First time going through GI Stasis

[dosomenoizu]

Hello! I'm new to this site, so apologises if I'm a bit slow I'm panicking a lot and tried getting advice on reddit, but there wasn't much help, so I decided to post here!

I have a solo guinea pig that's about 4 year old. I adopted her 2 years ago. She's been neglected in her last home, resulting in them abandoning her in the end. We had two health checkups since I got her and everything was fine with her, no health issues even though she was not taken care of before. She's always had a big appetite, always hungry and reacting to bag sounds everytime. She has unlimited hay, gets a tablespoon of pellets a day, veggies two times a day, separated into smaller portions. She's around 1kg.

Until last week she was eating like crazy and being her usual self. Then on thursday evening I noticed she didn't finish her slice of bell peper (it's her favorite veggie!), didn't think much about it, maybe she felt full, or will finish it later. Next morning, when I wanted to give her food, I noticed her breathing was pretty fast and rapid. She still ate some hay, but was way less interested in it. I panicked she could have some raspiratory problems, so I decided to immediately bring her to the vet. But since I live in a small town (in Serbia), vets here are not really that good when it comes to small animals. Still, they took her in, were like 'we don't see a problem', gave her random antibiotic and told me to come back after the weekend if she's still feeling a bit under the weather. Later that day, when we came back home, she was acting really weak and after a few hours stopped pooping. I decided to call vets that are in a bigger city to ask for an advice, I was worrying her stomach stopped because of antibiotic and she needed probiotic (I had this happen with my chinchilla 6 years ago too). They immediately told me that's probably true, since she stopped pooping, but since they are like 1.5h away I couldn't bring her in that evening, but on the saturday morning. They told me to crush some pellets/hay, mix it with water and try to syringe feed her.

Next morning I brought her in, they told me it was probably gut problems., aka beginning of GI stasis. She got an IV, meds to help her gut move again, they aslo fed her again. They told us we can go home and gave us more gut mobility meds, gas drops and some extra food that I can mix with water to feed her. The vet also gave me probiotics in case stuff like this happen again. On satuday evening she finally pooped again and was more interested in eating, I didn't even have to hold her and force the food, she'd take it on her own from the syringe. On sunday she was feeling way better and was wheeking again, moving more and demanding more food.
And then this morning, I woke up to give her meds again, but she seemed a bit off again. She didn't wanna eat food on her own again, only some hay. I had to force feed her this time and it took a while since she wouldn't stay still. Right now she's mostly sleeping, sometimes she comes out of her hiding spot to eat some hay and then goes back to sleeping. I don't know if I should panic, or bring her back to the vet again. She still has 2 more days of meds left.

I just need some more advices on how to approach this the best way. I know I should continue feeding her and try to make her eat as much as possible. I'm worried she might not recover form this. I don't know if she's just having bad and good days, if it will get better tomorrow. I'm also so upset my town doesn't have any good vets for small pets and that the best one is 1.5h away..

 

[dosomenoizu]

Forgot to add, there's less poop again.

 

[piggieminder]

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

I've added a link I hope you find useful until a health expert comes along.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello! I'm new to this site, so apologises if I'm a bit slow I'm panicking a lot and tried getting advice on reddit, but there wasn't much help, so I decided to post here!

I have a solo guinea pig that's about 4 year old. I adopted her 2 years ago. She's been neglected in her last home, resulting in them abandoning her in the end. We had two health checkups since I got her and everything was fine with her, no health issues even though she was not taken care of before. She's always had a big appetite, always hungry and reacting to bag sounds everytime. She has unlimited hay, gets a tablespoon of pellets a day, veggies two times a day, separated into smaller portions. She's around 1kg.

Until last week she was eating like crazy and being her usual self. Then on thursday evening I noticed she didn't finish her slice of bell peper (it's her favorite veggie!), didn't think much about it, maybe she felt full, or will finish it later. Next morning, when I wanted to give her food, I noticed her breathing was pretty fast and rapid. She still ate some hay, but was way less interested in it. I panicked she could have some raspiratory problems, so I decided to immediately bring her to the vet. But since I live in a small town (in Serbia), vets here are not really that good when it comes to small animals. Still, they took her in, were like 'we don't see a problem', gave her random antibiotic and told me to come back after the weekend if she's still feeling a bit under the weather. Later that day, when we came back home, she was acting really weak and after a few hours stopped pooping. I decided to call vets that are in a bigger city to ask for an advice, I was worrying her stomach stopped because of antibiotic and she needed probiotic (I had this happen with my chinchilla 6 years ago too). They immediately told me that's probably true, since she stopped pooping, but since they are like 1.5h away I couldn't bring her in that evening, but on the saturday morning. They told me to crush some pellets/hay, mix it with water and try to syringe feed her.

