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Emergency Swollen Stomach - Pooping Ok ***urgent**

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ishy28

ishy28

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Hi,

Percy (4) started having breathing problems and a huge swollen belly.

Took him to emergency vet this afternoon and they have only just seen him properly! 4 hours later! An X-ray has shown lots of gas and nothing more.

They have suggested a needle to fix this but as he is pooping it's probably something more serious than Guinea pig bloat (my thinking not theirs)

I don't know what to do next. This has already cost nearly £400 and I am fuming he's been left since 1:30 with no treatment.

That aside....I have no way of separating him and Piglet tonight....I also don't want to prolong his agony if he can't get better.

Advice please?
 
have they given him any medication. I don't have any experience with bloat but I know others gave their piggies medication.

Also you can massage his tummy with something like an electric toothbrush

@Stewybus
 
Hi!
As you boy is still pooping, this sounds like a serious case of bloat; it is obviously not a blockage.

Can you please tell whether they have given you any medication like zantac and metocloramide/emeprid to help relieve the gassing and stimulate the gut muscles to help move on the gas? Bloat can happen out of the blue, and it can cause your piggy's symptoms.

Please vibrate him with a car seat or an electric toothbrush. If you haven't given any medication whatsoever, get hold of some gripe water or ranitidine from a pharmacy to help break up the gas. You can give 0.3 ml every 3-4 hours. Bloat is a serious issue and I feel very much for you for having had such an unsatisfactory and expensive service. :(

Please hand feed, little but often round the clock to keep the guts going.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/
 
They've taken out a fair bit of has with a needle and given him a antibiotic I think. Off to pick him up now so will post more details of meds. They said if it doesn't go away or comes back then it's surgery or putting him to sleep.

Should I mention I'm angry they've left him in pain? They already knew I was concerned he'd probably be like it all morning as it was?
 
He's eating and pooping - what should I be feeding him?
 
It sounds like you could do with a second opinion after you've picked him up. I can't tell you whether or not the vet gave the right treatment, although I would also be very upset as bloat is an emergency. However from what I have read about bloat on here and other sites there are other things to try and certain medication that can help to disperse the gas, the ones that Wiekbe has mentioned. Going by that information alone I would be wanting to seek another opinion, and to get hold of the meds. I hope the gas-letting through the needle has relived most of his discomfort.
£400 does seem steep. One of my guinea pigs had a major operation and that cost £360, including the pre-op tests, x-ray, meds and after care special food etc.
Soon after I joined I was kindly pointed to the top of the forum to the vet locator. From there I have found a vet that I feel I would be confident with. Perhaps this might help you in terms of finding a vet that would take the condition seriously, be up to date with the meds etc and not rip you off.

As I say, I don't know whether or not the needle treatment was the best course of action for this case, but it is not the only treatment, so it's worrying that they are willing to give up on your piggy if the bloat comes back.
 
Were you given Critical Care or something similar?

Avoid veggies and I would think avoid pellet food due to the starch unless Wiekbe says otherwise.
I've recently read an informative thread on bloat, I'll try to find it for you, but I suggest holding fire with the food until an experienced member tells you what to feed. Hay, provide hay.

This is the one... https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/bloat-advice.126512/ on page one there's a good explanation of the meds and how they affect the condition, and also mentions food.

I hope it's useful to you until Wiekbe gets back to you with advice more specific to your piggy. Good luck.
 
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I have been battling with bloat this last couple of weeks with my piggy Scruff. I won't retype my entire experience here but definitely try and get some medication to help from a bet if they haven't already done so. As others have said gripe water will really help as for now if you can get some

It's going to take lots of vigilance, massages and dedication but you've gone for help as quickly as you could! (Even if they were expensive and unsatisfactory) - take a look at my thread which is a couple down from this one and you might be able to get a bit more of an overall picture of people's advice to me and my experience so far.

Have you been given metacam or something similar for the pain? If you can try and get some floor time and moving around it really helps things too.

Good luck and sending hugs!
 
He's been given Fibreplex and Baytril. They got most gas out but not all and his breathing is still bad.

Should I have asked for them to put him to sleep? It's killing me he may be suffering.

I'm putting him in with piglet to see how it goes but do have a hutch outside that I could put the well pig in xx
 
Piglet may help to comfort him and ease his stress, which may help him to try and stay strong.
Have you read through the link? It's the same one that Alanaf has been referring to in her post. She has been through the mill and back with her piggy but seems to be winning the battle and has lots of useful information on the treatment in terms of meds, massage and gripe water, and what to perhaps expect while nursing him through it.
If you can find a more piggy-savvy vet they may be able to recommend whether or not the other treatment is likely to work, but I think for now it's too early to have him put to sleep, even though he has been suffering. x
 
Thanks for all your advice. Sorry I've not replied specifically.....I have anxiety and don't cope well with things going wrong.
 
