Guinea pig BLOAT

[pepperpumpkin]

hi!

My pig Pumpkin was sent to the vet as he was not eating or drinking, barely moving. The vet diagnosed it as bloat and he was in the hospital for 2-3 days.
However, he is a rather timid pig, and gets stressed easily, will not eat in new environments etc and has never been apart from other pigs so we decided to bring him back and monitor at home.
He is still not producing stools or eating on his own which is quite a concern.
I’m going to separate him from my other pig but will bring them together to interact for a few times a day so they don’t feel lonely.
The doctor has prescribed
0.28 maropitant citrate 10mg/ml (cerenia), 4 syringes of 0.07ml to be given under the skin daily.
Simethicone or Ridwind 0.35ml
critical care
cisapride 0.22ml orally twice a day
metoclopromide syrup 0.28 ml orally thrice a day
Appelin vitamin 0.5 orally twice a day
fibreplex

he is resting now, is there anything else i can do to help him feel better?
How do i give stomach massages and does vibration helps?

thank you

 

[Piggies&buns]

The guides below will help you.
However please don’t separate him from his friend. Poorly piggies do better when they have their friend with them, separation is stressful and he doesn’t need to have extra stress right now,

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre

Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

 

[pepperpumpkin]

Hello!

i saw on a thread that infacol (active ingredient simethicone) is not advised as it collects the gas into a bubble and it’s hard for the piggies to push them out?
the vet prescribed Pumpkin 0.35ml of simethicone every 2 hours under another brand called ridwind.
Should i still continue using it?
I’ve been giving Pumpkin every 2 hours throughout the night as well.

Also! he has started pooping so i guess that’s a good thing. But still not moving around much and not eating on his own

 

[Wiebke]

Hello!

i saw on a thread that infacol (active ingredient simethicone) is not advised as it collects the gas into a bubble and it’s hard for the piggies to push them out?
the vet prescribed Pumpkin 0.35ml of simethicone every 2 hours under another brand called ridwind.
Should i still continue using it?
I’ve been giving Pumpkin every 2 hours throughout the night as well.

Also! he has started pooping so i guess that’s a good thing. But still not moving around much and not eating on his own

Hi!

Unfortunately with zantac/ranitidine off the market (which is the best anti-bloating med), your options are much reduced.
My personal experiences with infacol have not been all that good; and they have been echoed by the feedback from the experienced piggy savvy vet nurse who has advised me on the medical parts of the guide.
Have you been giving it so far or not? Ridwind is simethicone.

Please follow the tips in our bloating guide and keep going. Especially keep massaging to help shift the bloat and keep syringe feeding to keep the gut going, as painful as it is. Severe bloat is not over in a few hours, it is very long game that lasts days and can blow up out of nowhere again for several weeks. It usually happens in waves.
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

 

[pepperpumpkin]

hi,

yes i have been giving it every 2 hours for 24hours, and i think the vet has also given that to him before i picked him up from his stay. Should i just stop it completely now? he is on cisapride too ( gut mobility ) and metoclopramide ( gut stimulant )
i will try and get a hold of my vet for her opinion on this.

I wanted to buy gripe water but it was out of stock so i ordered it online... but it might take 5 days to come.

i just hope pumpkin gets better soon. I also placed him back with my other pig Pepper, it’s harder to track his pee or stool this way but he seemed to perk up a little. Still sleeping a lot but at least he walked around the cage for a little bit. Also showed interest in the water bottle but didn’t drink it sadly.

 

[pepperpumpkin]

if anyone has any good experience with other medications in replacement for simethicone please let me know!

thank you all for your replies :-)

 

[Wiebke]

if anyone has any good experience with other medications in replacement for simethicone please let me know!

thank you all for your replies :-)

See whether your vet is prepared to prescribe cisapride and emeprid instead as the simethicone is obviously not shifting the gas.
They are both gut stimulants that help with the gut muscle movement, i.e. working the gas out. Contact them as an emergency.

 

[Qualcast&Flymo]

See whether your vet is prepared to prescribe cisapride and emeprid instead as the simethicone is obviously not shifting the gas.
They are both gut stimulants that help with the gut muscle movement, i.e. working the gas out. Contact them as an emergency.

@Wiebke , in the first post, the OP says they were prescribed cisapride and metaclopramide (among other things), is emeprid the same as metaclopramide?

 

[pepperpumpkin]

hello,

thank you for your reply but unfortunately Pumpkin has crossed the rainbow bridge... He was also on cisapride and and also metoclopramide.

He was doing well and producing more solid stools, moving about though still not eating. But after a few hours i noticed he was breathing really hard and heavy, and he passed in the car on the way to the emergency centre.
The bloating came so suddenly i wish i could have done more to help him...
He is my first piggy, along with his cage mate Pepper so this really hit me very hard. I’ve been crying a lot but i’m just glad he’s not in pain now. Just came back from burying him and l left him with his pillow and some letters. He was a really sweet boy... here’s a picture of him.

 

[Wiebke]

@Wiebke , in the first post, the OP says they were prescribed cisapride and metaclopramide (among other things), is emeprid the same as metaclopramide?

No, it is different and more effective with guinea pigs than the good old metoclop. But not all general vets may have it in stock. metoclopramide mainly works to evacuate the gut from constipation (which guinea pigs don't normally suffer from) but it doesn't necessarily evacuate the gas. In the absence of emeprid it is however the next best choice.
The vet has basically already everything they have available thrown at this - as you have to with severe bloat. After that you can only hope, massage/vibrate, syringe feed and hang in there as much as possible.

Severe bloat is still one of the things that you cannot necessarily medically control and heal as I know only too well myself.