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Hospice pig with stomach tumor needs gas drops

lexi468

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Hello!
As some may know I recently rescued a girl piggy with a stomach tumor. My vet prescribed her simethicone for bloat when her previous owner took her in. I do not give her a lot of veg, and I make sure I give it in two servings, and no gas inducing veg, but she does still get bloated from her tumor. I see on here that people don’t recommend any gas remedies, so I was wondering if there is anything you can recommend I do for her if not use simethicone?
Thanks
 
I'm not sure how the simethicone works. But I know that members recommend 'gripe water'
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To ease gas bloat, it basically breaks down the gas bubbles into little bubbles that disperse more easily.

Remedies such as 'Infacol' cause the gas to form one big bubble, but guinea pigs can't 'burp' so the gas stays trapped longer & causes discomfort & pain.

Afraid I can't remember the gripe water dosage at the moment.

If you have an electric toothbrush or vibrating mat try placing that under her to ease out the gas.
If you massage her stomach or pop her in a secure box on top of the washing on a spin cycle that should also help disperse the gas?

You can take her off of veg completely for a few days if her bloat gets bad, I would cut right down on the veg & reintroduce it slowly if she gets bloat.
Veggies are a luxury although adding lots of beneficial vitamins to their diet. But good quality hay is the best diet & will help prevent dietary bloat - although I realise your little girls is caused by the tumour.

Ask your vet if you're unsure of using the Simethicone & get them to explain how it works.
Good luck with your girlypig and thank you for taking her in :wub:
Xx
 
The dosage is 0.3ml up to 3 times a day for gripe water, though up to 3ml can be given over a few hours in an emergency. @lexi468, unfortunately the simethicone is the active ingredient in Infacol and can cause more pain in piggies, I recommend you give the gripe water a try -- I know Walmart have it, and any pharmacist should too. You're looking for it to contain oil of dill and sodium hydrogen carbonate (baking soda). From what I can see, a lot of US gripe water brands just contain dill so it's worth checking ingredients if you can.

Have you asked the vet if she might benefit from pain relief when the tumor makes her bloated, or if she might benefit from an upper GI or gut stimulant when the bloat happens? If things get really bad, popping your piggy on a washing machine on a spin cycle, putting her on a vibrating pad, or taking her out for a little car ride can help disperse the gas too.
 
Hello!
As some may know I recently rescued a girl piggy with a stomach tumor. My vet prescribed her simethicone for bloat when her previous owner took her in. I do not give her a lot of veg, and I make sure I give it in two servings, and no gas inducing veg, but she does still get bloated from her tumor. I see on here that people don’t recommend any gas remedies, so I was wondering if there is anything you can recommend I do for her if not use simethicone?
Thanks

Hi

You may find the information in this guide here helpful: Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating.

Veterinary medical gut stimulatants like metoclopramide (emeprid is a UK brand name) or cisapride (now that zantac/ranitidine is sadly off the market) are much better than simethicone (which collects gas in one large bubble - ideal for predatory prets with a thick short gut but NOT good for a herbivore with a very long, thin gut like a cavy as they struggle to get that big bubble out) when you have got a growth pushing on the gut and is causing bloating. The problem is likely to get worse overtime as the tumor grows.

Herbal baby colic preparations or herbal colic teas (offered when cold) may be helpful in cases of milder bloating that is not caused by a badly disturbed gut microbiome. The UK term for this is called gripe water.
 
I will give the gripe water a try for sure! I actually have of the gut stimulant for my other pig, so I can also try that. Awesome info guys, thank you so much
 
Also, yes I am fully prepared to get her on pain meds once the tumor becomes more painful, but for now she seems okay. Actually she seems to not be in any pain at all, even when she is bloated.
 
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