I just worry that obviously I will do my best but life is already stressful at the moment (health problems in myself) and my husband and I both work full time. I just want to do what's right by him and not have him suffer.

Obviously I want him to live but from what the vet said it doesn't look good.
 
We're all wishing you well and your piggy. It's a stressful thing for anyone to go through, and added to that the stress of the vet's treatment (or lack of) it's a horrible thing. Having anxiety is like double-whammy! x
 
It's good that he's eating - it means things are moving through his system. Leave some of his favourite veggies near to him, in case he fancies them. Anything going in is better than nothing and will keep things moving.

If you can get hold of some gripe water, you could try that. Will need to give 3ml. Otherwise, brew and cool some peppermint tea. Make it quite strong and syringe in 2ml. If you don't have syringes, please try to find a late night pharmacy. You should be able to buy syringes, but don't tell them they will be for animal use. Otherwise, get some from the vet.
 
It's ok, I get like you too, I have severe anxiety and people like @Wiebke are very patient with me, in fact if it wasn't for people like Wiekbe I don't know what I would have done just lately.

I hope your guinea pig pulls through.
 
The vet was nice enough but just annoyed he was left until gone 5 before the needle was done. We took him in around 1pm.

It's not helped. Total bill ended up £350 but doubt it ends there.
 
Make sure you are hand feeding and giving water and a probiotic (1-2 hours after baytril) as it can affect the appitite and the gut flora - this will be essential as his guts will be very delicate at the moment.

Make sure you are regularly massaging the gut, have you got an electric toothbrush? That can really help if you wrap it in cloth and delicately massage his sides.

I know how stressful it is at times like this but you are doing everything you can.

If you find that the baytril is increasing the symptoms try and talk to anything vet tomorrow as there are a couple of other antibiotic options that might be more gentle on the gut.

You should also talk to a vet about potentially getting a prescription of Zantac and possibly emeprid - they help to stimulate the gut and get things moving - helping to shift the built up gas. Gripe water helps by breaking down the gas bubbles into smaller ones.

I know we are all just words on a forum but the support and help I have got from here over the last couple of weeks has been absolutely fantastic, you might feel like you are battling this alone but we are all here with you sending love and healing vibes
 
I am very sorry for your upset, but please take heart that your boy is still eating on his own and that his guts are working. That is very encouraging! Fighting bloat is not a quick process, as it takes much longer to go down and the digestion will remain tender for some time, but it is not necessarily a death sentence.

Please be aware that baytril is an appetite dampener (all antibiotics kill off the good bacteria in the guts as well as the bad ones), so please be prepared to step in with hand feeding/watering if necessary.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/

You can additionally help ease the breathing by placing a bowl of steaming water next to the cage.

I second @furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary recommendations re. seing your normal vet and asking for the standard meds to fight bloat tomorrow.
 
I'm finishing work tomorrow at 3 so will have to get gripe water then.

Not eaten or prepared for work yet and time is getting on.

He seems pretty comfortable apart from his breathing. He's back in with his mate for comfort.

I'm not keen to massage him tonight as he's just had the needle...this also should mean it's done a lot of the work. Not sure if anyone agrees?

I'm just gonna have to see how he is tomorrow and go from there. Maybe get a 2nd opinion.
 
I would definitely recommend trying to get those other medications tomorrow - they are also not very expensive which is always good and they do seem to make all the world of difference.

The emeprid Zantac and metacam cost me about £35.

As Scruff hasn't been tapped I'm unsure of whether massaging would aggravate that, @Wiebke?
 
Alanaf said:
I would definitely recommend trying to get those other medications tomorrow - they are also not very expensive which is always good and they do seem to make all the world of difference.

The emeprid Zantac and metacam cost me about £35.

As Scruff hasn't been tapped I'm unsure of whether massaging would aggravate that, @Wiebke?
Click to expand...

I would recommend to vibrate him, but not massage him, especially in the wake of needling. Vibrating can help a lot with bloating problems.
 
I hope reading through the thread-link helps in terms of giving you knowledge on the meds you can expect to have prescribed and what to expect.
I do hope you can find another vet though. Have you found one using the vet locater at the top of the forum?

I have a genuine question for all of those who may know. What useful role does an antibiotic play in helping a case of piggy bloat?
 
So sorry that you are another owner battling bloat. All advice on here is good. One of mine has just had bloat for a second time and pulled through. It's terrifying and time consuming to treat but don't lose heart.
 
Think the antibiotic is because of the breathing....she said in case of respiratory infection.
 
Am I ok to start the vibrating tomorrow?

Will move their cage as it's on too of my dogs Crete and put a bowl of steaming water next to it x
 
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