Next morning I brought her in, they told me it was probably gut problems., aka beginning of GI stasis. She got an IV, meds to help her gut move again, they aslo fed her again. They told us we can go home and gave us more gut mobility meds, gas drops and some extra food that I can mix with water to feed her. The vet also gave me probiotics in case stuff like this happen again. On satuday evening she finally pooped again and was more interested in eating, I didn't even have to hold her and force the food, she'd take it on her own from the syringe. On sunday she was feeling way better and was wheeking again, moving more and demanding more food.
And then this morning, I woke up to give her meds again, but she seemed a bit off again. She didn't wanna eat food on her own again, only some hay. I had to force feed her this time and it took a while since she wouldn't stay still. Right now she's mostly sleeping, sometimes she comes out of her hiding spot to eat some hay and then goes back to sleeping. I don't know if I should panic, or bring her back to the vet again. She still has 2 more days of meds left.

I just need some more advices on how to approach this the best way. I know I should continue feeding her and try to make her eat as much as possible. I'm worried she might not recover form this. I don't know if she's just having bad and good days, if it will get better tomorrow. I'm also so upset my town doesn't have any good vets for small pets and that the best one is 1.5h away..

Hi and welcome

BIG HUGS

Please speak to your vets again. In terms of gut medications, rodents (including guinea pigs) are very limited since the most effective ones are based on steroids, which are a big no no. That is why any major problem in the digestive tract is not easy to deal with and yes, it can occasionally be fatal.

It would be worth checking whether the stasis is primary (i.e. a digestive tract issue) or whether it is the result of something underlying going on outside the gut (i.e. it is a secondary issue from something pressing on the gut or pain radiating into it). You and your vet will have to take it from there, depending on the findings. The likelihood that something else is in play rises if problems persist, unfortunately.

All you can do is hang on in there and concentrate on your piggy's care, welfare and best interests. That way you are not failing them whatever happens.

Please take the time to read these guides here to see whether you can optimise what you are already doing:
Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

I am never happy to link in the guide below but in the case it comes to the worst it can help to talk you through the toughest bits step by step. Please be aware that your current emotional upset is actually your grieving process kicking in. It doesn't start with the moment of death, it starts with the moment you are mugged by the realisation that a beloved one may not make it.
It always comes as a horrible, totally gut-wrenching shock, comparable to finding your piggy dead or dying, and it is the second worst moment in your grieving process apart from the loss itself.

This does however not mean that death is inevitable; with a lucky escape it will just die down again. But grieving always starts with an emotional upheaval of sorts. I hope that explains what you are feeling right now and why it seems so overwhelming?
Nobody wants to lose their beloved ones or even face the chance of a loss after all. Sadly we can never choose when, what from and under which circumstances the end comes; we can only ever give our piggies the good care and the happy todays they measure their live by. But if we give them our love daily and care daily, we are not failing them in any way, however short or long a life. To guinea pigs it is the quality and not the quantity that matters.
A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs

I cannot tell you what is going on and whether your little one is going to win through; that is beyond all of our capabilities. There is sadly no magic cure; only a very limited set of medication. All we can give you is our detailed practical guidance to help you through and our ongoing moral support throughout the whole axnxious time.

My thoughts are with you.

 

[Wiebke]

Forgot to add, there's less poop again.

The poo output reflects what has gone in 1-2 days ago. It takes that long for food to pass the digestive system. It can give an insight what has gone wrong in terms of the digestive process but only ever in hindsight but never what exactly is going on in there right now.

For any up-to-date feedback your normal kitchen scales are your best ally. For best day to day comparison and being able to compute the level feeding support that is requires for the coming 24 hours we strongly recommend weighing first thing in the morning when the daily weight swing of ca. 30g is at its lowest. You can find more information on this in the syringe feeding guide in the relevant chapters.

 

[dosomenoizu]

Hey guys, thank you for replying! The links you provided helped a lot!
Here's a small update.

She did start eating more on her own after a while and overall had more energy. Unfortunately, yesterday I noticed blood in her cage. I picked her up to inspect if she somehow got hurt, but the blood was coming out of her private parts. I immediately called vet and they told me to go to a specific clinic that works with small, exotic animals. We went there today. She had an ultrasound done and a few more tests. They told me they found masses on her uterus+ovarian cysts. We were lucky we caught it earlier since the masses don't seem cancerous yet. She's gonna be on antibiotics and pain meds for a week, and after that we are supposed to bring her in for a surgery. They want to take it all out and not risk it getting worse. I'm a bit nervous about the surgery ngl, but I do believe in that vet, since she specialises in small animals.
Since I brought my girl home, she's been way more active and eats lots of hay. I'd say that the masses/cysts probably caused her some discomfort and pain, which led to her eating less and developing stomach problems. I guess the pain meds helped a lot!

