Reoccurring Bloat

[Chewy6]

Hiya,
So I posted a few weeks ago about my chewy and we went to a guinea pig specialist and got sorted and her bloat went away until today when this morning i woke up and she was extremely bloated, worse than before.
I was wondering is the bloat going to keep flaring up every so often. I give her some metacam for pain.
If this is reoccuring is there anything particular i should be doing as going to the vet, which is 1h 30 mins away from me isnt practical everytime she flares up.
Or is there anything underlying that causes bloat? Just wondering if anyone had any past experience with this.
Also is there anything i should stay away from which might cause this?
Thanks.

 

[Claire W]

What veg are you feeding? Gassy veg such as broccoli and cabbage can cause bloat

 

[Piggies&buns]

It can be a particular food which can cause it.
The guide below may help

Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

 

[PigglePuggle]

We had a piggy with recurring bloat, after a first acute and almost fatal bloat episode it flared up every 3 or 4 weeks for about 6 months... sometimes certain foods can be triggers, but also some piggies are just prone to this- our vet suggested that our bloaty girl had a rather tight valve at the bottom of her stomach and a very narrow section of intestine that was causing things to get stuck...
If this is recurrent than ask your vet to prescribe medicine you can give at home at the first signs of bloat, after her 5th emergency vet bloat trip we were prescribed enough gut medicine for 3 months... and after that she only ever bloated once again lol!
What medicine did the vet give last time? perhaps you could request it over the phone?

 

[Chewy6]

We had a piggy with recurring bloat, after a first acute and almost fatal bloat episode it flared up every 3 or 4 weeks for about 6 months... sometimes certain foods can be triggers, but also some piggies are just prone to this- our vet suggested that our bloaty girl had a rather tight valve at the bottom of her stomach and a very narrow section of intestine that was causing things to get stuck...
If this is recurrent than ask your vet to prescribe medicine you can give at home at the first signs of bloat, after her 5th emergency vet bloat trip we were prescribed enough gut medicine for 3 months... and after that she only ever bloated once again lol!
What medicine did the vet give last time? perhaps you could request it over the phone?

Thanks for your reply!
I was given metacloprimide. Is this what you were given? If not, do you have any suggestions? Also did you do anything along With medicine eg, massage?
What age was your pig with its first bloat episode?

 

[Chewy6]

What veg are you feeding? Gassy veg such as broccoli and cabbage can cause bloat

I hadnt really started back with veg properly again from a few weeks ago. I was only giving small bit of coriander and strands of parsley.
Do you think the introduction of veg could of flared it up?

 

[Claire W]

I hadnt really started back with veg properly again from a few weeks ago. I was only giving small bit of coriander and strands of parsley.
Do you think the introduction of veg could of flared it up?

It could do, yes

 

[PigglePuggle]

Thanks for your reply!
I was given metacloprimide. Is this what you were given? If not, do you have any suggestions? Also did you do anything along With medicine eg, massage?
What age was your pig with its first bloat episode?

We were prescribed ranitidine which unfortunately has now been withdrawn for both medical and veterinary use, but metaclopramide is a good option for treating bloat. I think our Puggle was about 10 months old when she first developed bloat? And possibly her first acute episode was linked to some slightly dodgy coriander that actually made me sick too (I suffer from IBS and several food intolerances so I feel for any bloaty animals, its awful!) but the other piggies and my husband were unaffected so she must just be especially sensitive to dodgy foods like I am!
For a while we found that any green leafy stuff might set her off, but for other piggies it can be root veg, or grains, the main bloat trigger culprits are cabbagey things but if a piggy is bloat prone then anything could be a trigger food really. We never did any massage as our vet advised against it, it may help mild cases but in a severe case with a lot of gas our vet said you could easily rupture the gut applying any pressure...
I would ask the vet for enough meds to give at home at the first sign if it is recurrent as really with bloat you need to step in fast to keep it under control... maybe keep a food diary so you can identify any trigger foods, and keep any veg portions small and accompanied by lots of tummy settling hay! You might also try a probiotic or syringe feeding "poop soup" made of fresh caecotrophs from a healthy friend to help balance the gut bacteria- our Puggle has learned this herself bless her and the first sign of tummy ache she drops the veg, binge eats hay, and has her nose straight up her friends' bums begging for healthy caecotroph poops!
Best of luck with your bloaty piggy x

 

[Chewy6]

We were prescribed ranitidine which unfortunately has now been withdrawn for both medical and veterinary use, but metaclopramide is a good option for treating bloat. I think our Puggle was about 10 months old when she first developed bloat? And possibly her first acute episode was linked to some slightly dodgy coriander that actually made me sick too (I suffer from IBS and several food intolerances so I feel for any bloaty animals, its awful!) but the other piggies and my husband were unaffected so she must just be especially sensitive to dodgy foods like I am!
For a while we found that any green leafy stuff might set her off, but for other piggies it can be root veg, or grains, the main bloat trigger culprits are cabbagey things but if a piggy is bloat prone then anything could be a trigger food really. We never did any massage as our vet advised against it, it may help mild cases but in a severe case with a lot of gas our vet said you could easily rupture the gut applying any pressure...
I would ask the vet for enough meds to give at home at the first sign if it is recurrent as really with bloat you need to step in fast to keep it under control... maybe keep a food diary so you can identify any trigger foods, and keep any veg portions small and accompanied by lots of tummy settling hay! You might also try a probiotic or syringe feeding "poop soup" made of fresh caecotrophs from a healthy friend to help balance the gut bacteria- our Puggle has learned this herself bless her and the first sign of tummy ache she drops the veg, binge eats hay, and has her nose straight up her friends' bums begging for healthy caecotroph poops!
Best of luck with your bloaty piggy x

Thank you so much! I will try some poop soup and will ring in morning for some more meds cause I'm nearly out! Thank you again.