guinea pig bloat

[basil_fuzzball]

Hi, my guinea pig Fuzzy is having some pretty bad bloating right now. In the past he has had very small bloating issues but they went away with a little bit of infant gas relief drops. But this time it’s worse. My vets are closed tonight and because of the carona virus, I’m not sure they will take Fuzzy in and check him out(I will be calling tmr morning as soon as they open to find out). Earlier I was massaging his stomache and I could hear some of the gas coming out. I just gave him some gas relief medicine and I tried to massage his stomache again but I think he was clearly uncomfortable and wouldn’t let me do it. Any advice? I know bloating is a serious issue and I’ve never experienced something to this severity before. Please help!

 

[piggl]

Hi, my guinea pig Fuzzy is having some pretty bad bloating right now. In the past he has had very small bloating issues but they went away with a little bit of infant gas relief drops. But this time it’s worse. My vets are closed tonight and because of the carona virus, I’m not sure they will take Fuzzy in and check him out(I will be calling tmr morning as soon as they open to find out). Earlier I was massaging his stomache and I could hear some of the gas coming out. I just gave him some gas relief medicine and I tried to massage his stomache again but I think he was clearly uncomfortable and wouldn’t let me do it. Any advice? I know bloating is a serious issue and I’ve never experienced something to this severity before. Please help!

Hi i’m not sure if i’m going to be much help but how’s your pig doing now? I haven’t really had experience with severe bloating but i’ve had a little bloating - I just don’t give fresh veg for a day or two until it settles x

 

[piggl]

This is a copy of what moderator @Wiebke said a few years ago i’m not sure if it’ll be much help but it’s the best i can do for you xx

Severe bloating can and often does kill. It usually strikes right out of the blue. You will see your piggy balloon up, the belly (or parts of it) feeling very tight and sounding hollow when you knock against it. The piggy will look and feel off very quickly, as it is very uncomfortable and painful. You need to see a vet as an emergency at any time of the day or night asap. Severe bloat comes in waves and your piggy is at risk with a very tender digestion for several weeks afterwards.

A good hay-based diet with a mix of veg in small quantities can all cause can help lower the risk of being confronted with severe bloat, but it cannot eliminate it. Your vet also needs to check for signs of a blockage, which is much rarer, but requires different treatment. Bloat is treated mainly with anti-bloating, gut stimulating meds (to help work the gas out). Regular massage/vibration can help a lot; half an hour every few hours. The cheapest option is the handle of an electric toothbrush, a car massaging seat or even the vibrations of a car journey to help get the gas shifting.

Make sure that you have got syringe feed/recover formula and probiotics at home and that you have the number of your vet and your out-of-hours contact on your mobile at all times.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi, my guinea pig Fuzzy is having some pretty bad bloating right now. In the past he has had very small bloating issues but they went away with a little bit of infant gas relief drops. But this time it’s worse. My vets are closed tonight and because of the carona virus, I’m not sure they will take Fuzzy in and check him out(I will be calling tmr morning as soon as they open to find out). Earlier I was massaging his stomache and I could hear some of the gas coming out. I just gave him some gas relief medicine and I tried to massage his stomache again but I think he was clearly uncomfortable and wouldn’t let me do it. Any advice? I know bloating is a serious issue and I’ve never experienced something to this severity before. Please help!

Hi

Can you see whether there is some out of hours service still in place? You should be able to access it via their phone message.

Here is our access link for everything you may need for crisis/bridging care: Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Here is our guide on bloat, which has been proof-read by an experienced exotics nurse. It cannot replace a vet visit and crucial gut motility drugs and painkillers though: Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

 

[basil_fuzzball]

Hi everyone, thank you for replying! The next morning we took him to the vet and it turns out that he is essentially constipated and not pooping as he should(in the x-ray the doctor could see a lot of poop stuck in him) and not he is on quite a few medications to help with pain and to get things moving again. He’s a little less active but I’m encouraging him to move as much as possible to keep things moving inside of him. Hopefully with the medications I will start to see some improvement.

 

[piggl]

Hi everyone, thank you for replying! The next morning we took him to the vet and it turns out that he is essentially constipated and not pooping as he should(in the x-ray the doctor could see a lot of poop stuck in him) and not he is on quite a few medications to help with pain and to get things moving again. He’s a little less active but I’m encouraging him to move as much as possible to keep things moving inside of him. Hopefully with the medications I will start to see some improvement.

That’s good to hear - Hope he recovers soon x

 

[Merab]

Hope he feels better soon.

 

[Wiebke]

Fingers firmly crossed!