One thing I learned through dealing with such, use the morning weigh in (everyday) as an idea of how your piggy is getting on. Especially when they begin eating/seeming themselves again, don’t drop the ball too early, as I have been caught out before!

When you say 40cc i assume you mean 40ml, in which case you are doing well and please continue doing this. If she is not eating at all you should be aiming at around 40-60ml in 24 hours, the more you can get in her the better.

When you put your ear up to her stomach, what does it sound like?

I don’t really have much to add but I just wanted to share my support. Caring for a sick piggy is tough and you always have so many questions and wondering if you’re doing right by your pig. You’re doing so well x

Unfortunately with stomach issues, they sometimes become prolonged and/or reoccurring. If she is still not eating and you are worried, definitely get in touch with the vet again and continue with what you are doing.
With stomach issues you need to keep on top of all their medications and support feeding. One thing I learned through dealing with such, use the morning weigh in (everyday) as an idea of how your piggy is getting on. Especially when they begin eating/seeming themselves again, don’t drop the ball too early, as I have been caught out before!

When you say 40cc i assume you mean 40ml, in which case you are doing well and please continue doing this. If she is not eating at all you should be aiming at around 40-60ml in 24 hours, the more you can get in her the better.

When you put your ear up to her stomach, what does it sound like?

I don’t really have much to add but I just wanted to share my support. Caring for a sick piggy is tough and you always have so many questions and wondering if you’re doing right by your pig. You’re doing so well x

Gurgling sounds, yes 40mL I did 6mL for 4 sessions and 8mL for the last two. (Total 6 sessions) I am going to continue to try to get 8mL if I can. I am worried shes dehydrated, she hasn't being drinking any water. I give 2mL of water during feeding as well. How do I know if shes uncomfortable? Like I am feeding too much? Thank you so much for the support, I really need it. I am extremely stressed out, school is starting next week.

 

[Xiaoqi]

You need to feed 40ml as a minimum for ideally 60ml per day.
You need to syringe feed her for as long as necessary while she isn’t eating for herself.
Make sure you weigh her every morning so you can continue to monitor her food intake.

I understand, I am trying my best. I am just not seeing any improvements after she was doing ok for a bit. ((

 

[Piggies&buns]

Bloat can come in waves - just when you think they’re getting over it, it can come back.

All you can do is keep up with a decent dose of medications and definitely keep going with plenty of syringe feeding.

You need to feed her as much as she will take at each sitting, and then feed her every two hours.
Offer her water but do also keep in mind that there is water in the syringe feed.

It’s her weight checks which are your only guide - she needs to have her weight stay stable each day to know that you’re getting enough into her over a 24 hour period

 

[Xiaoqi]

Thank you so much for all your help and support. She has passed away this morning in my arms. I feel terrible, I couldn't get her into the vet in time this afternoon.

 

[Merab]

So very sorry for your loss.
Holding you in my heart
Be gentle with yourself as you grieve

 

[piggl]

I’m so sorry for your loss. You did so well for your girl, she only knew love and care right until the very end.

Take care of yourself at this time x

 

[Xiaoqi]

So very sorry for your loss.
Holding you in my heart
Be gentle with yourself as you grieve

Thank you for this. I feel a bit better
x

 

[Xiaoqi]

So very sorry for your loss.
Holding you in my heart
Be gentle with yourself as you grieve

Thank you, I appreciate your kind words. I am blaming myself, thinking wat I have done wrong
x

 

[Truffolo]

I am very sorry to hear that she has passed. You really fought hard to save her. Don't blame yourself, bloat can come out of nowhere with no explanation. Rest easy at the bridge little one I hope school goes OK and that you are coping alright.