My Piggy Has Been Eating His Megazorb :-(

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cutepiggies

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Hi, so my piggy has been seriously ill now for over 24 hours :-( He was being treated with a very high dose of Emeprid for suspected bloat, but with no improvement in the last 24 hours, I took him back this morning and he was taken in to be x-rayed there and then. The x-ray showed up a massive amount of 'something' which the vet can only assume must be megazorb?
I know things don't look good but I was really hoping that other's may have pigs that have done this and have perhaps come through it?He isn't pooing at all, so it is a total blockage now.
They can't operate as there is to much apparently :-( Bless him, we only lost another pig a few weeks ago due to bloat, I can't believe we have another one so seriously ill again so soon :-(
 
HUGS

I am very sorry; especially as it is the second time in such a short time. What an awful thing to happen! There is not much you can do with a blockage except hope; you have done the right thing in seeing your vets and having an x-ray done. Guinea pig guts are extremely thin and fiddly, and near impossible to operate on. :(

I have not heard about piggies dying from eating megazorb before, but best put him on some fleece for the time being.
 
Is the vet sure it is Megazorb and not a build up of poo? Is he staying at the vets?
 
Thank you for your kind words, they help a lot. Yes Helen, he is staying at the vets. What would poo look like on an x-ray? I saw the x-ray and the mass was roughly 8cms by 4cms I would say and was white and a bit fluffy looking? I just don't see how he will manage to pass all that the poor mite, especially if it is megazorb :-(
 
Ah if it was white then it won't be poo. What is the vet thinking of doing?
 
At the moment he is on 1ml of Emeprid x3 per day. They are starting him on Cisaprid alongside the Emeprid, and also giving high doses of laxative now to try and help him pass it. He is on Metacam and fluid therapy to keep him hydrated? I'm not sure if there is much more they can do tbh. We have been told they should know more in the morning as to which way it is likely to go for him
 
Hi guys :-) Well he is back home with us with mountains of medication. Vets decided he would be better off at home as he is still fairly bright so long as we are happy to give the fluids. Can't say I'm enjoying injecting them into him as it's very difficult but agree he is better here, and more settled, and it is fab to have him back. Our last pig died whilst being given fluid therapy/bloods so it does concern me the stress of doing it on him. On the plus side, he has started to poo again! Not as frequently as normal, but they are a decent size. We can see he is eating an awful lot of them straight from his bottom though so hard to know how many he is actually producing.
He had a 2nd x-ray this morning which showed a slight improvement. Things had moved south very slightly, but it also showed up pockets of gas in the blockage which weren't showing yesterday. Usually, you wouldn't be pleased to see gas, but it shows that the megazorb blockage has started to break up which is what we need atm.
All he is allowed to eat is dandelion leaves. He can't have hay or anything as vet says it is to bulky for his insides atm along with the megazorb blockage. Please keep sending your positive thoughts for him. We desperately don't want to lose another pig but are under no illusions as to how ill he is the poor mite :-(
 
cutepiggies said:
Hi guys :-) Well he is back home with us with mountains of medication. Vets decided he would be better off at home as he is still fairly bright so long as we are happy to give the fluids. Can't say I'm enjoying injecting them into him as it's very difficult but agree he is better here, and more settled, and it is fab to have him back. Our last pig died whilst being given fluid therapy/bloods so it does concern me the stress of doing it on him. On the plus side, he has started to poo again! Not as frequently as normal, but they are a decent size. We can see he is eating an awful lot of them straight from his bottom though so hard to know how many he is actually producing.
He had a 2nd x-ray this morning which showed a slight improvement. Things had moved south very slightly, but it also showed up pockets of gas in the blockage which weren't showing yesterday. Usually, you wouldn't be pleased to see gas, but it shows that the megazorb blockage has started to break up which is what we need atm.
All he is allowed to eat is dandelion leaves. He can't have hay or anything as vet says it is to bulky for his insides atm along with the megazorb blockage. Please keep sending your positive thoughts for him. We desperately don't want to lose another pig but are under no illusions as to how ill he is the poor mite :-(
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Eating poos is a very good sign; it means that he is actively helping to restock his digestive system with all the fauna and flora it needs after the heavy medication. it is also great that food is still coming through. Fingers very firmly crossed!
 
