GI stasis, is this normal?

[RheMae]

Hi guys!
My guinea Guts is in the hospital with GI stasis and we thought bloat. He only had some mild gas, and they've been amazing in treating him and communicating this time around. (Even if I get a little crazy.) I was really on them about his teeth, since it's very obvious he wants to eat, but before he had stopped, I noticed he was struggling with his bite. They mentioned malocclusion, and we had one visit with his vet before his emergency hospitalization, and we have one coming up. We are hoping the vet will handle this tomorrow, but due to the holiday, we have to wait.
We just got our evening check up, and he had been eating CC and pooping about 8 pellets a day. But he hasn't pooped today. I feel this is very sudden and extremely worrisome, considering he WAS pooping, and now he is not? They added an oral ulcer med and anti nausea med, and they told me this wouldn't make him constipated. He's also been taking a probiotic, and the vet at the hospital said his stomach noises are a 2.4/4 the last we heard- yesterday. So I don't know if I should be concerned, or pushing for blood work, or something else? Could he not be pooping due to his teeth? They are saying that his teeth might be causing his mouth not to close fully, and this might be leading to him not getting all his food in?

Any kind of insight would be helpful. The vet just really stressed about getting him somewhere that can handle his teeth quickly, which we are, but I don't understand if they are syringe feeding/medicating him?

 

[Wiebke]

Hi guys!
My guinea Guts is in the hospital with GI stasis and we thought bloat. He only had some mild gas, and they've been amazing in treating him and communicating this time around. (Even if I get a little crazy.) I was really on them about his teeth, since it's very obvious he wants to eat, but before he had stopped, I noticed he was struggling with his bite. They mentioned malocclusion, and we had one visit with his vet before his emergency hospitalization, and we have one coming up. We are hoping the vet will handle this tomorrow, but due to the holiday, we have to wait.
We just got our evening check up, and he had been eating CC and pooping about 8 pellets a day. But he hasn't pooped today. I feel this is very sudden and extremely worrisome, considering he WAS pooping, and now he is not? They added an oral ulcer med and anti nausea med, and they told me this wouldn't make him constipated. He's also been taking a probiotic, and the vet at the hospital said his stomach noises are a 2.4/4 the last we heard- yesterday. So I don't know if I should be concerned, or pushing for blood work, or something else? Could he not be pooping due to his teeth? They are saying that his teeth might be causing his mouth not to close fully, and this might be leading to him not getting all his food in?

Any kind of insight would be helpful. The vet just really stressed about getting him somewhere that can handle his teeth quickly, which we are, but I don't understand if they are syringe feeding/medicating him?

Please be aware that the poo output is always 1-2 days behind the food intake. If there are no poos today then it is because of what happened yesterday or the day before depending on whether the gut is sluggish or not (yours may be likely still somewhat sluggish if the orchestra in the gut is still not on full strength).
What nobody can tell you at this stage is whether the stasis and gassing are secondary to a dental or mouth infection/oral thrush (fungal mouth infection), something stuck awkwardly problem or whether the stasis is primary and related.
Seeing that we are in the middle of the holidays, please try to up your CC input to about 60 ml over the course of 24 hours if at all possible - the more food you get into him, the more poos come out at the other end, even if it may take two days. That part doesn't change whatever else is going on. Are you still weighing him daily to see whether you are feeding enough or whether he continues to lose weight?

Please take a deep breath. You want a good look at your boy's mouth once the vets reopen again to make sure; you do not need to throw the whole bathtub after the kitchen sink. Bloods won't help you if the issue is dental. They are too expensive and take time to do them on spec just because of your anxiety.

 

[RheMae]

Please be aware that the poo output is always 1-2 days behind the food intake. If there are no poos today then it is because of what happened yesterday or the day before depending on whether the gut is sluggish or not (yours may be likely still somewhat sluggish if the orchestra in the gut is still not on full strength).
What nobody can tell you at this stage is whether the stasis and gassing are secondary to a dental or mouth infection/oral thrush (fungal mouth infection), something stuck awkwardly problem or whether the stasis is primary and related.
Seeing that we are in the middle of the holidays, please try to up your CC input to about 60 ml over the course of 24 hours if at all possible - the more food you get into him, the more poos come out at the other end, even if it may take two days. That part doesn't change whatever else is going on. Are you still weighing him daily to see whether you are feeding enough or whether he continues to lose weight?

Please take a deep breath. You want a good look at your boy's mouth once the vets reopen again to make sure; you do not need to throw the whole bathtub after the kitchen sink. Bloods won't help you if the issue is dental. They are too expensive and take time to do them on spec just because of your anxiety.