Now we just have to prepare for the next week. Hopefully the surgery will go well and we won't have any more issues!

 

[Wiebke]

Hey guys, thank you for replying! The links you provided helped a lot!
Here's a small update.

She did start eating more on her own after a while and overall had more energy. Unfortunately, yesterday I noticed blood in her cage. I picked her up to inspect if she somehow got hurt, but the blood was coming out of her private parts. I immediately called vet and they told me to go to a specific clinic that works with small, exotic animals. We went there today. She had an ultrasound done and a few more tests. They told me they found masses on her uterus+ovarian cysts. We were lucky we caught it earlier since the masses don't seem cancerous yet. She's gonna be on antibiotics and pain meds for a week, and after that we are supposed to bring her in for a surgery. They want to take it all out and not risk it getting worse. I'm a bit nervous about the surgery ngl, but I do believe in that vet, since she specialises in small animals.
Since I brought my girl home, she's been way more active and eats lots of hay. I'd say that the masses/cysts probably caused her some discomfort and pain, which led to her eating less and developing stomach problems. I guess the pain meds helped a lot!

Now we just have to prepare for the next week. Hopefully the surgery will go well and we won't have any more issues!

Hi

Glad that she has made it through the gut stasis, which is very likely caused by the growths and that you now know what you are up against.

The continued painkiller is important for her appetite and wellbeing right now.

It is going to be major surgery but it is in the nature of a make or break operation while there is still a reasonable chance that your girl can recover and enjoy a longer life span. Otherwise it means certain death in the nearer future since as soon the growths attach to other organs in the body then it won't matter much whether the growths are benign or malign - you are facing a sudden decline as more and more of the body can't function properly anymore. They are already impacting on the intestine. It is all very tightly packed in there.

It is never the news and the kind of decision that any of us wants to make. My fingers are very firmly crossed for you and for your girl!

Tips For Post-operative Care
Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

 

[dosomenoizu]

Hi

Glad that she has made it through the gut stasis, which is very likely caused by the growths and that you now know what you are up against.

The continued painkiller is important for her appetite and wellbeing right now.

It is going to be major surgery but it is in the nature of a make or break operation while there is still a reasonable chance that your girl can recover and enjoy a longer life span. Otherwise it means certain death in the nearer future since as soon the growths attach to other organs in the body then it won't matter much whether the growths are benign or malign - you are facing a sudden decline as more and more of the body can't function properly anymore. They are already impacting on the intestine. It is all very tightly packed in there.

It is never the news and the kind of decision that any of us wants to make. My fingers are very firmly crossed for you and for your girl!

Tips For Post-operative Care
Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

Thank you for your kind words!

The vet said the same thing! That's why I decided to go for the surgery. I'd rather try help her as much as possible, than to see her get worse in the future.
She's doing great right now, painkillers are really working their magic. I missed her hungry wheeking

The surgery is supposed to be on friday, so I'll keep this thread updated.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for your kind words!

The vet said the same thing! That's why I decided to go for the surgery. I'd rather try help her as much as possible, than to see her get worse in the future.
She's doing great right now, painkillers are really working their magic. I missed her hungry wheeking

The surgery is supposed to be on friday, so I'll keep this thread updated.

Wishing you all the best!

 

[weepweeps]

Good luck. Sending healing vibes her way. I hope she has a speedy recovery and is soon feeling much better.

 

[dosomenoizu]

Thank you all for the support! Here's an update.

Her surgery was on monday. Vet managed to take everything out, but unfortunately, there was one more tumor on her ovary. I was given two options: they can send everything they took out to histology or just let it be. Unfortunately, if it ends up being malignant, there's nothing they can do, since in Serbia, no one offers any kind of treatment for cancers in guinea pigs. The only option is life long painkillers. But I think it'd be a good idea to send it to further analysis, just so we know what to expect in the future.

Anyways, after the surgery, they had to monitor her for a while and after a few hours she was free to go home. We got more antibiotics and painkillers, which she'll be getting for a week. That night was a bit stressful, since she couldn't eat on her own, so I had to force feed her again, which she didn't enjoy at all haha. Her poops were a bit mushy, but they got better pretty fast. Since then, she's been a bit slow and in a bad mood, which is not suprising. Her incision is pretty big and I can see her struggle to clean/bend her body.

The only thing I'm currently worrying about, which started happening today, was that she's been making some noises while pooping. It was before she got pain meds, after that I didn't hear her make those sounds for a few hours. Right now, it occasionally happens. Her poops look normal tho, she's drinking lots of water and eating way more. Could it be that it's painful for her to poop with the wound she has? If it continues during the night, the plan is to call the vet tomorrow morning to see what they think it could be. I've read that some people split pain meds dosage, which I'm thinking could help if the meds wear off after a while.

