Is Primperan 1mg/ml Safe?

[Hans]

Hello people,

3 days ago, during their weekly weighing I noticed that one of my girls, Kelda, had dropped from 1025g to 980g. I inmediatly switched from weekly to daily weighing and started to monitor their eating more closely. She seemed to eat properly, leaving some veggies that they just don't like, but nothing really unnusual.
During the next couple days I noticed a drop of about 10g more, so I took her to the vet. The vet asked me if she was neutered (she isn't) and proceeded to check her teeth and inspect her tummy, to look for ovary cists and tummy problems (she also completed the routine check for skin, hears, temperature, feet, etc). Kelda's tummy seemed good but we decided to take an x-ray to make sure there wasn't any hidden problem.
The x-ray showed that her ovaries were ok and her bowels don't show any abnormality. However, there was like a bubble on her stomach, that the vet thinks could be just gas or some kind of obstruction (maybe a ball of hair), so she told me to keep monitoring her weight and to feed her 0,3ml of primperan each 12 hours to help with motility.

I've been looking for information about primperan, just to make sure, but I would like to ask you guys about it. Do you know if its safe to use on guinea pigs?

The med is: Primperan 1mg/ml (metoclopramida hidrocloruro).
Translated to english it seems to be Metoclopramide.

Thanks in advance.

 

[DM030819]

@Hans Metoclopromide is fine it use. The dose is similar to what I've used. I have had a slightly higher dose too for a serious bloat issue.

As well as giving her the medicine give her more floor time, the running around might help the gas come out. I've found that taking them out in the car can help too.

 

[Hans]

@Jaycey thank you for the response, I've already started the treatment.
Also I'll try to trick them to do some exercise, since they think floor time is chill time. Everyday since I got them the same story, and luring them with treats just doesn't do the trick.

Does anyone know if metoclopromide works like probiotics, in the sense that I can give it to them one or two doses from time to time just to stimulate bowel movement? Or is it better to use it only when the vet tells me to? I must confess that I'm a bit scared about bloat issues.

 

[Wiebke]

Give it every 12 hours.

A gas bubble in the stomach with normal intestines is fairly unusual. My Ffowlyn had the same; her stomach was rather extended. It was only found in a scan after a second trip to the vets.

I would ask my vet for painkillers and if you wish to, ranitine (the UK vet brand is called zantac), which works more on the guts whereas the metoclopramide works mostly on the stomach.

If you wish you can additionally give a herbal baby colic tea (cooled) or a made up solution (UK: gripe water, which is available in supermarkets and pharmacies).

You may find that your piggy is likely to have a rather tender digestion for the remainder of its life, so I would make sure to always have a little stash of antibloating meds at home to be able to treat asap and until you can see a vet.
An electric tooth brush to vibrate the handle over the belly can also help shifting the gas in a bloating belly, and it is usually the easiest available.

Wishing you the best of luck!

 

[Hans]

@Wiebke thanks for the advice! While looking at the x-ray the vet said that appart from the bubble everything was ok and she seemed quite calm about it. The bubble also didn't seem to be pressuring the stomach nor filling it, so I wish all that means that we caught it early and the stomach isn't being extended.

I'll try to reach the vet for painkillers and some antibloating stuff for my first aid-kit. What would I need to get?
Looking at the forums I think I might need probiotics to help the intestinal flora, metoclopramide and ranitine for stomach and guts movility, dioralyte for hydrating or to prevent dehydration. I already have oxbox digestive tablets (and the urinary ones) but that's more of a maintenance thing. Does everything seem correct?

I don't know if I should also add some painkillers, since metoclopramide's instructions warn that it can boost analgesics and I'm not sure if I should manage that without vet's advice.

I hope I can get it all here in Spain. The diferent product names, stores and availability can be a pain in the bum.

 

[Wiebke]

@Wiebke thanks for the advice! While looking at the x-ray the vet said that appart from the bubble everything was ok and she seemed quite calm about it. The bubble also didn't seem to be pressuring the stomach nor filling it, so I wish all that means that we caught it early and the stomach isn't being extended.

I'll try to reach the vet for painkillers and some antibloating stuff for my first aid-kit. What would I need to get?
Looking at the forums I think I might need probiotics to help the intestinal flora, metoclopramide and ranitine for stomach and guts movility, dioralyte for hydrating or to prevent dehydration. I already have oxbox digestive tablets (and the urinary ones) but that's more of a maintenance thing. Does everything seem correct?

I don't know if I should also add some painkillers, since metoclopramide's instructions warn that it can boost analgesics and I'm not sure if I should manage that without vet's advice.

I hope I can get it all here in Spain. The diferent product names, stores and availability can be a pain in the bum.

As your vet has caught it at an earlier stage than mine, pain is most likely not an issue. My advice was for a more severe case like Ffowlyn's.

In your obviously much milder case, I would just go along with your current medication and see it through.

Make sure that your diet is mostly hay based and go softly on vegetables; rather opt for a fresh herbs and a slice of pepper than fruit or rich veg to cover vitamin C and trace elements.

 

[Hans]

As your vet has caught it at an earlier stage than mine, pain is most likely not an issue. My advice was for a more severe case like Ffowlyn's.

In your obviously much milder case, I would just go along with your current medication and see it through.

Make sure that your diet is mostly hay based and go softly on vegetables; rather opt for a fresh herbs and a slice of pepper than fruit or rich veg to cover vitamin C and trace elements.

Thanks a lot for the help. I'll update this post with any change, hope my next message is to say that everything went back to normal.

 

[Hans]

Watching her closely this last days I've noticed that although she is hungry, asks for food and treats, and definetly apreciates pepper and veggies (scheduled or not), she is also saciated easier than usual. Meaning that she eats less amount at once, I'm thinking that maybe the bubble makes her feel full with less food.

Also, I'm not completly sure, but she might still be slowly losing weight. Not a lot, around 20g since friday, but you know how it is: having to consider that there's a noticeable diference between a piggie when it's full of poop/food and when it's more on the "empty" side.

I've been giving them carrot greens every few hours to counter the "saciated fast" effect and they both apreciate it (Willow have hit the jackpot here). Since Kelda keeps the appetite, I considered this might save her the unconfortable process of siringe feeding.

Kelda looks as naughty and dominant as always, and she is only halfway through treatment, but altogether I'm uneasy. So, I've called the vet to tell her about this, and she told me to take Kelda tomorrow at first hour to perform more tests on her (thats 2pm, since the clinic only has one vet specialiced at exotic pets, that's the best I can get over here). I guess she'll extract some blood and maybe repeat the x-ray.

I'll think I might ask for some probiotics and maybe ranitine. Also I'll ask her to consider painkillers, although Kelda doesn't seem to feel unconfortable at all.
Any advice or correction?