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Bloated and scared guinea pig

Yaswinn

Yaswinn

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Sep 4, 2018
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Location
Czechia
Good evening,
my guinea pig had bloat (not 100 % sure, since gassy and bloat are very similar in my mother tongue) just recently and she hasn't recovered yet, but she's bloated again. I did the mistake and fed her with a syringe, quite violently, and now she doesn't want to eat at all. I've tested if it's not a problem of the "liquid hay" on my other guinea pig, and she seems to like it, so no problem there.
My mum fed my girls with some cucumber and gave them some lettuce, so I think that's the reason my little girl is bloated again, but I really don't know what to do. She doesn't want to eat and using the syringe isn't really an option anymore.
 
Yaswinn said:
Good evening,
my guinea pig had bloat (not 100 % sure, since gassy and bloat are very similar in my mother tongue) just recently and she hasn't recovered yet, but she's bloated again. I did the mistake and fed her with a syringe, quite violently, and now she doesn't want to eat at all. I've tested if it's not a problem of the "liquid hay" on my other guinea pig, and she seems to like it, so no problem there.
My mum fed my girls with some cucumber and gave them some lettuce, so I think that's the reason my little girl is bloated again, but I really don't know what to do. She doesn't want to eat and using the syringe isn't really an option anymore.
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Hi!

Please have your girl seen by a vet as soon as possible as an emergency, in case there is a blockage or she is iGI stasis and she is no longer able to process any nutrients. Bloating in English means swollen with gas. Bloat is an ongoing problem and can take weeks to settle down; it can also return suddenly worse than ever and may kill. :(
Please follow the tips in this guide here: Bloat, GI Stasis ( No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

Please NEVER force any support feed into a guinea pig; if it goes in the wrong way, it can end up in the lungs or the nose and can cause an infection. Any piggy that really vigorously refuses to take syringe feed well in excess of its weakness is often not able to process food. We are talking about syringe feeding support and NOT force feeding like some online communities as that creates the wrong image and can do more harm than good. Only ever give as much as a guinea pig can hold in its mouth and swallow and wait until it has gone down before you give more. That can be as little as 0.10 ml in a very weak or small piggy to 0.5 ml in an adult who is partially eating on its own and has no swallowing problems.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Emergency and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

If you are in the UK and in an urban area, please google for out-of-hours services and have your girl seen asap.
 
Your guinea pig really needs to see a vet as soon as you can. Bloat can be a very serious condition and will need treatment quickly. I understand that your pig may not want to eat the syringe food you are giving, but she really needs to so she doesn't go into gut stasis (where the guts stop working). Please keep her off all vegetables until she is hopefully feeling much better, then you can reintroduce them slowly. You also need to very carefully and slowly syringe some water into your piggy as well - but be careful not to go too fast in case the water goes into your piggy's lungs.

Please take a look at this guide - hopefully it will help you: Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
 
Hope you can find an emergency vet quickly for your girl.
Hoping she will make a full recovery.
Holding you in my thoughts
 
Unfortunately, I won't be able to see the vet until Thursday as we have a holiday today and I have to leave for two days, starting tomorrow. Girl seems a bit better, not so swollen and is eating. I'll see the vet as soon as I can, until then, I'll take a look at those links. Thank you very much. :)
 
Yaswinn said:
Unfortunately, I won't be able to see the vet until Thursday as we have a holiday today and I have to leave for two days, starting tomorrow. Girl seems a bit better, not so swollen and is eating. I'll see the vet as soon as I can, until then, I'll take a look at those links. Thank you very much. :)
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Please be aware that severe bloat happens in waves, which can be spaced apart a few days but if serious can kill sooner or later. :(
Do you have anybody who could take your piggy to see a vet tomorrow for you?
 
Wiebke said:
Please be aware that severe bloat happens in waves, which can be spaced apart a few days but if serious can kill sooner or later. :(
Do you have anybody who could take your piggy to see a vet tomorrow for you?
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Yes, I can ask my family. They should be able to take her to the vet.
 
Yaswinn said:
Yes, I can ask my family. They should be able to take her to the vet.
Click to expand...

Look up the medication in the bloating guide and ask your vet for them (or for comparable brands). The medication has been proof-read by a very experienced guinea pig keeping exotics nurse.
 
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