I'm constantly checking on her. I even moved her cage to my room, so I can look after her while I'm working too. It's pretty stressful, but I'm fine with it. I just want the best for her and not to see her in pain anymore.

 

[weepweeps]

I’m pleased she’s doing ok. I would say she’s probably making the noises once the pain meds are wearing off. How much pain medication is she on? Is it once or twice a day?

 

[dosomenoizu]

Yeah, that's what I think too. Vet said to give it every 24h, meaning she gets it only once a day. I just looked at the surgery report, they gave her meloxicam.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you all for the support! Here's an update.

Her surgery was on monday. Vet managed to take everything out, but unfortunately, there was one more tumor on her ovary. I was given two options: they can send everything they took out to histology or just let it be. Unfortunately, if it ends up being malignant, there's nothing they can do, since in Serbia, no one offers any kind of treatment for cancers in guinea pigs. The only option is life long painkillers. But I think it'd be a good idea to send it to further analysis, just so we know what to expect in the future.

Anyways, after the surgery, they had to monitor her for a while and after a few hours she was free to go home. We got more antibiotics and painkillers, which she'll be getting for a week. That night was a bit stressful, since she couldn't eat on her own, so I had to force feed her again, which she didn't enjoy at all haha. Her poops were a bit mushy, but they got better pretty fast. Since then, she's been a bit slow and in a bad mood, which is not suprising. Her incision is pretty big and I can see her struggle to clean/bend her body.

The only thing I'm currently worrying about, which started happening today, was that she's been making some noises while pooping. It was before she got pain meds, after that I didn't hear her make those sounds for a few hours. Right now, it occasionally happens. Her poops look normal tho, she's drinking lots of water and eating way more. Could it be that it's painful for her to poop with the wound she has? If it continues during the night, the plan is to call the vet tomorrow morning to see what they think it could be. I've read that some people split pain meds dosage, which I'm thinking could help if the meds wear off after a while.

I'm constantly checking on her. I even moved her cage to my room, so I can look after her while I'm working too. It's pretty stressful, but I'm fine with it. I just want the best for her and not to see her in pain anymore.

Hi

The pain is not sitting inside the digestive tract but in the musculature that is needed to push the poos out, which is pulling on the operated area.

Because of their fast nd different metabolism, there is no cancer treatment for guinea pigs past operative removal wherever you are in the world. Compared 10 years earlier, veterinary medicine for guinea pigs has made massive strides but there are still some major limitations.

I am wishing your girl a good recovery. Please weigh her daily on your kitchen scales (cheap supermarket ones will do) first thing in the morning for best day to dy comparison so you know when you need to step in with additional feeding support asap. Please also check her bum, belly and the underside of all feet regulary since she will struggle to clean herself and be more prone to sitting in her faeces.

You may find the very practical advice in these links here helpful when dealing with post-op piggies:
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

 

[dosomenoizu]

Hi

The pain is not sitting inside the digestive tract but in the musculature that is needed to push the poos out, which is pulling on the operated area.

Because of their fast nd different metabolism, there is no cancer treatment for guinea pigs past operative removal wherever you are in the world. Compared 10 years earlier, veterinary medicine for guinea pigs has made massive strides but there are still some major limitations.

I am wishing your girl a good recovery. Please weigh her daily on your kitchen scales (cheap supermarket ones will do) first thing in the morning for best day to dy comparison so you know when you need to step in with additional feeding support asap. Please also check her bum, belly and the underside of all feet regulary since she will struggle to clean herself and be more prone to sitting in her faeces.

You may find the very practical advice in these links here helpful when dealing with post-op piggies:
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

That would make sense! I feel so bad to see her struggle

I'm checking her weight regularly! She did lose a few grams after the operation, but she's currently stable. Will be checking her feet and bum, until now I only checked her wound and genital area.

Thank you so much for additional info!

 

[Wiebke]

That would make sense! I feel so bad to see her struggle

I'm checking her weight regularly! She did lose a few grams after the operation, but she's currently stable. Will be checking her feet and bum, until now I only checked her wound and genital area.

Thank you so much for additional info!

You need to check her foot soles if she is sitting mostly in one place and change the bedding in there ideally daily or (depending on how mobile - or not - a piggy is) up to three times daily for the paralysed.
Poos cake more easily to the underside of the feet and standing in urine can lead to irritation or even bumblefoot infection (pododermatitis) in the frail.

I am not going to say that you are likely to deal with it now, but it is something to be aware of and something that could come into play more when the immune system is impacted by cancer so it is good to get into the habit now.

All the best. You can find more helpful tips and information in the guide links.