I get that, thank you. That did reassure me with the poops taking 1-2 days. He's actually at the hospital now, in inpatient, since getting him to eat was a struggle and he appeared to be in so much pain and then he started drooling- I rushed him in and they agreed he should be kept and given meds with injection and such for the first day. They've been giving him CC, they said the "adequate amount". I'm asking if they've been weighing him now, but when we first took him to his regular vet, he had lost half a lb over the course of half a year- not good. I'm asking about his weight now.

And the hospital did mention that they believe the GI stasis to be secondary to the malocclusion and dental disease, which was surprising since they had first informed me his teeth and X-rays looked good. I understand not everything can be seen on an x-ray, which is why I mentioned mouth ulcers, and now they're stressing getting him to his regular vet where he can get dental surgery.

 

[Wiebke]

I get that, thank you. That did reassure me with the poops taking 1-2 days. He's actually at the hospital now, in inpatient, since getting him to eat was a struggle and he appeared to be in so much pain and then he started drooling- I rushed him in and they agreed he should be kept and given meds with injection and such for the first day. They've been giving him CC, they said the "adequate amount". I'm asking if they've been weighing him now, but when we first took him to his regular vet, he had lost half a lb over the course of half a year- not good. I'm asking about his weight now.

And the hospital did mention that they believe the GI stasis to be secondary to the malocclusion and dental disease, which was surprising since they had first informed me his teeth and X-rays looked good. I understand not everything can be seen on an x-ray, which is why I mentioned mouth ulcers, and now they're stressing getting him to his regular vet where he can get dental surgery.

HUGS

Drooling is not a good sign; it means that either your piggy is struggling to swallow (oral thrush or dental overgrowth bridging and trapping the tongue) or that there is a blockage somewhere in the digestive system starting with the mouth/throat through to the gut. The flow of saliva is constant.

My fingers are very firmly crossed!

 

[weepweeps]

I don’t have experience of this just wanted to send healing vibes to Guts.

 

[RheMae]

HUGS

Drooling is not a good sign; it means that either your piggy is struggling to swallow (oral thrush or dental overgrowth bridging and trapping the tongue) or that there is a blockage somewhere in the digestive system starting with the mouth/throat through to the gut. The flow of saliva is constant.

My fingers are very firmly crossed!

So he did go through dental surgery today for a very SLIGHT malocclusion. The vet said he's seen much worse, and those guineas still ate, so he's not sure that's why he's not eating. Also, we've had x-rays done, and they didn't see a blockage- they said today his stomach is sounding like a 3/4 but that's after going to a 0/4 yesterday. So I guess GI stasis is just confusing for me, and if the vet isn't sure that's why he's not eating, could it be grief? He's refusing his usual treats, but he wants to eat, he just can't if that makes sense.

 

[RheMae]

Sorry if I'm bugging you guys.

So my guinea pig Guts is at a 3/4 with gut sounds with GI stasis at this point, but still not eating. The hospital said it was urgent to get oral surgery done, and so we quickly did with his usual vet who could do it. He got in there and said he fixed a very SLIGHT malocclusion, and he told us he doesn't believe that's why he wouldn't be eating. He said guinea pigs are complicated, so it could have been, but he's seem guinea pigs continue to eat with it worse or much worse than what Guts had.

I know he just lost a cagemate, so I'm wondering if it could be grief related, since he refuses to take his usual treats, but struggles to eat veg, pellet and hay. Or maybe he WAS just really feeling the slight tooth problem, who knows? We'll have to see. But if it wasn't his teeth, does anybody have any idea what else it could be?

We've also had x-rays done, his teeth appear normal from there. No mention of oral ulcers, no blockages as far the x-ray goes - but would they see that on an x-ray? I'm assuming right?

 

[Wheekallweek]

I don't think ulcers would show up on an xray but I'm pretty sure the vet would have seen them in his mouth during the dental x

 

[Wiebke]

I don't think ulcers would show up on an xray but I'm pretty sure the vet would have seen them in his mouth during the dental x

Hi

I don't think it is directly caused by grief, but the stress of a loss could have been a contributing factor; it usually needs underlying problems for it to have an impact - whatever they are. Guinea pigs are the most under-reseached common pet, and we come up against those limits all the time.

Have you been given painkillers to use after his dental since his mouth will be likely sore? It also needs experience with guinea pig dentals which although they are becoming more often performed are still far too rare and good piggy dental vets are like gold dust.

 

[RheMae]

Hi

I don't think it is directly caused by grief, but the stress of a loss could have been a contributing factor; it usually needs underlying problems for it to have an impact - whatever they are. Guinea pigs are the most under-reseached common pet, and we come up against those limits all the time.

Have you been given painkillers to use after his dental since his mouth will be likely sore? It also needs experience with guinea pig dentals which although they are becoming more often performed are still far too rare and good piggy dental vets are like gold dust.