How worrying for you. Just wanted to send hugs and lots of healing vibes. Keeping everything crossed for you xx
 
Thank you. He isn't on a probiotic atm so I will need to ask about that tomorrow. He is on a very specific diet/ meds combination so don't want to add anything to it without checking first but it does concern me that he isn't having anything. It's hard not to get your hopes up but it's a huge relief to see some poos! Who would have thought you could get so excited over a piggy poo!
 
Oh that is horrible! :soz: Caramel and Doughnut send their healing wheeks.

I can't believe companies are actually allowed to make bedding that can be so harmful for our little darlings to eat. Don't worry, this isn't your fault, but it's probably a good idea to send an angry complaint to Megazorb and also switch to a safe bedding.
 
We just lost one of our guinea pigs to bloat last weekend - like yours he died whilst undergoing treatment, so I can really feel for you - thinking of you and everything crossed x
 
I'm very sorry to hear this but glad your vet is providing aggressive gut motility treatment....that suggests they don;t think the megazorb has actually caused a blockage/obstruction in the gut which would be my biggest concern.

I realise that this is upsetting for you but if you (or anyone else) are thinking of writing to the manufacturers to complain....can I just make a few points please?

Firstly Megazorb is sold as a bedding for horses.........not for guinea pigs..... so I don't think the manufacturers have done anything wrong.

The on-line guineapig community have been recommending megazorb as an alternative to wood shavings for piggies for a few years now. Auboise is also used by some....again this is desgned for horses. I have trialled both with my piggies and have gone back to newspaper and wood shavings as I didn't like the potential risks in such small animals of these two types of materials. Other piggie slaves have used them with no problems whatsoever and will continue to recommend them as an alternative to shavings. Guinea pig owners who use these types of products that are not marketed specifically for guinea pigs (and based on the recommendation from strangers on the internet) do so at their own risk.

Secondly, It is also worth pointing out that guinea pigs with developing gut stasis problems (often because they are poorly and have stopped eating sufficient of their normal food) very often resort to eating newspaper/shavings/kitchen roll or whatever hard fibre is lying round to try to keep their guts moving. As a matter of course, I ensure all my pigs have access to strips of kitchen roll if they are poorly and not eating well.

I therefore think it is not possible to say at this juncture that megazorb caused the bloat....it is just as likely that gut stasis was already developing, the guinea pig started eating megazorb to counteract this (unsuccessfully) and hence why there was a bolus of megazorb seen in the gut on Xray.

Bloat can take days to weeks to develop in a poorly pig...as it is difficult to notice they are gradually reducing their food intake and their poop output until they are right off their food and have distinctly audible and visible gassy abdomens. The only time you see bloat develop quickly is in response to something eaten 24hours previously (grass clippings, spring grass, decaying leafy greens or some other veggie they have a sensitive reaction to such as green beans etc)

I hope the motility meds work and that the gas/gut starts moving - it can take 24-48 hours to start to see the effects. I would also keep them off green veggies for now and feed them dried herbage products including a selection of tasty hays instead Once your piggie has recovered form the acute phase, I would also be on the alert for some other underlying problem that may have caused the gut to slow down in the first place.

HTH
x
 
I am very sorry that you have a poorly piggy so soon after losing your last :(

I have no advise but just wanted to send lots of healing vibes.

I am also inclined to agree with Pebble regarding the megazorb. I am afraid that if you were to complain to the manufacturer, you wouldn't have a leg to stand on as it is at the end of the day marketed as a horse bedding.

All the best for a positive outcome x
 
Hi Cutiepiggies,
So sorry to hear about the problem with your poor piggie. I do hope that he pulls through. It sounds like he is on the mend so lets hope it continues. Your piggie must have eaten a lot of Megazorb, which, like a lot of small animal bedding these days, is made from recycled paper mulch. So please do not feel bad about having put it in his way. Megazorb is white-ish in colour and very granular in texture (for those who have never seen it) so would look fluffy in the ex ray. My heart goes out to you and your piggie. Wishing you all the best.006.webp
 
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