Owen&George
Junior Guinea Pig
Hi everyone!
So today has been really wild. Just last night we had Owen & George running around on the bed while I was signing up for the forum, they were all normal in terms of behavior and poops.
Well, unfortunately this morning we woke up and went to check on the piggies and George was extremely bloated (like 2x his normal size). He was making noises like he was in pain, and was twitching really hard in pain. We immediately scooped him up and went to the vet. The vet took x-rays and confirmed bloat. At this point George was in severe pain and the vet explained our options. He really seemed to believe that putting him down was the best option as bad as the bloat had gotten in such little time and how much pain he was in. The other option was to put him under and use a tube to expel some gas, but he suspected George would not survive the anesthetic. It was a really tough call but we decided to try the procedure (given that either option could end in the same horrible result). It's worth noting that when we got George he has always been plagued with chronic URI's and this probably made the bloat worse. After about an hour wait the procedure had actually been successful and he recovered from the anesthetic. (To the vets surprise) Now we have him at home and the vet placed him on the following meds: Enrofloxacin (0.37mL/12hrs) Buprenorphine (0.28mL/8hr) Metoclopramide (0.4mL/12hr)
He seems to be doing better but we are keeping and extremely close eye on him. For congestion we are running the shower and using the steam, and we are also doing soft tummy massages to try to help the gas. We are also handing feeding water and trying to start some critical care but are nervous about blocking up his system. He has pooped a few times since we've been home but not much(although they are regular sized)
Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated since this is the first time we are dealing with this.
Thank you!
So today has been really wild. Just last night we had Owen & George running around on the bed while I was signing up for the forum, they were all normal in terms of behavior and poops.
Well, unfortunately this morning we woke up and went to check on the piggies and George was extremely bloated (like 2x his normal size). He was making noises like he was in pain, and was twitching really hard in pain. We immediately scooped him up and went to the vet. The vet took x-rays and confirmed bloat. At this point George was in severe pain and the vet explained our options. He really seemed to believe that putting him down was the best option as bad as the bloat had gotten in such little time and how much pain he was in. The other option was to put him under and use a tube to expel some gas, but he suspected George would not survive the anesthetic. It was a really tough call but we decided to try the procedure (given that either option could end in the same horrible result). It's worth noting that when we got George he has always been plagued with chronic URI's and this probably made the bloat worse. After about an hour wait the procedure had actually been successful and he recovered from the anesthetic. (To the vets surprise) Now we have him at home and the vet placed him on the following meds: Enrofloxacin (0.37mL/12hrs) Buprenorphine (0.28mL/8hr) Metoclopramide (0.4mL/12hr)
He seems to be doing better but we are keeping and extremely close eye on him. For congestion we are running the shower and using the steam, and we are also doing soft tummy massages to try to help the gas. We are also handing feeding water and trying to start some critical care but are nervous about blocking up his system. He has pooped a few times since we've been home but not much(although they are regular sized)
Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated since this is the first time we are dealing with this.
Thank you!
. Its good that poos are coming through, should mean its not a blockage. Just only do 1/4 of a mil critical care per mouthful and he shouldnt get asperation in the lungs.
. You did your very best. Take care of yourself x