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maisie doesn't seem right - bloat?

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biscandmatt

biscandmatt

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maisie doesn't seem her usual self. her tum feels a bit hard and she is quieter than normal. i gently massaged her tum and she didn't seem too happy about it. she doesn't normally like it touched anyway though.

i put ches and maisie in their run and she moved around fine and she is eating, drinking and pooping still. she was moving around muttering.

we don't know if something has spooked her. could she have bloat?

they had orange pepper for the first time yesterday and some dried herbs the last few days. only a small amount though.

she is acting more herself the last half hour or so. she is coming over and wheeking for veg.

is there anything i could give her that won't cause any problems and may help her a bit?
 
Buscopan from the pharmacy and massaging.

You need to look up threads or ask alcesterpigs for the right dose, though.
 
buscopan i don't have, but i have infacol? :{

maisie weighs 1271g - weighed her yesterday.

i haven't syringe fed a piggy before. is there a way to do it properly?

and infacol won't cause her any problems will it? even if she just has suspected gas/bloat?
 
Found this on guinealynx.

BLOAT
If your guinea pig appears swollen and the stomach appears distended (a light tap on the side sounds hollow).
 
i don't know if it is bloat? or gas? or something else?

i haven't had piggies before so don't know. :(

she seems to be moving around more now though.

i will give her another check over and tap on the tum to see what it sounds like.

i could be being paranoid or something, but she just didn't seem right earlier.

she is eating hay and pellets and drinking normally. she didn't come over to me earlier though. she usually always greets me when i walk past. jut seemed strange.
 
just checked her over and she didn't make any fuss about me touching her sides, they feel squishy now. she didn't like me touching underneath her tun though. that feels a bit hard.

i compared her to ches and i would say her underneath is slightly 'tighter' and her sides are a bit less squishy. but not loads different really.

her sides look like they go out whereas chesneys look like they go in slightly.

i tapped on her sides and it feels slightly tight, but it wasn't hollow.

what do you think?

also, the only vets open are the emergency vets. if i end up taking her, what is it they have to give her? because they are more than useless and i don't trust them at all.

my normal vets is closed obv and my vet is away all next week.

there is another emergency vets but i haven't used them before so don't know what they are like. and tomorrow another vets is open which i have taken them to before, and who are also small animals/exotics.

should i still give her her veggie? or just hay and pellets and water only for now?

her sides are definitely softer than earlier.

sorry for all the questions. any advice would be great. thank you.
 
Acute bloat is severe and urgent problem. But some pigs do get mild cases which are not life-threatening. As long as the pig is definitely pooping, and is not sitting hunched up refusing to eat, then you can generally see what you can do at home. Not to say you shouldn't seek a vets advice, especially if you are at all unsure, but home remedies can be very effective and indeed put off a progression to a more serious condition.

Infacol (simethicone) can be given - dosage is up to 1ml. It can go higher, but if the stomach is not particularlu distended, just tender to touch and a little taut/springy, then the lower doses (up to 1ml) may be effective enough.

Personally the first drug I give to a pig with the problem is Buscopan. I give the Infacol afterwards; the treatment plan here for the non-acute cases tends to be Buscopan, then Infacol, then a session on the massage pad and manual abdominal massage.

Buscopan is given at the dose of one 10mg tablet. Crushed, mixed with 1ml water, and syringed orally.

Dexter's thread may also help, I've had a right old time with him! His problem has been almost eliminated with dietary measures, he had a long-standing problem with tightness right on his underside as you describe.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=43701

And another couple with useful info:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=45102
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=44727

In terms of your immediate questions - if you do give veg, avoid sugary and brassica veg (so no broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, peppers). If she seems well now and is eating, pottering about, generally seems fine, then I wouldn't be inclined to rush to the vets; just keep an eye on her.
 
Last edited:
Laura-CCC4 said:
Acute bloat is severe and urgent problem. But some pigs do get mild cases which are not life-threatening. As long as the pig is definitely pooping, and is not sitting hunched up refusing to eat, then you can generally see what you can do at home. Not to say you shouldn't seek a vets advice, especially if you are at all unsure, but home remedies can be very effective and indeed put off a progression to a more serious condition.

Infacol (simethicone) can be given - dosage is up to 1ml. It can go higher, but if the stomach is not particularlu distended, just tender to touch and a little taut/springy, then the lower doses (up to 1ml) may be effective enough.

Personally the first drug I give to a pig with the problem is Buscopan. I give the Infacol afterwards; the treatment plan here for the non-acute cases tends to be Buscopan, then Infacol, then a session on the massage pad and manual abdominal massage.

Buscopan is given at the dose of one 10mg tablet. Crushed, mixed with 1ml water, and syringed orally.