Yeah, realizing guinea pig vets are far and few in between was shocking and upsetting but you know. We've been to 3 different hospitals with my little guy, because some could do one thing, the other couldn't, etc. Finally, I found a specialist only about a half hour away from me! I scheduled an appointment early Friday- for my birthday- so I'm hoping all goes well! The reviews for exotics and guinea pigs are glowing, and they were kind and knowledgeable over the phone, so I'm hoping we can finally get Guts back to himself again and we can have fun floor time again. I really miss it, and his brother misses him too.

He hasn't come home from his surgery just yet, but I just wanted to be prepared. I can cancel the emergency visit for Friday, and schedule a check up with the specialist if he appears to be doing well. I just wanted to get in ASAP, considering it's hard to find them, and we've exhausted our resources here. I'll continue with the CC and monitor his poop/pee/and eating habits. I know they're sending him home with pain meds, but I just can't shake the feeling that the drooling and such is his teeth, and more than just a very slight malocclusion. If all goes well, I'll cancel quickly, to make the slot available for others, but we shall have to see. Waiting is the worst.

 

[RheMae]

I don't think ulcers would show up on an xray but I'm pretty sure the vet would have seen them in his mouth during the dental x

I'm hoping so, I've just heard stories where they missed it and a specialist found them. And I was told by one vet his teeth looked good, and then they said he needed dental surgery. So I don't know. It's all very confusing.

 

[Wiebke]

Yeah, realizing guinea pig vets are far and few in between was shocking and upsetting but you know. We've been to 3 different hospitals with my little guy, because some could do one thing, the other couldn't, etc. Finally, I found a specialist only about a half hour away from me! I scheduled an appointment early Friday- for my birthday- so I'm hoping all goes well! The reviews for exotics and guinea pigs are glowing, and they were kind and knowledgeable over the phone, so I'm hoping we can finally get Guts back to himself again and we can have fun floor time again. I really miss it, and his brother misses him too.

He hasn't come home from his surgery just yet, but I just wanted to be prepared. I can cancel the emergency visit for Friday, and schedule a check up with the specialist if he appears to be doing well. I just wanted to get in ASAP, considering it's hard to find them, and we've exhausted our resources here. I'll continue with the CC and monitor his poop/pee/and eating habits. I know they're sending him home with pain meds, but I just can't shake the feeling that the drooling and such is his teeth, and more than just a very slight malocclusion. If all goes well, I'll cancel quickly, to make the slot available for others, but we shall have to see. Waiting is the worst.

Waiting is always the worst. All the best! Great that you have got such a good vet so close by.

I have a decent general vet locally but need to travel for an hour (or more depending on the traffic) to see one of the best piggy vets in the country - and I am counting myself lucky at that...

 

[RheMae]

Waiting is always the worst. All the best! Great that you have got such a good vet so close by.

I have a decent general vet locally but need to travel for an hour (or more depending on the traffic) to see one of the best piggy vets in the country - and I am counting myself lucky at that...

One of the best piggy vets in the country? That would be amazing and take so much worry off! I'm use to driving long distances because I moved a state away from my family, so I usually drive an hour or two. To find one a half hour away felt like an early birthday gift to me, considering some places list that they work with exotics- but when you call- they say they don't. (What's up with that?)

 

[RheMae]

Just a quick update from our vet: he checked specifically for spurs and such, and his lower teeth looked like it could be possible, but he shaved them down. He's calling for the head X-rays from the hospital to see for any sores that could be in the root of the teeth, since Guts is STILL fighting the CC feedings. He still is appearing like he wants to eat, but very apathetic and just going to it, sniffing, and then staring at it, which BREAKS my heart.
I just don't know what could be going on with him.

 

[Wiebke]

Just a quick update from our vet: he checked specifically for spurs and such, and his lower teeth looked like it could be possible, but he shaved them down. He's calling for the head X-rays from the hospital to see for any sores that could be in the root of the teeth, since Guts is STILL fighting the CC feedings. He still is appearing like he wants to eat, but very apathetic and just going to it, sniffing, and then staring at it, which BREAKS my heart.
I just don't know what could be going on with him.

HUGS

 

[Wheekallweek]

My bunny vet always shows me my bun's xrays (she's a dental bun) and the pockets of infection around the roots of her teeth showed up as dark, black patches in the bone. Not sure if that helps

 

[RheMae]

My bunny vet always shows me my bun's xrays (she's a dental bun) and the pockets of infection around the roots of her teeth showed up as dark, black patches in the bone. Not sure if that helps

It does, I'll definitely be looking now. Thank you! I have been requesting the X-rays as well, just so I know what we're dealing with too.