Is it normal for older piggies to be gassy?

[belfastyank]

My 4.5 y.o. guinea pig, Harry, seemed bloated the other day. 1st time it's happened. He was active, eating, drinking and pooping. So, over the weekend I stopped giving him veg, gave him one dose of simethicone (before reading that it can be bad), a couple doses of gripe water, lots of massages and floor time. I didn't bring him to the emergency vet because his stomach started going down. After the wknd, I brought him to the small animal vet and she felt some gas and gave him 2 injections to stimulate the digestive system, which she said should work over 24 hour. It's been maybe 17 hours and his tummy still feels the same to me. At the vet's advice, I have re-introduced veg. I haven't been giving him gassy veg so I'm not sure why he would be gassy. Is this just something that happens in older guinea pigs? Also, even though he has no signs of URI, he seems to be cleaning his eyes frequently- I notice he's producing a lot of the milky fluid in his eyes.

 

[Piggies&buns]

This is our guide giving details about bloat and what to do about it.
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

 

[pig in the city]

My 4.5 y.o. guinea pig, Harry, seemed bloated the other day. 1st time it's happened. He was active, eating, drinking and pooping. So, over the weekend I stopped giving him veg, gave him one dose of simethicone (before reading that it can be bad), a couple doses of gripe water, lots of massages and floor time. I didn't bring him to the emergency vet because his stomach started going down. After the wknd, I brought him to the small animal vet and she felt some gas and gave him 2 injections to stimulate the digestive system, which she said should work over 24 hour. It's been maybe 17 hours and his tummy still feels the same to me. At the vet's advice, I have re-introduced veg. I haven't been giving him gassy veg so I'm not sure why he would be gassy. Is this just something that happens in older guinea pigs? Also, even though he has no signs of URI, he seems to be cleaning his eyes frequently- I notice he's producing a lot of the milky fluid in his eyes.

I have an old lady who is the same. She gets bouts of bloating and reduced pooh output.
Sometimes its grass that triggers her, other times no obvious reason at all. She can take a week or so to settle. The vet cant find any reason for it. She has been prescribed cisapride three times a day (gut stimulant) plus pain relief.
Its important that they exercise regularly to help stop gas build up and avoid gassy foods like cabbage.
Milky fluid from the eyes is normal when they groom.

 

[Wiebke]

My 4.5 y.o. guinea pig, Harry, seemed bloated the other day. 1st time it's happened. He was active, eating, drinking and pooping. So, over the weekend I stopped giving him veg, gave him one dose of simethicone (before reading that it can be bad), a couple doses of gripe water, lots of massages and floor time. I didn't bring him to the emergency vet because his stomach started going down. After the wknd, I brought him to the small animal vet and she felt some gas and gave him 2 injections to stimulate the digestive system, which she said should work over 24 hour. It's been maybe 17 hours and his tummy still feels the same to me. At the vet's advice, I have re-introduced veg. I haven't been giving him gassy veg so I'm not sure why he would be gassy. Is this just something that happens in older guinea pigs? Also, even though he has no signs of URI, he seems to be cleaning his eyes frequently- I notice he's producing a lot of the milky fluid in his eyes.

Hi!

Some older guinea pigs can develop issues with a no longer optimally working digestive system and become more sensitive to certain foods (which you have to work out individually) or to any changes in the diet or to mild bloating for no obvious reason. You are looking more at managing a condition rather than healing it.

The advice in the chapter for guinea pigs with diabetes and long term digestive issues in our diet guide covers the most common problem food categories (it is not necessarily the foods you suspect!); it reflects our members' experiences with their own piggies with ongoing mostly mild digestive issues.
Cisapride in low doses may help with any bloating; if the bloating is very mild then gripe water from the baby section of a supermarket can also bring a little relief in my own experience (0.1-0.2 ml one or twice daily at need).
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

If you have a healthy companion you can try to prop up the microbiome in the gut with 'poo soup', i.e. transfer of healthy live gut biome if done properly to support the gut. You can find the 'recipe' in this link here: Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links