Dexter's thread may also help, I've had a right old time with him! His problem has been almost eliminated with dietary measures, he had a long-standing problem with tightness right on his underside as you describe.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=43701

And another couple with useful info:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=45102
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=44727

In terms of your immediate questions - if you do give veg, avoid sugary and brassica veg (so no broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, peppers). If she seems well now and is eating, pottering about, generally seems fine, then I wouldn't be inclined to rush to the vets; just keep an eye on her.
Click to expand...

thanks.

she is eating hay and seems ok.

i have sorted out the new emergency vets details should we feel she is getting worse.

where would be open now and sell buscopan? would infacol alone be ok for now?

also, i haven't ever syringed a piggy before or been shown how to? is there a specific way?

one of my bunnies, bisc, gets regular tummy troubles and has infacol, tummy rubs etc. i am confident with him as he has had it so much and i have everything here and know what to do.

is it any dose up to 1ml i give? or a certain amount? she weighs 1271g. i assume i give it a little bit at a time aswell like with the bunnies?

sorry for all the questions. i don't want to do something wrong and make her worse.

we don't drive so can't think where to go for infacol. might see if there is someone who can go for us. failing that, it will have to be a taxi.

it is awful not knowing what to do. like i have read about it but never had to treat it. with the bunnies i am so confident. but piggies not so much.
 
sorry, one more thing. if she didn't have anything wrong and i gave her buscopan and infacol, would that do her any harm?
 
We all have the animals we are most comfortable dealing with. Give me a pig to treat, I know what I'm doing, but hand me a bunny and I'm totally lost. I've no confidence at all with rabbits even though the basic principles of many conditions are very similar to piggies. Much of it is the skill of handling the animal correctly, and handling rabbits is a lot different to handling guineas! You have a lot of experience with your bunnies medical problems, it's only natural you'll have the most confidence with them.

The dosage for Infacol is quite variable. As she seems to be ok now, just a slight tightness, I'd start on 0.3ml and see how she does. If it makes no difference, give another dose an hour or so later. I have given 1ml at a time but heard of cases where twice that amount was given safely and effectively. (And yes, to clarify to others, it is 1ml, no typo there.)

Infacol alone can help sometimes, worth trying. On a Sunday evening not many places will be open, unfortunately - this sort of thing always happens at this time, doesn't it?

I've juust spotted your question on what a vet would give for suspected bloat - usually a gut stimulent (motility) drug, you may have heard of it: Metaclopromide. Effective if a blockage is ruled out, it is also given frequently to guinea pigs who have problems eating, as if not enough food is going in, or not frequently enough, the digestion slows down and needs to be stimulated again (along with more frequent and larger syringe-feeds).

Syringe-feeding a guinea, go in at the side of the mouth, behind the incisors. The general tips on this thread might help a bit:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36533

If she seems normal aside from the slight tightness - and she is definitely eating and pooping - then don't stress yourself out fretting over getting all these home remedies into her. Dexter had the tightness and tenderness on his underside for a very long time, I was never able to shake it off completely until recently; while abnormal, it was not a "major" concern.
 
Giving Buscopan and Infacol is unlikely to do her any harm if she does not have bloat. If a pig has impaired kidney function then the adminstration of medicines has to be undertaken with much greater care, but for an otherwise healthy pig, a one-off dose is quite unlikely to cause negative effects.

If you'd like to try something non-medicinal to help, dill is said to be good at helping to reduce bloat; similarly parsley and fennel have similar properties. In fact, the primary ingredient in Gripe Water (an alternative to Infacol) is dill seed.
 
Laura-CCC4 said:
We all have the animals we are most comfortable dealing with. Give me a pig to treat, I know what I'm doing, but hand me a bunny and I'm totally lost. I've no confidence at all with rabbits even though the basic principles of many conditions are very similar to piggies. Much of it is the skill of handling the animal correctly, and handling rabbits is a lot different to handling guineas! You have a lot of experience with your bunnies medical problems, it's only natural you'll have the most confidence with them.

The dosage for Infacol is quite variable. As she seems to be ok now, just a slight tightness, I'd start on 0.3ml and see how she does. If it makes no difference, give another dose an hour or so later. I have given 1ml at a time but heard of cases where twice that amount was given safely and effectively. (And yes, to clarify to others, it is 1ml, no typo there.)

Infacol alone can help sometimes, worth trying. On a Sunday evening not many places will be open, unfortunately - this sort of thing always happens at this time, doesn't it?

I've juust spotted your question on what a vet would give for suspected bloat - usually a gut stimulent (motility) drug, you may have heard of it: Metaclopromide. Effective if a blockage is ruled out, it is also given frequently to guinea pigs who have problems eating, as if not enough food is going in, or not frequently enough, the digestion slows down and needs to be stimulated again (along with more frequent and larger syringe-feeds).

