Bloat GI Questions

[PiggyPoppa]

Took our Girl to the vet the other day after noticing her walking strangely and they diagnosed her with Bloat/GI Stasis. She had lost quite a bit of weight since her last checkup. We've cut out all veg and have given her hardly any pellets, just syringe feeding of Critical Care every couple of hours, hay, and water. She is very hard to syringe feed as she is not comfortable being held so we have to wrap her in a towel and prop her upright just to get her to eat it. She seems even more lethargic than a few days ago and doesn't seem to be eating much hay at all. At the office the vet showed me a way to massage by gently squeezing below/behind ribs to release pressure and get things moving. We were given the Critical Care and some pain meds. Another issue is the vet recommended we move her outta the cage with Our other Piggy as the vet thought his attention might be the reason for her issues. We thought they were bonded as they've been in the same cage for about a month now, but we have noticed that she just hides in the cage most of the time while our other Piggy munches away on hay. Now he is freaking out cuz she's gone. I'm debating taking her back to the vet tomorrow but don't know if all this is normal. We are very worried and have not been through this before so have a few questions any help is appreciated, thanks in advance

Is holding her upright ok or should we try to let her stand on all four paws normally to syringe feed?
Any tips for especially squirmy pigs when syringe feeding?
She is very small, what is the most ml of Critical Care to give her at each feeding?
Is squeezing the best massage technique, I've seem posts saying a electric toothbrush is good?
I'm worried we may have been feeding her too quickly from syringe is 1ml every couple minutes ok for a very small Piggy?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Make sure you weigh her daily while she is unwell as that is the only way to know and the only guide as to how much feed she needs each day. If she loses weight each day then she isn’t being fed enough.

This is our digestive issues guide which will assist with further information on how to help her

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

I hope she is ok

 

[PiggyPoppa]

Thank you, we will look through that. One question forgot was if there are any other medications she should be given, besides the pain meds

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you, we will look through that. One question forgot was if there are any other medications she should be given, besides the pain meds

Hi

I am very sorry. Severe bloat is very much an uphill battle that you may not win.

There is a very limited range of gut meds for guinea pigs but their effectiveness can unfortunately be not as great. There is sadly no magic wand med or home care trick when you are dealing with bloating and/or GI stasis.
Is your vet suspecting an upset of the gut microbiome (dysbiosis) or something else that could radiate into the gut (pressure or severe pain) to cause the gassing; especially as mobility is affected, which is not usually the case in a straight forward bloating event?

You can find the usual gut meds listed in our guide to digestive disorders. Please take your time to read through it; you may find it helpful.
Here is the link again: Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

 

[PiggyPoppa]

I'm not sure in regards to what the vet suspects, this is our first time dealing with the issue so we didn't really know what to inquire about. I'll read through that thanks. She is eating some hay but not nearly enough, just wanna tell her to eat you'll feel better

 

[Wiebke]

I'm not sure in regards to what the vet suspects, this is our first time dealing with the issue so we didn't really know what to inquire about. I'll read through that thanks. She is eating some hay but not nearly enough, just wanna tell her to eat you'll feel better

Wouldn't we all wish that but it sadly doesn't work like this. All you can do is your best.

My thoughts are with you.