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The Dreaded Bloat

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VickiA

VickiA

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Connie is having another bout of the dreaded bloat. The vet did warn me that once she'd had it once she'd be vulnerable to it again but it's given me a shock how quickly it seemed to strike.
I've been building up grass time slowly over the last couple of weeks but yesterday the piggies each had nearly an hour on the grass in the sunshine. I've always treated grass time as part veg so didn't offer more than a slice of pepper to them yesterday tea time (which she refused). Yesterday evening Connie went downhill suddenly. Fortunately I recognised the signs and had some metacam, Zantac and metclopramide on hand plus a bottle of gripe water. She tolerated me massaging her abdomen and being syringe fed during the night. This morning she still looked bloaty and uncomfortable but was nibbling hay and pellets. She's been to the vets and we are carrying on with the same treatment and pushing fluids too, as she wasn't drinking much. Glad to report that this evening she's started producing more poops again (all odd sizes) and is starting to shout the odds about the lack of veg but I've no intention of risking her recovery by offering greens for a while.

I'm now wondering what to do over the summer about grass time. When she's better do I still only limit her to half an hour permanently or should I ever be able to leave her longer on grass without her gorging herself?
 
I would be really careful on grass from now on, we had to keep a diary on what sparked off bloat in one of our girls.... even food she could once eat set her off so we had to start off by introducing one veg at a time and starting again once we found one that set her off.

Metaclopromide and Zantac are a really great combination and as you have done try and keep some in for any emergencies in the night.. Odd shaped poo's are good means the system is kicking back in.... lots of hay is the order of the day.

Sending lots of healing vibes to Connie and a hug to you... Bloat is awful :(
 
Am sorry she has been so poorly, is great that you were able to spot the signs and act so quickly though. I know of a couple of pigs recently that were very ill after being on grass, though their owner did not follow the recommendations they were given for them going out on the grass. Some pigs though are very sensitive to it, also the ground is still cold at the moment which can make things worse.
 
Glad that you are getting over it! It is vey frightening, isn't it? Great that your vet has left you with everything handy at home, so you can treat straight away.

I think that you will have to find out through trial and error just how much grass she can cope with; probably only very little and rather fed in handfuls than in term of lawn time until she has stabilised again, which can take a few weeks. Once your piggy has had a severe bloat, it can come back very quickly and viciously - and kill. Better not risk ti!

I have been through it with my Ffraid, who has been left with a very tender digestion and bloating issues since a partial gut stasis caused by pain/temporary loss of use of her back legs two years ago. She is still with me at now 7 years old, but I have had to severely limit her veg intake and find out just which veg she can eat safely a bit of and how much grass she can have without setting her off again.
 
Thanks guys. @Wiebke the hay in run is great idea but I have to say I'll be severely restricting grass time when she is well enough again. She no longer has broccoli as I'm sure that's what set her off last time. But I'll go back to the beginning and add veg one at a time again to find what she can have safely. She's eating plenty of Timothy hay tonight and starting to get cross about syringes appearing so I know she's on the mend. Poor old girl.
 
VickiA said:
Thanks guys. @Wiebke the hay in run is great idea but I have to say I'll be severely restricting grass time when she is well enough again. She no longer has broccoli as I'm sure that's what set her off last time. But I'll go back to the beginning and add veg one at a time again to find what she can have safely. She's eating plenty of Timothy hay tonight and starting to get cross about syringes appearing so I know she's on the mend. Poor old girl.
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To be honest, I would just start with small portions of ripped grass once she has safely stabilised and also go through all veg one by one to find those that are setting her off. Bloat is a beastly thing to have, as it can hit anytime and worse than ever.

Please wait at least 24 hours until she has stablisied again before you start any veg. See whether she is fine with a sprig of coriander and give her a couple daily to help with the mineral bits.

I would recommend to see whether you are better of with the IS diet (we have it listed as "daily veg" in our balanced diet guide): https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...or-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/
You may find that a restricted but very regular diet is the best way forward and that you rather split the veg into 2-3 small portions.
 
Topping up the healing wheeks, poor Connie! Its good that you spotted it early! x
 
Thanks @Lady Kelly and @katanamoon if the shouts about the dry diet are anything to go by she is well on the mend. She's certainly found her voice again and is trying to hurl herself against the grids in a bud to break into the neighbours run and rob their veg. All very different from how black things looked on Sunday.
 
Best of luck! I am glad that things are definitely on the way up. Just be very careful with introducing and feeding fresh veg and grass from now on. Returning bloats are going to be something you have to take into account from now on - and they can be more vicious than the initial ones.
 
Thanks @Wiebke The speed of Sundays decline was terrifying I must confess, and it was lucky I had a stock of meds from last time and could start treatment as soon as I spotted it. I've stocked up but hope once we are over this crisis that we can avoid it happening again. So she's going to be on a very restricted diet for several days yet as I daren't risk a recurrence. She'll forgive me in time.
 
VickiA said:
Thanks @Wiebke The speed of Sundays decline was terrifying I must confess, and it was lucky I had a stock of meds from last time and could start treatment as soon as I spotted it. I've stocked up but hope once we are over this crisis that we can avoid it happening again. So she's going to be on a very restricted diet for several days yet as I daren't risk a recurrence. She'll forgive me in time.
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I would consider a generally more restricted diet after a second bout of bloat. I have lost piggies to severe bloat that even with the right meds, seeing a vet promplty and doing everything supportive right I couldn't get down. Bloat is still one of the most vicious killers.
 
Connie is one very fortunate piggy to have a vigilant human looking out for her! I cannot offer advice but wishing Connie all the best, and I hope you are ok too, what a stressful turn of events! x
 
It is a special time, and every extra day with a good quality of life is a gift! Well done, Connie!
 
Oh that's fantastic news! I'm so pleased. Well done, what a scary time you've both had!
Let's hope that's the end of it x
 
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