Syringe-feeding a guinea, go in at the side of the mouth, behind the incisors. The general tips on this thread might help a bit:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36533

If she seems normal aside from the slight tightness - and she is definitely eating and pooping - then don't stress yourself out fretting over getting all these home remedies into her. Dexter had the tightness and tenderness on his underside for a very long time, I was never able to shake it off completely until recently; while abnormal, it was not a "major" concern.
Click to expand...

the amount of times i have had problems with the pets has been a sunday evening/night. makes me nervous when it gets to a sunday now! rolleyes luckily i have everything i need for the buns here. they have so many problems. i have metaclopramide/maxolon here all the time. the buns have it syringe fed when needed.

i went in the kitchen earlier to get the pigs some veg and maisie came running over wheeking so that is good. she ate her veg as normal and since then she has been acting normally. her sides do look a bit more 'full', but obv she has just eaten aswell. i did what you said and didn't give pepper which they were supposed to have this week. the gassy foods make me nervous anyway so i don't feed them to the buns or pigs. i will cut out the pepper for a few days until she seems completely 100%

i haven't given her any infacol yet as she seems ok but i am just going to give her another check over so if she feels the same i will start with 0.3ml as you suggested.

dan is going to get some buscopan tomorrow so we have it here if we ever need it. i nearly got some the other day but i wasn't sure it was the right thing so i didn't! mallethead

thanks for the syringe feeding tips. maisie is a good girl so should be ok.

i get really paranoid so will never feed orange pepper again now. because that is the only thing that was different. they have had dried herbs in the past so i doubt they would cause any problems.

i read some of your thread about dexter. it is awful when nothing seems to work for ages. bisc has had bladder and gut problems since last july and is only just getting better. he has had a flare up of his upper respiratory infection and matt has been on treatment for his uri for over a year now. both buns have always had problems and the amount if meds i give each day, nebulising etc.. is mental! and the cost! obv i pay because i love them and that but it has been thousands last year! takes it toll having poorly pets. :(

anyway, going to check miss maisie over and see if she needs any infacol.

asda delivery came today and the thing that was missing on the list was dill! mallethead we have parsley though so i will try her with some of that.

thanks for taking the time to write alot and help me out. :)
 
i am so proud of maisie. i picked her up out of the cage and she sat on my knee and i massaged her tum. it is much better now. nearly back to normal... and she let me syringe her the infacol! with no fuss at all! she was so good. i am so proud of her! :<>

i gave her 0.3ml and gave little bits at a time. i am pleased with myself now that i can do it aswell! i will be fine now in the future if i ever need to do it again. :))

we had cuddles after and ches was calling for her from the cage! x) he was thrilled when his wife arrived home! x) and then they know they get a reward after anytime i check them/cuddle them, so the waited and had some coriander and parsley and maisie has been fine. she is acting herself now. muttering to herself and walking round the cage as normal... and greeting me whenever i walk past. x)

feeling her tummy now, i know now that it was quite taut before. :(

so relieved she is feeling better. i don't think i will sleep tonight though. but i sleep in the lounge anyway with the pets so i will beable to check her regularly. :)

ahh, so proud of her... again! she is such a good girl. x)
 
Glad she is feeling better! My piggies always seem to choose being ill with my oh going away and i can't drive or if i have something i am really looking forward to planned! rolleyes
 
maisie perked up loads after the infacol and it really made a difference. she was back to her normal self completely really quickly and today she is perfectly fine. i can tell now feeling her tum that it was bloated yesterday. poor girl.

she greeted me at the cage this morning, wheeking for breakfast. x)

she looks much better today.

dan has also just texted to say he has got the buscopan aswell so we will have that here in future! rolleyes and we always have infacol here aswell anyway.

phew, glad she is ok now. :)

thanks for the help yesterday x>>
 
I am relieved she's back to normal now and the Infacol helped. :)

I always thought peppers were fine, I always avoided the brassica veg anyway, but since removing peppers, babycorn and also (controversially) pellets, Dex has never been better, no tightness left at all. The thing with peppers is that they are sugary; they're perfectly fine for most pigs, but particular pigs with sensitive digestion/bladders may struggle more to digest sugary foods.
 
Laura-CCC4 said:
I am relieved she's back to normal now and the Infacol helped. :)

I always thought peppers were fine, I always avoided the brassica veg anyway, but since removing peppers, babycorn and also (controversially) pellets, Dex has never been better, no tightness left at all. The thing with peppers is that they are sugary; they're perfectly fine for most pigs, but particular pigs with sensitive digestion/bladders may struggle more to digest sugary foods.
Click to expand...

thank you :)

she is fine with red, yellow and green peppers but these orange ones may have caused the problem. unless it was just a coincedence. but she has never had anything like this before and the orange peppers were the newest thing. :{

dexter sounds like my bisc. bisc cannot tolerate many foods well at all because he has such a sensitive gut. sugary things like you said, and anything that is gassy aswell. he only has herbs now, but even then, if i give just a bit too much, his tum sets off.

my vet (exotics vet) is in agreement with you about no pellets for rabbits and guinea pigs aswell. he is more for the natural diet. bisc and matt have oxbow pellets but only half an egg cup a day, and ches and maisie are now on oxbow aswell but i limit their pellets to 50g between both of them a day. they never eat that amount though.

like you, i avoid all gassy foods just incase. they all definitely seem better with more natural foods like the leafy greens they should have mainly etc.

i am really happy because my seeds are growing now! and i would feel better knowing i have grown them myself and they haven't been grown in manky compost with chemicals added.
 
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